The Issue of Homelessness Essay Example

What is the point of breaking down people who are already broken? Would it not be wiser to build them back up to become productive members of society instead of dumping money into a bucket of insufficient solutions? Is it fair to let people slip further down the cliff of poverty?

Poverty is not an option someone chooses. No one makes decisions intending to be homeless in mind. My mother never finished elementary school because education in Vietnam isn't free. In the end, she managed to find a way to succeed, but what if she wasn’t so lucky? Is it her fault she was born into a poor family? 

Let me ask you, is it fair? The average homeless person usually lives until they are 50. That is 20 years less than the rest of the general population. Lacking shelter, food, income, hygiene, and health care, they die disgusting undeserved deaths. The investment of money in things like hostile architecture does not solve the problem. In its own right, it’s the root for a new set of issues.

Why are we so motivated to make the lives of the homeless harder when life has already struck them down? Hostile architecture, by definition, is an urban-design strategy that uses elements that purposefully guide or restrict behavior. The main target? Keeping the poor out of sight. Sweeping the issue under the carpet is not an efficient solution. Pretending an issue does not exist does not make it disappear. 

The mother, her belly round with an unborn child, cannot lay on the bench. The armrests were placed purposely, jabbing at an exhausted body, designed to eliminate that possibility. No one can use it anymore for its intended purpose. The elderly man is unable to sit comfortably on the slanted benches after his morning walk. The shining sun relentlessly beats down on him. He meant no harm. The young child, playing with his friends. The ball bounces brilliantly and he chases after it in desperation through the bushes. Losing his footing, he falls onto a bed of spikes. Blood splattered like a new type of messed-up artform. 

Who is to blame when the innocent are hurt? Why is this considered a solution when no one reaps the benefits?

It costs $31,065 a year to criminalize a single person. The cost of providing them supportive housing — $10,051 per year. Basic healthcare would be a huge asset, since many of those who lack shelter have several health problems. Providing things like mental help and rehab for addictions can also greatly reduce the homeless population. I desire to live in a world that acknowledges the issue. I desire a world that takes action and find solutions.

Why not invest in just helping the homeless directly? Let's end the cycle before the void that is poverty grows even larger.