Random Acts of Kindness: Helping Homeless People

People are very ignorant towards homeless people, just how the prisoners are in Plato’s “Allegory of the Cave” to the outside world. Society seems to view the homeless as nasty, dirty people who are drug addicts when in reality a lot of them are just in very unfortunate situations that they can't get themselves out of. Just like the rich may view the poor and the educated may view the uneducated, people are quick to judge things that they are ignorant of. I know this based on first hand knowledge and experience about how it to be

Homeless people are not always the victims that the media have portrayed them to be. The alarming fact is that many of the homeless are there by choice. Don't get me wrong, I am not trying to portray all homeless people as lazy people who dont want to take care of themselves. This couldn't be further from the truth. In my experience with the homeless they are usually either in bad health, addicted to drugs, mentally ill or a combination of any of these. To compound matters worse, they are usually without any type of legitimate income to support themselves.

Homelessness is basically another form of poverty except more extreme, yet society treats it as if it was on another spectrum of problems. Some in society stigmatize this population by saying things like: they’re homeless because they are drug addicts, alcoholics, they don’t want to work and just live off the government for free. What many forget to think about are the factors that have these people on the street, or the fact that they are not only experiencing personal hardship by being without a permanent residence but emotional ones as well. Add the fact they are sometimes discriminated against and excluded by society, and you will realize you are looking at one of the most vulnerable populations.

The first thing we as people need to do, is really educate other younger and older people on the homeless. People don 't have a clear insight into who homeless people are. For example, I went and asked several young kids in my neighborhood who they think the homeless are and for the most part they said they are drug addicts and people who just don’t want to live within society. People have so many misconceptions about homeless people they judge them so harshly. Yeah,

One way of helping the homeless is by volunteering at your local homeless shelter. Volunteering is a very beneficial way of helping the homeless. “The most productive way to get started helping the homeless is to join forces with a well-established operation.” (“4 Ways You Can Help the Homeless in Your Community”) As said in the quote, join forces with a well-established operation. When you volunteer at your local homeless shelter you are not only helping your community out, but you are also helping the homeless in and around that area. “Volunteer your hobbies - Every one of us has something we can give the homeless. Wherever our interests may lie -- cooking, repairing, gardening, and photography -- we can use

People become homeless for a number of reasons. These reasons are that create the stereotypes against those who have nothing in life. To judge people by what they do is normal. After all, what better way is there to judge a stranger by his words and his actions. The problem is when the homeless get judged wrongly, they are also treated unfairly. These stereotypes prevent the government and the society from giving the homeless the type of assistance that best suits to them. In order to clarify my thinking of homeless I have read three articles by different authors and they have different cases. These three articles discussed below and provide understanding on how the stereotypes of the homeless could be changed.

Walking down the streets of any city here in England, a person is often faced with an issue that is usually overlooked, homelessness. Homelessness in England could be a major issue considering that over 185,000 people are homeless at any time (The Guardian, 2016). Homelessness is something that a lot of people are accustomed to witnessing on a daily basis; homeless people can be seen wandering the streets and digging through trash in order to survive another day. Usually when people see homeless people they immediately avoid eye contact, their first instinct is to ignore them. They are automatically labeled as people who are too lazy to get jobs or addicts who have spent all their money on drugs or alcohol and they would much rather live on

Homelessness is a serious societal problem affecting our communities. Katel of Housing the Homeless says “about 1.5 million Americans use a shelter in a given year- and advocates for the homeless say that figure badly understates the problem.” Yet, society looks down at these people, not doing anything to help them. They are judged, criticized, and bombarded by false assumptions everywhere they go. I have heard people say “they are like that because they chose to” or “they are lazy and don't want to work.” This is not true in most cases. The reality is life can go wrong at any moment for anyone. For some people there is no one there to help them and their only option is living on the streets or a shelter.

Why should we care about homeless people? That’s the kind of attitude you can witness that people have towards the homeless. Homelessness is a pretty common occurrence which might be a reason for people’s indifference towards it. People are unaware of the circumstances surrounding the homeless, which can lead them to believe their situation is like that because of their own personal choice. That is not entirely true and it’s an issue that should be addressed properly. Everyone should have the right to a stable place to live in that meets a their needs. Society’s attitude towards the homeless needs to change. They need to realize how serious being homeless is and look for ways to end it, such as taking an initiative and volunteering and or donating to shelters.

Homelessness is a serious problem in our society. Every night in our nation thousands of people are on the streets. This type of behavior is considered deviant because it does not reflect the norms and values of our society. In many cases the homeless people in our country are treated as total outcasts. Many of these people have severe mental disorders. Some are victims of an economy that has failed them. One may ask how such harsh situations exist in such an advanced society. With all the money and programs created to help people it seems ridiculous that this behavior exists. In a society where people have so much how is it possible that there are still people that have so little. The homeless are humans, no different than anyone else.

It is a huge problem that is being overlooked by people all over the world. It has become normal almost as If its a natural instinct to ignore them. "His button less shirt with one sleeve missing hangs outside the waist of his baggy trousers. Carefully plaited dreadlocks bespeak a better time, long ago." ( on compassion Barbara Ascher p1) . When most people see someone who appears to be homeless walking on a local street more times than not they will move to the other side of the walk way or even cross the street just so they don't have to pretend to see them or acknowledge them. The way Americans treat other Americans is disgusting. Just because you see someone who appears to be less fortunate and homeless does that give us the right to degrade them? Not every person suffering from homelessness has an issue with drugs or alcohol. " three- fifths are not alcoholics... And 90 percent do not abuse drugs"( Facing the facts of Homelessness p4 Alice S... And Donald W Burnes). These statistics show that 3/5 equaling 60 percent of homeless people are not alcoholics and 90 percent of them do not suffer from drug

They may also struggle due to their lack of education or their misconception of other people. If other people see homeless just roaming the streets they should refer them to different institutions where they can develop knowledge of what they can do for their situation. We should encourage those who don't have knowledge of what they can do to help themselves or even their homeless family. Most homeless people probably see they are helpless and it causes them to feel ashamed and not care about living in misery.

It is something that a lot of us are used to seeing on a regular basis standing at the end of an off ramp holding a sign say “homeless and hungry.” You will see them wondering the streets digging through trash in search for something to eat. We see them everywhere and our initial reaction when we see them is to ignore them and not look at them. You especially avoid making eye contact with them and automatically label them as someone who is too lazy to go get a job or is a drug or alcohol addict and that they would much rather live on the streets.

From sophomore to senior year, I volunteered at the Glide Memorial Church, an organization that helps to serve food to the low- income and homeless. I decided to volunteer at Glide because I want to give back to the community that I am part of by mitigating the issue of homelessness in San Francisco. On the first day of volunteering, I was sent to pass trays of food to people. I like volunteering there because I enjoy seeing the smiles on the people’s faces when I pass the trays to them. As I continue to volunteer, I was placed in many positions and challenged myself with different and new responsibilities. I did clear up, help people to clear up their mess and clear up the trash. I help fill in food in the trays and pass the other volunteers.

     Homelessness as an issue in today's society is largely ignored. To many, the problem of homelessness is invisible or barely noticed. When these people do see the homeless it is found in the form of beggars who need to “pull themselves up by their bootstraps” or mentally ill people who “just can't help themselves”. In either case the central point remains; the homeless must be people who are incapable or unwilling to help themselves. After all, wouldn't they stop being homeless if they just tried? These sorts of rationalizations cover a more disturbing truth; that for many in today's society, the spectre of homelessness is more pressing of a problem than helping those who are already on the