For the people who live in small neighborhoods.
Introduction
There are a lot of things that people notice in their neighborhood, things such as a stray cat or a turned over trash can or even litter about the streets. However, there is one thing that most people do not really expect to see in their neighborhood, homeless people. There has been a lot of homeless people hanging around the neighborhood, there has even been sightings of homeless people hanging out in the 50th and Madison Street ballpark dugouts for warmth and shelter. People have been getting worried about the amount of homeless people in the neighborhood because they fear that some of the homeless people are not really homeless, it is problematic to the point that many feel that they have to practically buy expensive home security systems so they can protect their home. Some argue that one possible way to get rid of the homeless roaming about the neighborhood is to communicate with them to find out where they need to go and give them a ride, some also think possibly giving them money to ride the bus so they can get them out of the neighborhood with the sole purpose of not putting so many people on alert. Homeless people showing up in the neighborhood has increased lately because of them being chased out of certain locales like the bus station or brother’s keeper homeless shelter, these guys wander from place to place trying to get shelter or trying to get something of value so they can survive. It is a very deplorable situation for everyone including the homeless.
Body
The seriousness of this problem has grown substantially, homeless people are even knocking on people’s doors at night and trying to get answers or whatever else they need to be on their way. This is scaring people in the neighborhood because I have heard more than a few neighbors complain and yell at the homeless running amok in the neighborhood because they are disturbing them in their homes, it has gotten to the point where people are scaring the homeless people off so they can keep their families safe; the neighbors fear for their families as well as themselves. According to Haggerty, “homeless people are people who are in dire need of help, but cannot get it readily”. I remember one time recently I gave a homeless female a ride to a friend’s house over on East Vermont Street down the street and it was really dangerous because people shoot over there, I dropped her off and ran. One of the best ways of dealing with the amount of homeless people in the neighborhood is by calling the police to help herd the homeless out of the neighborhood, so they are not in danger of possibly getting killed by trigger happy people. At least calling the police ensures that homeless people are safe, and they will have some place else to go other than possibly getting killed by one of the neighbors for possibly being an intruder. Another way of getting the homeless people out of the neighborhood is for an inner city transport to take all of the homeless people to the brother’s keeper’s homeless shelter, this is better than having the homeless continuously walking the streets. In this way, they have a place to lay their heads for the night; this will also alleviate any kind of fear that the neighbors would have about the homeless people being possible burglars; this will also save many homeless lives as well. Communicating with these homeless people about what they need to send them on their way is another way of handling the problem, they are people like everyone else. This is a lot better than the alternative which would be threatening them with violence.
Solutions
Everyone should be made aware of the solutions of how to keep more homeless people from gathering in different parts of the neighborhood, it is everyone’s problem because kids of the neighbors go to the school in the neighborhood and it is a very unsettling matter. One of the best ways to keep future homeless people from gathering in the neighborhood is by fixing up the local shelter, doing this will ensure that they will want to go to the shelter instead of trying to hang around in the neighborhood trying to beg for change and trying to see if the children have any change too. Another way that the neighbors can go about curing the homeless problem is by turning a house that no one is living in into a neighborhood shelter, that way if the homeless person does not feel like catching a free bus ride across town to the shelter there then they can camp out at the shelter in the neighborhood. For example, several homeless people are trying to get out of the elements and go somewhere before darkness falls completely. An available shelter within the neighborhood would help homeless people get out of the elements and give them somewhere to rest their head, the neighbors should be inclined to get behind this suggestion because it takes care of the homeless problem entirely. According to Schanes, “homelessness is a big problem that requires immediate attention”. Ever since the homeless people started gathering and hanging out on 50th and Madison Street, the neighbors have been in an uproar about how many of them there are instead of doing something about it. Some feel that if they complain long enough then the problem will go away, the police are even at a standstill about how to handle the homeless people problem on my street. I feel that if the neighbors found a creative way of dealing with this problem head on, it will go away and they can rest easy. Interestingly, there is not enough being done about the homeless problem because the neighbors are not trying to make it their business even though they should.
The neighbors have been known to make ugly remarks to the homeless like get a job or do something with your life and many, many more. I have sat idly by or walking down the sidewalk and hearing the neighbors say those ugly things to the homeless people that have gathered in the neighborhood, it is a shame really. Another way that my neighbors can help the homeless is by keeping them informed about the jobs that are available around the neighborhood, there are a lot of elderly neighbors who need help doing things such as lawn mowing and snow shoveling; this is a way for some of the homeless around the neighborhood to get money for things such as taking the bus or taking a bus to a faraway place to live with relatives. According to Schenkelberg “Since the homeless problem is not going away anytime soon then we should be working to help those in need”. Homeless people aspire to have the things that most non-homeless people have, and cannot get those things because people do not care about helping homeless people. But, this is the reason why they need to care, those homeless people might have children that need help or need to get help for something like medication. Some people might argue that helping the homeless get a job or food is more than enough, but it is not because there are some that might need help a little more than others. I feel that the neighbors can do more for the homeless besides helping them get to work or another shelter or even a friend’s house, reaching out to these people will help them. Shunning them and threatening them with violence is not going to solve the problem at all, if anything it is only going to beget more bloodshed. Anyone who is found to be homeless that wind up on 50th and Madison Street should be greeted by the police to help get them to the local neighborhood shelter, doing this will send a message that people on 50th and Madison Street care about the homeless and helping them. I think this is a way for a neighborhood to come together to cure a common problem and help out homeless people who are down on their luck, or just need help. There is nothing more important than that.
Coincidentally, there are people who are homeless, but they still have jobs that they go to every day or every other day. These same homeless people also have children that they cannot find a sitter for, the neighbors could help babysit the child or children while that person is at work. This might not seem like it will clear up the homeless problem, but it will. Simply, if a homeless person has a job then they can work toward getting their home or a home of their own; watching their children while they work will help them achieve that goal quicker. Opening a neighborhood daycare center is another way to help dozens of children of the homeless keep a roof over their heads so they do not end up in succumbing to death traps like gangs or dying by gang violence, this is one of the best ways to keep children of the homeless off the street. Neighbors can also arrange to get to know more about the homeless people they are helping so they can get an idea of how to help them on their way. Ironically, there is nothing wrong with talking to strangers in need of help especially if it is a service that anyone in the neighborhood can provide. For example, there is a homeless woman with two children. The homeless woman works at McDonalds, and she is trying to get food stamps. She is only eligible if she can stay on her job for 30 days, she cannot miss a single day at all. Anyone around the neighborhood can give her a ride to her job from the neighborhood shelter so she can keep her job and get food stamps, this is one of the more conventional ways of reaching out to homeless people who need help. My solutions are better because it accomplishes two things: One, it helps decrease the amount of homeless people that are hanging around in the streets or on the street while giving them shelter from the elements. Two, it brings an entire neighborhood together for a common goal and serving a greater good which is helping the homeless by any means necessary instead of treating them like garbage. I feel these solutions work because it sends a message to homeless people everywhere that there are people out there who care about you, and care about helping you as well.
Work Cited
Haggerty, Rosanne. "Homelessness Is a Solvable Problem." Community Solutions. 26 Sept. 2011. Web. 2 Nov. 2014. <http://cmtysolutions.org/blog/homelessness-solvable-problem>. Print.
Schanes, Christine. "Three Steps To Ending Homelessness." Huffpost Healthy Living. 13 June 2010. Web. 3 Nov. 2014. <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/christine-schanes/three-steps-to-ending-hom_b_190878.html>. Print.
Schenkelberg, Scott. "Treating Homeless for the Long Term." Spotlight on Poverty and Opportunity. 23 Feb. 2009. Web. 20 Nov. 2014. <http://www.spotlightonpoverty.org/ExclusiveCommentary.aspx?id=0b40f7e1-834a-4a73-b8ac-91ea94362460>. Print.
