Homeless by Choice or Necessity
“There
is no place like home.” You can't compare any place to home. It is
not just a structure of woods, concrete and mud, but it is the place
where you feel safe, and where you feel like you own it, or you feel
like at least you have place to call your own. When I see people
walking around street with dirty bags and clothes suddenly, I start
thinking about homeless people. This topic is very important because
homeless people are also human and they have their right. Their
situation is really bad, and each year number of homeless people is
increasing despite of government's multi million dollar project.
Although many people think homeless people choose to be homeless,
homelessness is a necessity; moreover, homeless people are forced to
live as homeless.
Some
people think that being homeless is a choice. There is no other
factor that cause homelessness rather then their own choice.
According to Andy Allen from Street wise, “Negligent behaviors such
as drinking drugging and putting pleasure before principles can cause
homelessness” (allen ). This is significant because it is true for
the proponent's opposite point of view. There are many people who
became homeless by their choice. Some people just started to live as
homeless just because they like it, and some people choose their life
as homeless because they do not want to work and they wanted freedom
that is why they came in the streets to live. There are many homeless
who are addicted to drugs and alcohol; moreover, these things are so
common among homeless people, and many addicted people are choose to
be homeless to have freedom to use drugs. All these above reasons are
playing vital roles in changing some people's mind.
However,
raising living and housing cost are causing too many problems and
many people are forced as to leave their houses.. According to the
National Coalition for the homeless, a minimum wage worker would have
to work more than twice of full time hours in order to afford a house
within federal definition of affordable housing (National Coalition for the Homelss).
This point clearly shows how raising living cost is creating problems
and forcing people to be homeless. Many people find being
homelessness is easy but it is dangerousness. They don't have other
option so they choose the streets. People don't want freedom in the
streets. I think nobody wants to live in the street if they will have
house, but there are some exceptions.
Additionally,
low wages and income causing many people to be homeless. As stated by
Fetty Ryan, a homeless person who is currently living in streets of
Seattle after he lost his job years ago, “you can not do nothing
when you are employed, but your income is not enough to get you a
place to stay, and you get fired, you leave home start living as
homeless that is call pain, and you will not understand it”. Those
words and his expression while he was talking were enough for me to
feel that pain. I can tell that people do not choose to live with
pain. Economy is growing faster so does expenses, but wags are still
low as compared to cost of living, and minimum wage workers are
fighting for their existence. Here existence means their existence in
the house society but not in the streets. Low wage worker's income is
so low that they have to leave house or apartment just because they
can not pay rent. If you don't have money to pay rent, and no place
to go there is only one option that is street.
To add
more point, unemployed are homeless; moreover, hardworking people but
still homeless. According to AL Jazeera America , “About 3.5
million people experience homelessness each year, and about 25
percent are employed at the time” (Al Jazeera America). This point
clearly shows how two above points and this point are related. This
is the strongest point because most of the people think homeless
people do not work but that is not the whole truth. Unemployed people
are most vulnerable to be homeless, but People who work hard and
still ends up being homeless are most vulnerable to mental
instability and violence. People are working hard, but they are not
able to afford housing for them thus ending up being homeless.
Homeless
is not a choice it is a necessity. Many people think that homeless
people choose to be homeless but that is not true for all cases. We
must not evaluate millions of homeless people by judging thousands of
them. Homeless people are facing many problems, and they need our
help. But we are not supporting them as much as we can. Still people
who think homeless is a choice, I would say go out there in the
street and live for one day. You will find out what it takes to be
homeless, and what are they going through.
Works
Citied
Andy Allen, Are you
homeless by choice?, 2012,
http://streetwise.org/2012/10/are-you- homeless- by-choice/
National Coalition
for the Homelss, Employment and Homelessness 2009,
http://www.nationalhomeless.org/
factsheets/employment.html
Al Jazeera America:
, HardWorking yet still homeless in today's America, 2013,
http://america.aljazeera.com/articles/2013/12/11/homelessness-hungerreportmayors.html
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