Why Housing Matters

Immeasurable times a person’s outlook on education can be limited to just reading, writing, sciences, and math, leaving them close minded on assisting the community around them. Fr. Pedro Arrupe’s statement, ‘‘our prime educational objective must be to form men and women for others, who believe that a love of self or of God which does not issue forth in justice for the least of their neighbors is a farce.’’ is concluding that we, as citizens, should focus our primary education on being a well-rounded person. With that said, the best way to put forth our best self is to work to be sure everyone in our communities is provided with basic necessities that are essential to help one live. I have witnessed this first hand with my own sister, Jessica
What several people don’t realize is that they are passing human beings lacking their basic necessities that any human being needs in order to survive. Homelessness is authentically real and an immense injustice. This is where my sister comes into play. Fr. Arrupe believes we should educate others on our world’s problems and that is exactly what Jessica does. Working with ReThink: Why Housing Matters campaign, she has traveled the United States, making the documentary Our Journey Home, featuring singer-songwriter Jewel. This documentary shows the reality of the terrible conditions and the difficulties of affording a decent place to live. My sister still travels the United States from time to time to screen the movie to an audience who will hopefully be as encouraged as I was. In support of the need for advocacy, I spent last year doing a report in my Social Justice class on homelessness and low-income housing. I presented the issue to my classmates with assistance from my sister and was given the opportunity to show the documentary, which helped provide them with a broader understanding of the importance of affordable housing. As I saw many of my friends and even my teacher tearing up at the reality of these living situations that my sister helped to portray in this video, I came to the realization that even a shy girl like myself can
As she has shared many stories and facts with me, the topic has become more personal. While shooting the documentary, Jessica rode with a police officer in the projects of Atlanta, Georgia to film the hardships of living on the streets. This dangerous excursion proved to her that her job was important. Seeing the devastating truth about homelessness made her want to spread awareness to the whole world. When my sister came home from her trip and told my family about her adventure I was enthused. As the youngest sibling, it is impossible to not look up to my older sisters. Seeing how moved my sister was by this event made me want to become involved with this social injustice. This was the first time I genuinely felt a connection to helping those who are without a home. Although her personal experience proved that homelessness was an issue, she also had facts to back it up. While discussing affordable housing with Jessica, I learned that over half a million people are on a waiting list for public housing and many people can’t afford to house their families due to rents increasing astronomically. These facts and many more that she supplied gave me a whole new outlook on the