Arizona itself wasn’t giving me the whole experience of the United States, all I was feeling
Arizona itself wasn’t giving me the whole experience of the United States, all I was feeling
Homeless people find themselves unable to cope with a number of the following sudden tragedies in life: being laid off from a long-term employment, losing their house to an accidental fire, serious bodily injures, discovery of a terminal illness, loss of family members. These…
New York City has an overwhelming amount of homeless people on the streets is very obvious. People always wondered how and why these people become this way and why it seems like nothing is being done to change it. Some think that homeless people are just people who lost their jobs and are too lazy to get back into the workforce, but research has shown that that is not the case. The statistics of homelessness in America is shocking considering that the country is one that is more advanced, especially from the technological standpoint, perhaps far more than most other countries of the world.…
The Wichita Kid from “The Gunfighter” by Alden Nowlan and a young man living on the streets of Calgary both demonstrate that we fear what we do not understand. Citizens need to personally comprehend someones situation before they can help or judge them directly. Homelessness and poverty are often hard situations to face considering how uncomfortable and awkward it can become. When Kevin O’Brien has a short conversation with Wichita he learns that he is unaware of reality and living his delusional life as a famous gunfighter. Confused and not understanding Wichita’s situation, Kevin tries to solve his own guilt by lending the young boy some spare change. Much like Kevin O’Brien when I encountered the young unfortunate man in Calgary my own heart ached, so I tossed him a couple of loonies and left. Although you feel major misery there is rarely anything you can do to support them without getting deeply involved.…
“She lives with a tribe of homeless teens- Runaways and throwaways, kids who have no place to go to other than the cold city streets, and no family except for one another. Abused, abandoned and forgotten, they struggle against the cold, hunger, and constant danger” (“Can’t get there from here” by Todd strasser). Here in the United States, about more than 610,000 people face the tragedy of losing their homes (Annual Homeless Assessment). As a matter of fact, according to the “Global Homeless Statistics,” it is estimated that about 100 Million people are homeless worldwide. Many of us, having a roof over our heads, mistreat them, making them seem invisible to our world. Sometimes, we even treat them as minority, as if they were…
In cities and towns across the United States ,people experience homelessness every day. Many see homeless people on the streets ,but walk past the homeless as if they were invisible. It is a problem Americans have become used to seeing. However, it is a problem that is not going away and one that affects thousands of people each year.…
Did you know that between 2.3 and 3.5 million people experience homelessness? About 1.5 million American children are homeless every year (Facts and Figures: The Homeless). That is a lot of people once you think about it. These are everyday people who have hit a bump in the road and no longer have a house to call theirs. These people have to sleep on the streets, in alleyways, anywhere that they can get a place to lie down. They go through the everyday struggle of whether or not they will have food to eat, drinks to stay hydrated, clean clothes to wear, and a place to rest.…
The motivation that backs a person to commit a mass shooting has peaked the minds of many over the years. Maybe none quite as much as the shooting that took place at Sandy Hook Elementary School, December 14th 2012. Adam Lanza decided to end the lives of twenty six innocent women and children, and then turned the gun on himself. There is no excuse for something so disturbing as this crime, but there are explanations for why something like this may happen. In Lanza’s case there were so many big changes that were happening in his life. There was also numerous warning signs that were overlooked that could have potentially ceased this tragedy from occurring. Lanza also suffered from Asperger’s syndrome, anorexia, and depression that all…
In the morning I was walking with my dog, when suddenly I noticed an old man sitting on the street while people were walking on the road ignoring him. The weather seemed a bit chillier this morning and his skin was rugged and looked tough. His outfit looked dirty, especially on the jacket. I looked at that old man, but he didn’t look at me. I was thinking, why was he sitting on the street in the morning? “Why do you sit on the road?” I asked the man, He replied to me, “this is my place”. I was shocked. I thought he may be homeless, but I’ve found that living with the homeless is not so bad as long as we understand them. Most people ignore homeless, but I don’t why. He looked hungry and I asked him “Are you hungry? “He said “YES” so I went to Country Fair to get him some pizza and a drink. I gave it to him, and he told me, “I don’t how to say thank you” I felt so bad for him. I gave him a few dollars, and I told him that…
They face being, cold, hungry, afraid, and alone. Almost half of America’s homeless children are under the age of six, they cannot survive by themselves. Six percent of homeless children die before the seventh birthday due to malnutrition, as a result of living on the streets. Yet and still nobody cares. You get too comfortable in the life you live and take it for granted. You see people who need help and still act as if they did something to you and they cannot be helped. You call them “bums”, “dirtybutts” and all types of names just because that is what society teaches you. But you forget that one day you could be in that same situation going through the same…
The United States has the highest rate of civilian gun ownership in the world. That also comes with having the most mass shootings even rivaling war-torn countries. In 2015 only there has been more than three hundred plus mass shootings. With more shootings happening a lot more frequently, it is apparent that not nearly enough background checks into gun owners are being run. Three-quarters of people either own two or more. But what should be done about those who are attempted buyers that are turned away? Implemented in 1998 and Created under the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act, the National Instant Criminal Background Check System allows licensed gun sellers to check with the Federal Bureau of Intelligence, as required by the law, before a sale is made. While background checks have prevented tens of thousands of unlawful gun sales each year, opponents have said that the government doesn’t prosecute enough of the attempted buyers (‘‘The Case against Gun Background Checks’’, Good). More than 76,000 denials for gun purchases in 2010. 62 people were referred for prosecution and only thirteen of said prosecutions resulted in verdicts or guilty pleas. Some feel like there are already enough gun laws and that there…
My friends and I left the restaurant, laughing. It was getting dark and the city was beautifully lit. We smiled and chatted as we walked through downtown. Suddenly my eyes fell on a young woman arranging her sleeping quarters in the middle of the sidewalk. She looked barely older than me - she could have easily been a college student. The girl sat down and pulled a few dirty blankets over her body, preparing for the night’s sleep. I was staggered by the similarities between the two of us. Her face stuck in my memory as I got home and climbed into my comfortable bunk bed. People my age weren’t supposed to be homeless, were they? Where was her family, her connections? Why would she be on the streets? Were there more people like her or was she an anomaly? I realized I knew nothing about homelessness and had instead been subconsciously analyzing it with my own preconceptions as a basis. But I wasn’t the only one allowing myself to remain so misinformed. Research shows there are almost ubiquitous misconceptions concerning homelessness and the stigma against it, especially when it comes to the demographics of the homeless population, the amount of crimes…
All over America, there are people wandering the streets without a home. These individuals are seen as a crowd, a separate collective existence. They are called the homeless, as if that defines who they are, but we too often neglect to add the unspoken word in that title; people. It seems today that the more fortunate citizens of America who have a roof over their heads have forgotten their innate responsibility to watch over those in this world whom are incapable of caring for them-selves. The fact is, that there are millions of homeless in America today. Many of these people had no choice but to become homeless. Economic problems such as being laid off work, or the rise in the cost of housing had lead people to live on the streets. Many of the homeless are women that have become divorced or have left home because of physical abuse. These women have no education because they have not been given the chance to go and get the education that it takes nowadays to get the job, so they are forced to live on the streets. People with mental illnesses also become homeless quite often. These people are incapable of handling the stress of living on their own.. Teenage mothers are also forced to live on the streets because their families will not help them. There are many other people that become homeless for many different reasons. Some of these people cannot help becoming homeless. Some of these people are the illegal immigrants that come here from other places to get a better life but end up not having enough money to make it in this hard world that we live in. Teenage runaways have different reasons for leaving home but all have the same reason for becoming homeless.…
The Declaration of Independence gave rights to the people of America that have defined our country since they were adopted on July, 4, 1776. Within this document there were three main rights defined for the American people. These main three rights were right of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Since the Declaration of Independence was written to declare the Independence from Great Britain who had constant control over their people. The declaration of indepence allowed the government to let the people of America know and specifically their old leader King George III that they were free.…
In New Orleans, you can spot a homeless person at every corner. Some are overly dressed for the long cold nights. Others, can’t even afford any type of clothes. Many of these homeless people carry a piece of cardboard asking for money or food. Occasionally, someone will stop and give them money with the uncertainty that the money will be spent on drugs or alcohol. What people fail to realize is that one simple act of kindness can change a person's day.…
Growing up in southern California, there were frequently situations where there was interaction with transients or the homeless. One such occurrence has always remained etched in my memory. While heading to lunch with a group of friends we walked past a man who appeared to be homeless. He was walking around with a handful of crinkled newspaper in one hand a half empty bottle of Windex in the other. As people drove past him in the parking lot he would offer to wash their windows for spare change. Often people would honk at him and hurry by, hardly acknowledging the man or his attempts to earn a little spare change. Reactions within my group of friends varied. I commented on the fact that the man was willing to do what little he could to scrape together change. Another member of the group voiced that if he was really willing to work that he should be applying for real jobs somewhere and be contributing to society. Suddenly opinions were being aired and tossed about. Remarks were made that we didn’t know his situation and quickly rebutted with statements claiming that those who were homeless were lazy and a drain on the community.…