Opinion: Thought on homelessness – a modern social issue
Homelessness has long been a controversial issue of the
modern society. In any city around the world, it is easy to meet a homeless
person on the street. In America, The National Law Center on Homelessness &
Poverty currently estimates that each year at least 2.5 to 3.5 million
Americans sleep in shelters, transitional housing, and public places not meant
for human habitation. There are many controversial topics and talks about
homelessness. I will demonstrate some different common aspects when we talk
about homelessness.
First of all, in terms of economics aspects, homelessness
causes damages to a country’s economics: overpopulation, resources to build the
shelters and even job competitions (When immigrants move to a new country and
seek for new opportunities and new life). This may even result in the increase
of unemployment rate, then the income and the GDP may decrease, which
potentially lead to an economic crisis. Moreover, people who are homeless are
often at risk of infectious diseases—like hepatitis A, B, and C, tuberculosis,
and HIV/AIDS—due to compromised immune systems, poor nutrition and hygiene, and
frequent overcrowding at shelters, which is believed to be a sources of
disease.
Next, when we talk about the society aspects, it is general
knowledge that the risen in homelessness lead to the concern of public safety. Indeed,
the two most common offenses for which homeless people are arrested are shoplifting and drug
possession.
In the Mashlow’s hierarchy of needs, the most basic need of
people is physiological needs like food, shelters, warmth and rest. Without the
very most basic needs, homeless people have to fight against the weather and
survive. Beryl Markham, the author of West
of the night, quoted in her book: “I have learned that if you must leave a place that you have
lived in and loved and where all your yesteryears are buried deep, leave it any
way except a slow way, leave it the fastest way you can. Never turn back and
never believe that an hour you remember is a better hour because it is dead.
Passed years seem safe ones, vanquished ones, while the future lives in a
cloud, formidable from a distance.” It is so scary that when you have no place
to go, to home to return and be lost in the flow of wanderers, without a life
purpose.
The
controversial part is that some people think that people who suffered homeless
are lazy because they are healthy and they have the ability to find a job.
However, in my opinion, when we are put in a homeless person’s situation: no
legal document to work, a lot of bad attractions like drug possession, it is
very difficult to thrive and make life better. They need an opportunity to make
a turning point of their life, like a critical situation that is different from
their life, or a hitch.
In conclusion, it
is pretty hard to solve the homelessness issue. However, it is true that when a
society become better, everyone in that society can be better off, too. When
people unite together, we will have the power to solve anything. I believe
that, the biggest change is made from the smallest actions: there are many
local non-profit organizations that are helping people who suffer homelessness.
If you live in Portland city, there is a organization that is helping homeless
people in Downtown.
Here is their
website:
References
1.
Beryl, Markham. West with the night. 1942.
2. National
Law Center on Homeless and Poverty. Homeless
stats fact sheet. Published on https://nlchp.org/
3. Mel
Trotter. What’s the real cause of
homelessness. Published on Mel Trotter Ministries
4. Emma,
Woolley. What are the top 10 health
issues homeless people face? February, 2015. Published on homelesshub.ca
5. Mustaine, E.
E. (2015). Homelessness and Crime. In The
Encyclopedia of Crime and Punishment, W. G. Jennings (Ed.). doi:10.1002/9781118519639.wbecpx282
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