What if we
lived in world where we were forced to live each day in a constant state of
fear for our lives? From one day to the next, you didn’t know where your next
meal was coming from. Forget trusting your neighbors, because when every single
one of your possessions is at risk for being stolen, even the very shoes on
your feet, you make it your job to protect them. Every night before you went to
sleep, you pray to God just to be able to wake up the next morning. Now,
imagine what life must be like for those who aren't fortunate enough to have a
roof over their head. It follows the above scenario quite closely, doesn't it?
Homelessness is unquestionably a prodigious issue in this country. There are
over a million people out on the streets facing those types of horrors on a day
to day basis. The shelters already available only make the nightmare even
worse, as most of them can hardly even be considered adequate for temporary
living. It truly makes you wonder what the government is doing with our money.
Instead of turning a blind eye to those who are in need, the United States
government should attribute a greater portion of their budget to finding
permanent housing for the homeless.
Homeless
shelters are a fantastic idea. This is, among donations and a few homeless
awareness organizations, our current solution. But when the shelters aren’t
maintained well enough to the point where people would rather choose the
streets, that’s when you know there is a problem. Former homeless man David
Pirtle describes his experience in a homeless shelter in an interview on
National Public Radio’s Talk of the Nation. “You hear a lot of terrible things
about shelters, that shelters are dangerous places, that they're full of drugs
and drug dealers, that people will steal your shoes, and there's bedbugs and
body lice… And I found out that a lot of what I was afraid of was true.” Pirtle describes them as “a lot of big
warehouses that are just places where we stick people at night and we really
don't have any regard for how they live there.” It’s no wonder why most
homeless people would rather spend the night sleeping in an alleyway rather than
put themselves at risk of mistreatment, robbery, and diseases. The only source
of help most of these people have are the shelters, and even then, many people
are turned away due a past record of alcohol abuse, drug addiction, or mental
illness. Looking at the greater picture, it’s really not their fault that
they’ve ended up like this. After falling into financial situation where they
are unable to support themselves, they turn to desperate options. These people
have turned to such habits because of the inequitable situations they were
forced into, not because they’re ‘reckless’ or ‘don’t feel like following the
rules’. Yet somehow, in the eyes of many, these people are considered as
nothing more that ‘psycho druggies who are too lazy or too pathetic to find
work.’ The fact that some people
actually believe this is just downright discomforting.
Another
point to mention is money. Since the 2008 recession, it’s safe to say the
economy hasn’t exactly been in the best state it can be. Times of economic
distress are when people reflect and ponder, what is the government really
doing with our money? On average, the United States spends approximately 20% of
its budget on military expenses. “[That equates to] $718 billion on defense and
international assistance,” adds The Washington Post. While it’s wonderful to
have strong and able forces ready to protect the nation at the slightest
notice, there are more useful, constructive things we could be spending our
money on. In addition, at the end of 2014, the national debt is predicted to
exceed $21 trillion. Not million. Not billion. Trillion. Now, that doesn’t
appear to be a model example of “smart saving.” An alternative argument that
arises is if the United States is already drowning in debt, why not just
significantly cut spending all around and be more mindful of where our money’s
going rather than wasting it on something else? Surely this is a valid point,
however, it is better to turn old spending habits around. Start directing more
attention to a cause that truly needs it.
It is not
right that we allow people to live in poverty. An American middle class
lifestyle would be considered living like royalty in other regions of the
world. Moreover, if people knew that families with children account for 36% of
the homeless population, would they still turn the other way? Or that 40% of
homeless adult men are United States veterans who have fought for this country
and our lives yet struggle to live without a safe place to go at night?
Compassion seems to be getting scarcer and scarcer as we progress into a future
of technology and greed. Power, money, and personal gain have become more of a
priority in today's society than philanthropy. Regardless, all people deserve
the right to life and the basic necessities: fresh food and water, comfortable
clothes on their backs, and a safe place to live.
Homelessness
is not an obstacle so easily averted. To bring the matter of contention to
pass, the best solution is for us as a nation and the leaders of this country
to wake up, stop recklessly dissipating finances, and direct the proper
advocacy towards the homeless. What we have now clearly isn’t working. It is an
abomination that we as a society continue to neglect those living in dearth.
When there’s something in the world that needs to be put right, it’s up to the
people to join together to set things in place. With collective benevolence,
entirely abolishing homelessness may very well become a reality.
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