Essay on Homelessness
Professor
Class
November 29, 2013
A House is a Home Waking up, looking to the left staring at the alarm clock, looking to the right out of the window so the rising sun. Stepping on to the cool crisp tile flooring of the bathroom. Pulling the plastic curtain back to warm up the flowing stream of shower water. Wiping the steam from the mirror to effectively style and prepare for the day. Walking down creaky wooden steps to enter into the kitchen. The sun now peaking through the sunflower curtains; breakfast waiting on the table. The smell of eggs, bacon, and toast permeating through the air. Now imagine instead of the iHome alarm clock it is the cold bitter winter air and the sounds of police sirens breaking the sleep. Instead of cool floor tiles it is ice-cold cement. Instead of a warm relaxing shower it is a leaky faucet. Instead of a clean bathroom mirror it is a scratched, abused, and shattered mirror of a public restroom. Instead of entering the kitchen, entering into the corner store with scrounged up change to get a bag of chips to start the day. Whether it is noticed or not, homelessness is a real problem here in the United States of America. Each month in 2011, an average of 1,595 people access services for homelessness. For the year, the total number of individuals utilizing services was 7,320—a 3 percent increase over 2010. (Knoxville-Knox County Homeless Coalition, 2012) The Stewart B. McKinney Homeless Assistance Act of 1987 defines people as homeless when they lack a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence or when their primary residence is a temporary place for people about to be institutionalized, any place not meant for regular sleeping accommodation by humans, or a supervised temporary shelter. (Social Work Policy Institute) The McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act of 1987 is America’s first attempt to combat the plague that was homelessness. The act outlines meaning of homelessness and the federal governments plans and allocations
Class
November 29, 2013
A House is a Home Waking up, looking to the left staring at the alarm clock, looking to the right out of the window so the rising sun. Stepping on to the cool crisp tile flooring of the bathroom. Pulling the plastic curtain back to warm up the flowing stream of shower water. Wiping the steam from the mirror to effectively style and prepare for the day. Walking down creaky wooden steps to enter into the kitchen. The sun now peaking through the sunflower curtains; breakfast waiting on the table. The smell of eggs, bacon, and toast permeating through the air. Now imagine instead of the iHome alarm clock it is the cold bitter winter air and the sounds of police sirens breaking the sleep. Instead of cool floor tiles it is ice-cold cement. Instead of a warm relaxing shower it is a leaky faucet. Instead of a clean bathroom mirror it is a scratched, abused, and shattered mirror of a public restroom. Instead of entering the kitchen, entering into the corner store with scrounged up change to get a bag of chips to start the day. Whether it is noticed or not, homelessness is a real problem here in the United States of America. Each month in 2011, an average of 1,595 people access services for homelessness. For the year, the total number of individuals utilizing services was 7,320—a 3 percent increase over 2010. (Knoxville-Knox County Homeless Coalition, 2012) The Stewart B. McKinney Homeless Assistance Act of 1987 defines people as homeless when they lack a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence or when their primary residence is a temporary place for people about to be institutionalized, any place not meant for regular sleeping accommodation by humans, or a supervised temporary shelter. (Social Work Policy Institute) The McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act of 1987 is America’s first attempt to combat the plague that was homelessness. The act outlines meaning of homelessness and the federal governments plans and allocations