Pros And Cons Of Homelessness

“What about sleeping outside to bring awareness to homelessness?” was my suggestion to service project ideas on the Service Committee Board for Community Youth Council (CYC). After debating the pros and cons from adopting one of the many littered potholes in town to the merits of holding a senior citizen prom within the community, the Service Committee still has not reached a consensus. Officially, CYC’s mission is to “serve as a unified voice for the youth of our community.” While holding “youth” service projects have been a norm in the past, the ignorance of the public’s awareness regarding homelessness within the community was something that needed to be addressed.

My idea was initially met with squeamishness and solid reservations. I,
however, was not deterred. Throughout my childhood, I have encountered prejudices and judgements. Whether it is over race, religion, income or sexual orientation, I felt prejudice like toxic air. I can recall several instances where many authority influences and even peers dissuaded me from offering money to a homeless person “because they will use it for drugs.” As I matured, I started to realize that others malignant perceptions are fueled by the fear of the unknown. Instead of nourishing xenophobia and intolerance, I wanted to quell it. Part of the problem, I figured, was a lack of awareness. Hosting a “Homeless Night Out” was an opportunity to shed light on a demographic that is easy to stereotype. By informing the public of facts and statistics of homelessness rather than letting common misconceptions sway our behavior, it can change people’s long-held stereotypes—knowledge has the power to transform. Instead of feeding the trend toward intolerance, it was time to stop it.

Making the choice to take the path for “Homeless Night Out” was an upstream battle. More than a few other committee members hesitated to move forward with the idea due to their perturbation It wasn’t as simple getting the rest of the committee board to