The issue of homelessness is becoming more and more prevalent in America. With the unemployment rates hovering around 10%, many Americans cannot afford their housing mortgages. Living in the richest county in the world makes you question how the poverty level keeps increasing. There are roughly about three million Americans who are homeless. This is a very disturbing number for the simple fact that the brutality of poverty is a monumental issue in today’s society. Unfortunately, the recent recession only added to these numbers. With the economy facing issues within the financial market, housing market, health care market, and the business market many Americans cannot afford the growing cost of living. In the year 2007 one statistic showed that 23% of the homeless population were families with children. In essence this notion of homelessness is affecting many Americans in not being able to provide for their families.
Mother Teresa of Calcutta once said, “We think sometimes that poverty is only being hungry, naked and homeless. The poverty of being unwanted, unloved and uncared for is the greatest poverty. We must start in our own homes to remedy this kind of poverty.” I strongly believe that most of us take for granted the gift of having a home and living with people who love us. Consequently, there are many Americans who are forced to live in shelters or on the streets. According to USA Today, about 1.6 million Americans have resorted to living in shelters. Another staggering fact is from a poll that about 53% of Americans are worried about making their housing payment. These statics shows how a falling economy raises the unemployment rates. Homelessness in large part is due to many Americans not having jobs. There is a clear correlation between the recession and an increase in the amount of Homelessness in America. Furthermore, poverty in the US is a very sad reality and tackling this issue is easier said than done.
Poverty is problem that needs to be fixed. In regards to social justice, homelessness has a much broader meaning. The Many Americans that are homeless most likely cannot afford the essential needs such as food, clothing, and water. I could not imagine not having something as simple as a glass of water or a home cooked meal. I truly am privileged to have a home, a place I view as my haven. As the holiday of thanksgiving is on the horizon, this is a time of being thankful for what you have and giving back. One statistic showed that of the 3.5 million Americans that are homeless about 1.35 are children. These children go without food and a roof over there head. They will most like miss out on many of the privileges that I had as a child. Looking forward, our government must establish more policies and create more jobs in order to help Americans pay for their housing mortgages. In final, I believe the being homeless is a horrific aspect of our society that affects many Americans. It is our jobs as Americans to fight for those who less fortunate than us.
How can the issue of homelessness be fixed? Do you believe that issue is directly correlated to the recession? Do you take for granted the essential goods such as food, water, and even your home? How can we make a difference?
Links:
http://homelessnessinamerica.com/
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/maria-foscarinis/homelessness-human-rights_b_781638.html
Homelessness is a devastating issue the United States is forced to face. With statistics that prove the severity of the problem, Americans should want to take action to lessen its effects. People as individuals can personally spend time or money helping those less fortunate. However, it would be difficult for the government to quickly solve the problem. The economy is unstable and homelessness is just one of the problems its instability has caused. The government can set up campaigns and educate people on the importance of being supportive of the impoverished, but there is no easy way to give poor citizens shelter and food without sending the economy deeper into debt. The issue of homelessness is directly correlated with the recession because in difficult economic times, people struggle with finding and keeping a job and making money. I try not to take advantage of food, water, and shelter; Americans who have these should realize how lucky they are.
ReplyDeleteHomelessness is becoming a bigger issue as time goes on. The issue just continues to get worse, and the economy isn't helping the problem. I think that jobs should be created to build shelters and other buildings for homeless people. This would somewhat help the job shortage problem by providing jobs for people to help build the shelters and it would also give the homeless more places to stay. This post made me realize how much I really have. After reading this I felt much more appreciative of my home and my parents for providing everything for me.
ReplyDeletePeople very often take it for granted that we have a place to shower, blankets to sleep on, and food to eat. The increase in homelessness is related to the recession because people can't afford houses and if people lose their jobs, they lose their houses. This is a tough issue to fix because charities are good ways to raise money because people should be able to voluntarily donate money. Adding to tax money so the government can pay for homeless people isn't fair for other people to pay for , but there should be a higher awareness of the issue so people can help. More organizations such as Habitat for Humanity are great ways to help this issue also.
ReplyDeleteMany people tend to take what they have for granted and forget that everyone is not as fortunate as them. I myself sometimes forget to realize how lucky I am to have a home and food prepared for me. Homelessness is a major problem in the United States and millions are without shelter and food. This problem is not an easy one to fix. Statistics relating to homelessness are shocking and extremely eye- opening. Approximately fifty- nine percent of homeless people live in vehicles and about twenty- five percent in makeshift housing. About thirteen percent of homeless people are employed. More jobs should be made available for homeless people so this slim percentage increases. The average amount of money in a month that a homeless person receives in income is only three hundred dollars. This may be enough for food, but certainly not for a permenant home. Homeless people often have problems and we sometimes forget this. Many have mental illnesses and unfortunately an estimated twenty- six to forty percent homeless people are substance abusers (http://www.nowheretolayhishead.org/statisticsabouthomelessness.html). Those of us that are more privileged should donate food to food shelters, contribute to clothing drives, and volunteer at soup kitchens. Everyone should be educated and aware of the problem of homelessness because together we can hopefully make a difference.
ReplyDeleteI feel that poverty in the US is a huge problem that I have seen first hand. Going to a catholic school for most of my life have been a part of many different outreach programs that worked with the poor. It is hard to see that people in an area that has so many people with money and power can see people sitting on the streets and not help them out. The United states is one of the most affluent countries in the world yet we neglect to in many cases help out the poor that we see in our own communities. If is hard to see people in that situation and I hope that I never have to experience it. I feel that the government in the united states needs to create a program that is designed to help the homeless more then just welfare and food stamps. This needs to be done
ReplyDeleteI feel that poverty in the US is a big problem. We should do something about this issue, but the economy is growing worse as the years go by. I think that us Americans should do their share in helping out by donating food, housing items and clothing. The government should provide new jobs and education for the homeless as weel. It's just hard to believe to see those people without a home. I do feel guilty that I have a house and a school to go to when there are people who are poor. -Tia
ReplyDeletePoverty is without a doubt a very serious topic amongst individuals in the United States and even in the world today. There will always be some portion of a country's population that consists of poverty-striken, homeless, and unemployed people. There have been much that has been done to combat this injustice such as donations through organizations, but unfortunately, poverty is still occurent in today's modern society. Especially in these economic times where the world is undergoing a recession, the United States is right in the middle of it. Unemployment rates and the national deficit continue to rise, and people are struggling to make ends meet nowadays. Real estate is suffering, health care is at a standstill, and nothing is being done due to differences in politicians and what they view should be done. This issue is often related to the recession world-wide and in the United States, and yes it is sad that we often take such necessities as food, water, shelter, a proper education, money, and clothing for granted when we are aware that their are others who would do anything for what we have. Therefore, more needs to be done to combat this injustice. Organizations and charities collect donations for the poor and homeless, so that is the most common way that people reach out to help those less fortunate. They would donate money, articles of clothing, and even toys for kids during christmas and turkeys for thanksgiving. Even though poverty will not likely be eliminated for good in today's communities, it does not mean that we can't provide some relief or aid in the name of helping others in need.
ReplyDeleteI have volunteered in numerous soup kitchens, and what i did observe there, was that most of the homeless people that go to the soup kitchens, are homeless due to the use of drugs. As a society we can encourage each others not to use drugs, because they affects us individually,our friends and family. Also we should not only donate food, but reach out to those people and serve that food to them at soup kitchens.
ReplyDeleteI really don't know how this could be fixed. I think if we isolated ourselves again and produced more things here and exported less it would make more jobs and would create a life for people. It would also get us out of debt. I think recession is some of the problem but some people dont want to work, so there are many reasons to it.We can make a difference by volunteering at a soup kitchen, giving clothes awway, etc.
ReplyDeleteReading this blog post really made me think about all the things I take for granted. All the times I complain about the food in Sparky's Place, how terrible it is and how they don't give us enough options. Here I am complaining about a warm meal while there are people all over America that would kill for just a bite of cold anything. I remember the first week of living on campus I did nothing but complain about the taste of the Merrimack water, I eventually invested in a Brita so that I could enjoy clean drinking water. Once again I was taking for granted the water that was provided for me, a ncessity of life, I found wasn't good enough and once again there are people all over America that do not even have access to dirty water never mind clean water. I am sure I am not the only one who takes for granted all the privileges we have. We all do this every day, seeking for something better, something more, and yet there are people out there who are seeking for something at all.
ReplyDeleteI think it is ignorant to make assumptions about homeless people, and their story of why they are homeless. Now of course a great number of homeless people are homeless for the simple reason that they made several poor choices in their lifetime, but I am sure there are great number of people who are homeless for reasons that were entirely unavoidable.
Poverty is just such a hard thing for the government to deal with because the programs that are availbe for the lower class and homeless are often abused. The typical welfare abuse story where the welfare checks are blown on drugs and alcohol, although not the case for all, it is the small group of people that ruin it for everybody.
I believe we can all help in our way simply by making small steps towards change. Small steps involving service at a local soup kitchen, or donations to a homeless shelter. There is not much we can do as individuals, but every small step is a step towards change and the more steps that are taken the closer we get to a new world.
I believe that the solution to this problem lies in the hearts of Americans who are fortunate enough to live comfortable lifestyles. I believe that this school epholds and embraces the Augustinian values of volunteerism that are needed to solve this issue.
ReplyDelete"What does love look like? It has the hands to help others. It has the feet to hasten to the poor and needy. It has the eyes to see misery and want. It has the ears to hear the sighs and sorrows of men. That is what love looks like."
-St. Augustine
I feel that to solve this problem we must first address the needs of the community and recognize the problem. We must realize that our brothers and sisters are suffering. We have the ability to change thier reality and we must use our own individual strengths to change this. This to me strikes at the core of what the honors program offers. We are educating ourselves in an elevevated manner in order to change the society that we live in. We are preparing ourselves to make a difference in this world and I strongly believe that we can change the reality for the roughly three million homeless Americans today.
The growing trend of homelessness in the United States as Anthony states truly makes us think about how we are living in the richest country in the world,yet we have a very high rate of homelessness and poverty level. Personally, I have never traveled outside the United States, but thinking about the high rate of homelessness in the United States, I can not fathom the magnitude and number of homeless people living in countries outside of the United States. Overall, I believe that we [as U.S. citizens] try to do as much as we can to help the homeless. For instance, we set up homeless shelters and conduct food and clothing drives to try to ameliorate this state of homelessness. Anthony brings forth the
ReplyDeletestruggling issues of the economy with the financial market, housing market, health care market and the business market; many Americans cannot afford the growing cost of living. As a result, despite U.S. citizen’s efforts to aiding the homeless, more people are becoming homeless at the same time due to unemployment. This push-pull factor between aiding the homeless and at the same time more people becoming homeless creates a gap which (in my opinion) is hard to bridge. Homelessness has always existed, but oftentimes I feel that because I have food and a place that I can call my home that it is hard to imagine what another person’s life is like. I believe that the government needs to take action and speak out against this social injustice. We, as U.S. citizens, can only do so much that it within our grasp; the government needs to step in and do more in terms of aiding its U.S. citizens. I believe that U.S. citizens should continue to aid the homeless in whatever way possible.
Homelessness is an issue that needs to be addressed in the United States. With an average of three million Americans who are homeless, one would think that action would be taken to put an end to homelessness. I think that the issue of homelessness can be fixed, but it is going to take a lot of work. The recession does not help in working towards creating homes for the homeless. It has put many citizens without jobs and they can then not afford to pay for the expenses of a house. With help from the government and the citizens of the United States, change can be made. People are willing to donate money to others in foreign countries, why can they not help out their own country?
ReplyDeleteI would say that I do take for granted the essential goods such as food, water, and even my home. It is the basic things such as water, that I could never imagine being without. We can make a difference by creating awareness of homelessness. For example, students at Merrimack College just lived in a tent outside for a few nights and were asking for change for the homeless. We can also make a difference by volunteering our time to organizations that help provide for the homeless. Alternative Spring Break is a great opportunity to get into communities and experience what it is like to live with running water and an abundant supply of food. Students will get a better understanding of how privileged we are to have a a home and the basic goods.
The problem of homlessness is a severe issue that plagues every country. The United States faces this same issue, even though it is not as obvious. America is one of the richest countries in the world, but not many people know about the poor parts of the country. It is disturbing how many homeless people there are in urban areas. I agree with what Natalie said about people willing to donate money to help foreign countries, but we cannot even help our own country. I do think that the increase of homlessness is a direct impact from the recession. People that once had to fight to pay for their homes or apartments were being let go from their jobs. They had no way to pay for the basic necessities of life. This is when the government or the more fortunate people in the community should step up and try to help the less fortunate. It is also sad how many children are included in these statistics. It reminds me that I am very fortunate to have a house to go home to, let alone attend college. The only way that I can see to help this problem is to donate to charities. Some charities are unreliable however, because you do not know how much of the money is going to the cause. Hopefully as the recession comes to an end the poverty and homlessness will start to decrease.
ReplyDeleteI do have to say that I take many things for granted such as a glass of water or a piece of fruit. When I went to New Orleans for my spring break one year I got to witness homelessness at its worst. We couldn't walk down the street without seeing a homeless person on the street and to our surprise, all they wanted to do was to share their story. We heard several devastating stories of average people that lost everything they had with a blink of their eyes. They lost everything: their house, families, friends, and all their possessions. It was a real eye opener to me. I think we should come together in communities, and help out those that are less fortunate. Especially with the homeless children, there should be some system or some way that will guarantee all children proper living conditions. Every person deserves an equal chance to succeed in life and they won't get very far if they don't have a place that will keep them safe.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately, homelessness in America is becoming more and more of an issue today and many Americans are blind to this issue. Personally, I know I was unaware of exactly how many families with children were forced to live on the street. The fact that they are devoid from everything from basic necessities, such as water, to the privileges bestowed on most of us, such as being able to attend college. These conditions, for most of us, are too horrific to imagine.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was a freshman in high school, I went on a cruise to the Dominican Republic. Although the beauty of the beaches was magnificent, once beyond the shores, I caught my first true glimpse of poverty. Kids, no older than ten, were coming up to us, asking if they could shine our shoes for one dollar. The homes were not houses, they were metal shacks. This was a disorienting moment in my life where I was exposed to a world completely opposite of mine. That was the first time I had been truly aware of how lucky I truly am. I believe that this is the case for many people our age and that they take a lot of things for granted. This is a horrible attitude to have, especially in today's society with millions of people suffering from poverty.
The growing number of homeless people and povert in America is a huge problem and one that is growing every day. I believe that the solution to this problem may be made by making the American citizens more aware of this issue. Most of the homeless and poverty commercials on television these days are about people in other countries and there are none about the poverty in our country. If more citizens of our country were aware of the amount of poverty in this nation I believe that more and more money would be able to be raised and more homeless shelters could be built. None the less something needs to be done.
ReplyDeleteHomelessness has been increasing over the years. Poverty is increasing and growing each year. I agree with the blogger when they say we live in the richest country so how do we have the most poverty levels. Americans don’t realize what they have until they don’t have it anymore. If Americans lost some of their tangible items they would be lost, but homeless people don’t have those items to loss so they look at life differently and care about life more. Americans need to be thankful for house they have and for the people that love them because most of those people that are homeless don’t have people that love them. I feel like if Americans realized or knew about the number of homeless people they would try to do something. To be honest, I had no idea that the number of homeless people was like this. This article is very informative in the fact that I learned something about the topic I didn’t know and maybe now that I know I can try to help the issue, but I’m only one person. Something needs to be done. I feel like if there were more money and funds going towards people in poverty or more homeless shelters being built, this could be the next step in a less poverty country.
ReplyDeleteThe dramatic increase of homelessness can be due to the economy. Lots of people lost their jobs and most of those people probably couldn't afford taking care of themselves and families in the first place. When jobs are taken away from these people they have no where to turn because their homes get taken as well. The government might try to feed these people, provide shelter, yes it will make a difference but it wont make the problem go way matter fact it will just keep rapidly increasing.
ReplyDeleteI feel like homelessness is a condition that always has existed. The creation of shelters and soup kitchens was a start to curve homelessness, but the economy's recession certainly affected the increase of homelessness. Sadly, I do not think homelessness will ever be completely eliminated. Before college, I definitely took things like running water and home-cooked meals for granted, but now I am much more thankful for them whenever I go home. I try to do my part by volunteering at My Brother's Table in Lynn, MA, where those who cannot afford a meal can eat for free. I also donate clothes to homeless shelters in the surrounding area. I know that it does not fix the problem of homelessness, but I feel like it is my way of helping those in need.
ReplyDeleteHomelessness is a growing major concern in our society right now. Because of the recession, people have been laid off work and it has created problems like competition for work, no salary, and the ability to provide for ourselves and our families. I believe that homelessness is one of those unique things that can never really be eliminated, but can be improved. The government should help the homelessness issue by creating a program for more jobs and opprotunities. Other people that are fortunate to have a home should look for ways to help the homeless, by donating, volunteering, and learn to not take things for granted.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately this is a subject that is contantly in our everyday lives. For someone that came form a third world contry, as myself, homelessness is something that I grew up seeing. It is hard for me to see it as such a huge problem here in the US since back in my home courty it is something that is so widespread. Having witnessed such a sad issue firsthand I do not wish it upon any country to have this as a problem. I think its is something that can be fixed but only with time and the recession has greatly affectedt he numbers. When asked if I take minimal things such as water, food, and the roof I have over my head for granted I deffinently don't. I am very greatful for the all that I have and all that my family provides me with. I try to give back with as much as possible and I hope that one day I can retribute with much more, not only to my loved ones but to others in need also.
ReplyDeleteGranted, homelssness is a widespread problem across the world, but our main focus as American should be on America. I feel as if when we think of pvoerty and homelessness we think of third world countries. Thus we provide those countires with aid via food, medicine,money, charities and ect. I am not saying that we should not continue to do those things, however, I think we should focus on the problem at home. There are way to many homeles and poverty stricken poeple right here in the U.S. I know that there are many poeple out there that donate their time and money to give back to their comunity but sometimes that only goes so far. This is true for many reasons but two issues come to my mind. Unfortunately whole communities do not come together. I have witnessed first hand that many of the people that do give back are just a group of consistent few. Every little bit helps, but it would be nice to see everyone giving back. Another concern is with the government. Individuals can only do so much to help this growing problem. I think that it would be great if the government placed some new programs into affect. Programs in whihc there were not so many restirictions but wroked in a constructive way as to not be taken advasntage of. As discussed in a previous honors class, solving the problem of homelessness is a great problem and is difficult to find solutions for.
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