Persuasive Essay On Homeless Research Paper
If I were to ask you to describe a homeless person, what’s the first picture that pops into your mind? Is it the scary looking man who sits on the corner every day? Is it the drug addict begging for money for his next fix? What about the family of four who has been couch hopping for the last year, while the mother went back to school and the father worked two jobs? Meanwhile, their kids are still going to school everyday in order to find that second chance that their parents are working so hard to provide them.
In a country where over 3.5 million are affected by homelessness each year, it’s incredible that the majority of America still knows so little about what’s going on right outside their doorstep. In New York alone, over 60,000 people will spend tonight in a shelter. 22,000 will be adults with families, and another …show more content…
23,000 will be their kids.
This situation is far too common, because homelessness can happen to just about anyone for any number of causes. There is a wide spread of people who find themselves in this situation, where “23 percent are military veterans, 25 percent are younger than 18, 30 percent are victims of domestic violence, and about 20 percent suffer from mental illness” (“Helping the Homeless”). Homelessness not just a statistic or stereotype, but a word to describe a real person whose often traumatic history has now led them to a life where basic necessities like shelter and food are often hard to come by.
Without a true understanding behind the real causes and factors that play into homelessness, it is simple to assume each one of these people fit into a specific category. These false assumptions are detrimental to those trying to work their way out of the cycle of homelessness. The American public should do more to decrease the stigma behind homelessness in order to shift society into one that is ready and willing to search for a solution.
Homelessness has become such a taboo that cities are even beginning to pass laws that make it essentially illegal to live under these circumstances. Bans are in place against loitering, panhandling, food distribution, and even sleeping in your car. What is person without food, a job, or a bed supposed to do when you take away all their means of survival, yet still don’t give them any alternatives? The federal funding that is spent keeping them in jail after they are arrested could easily supply them with all the materials they need to follow the rules in the first place.
It is our responsibility as humans to provide basic human needs for our citizens, which seems obvious, yet these fundamental rights are often not available to homeless.
Many have no access to dependable and safe shelter, nutritious food, or affordable medical care. With these laws in place, it has become a crime for a person to search for these vital everyday needs solely because they do not have a permanent home. However, it’s obvious that being a homeowner or not has nothing to do with the fact that these fundamental rights are necessary for any human to survive.
While the country is spending their time persecuting the financially unstable, the number of vacant houses across the country continues to rise. In 2015, it was recorded that “Since 2007, banks have foreclosed around eight million homes. It is estimated that eight to ten million homes will be foreclosed before the financial crisis is over” (Mint Press News). These foreclosures have left the country with over 18.5 million vacant homes. The homeless are outnumbered six to one by vacant homes in this country, meaning that we could give each homeless person 6 unoccupied houses to
themselves.
The forecloses may have been in an effort to stabilize the country’s financial problems, but how do we expect people have a stable job and to contribute to the economy is they don’t have an address to right on their applications or a bed to come home to at night? “Research shows that the primary cause of homelessness, particularly among families, is lack of affordable housing” ( The root of this problem is not only found in unemployment, but low income as well. Many homeless Americans work 9-5 jobs but still don’t earn enough to keep up with the cost of living. These people are our coworkers and neighbors, who spend the day at the office and then catch the bus at 6 to make it to the soup kitchen in time to beat the lines. Countless Americans are living paycheck to paycheck, with “44 percent of Americans being one emergency- such as a medical expense or losing a job- away from a financial crisis” (Helping the Homeless).
The homeless are not all lazy, a drug addicts, or off their rocker. Assumptions are so strong when it comes to homelessness, that many don’t realize how close it is to home. We all know friends who fit into each of these categories, yet are fortunate enough spend their evenings on the couch instead of the curb.
Now I am not suggesting that we hand each homeless person a house and pay for his or her rent and food for the rest of their lives. I am merely pointing out that we do have the resources available to assist where assistance is needed. Every person deserves this help, because by no means is homelessness a choice. Many argue that the homeless got themselves into this situation or made their own bad choices that led them here. However, once a person becomes homeless, it is incredibly difficult to get back on their feet.
Imagine going to fill out a job application, but having to leave the address line blank because you have no stable home at the time. How will you get to work everyday? What presentable clothes do you have and how often can you afford to have them washed? Who will watch your kids when they get home from school? These are only a few of the impossible problems that make finding a keeping a job incredibly difficult without a stable home.
Fixing this problem will not be a quick or easy task by any means, but a simple first step is to remove the harsh stigma that comes with the word homelessness. Many of us see a man sitting on the curb and might toss a few coins in his can out of sympathy or pity, but that’s not always what each homeless person needs. Hunger is generally thought of as the biggest problem for the homeless, but how can we know unless we ask them? It’s very possible that many of these people have never been asked what they are really in need of because people assume they fit the same small mold of every homeless person in the community.
Have you ever thought to stop and simply ask for their name? Ask how they’re doing and maybe if there is anything small you could go and pick up for them at the closest drugstore? Money is not the only solution to this nationwide problem. Before anything can be done, we first need to fix out attitudes toward homelessness in general. Cities need to work to aid the homeless, because attempting to run them out of town is the opposite of productive. Our country has the resources available to make a serious step forward in solving this problem, yet nothing can be done if society is unwilling to change their perspective. It’s easy to look down on those who have less than you
In a country where over 3.5 million are affected by homelessness each year, it’s incredible that the majority of America still knows so little about what’s going on right outside their doorstep. In New York alone, over 60,000 people will spend tonight in a shelter. 22,000 will be adults with families, and another …show more content…
23,000 will be their kids.
This situation is far too common, because homelessness can happen to just about anyone for any number of causes. There is a wide spread of people who find themselves in this situation, where “23 percent are military veterans, 25 percent are younger than 18, 30 percent are victims of domestic violence, and about 20 percent suffer from mental illness” (“Helping the Homeless”). Homelessness not just a statistic or stereotype, but a word to describe a real person whose often traumatic history has now led them to a life where basic necessities like shelter and food are often hard to come by.
Without a true understanding behind the real causes and factors that play into homelessness, it is simple to assume each one of these people fit into a specific category. These false assumptions are detrimental to those trying to work their way out of the cycle of homelessness. The American public should do more to decrease the stigma behind homelessness in order to shift society into one that is ready and willing to search for a solution.
Homelessness has become such a taboo that cities are even beginning to pass laws that make it essentially illegal to live under these circumstances. Bans are in place against loitering, panhandling, food distribution, and even sleeping in your car. What is person without food, a job, or a bed supposed to do when you take away all their means of survival, yet still don’t give them any alternatives? The federal funding that is spent keeping them in jail after they are arrested could easily supply them with all the materials they need to follow the rules in the first place.
It is our responsibility as humans to provide basic human needs for our citizens, which seems obvious, yet these fundamental rights are often not available to homeless.
Many have no access to dependable and safe shelter, nutritious food, or affordable medical care. With these laws in place, it has become a crime for a person to search for these vital everyday needs solely because they do not have a permanent home. However, it’s obvious that being a homeowner or not has nothing to do with the fact that these fundamental rights are necessary for any human to survive.
While the country is spending their time persecuting the financially unstable, the number of vacant houses across the country continues to rise. In 2015, it was recorded that “Since 2007, banks have foreclosed around eight million homes. It is estimated that eight to ten million homes will be foreclosed before the financial crisis is over” (Mint Press News). These foreclosures have left the country with over 18.5 million vacant homes. The homeless are outnumbered six to one by vacant homes in this country, meaning that we could give each homeless person 6 unoccupied houses to
themselves.
The forecloses may have been in an effort to stabilize the country’s financial problems, but how do we expect people have a stable job and to contribute to the economy is they don’t have an address to right on their applications or a bed to come home to at night? “Research shows that the primary cause of homelessness, particularly among families, is lack of affordable housing” ( The root of this problem is not only found in unemployment, but low income as well. Many homeless Americans work 9-5 jobs but still don’t earn enough to keep up with the cost of living. These people are our coworkers and neighbors, who spend the day at the office and then catch the bus at 6 to make it to the soup kitchen in time to beat the lines. Countless Americans are living paycheck to paycheck, with “44 percent of Americans being one emergency- such as a medical expense or losing a job- away from a financial crisis” (Helping the Homeless).
The homeless are not all lazy, a drug addicts, or off their rocker. Assumptions are so strong when it comes to homelessness, that many don’t realize how close it is to home. We all know friends who fit into each of these categories, yet are fortunate enough spend their evenings on the couch instead of the curb.
Now I am not suggesting that we hand each homeless person a house and pay for his or her rent and food for the rest of their lives. I am merely pointing out that we do have the resources available to assist where assistance is needed. Every person deserves this help, because by no means is homelessness a choice. Many argue that the homeless got themselves into this situation or made their own bad choices that led them here. However, once a person becomes homeless, it is incredibly difficult to get back on their feet.
Imagine going to fill out a job application, but having to leave the address line blank because you have no stable home at the time. How will you get to work everyday? What presentable clothes do you have and how often can you afford to have them washed? Who will watch your kids when they get home from school? These are only a few of the impossible problems that make finding a keeping a job incredibly difficult without a stable home.
Fixing this problem will not be a quick or easy task by any means, but a simple first step is to remove the harsh stigma that comes with the word homelessness. Many of us see a man sitting on the curb and might toss a few coins in his can out of sympathy or pity, but that’s not always what each homeless person needs. Hunger is generally thought of as the biggest problem for the homeless, but how can we know unless we ask them? It’s very possible that many of these people have never been asked what they are really in need of because people assume they fit the same small mold of every homeless person in the community.
Have you ever thought to stop and simply ask for their name? Ask how they’re doing and maybe if there is anything small you could go and pick up for them at the closest drugstore? Money is not the only solution to this nationwide problem. Before anything can be done, we first need to fix out attitudes toward homelessness in general. Cities need to work to aid the homeless, because attempting to run them out of town is the opposite of productive. Our country has the resources available to make a serious step forward in solving this problem, yet nothing can be done if society is unwilling to change their perspective. It’s easy to look down on those who have less than you