Homeless people. They can be anywhere, whether it’s by
7-Elven or at Route 1 asking for money. Homeless described by the Department
of Housing and Urban Development that a “person who lacks a fixed, regular,
and adequate nighttime residence.” People sleeping on street corners, abandoned
buildings or on a park bench are the few indications of the United States’ continuing
struggle with homelessness. Big
cities such as New York City (76,501) and Los Angeles City/ Country
(55,188), are where there’s a large population of homeless people in the U.S.In
the United States, there have always been homeless people, but lately, the rate
of homeless people has increased by 1-2%. According to the 2016
Annual Homeless Assessment Report (AHAR) to Congress, on any night in 2016,
there were about 540,000 people who were experiencing homelessness. The
majority of these 540,000 people (about 68%) were staying in an emergency
shelter, housing program or safe haven. The rest (32%) were in unsheltered
locations such as the streets. But that was in 2016.
In 2017, according to
the 2017
AHAR to Congress, a document by the U.S. Depart of Housing and Urban Development, any single night in 2017, about 550,000 people were experiencing homelessness in the United States. Nearly two-thirds (65%) were located in emergency shelters or housing problems, while the rest (35%) were situated in an unsheltered location. Compared to 2016, there has been an increase (by less than 1 percent) which is the first time in seven years!
Although, there are many American who tries to help these people by volunteering at a shelter center, donating to a foundation that for the homeless, or giving money for those whose asking at the sidewalk or the street. But, sadly, we live in a country where there are American who take advantage of these. Because of this, several people in the United States are wary of homeless people. Not in a sense that they will be a danger to them and others, but if they’re homeless. There have been reports of a few Americans who would sometime pretend to homeless just to get some quick cash. A video was provided about a woman that was pretending to be a homeless person. In 2017, a woman who's from Richmond, Virginia was exposed on camera for pretending to be a homeless person. What kind of homeless person would have a new car (2014 Fiat)?
You chose a really good topic to talk about. You gave a lot of detail about what is occurring. I did not know many things about homeless people, like how the population is bigger in New York and California but if you think about it, it does make sense because those states are really big and busy and has a lot going on. I also agree with you when you stated, "We live in a country where Americans take advantage of these" which I completely agree. Good job explaining and good sources you have. Great work! I look forward to reading more posts.
I agree with you that there are people out there, like the woman in the video, who take advantage of others' kindness and then make the general public wary of helping the homeless. I'm not sure having a cell phone is the marker of one's homelessness or not, but a new car is a bit out of the ordinary. What happens with people like Leigh is that she makes others wary of helping because she gives the general public the impression that most homeless are just "faking it." If one drove by Potomac Mills coming off of I-95 South, and they saw the vast encampment here in Prince William County, I'd hope they'd be disabused of that belief pretty quickly. So what can be done to continue to educate the public about the real causes of homelessness? How can it be addressed locally? A local solution could help expand out regionally and nationally if it works, and there have been innovative approaches by many cities who want to tackle this issue. For example, check out: Here's an interesting blog post that discusses the issue http://www.responsiblebusiness.com/news/europe-news/cities-tackling-homelessness/
The question "What would make America a Utopia?" is rather subjective. This is because everyone has different opinions on what a perfect society looks like and how it operates. The short answer for what would make America a utopia, (while keeping everyone individual opinions and values in mind) is there is no answer. Unless people were to somehow ditch their personal opinions and abide by any laws with absolutely no resistance whatsoever, a utopia in America can not be. The power of the human will is what makes such a view difficult or even impossible to create. One could even go as far as saying a utopia in America would be one with no laws and no order, in other words, absolute chaos. Chaos is the natural order of life; where there are no laws, people would be free to act as they please. However, if I were to be asked what would make America a utopia based off of my own values, morals, and opinions, I would describe it as a " interdependent Confederation of societi...
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You chose a really good topic to talk about. You gave a lot of detail about what is occurring. I did not know many things about homeless people, like how the population is bigger in New York and California but if you think about it, it does make sense because those states are really big and busy and has a lot going on. I also agree with you when you stated, "We live in a country where Americans take advantage of these" which I completely agree. Good job explaining and good sources you have. Great work! I look forward to reading more posts.
ReplyDeleteCierra
I agree with you that there are people out there, like the woman in the video, who take advantage of others' kindness and then make the general public wary of helping the homeless. I'm not sure having a cell phone is the marker of one's homelessness or not, but a new car is a bit out of the ordinary. What happens with people like Leigh is that she makes others wary of helping because she gives the general public the impression that most homeless are just "faking it." If one drove by Potomac Mills coming off of I-95 South, and they saw the vast encampment here in Prince William County, I'd hope they'd be disabused of that belief pretty quickly. So what can be done to continue to educate the public about the real causes of homelessness? How can it be addressed locally? A local solution could help expand out regionally and nationally if it works, and there have been innovative approaches by many cities who want to tackle this issue. For example, check out: Here's an interesting blog post that discusses the issue http://www.responsiblebusiness.com/news/europe-news/cities-tackling-homelessness/
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