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Homelessness in America Essay

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Homelessness is not something that was created over night; it has existed for a long time; often we choose not to see the homeless, or bother with them, so we look the other way. Homelessness is not prejudice toward race, creed, or religion--it has no boundaries; all homeless people should not be stereotyped as being drug abusers or the mentally ill that have been released from mental hospitals. Homelessness is not a disease that a person can catch from bodily contact, but it certainly has afflicted many Americans. We need to find the cause of homelessness before we can find a solution. More money for more programs is the typical response, but we should look at what has already been instituted and reevaluate them. …show more content…

Adrienne was not mentally ill or a substance abuser; she was like you and me. Weltner says, "the money spent on three months' emergency housing for Adrienne could have provided a $500 monthly housing voucher to a family for a year" (671). The fundamental cause of homelessness is the inability to pay for housing due to inadequate income to meet basic needs. The emergency housing program needs to be reevaluated; the money is not being used wisely.

We cannot ignore the problem of homelessness; we have to find programs that work. In many homeless cases, a cycle does exist-that cycle must be broken. On an individual basis, we can get involved with some the homeless programs through local organizations at church, homeowners associations, schools, sororities, and fraternities-we must combat homelessness. If combating homelessness means higher taxes to prevent families living under bridges, living in cardboard make shift homes, eating discarded scrapes, then let's pay higher taxes. We need to provide more family shelters, so the children get an education and the parents regain some of their dignity and find employment. Employment of the homeless would not only take them off the streets, but also would strengthen the economy.

Society can no longer look the other way; as we drive the freeways of our great country, homelessness is everywhere. In a 1992 survey, conducted by the U.S. Conference of

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