I was homeless; 'the look' judged me worthless

Michael Sullivan said that when he was a child and was being raised that he looked at homeless people as not being human but thugs and murderers. Until he found himself living on the streets and receiving "the look" from people that made them feel apart from society.

I was desperate. I begged and applied for any part-time or temporary job, even washing my hair in a toilet at a nearby university, using the soap in the dispenser so I would look presentable for an interview.

Its very upsetting to hear of people that judge someone by their looks and feel that a homeless person is an alien to society and therefore deserve to be treated differently. But as Americans we should be accepting of anyone because we are a country of immigrants and have a huge range of different people. Its terrible to hear of people like these but those people just need to be educated to at least be respectful towards those with misfortune.

Cities Deal With a Surge in Shantytowns

City's are growing with more homeless people on the streets. It's almost like it was a few decades ago when Hoovervilles were popping up. As more people loose their jobs the more people land on the streets, trying to make tents homes under freeways.

President Obama was asked directly about the tent cities and responded by saying that it was “not acceptable for children and families to be without a roof over their heads in a country as wealthy as ours.”

Its such a shame to seeing the rate of homeless people going up as opposed to going down. A strong nation like ours should be able to offer these people jobs so that they can get a roof over their heads and serve food at their dinner table. Its unfortunate to see our economy fall like it has but I'm am positive that we can get these people off the streets and supply them with new jobs like we have done the last time we were in this position.

What's my Party?

A Night Out, Counting the Homeless

Every two years the Homeless Coordinate Board count the amount of homeless people living in San Francisco. With the help of hundreds of volunteers they are able to count the homeless people living on the streets along with the amount of homeless in shelters, jail and hospitals. The number of homeless keep rising and has risen 3 percent from 2008 to 2009.

The Department of Housing and Urban Development requires that a census be conducted every two years as a condition of receiving federal money under the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act. This year, San Francisco received $18 million from HUD under the program.

Its great to see how many people come to volunteer to count the homeless so that the funds received by HUD can keep supporting organizations such as shelters. Its unfortunate to see the amount of people on the streets growing, but the economy must have an affect on this and with time hopefully we will start seeing decreasing numbers of homeless people.

 

Seeking a Warm Place on City’s Coldest Night

On Januaray 22, temperatures in Pennsylvania were predicted to plumet down to 4 degrees the coldest day this Winter. Mr. Sanders accompanied with his partner Ms. Washington found a warm place to stay for the night at the Penn station. Even thought shelters loosen their roles on night like these some homeless prefer to make their own arrangments.

Around 11:30 p.m., several of the homeless people staying the night in Penn Station burst into an impromptu dance session in front of a man banging on pots, pans and five-gallon plastic drums. As commuters watched, a woman who identified herself only as Sophie swayed with two men. “Yes, I’m partying, I’m enjoying my life,” Sophie said as she sipped a beer.

What suprises me is that even though their homeless they still are able to enjoy their lives they are living and make the best of their situation.

In High School and Alone in a Homeless Shelter

Thakane Masondo spent most her life in South Africa, but moved to the United States when her mother moved her back over. You would expect her to be a full time student with many friends enjoying her last year of High School as a Senior, but Ms. Masondo struggles to have a relationship with her mother and returns to a homeless shelter everyday after school. She is not able to lead a normal teenage life and is unable to have many friends because of her living situation.

With nowhere to turn, Ms. Masondo ended up last fall in a homeless shelter in the Bronx. She was the youngest person there and often finished her homework on the hallway floor after the lights had been turned off in the sleeping quarters. “I kept asking myself, ‘Why is this happening to me?’ ” she said.

I cant believe the stress and how hard she must struggle to keep herself going to class eachday. Its terrible how some parents can be so heartless to let their children live on the street and not keep in contact with them. Its inspirational to hear of a student thats my age who can keep herself afloat with all the problems surrounding her and to find the motivation to get her diploma and who is trying to go to college.