It’s ten after eight and you are rolling over to hit the snooze button just one more time. Your bed is warm and cozy, and you just don’t want to get up. But the smell of freshly brewed coffee fills the air, so you get up and start your morning routine. For most of America this is an every morning thing. However, for some Americans they wake up to nothing but what they can carry in a little sack. You’ve more oftentimes than not have seen these men and women standing on the street corner begging for anything you have to offer. Homelessness is not just a matter of lack of shelter, a lack of a roof over one’s head. It involves deprivation across a number of different dimensions, which are the following: physiological, emotional, territorial, ontological, and spiritual (Somerville). However, lack of a place to stay is what we associate with the word “homeless,” and id what will be discussed. The idea of homelessness is taken very lightly in today's society. This is because of myths that Americans have created, taking away what little some citizens have left.
To begin, one myth is that homeless people don’t want to work and are lazy. As most of you know when it became time for you to get a job and you were applying and interviewing, the most important thing was your appearance and how you carried yourself. Homeless people are limited to resources such as showers, clothes, and hygiene. Therefore, it makes it harder for them to keep a steady job or even get one. Therefore, forty-four percent of homeless people who have jobs can't escape homelessness. Because homeless people have limited skills or experience, opportunities for jobs that pay a living wage are very limited, making it extremely difficult to escape homelessness. Without certain skills it’s hard to even get a job making minimum wage. Likewise, many members of the homeless population must combat barriers such as limited transportation and reduced access to educational and training programs (Long, Rio, and Rosen). So even once they have a job they have to figure the following: a way to get to the job, what to do with family members while they are working, where they will get cleaned up to look presentable. These things run through their mind because they have no idea what tomorrow will bring.
Next, it is a common misconception that all homeless people are older and single because they can’t take care of themselves. I have an experience with homelessness because I traveled in New York in the fall of 2012 and there were homeless individuals everywhere. I know for a fact that the majority of the homeless aren’t older because throughout the streets of New York they all ranged from twenty to thirty, although some of the young adults look like they have aged very quickly because they are in poor health. It’s hard for homeless people to live a long life because they can’t fight for survival like younger adults. A staggering 2.5 million children are now homeless each year in America. This historic high represents one in every 30 children in the United States. (National Center on Family Homelessness) The reason that they can track youth is because childs are going to homeless shelters and they have a count, their is no way possible to count every homeless american because they jump from place to place. This proving that it is widespread of all ages.
Furthermore, there is a myth that most homeless people are addicted to drugs and alcohol. Imagine not having the choice between food and water or drugs and alcohol. If you haven’t eaten in days then your more than likely going to choose the food and water with the exception of a few. And those few exceptions are abusing drugs to help deal with their depression. Even if some homeless people may have an addiction the two are not directly correlated. According to Substance Abuse and Mental Health Service Administration, roughly one-third of sheltered homeless adults had chronic substance use issues in 2010 (Walsh). Obviously, the other two-thirds of american homeless people who are not abusing drugs, which is a large ratio.
To conclude, homeless people are dealing with a lot more than an average American. The myths have created untrue images that have affected everyone’s views and destroying what the homeless people have left. They have destroyed not only their items they value, but their dignity and self-worth. Homeless people are not ashamed of who they become, they are ashamed of how they are treated. They are people are like everyone else! Next time you pass someone holding that ragged bag don’t comment on how they should go get a job. Always try and help people out because you never know when you’re going to need a helping hand. Next time you’re laying in the warm, cozy bed think about all the homeless people that would give everything they owned just for ten extra minutes in your bed.
Works Cited
Long, D., J. Rio, and J. Rosen. “Employment and Income Supports for Homeless People.”ASPE,
2007. http://aspe.hhs.gov/hsp/homelessness/symposium07/long/. Accessed 16 Nov. 2017.
Lopez, German. “11 Myths About Homelessness in America.” Vox, 15 Jan. 2015,
www.vox.com/2015/1/15/7552441/homeless-facts-myths. Accessed 16 Nov. 2017.
“National Center on Family Homelessness.” American Institute for Research. 06 Nov. 2017.
http://www.air.org/center/national-center-family-homelessness. Accessed 16 Nov. 2017
Somerville, Peter. "Understanding Homelessness." Housing, Theory and Society, vol. 30, no.
4, Dec. 2013, pp. 384-415. Accessed 18 Nov. 2017
Walsh, Lynne. “Homelessness Programs and Resources.” SAMHSA, 22 Apr. 2016,
www.samhsa.gov/homelessness-programs-resources. Accessed 16 Nov. 2017
https://jerichorendezvous.wordpress.com/2010/05/21/growing-homelessness-in-america/ (picture)