Is really homelessness a problem and who can be homeless nowadays? I would like to discuss the following issues: the reasons of being homeless, all pluses and minuses of life of the homeless and the result of such a life. As far as I understand people can’t become homeless by their own desire, but they do, so this way of life suit them.
First of all, there are different reasons of being homeless. One of them is money troubles. If you don’t pay any rent for your flat you can be forced to go to live anywhere you like in the street. Also there is such a thing as war, country military actions or abuse, and you should leave your place of living and hide anywhere else. It is sad, of course, and tragic, but still there is no way out. One more thing is the break of relations with your close relatives and leaving home. (1) Of course, if you live in countries close to the oceans or with high risk of earthquake, you can be in danger of nature forces. Once your house is destroyed you are homeless.
But still there is not only bad background for becoming homeless. Some people see good money earning in being homeless. For example, they stand near the tube and ask for some help, saying that they have no home, that they are homeless, have nothing to eat, nothing to wear, and in most cases it is really so, but a lot of them lie. They collect all earned money, I’d like to say “begged money”, then come somewhere and spend them on worthless things. Sometimes they can earn more than an honest man in the honest job during the month. It is just necessary to know where to stand, how to beg, about what to lie. The point is that people believe them and they become deceived. But still if you even not a homeless and stand just to earn money doing nothing, your life can be not easy. Some citizens do not like such homeless and even can beat them for their actions.
Here we come to the pluses and minuses of the life of homeless people. Of course, there is nothing good or easy in life of such people if you are true homeless. One of the greatest pluses is that ordinary people help homeless. As the statistics say, 79% of people agree that we should help such people, and 21% of people do not want to help. (2) There are different organizations in which some people can live for some time, they can get some clothes, they can eat and have some rest. I know that there exist different actions, for example, volunteers can organize a group of people to cook some food for homeless. They make the advertisement where they will give this food, usually this is the same place for all homeless people to know for sure where to go. Moreover, volunteers can collect some used clothes from ordinary people and then give it to homeless. But still there are a lot of minuses in being homeless. First of all you feel humble, not anymore the part of the society. There is nothing comfortable in sleeping in the box on the street or in becoming too cold in winter. A lot of people dislike even to look at you, because you are not in the best form. What is more, you are always dirty and can’t have shower whenever you like, you can even have lice. You wear ragged clothes and you smell bad. You can’t hide in the café or restaurant when it is raining because you will disturb other people. By the way, you can have troubles with the law, with some criminals or other homeless people who want the same jacket as you wear. As a result, you hate your life.
And it is not the only result of being homeless, though one of the greatest and saddest. The most typical result is the variety of different diseases. Of course, when you don’t visit a doctor, don’t follow simple rules as for your own hygiene, you can have any illness. Also if you are too cold and wet in winter, you can have pneumonia, but because of lack of the treatment you can even die. Also the way of life of homeless people destroys people’s self-esteem, self-consciousness, individuality. (3) Moreover, a lot of homeless people drink a lot of alcohol in order to overcome their stressful life. That’s why most of them become alcoholics. Also some of them can try drugs for them not to feel the cruel reality. Besides some of them can have some mental diseases.
References:
What is homelessness? [Electronic resource]. – 2016. – Access mode: http://england.shelter.org.uk/get_advice/homelessness/homelessness_-_an_introduction/what_is_homelessness/ (last access: 18.06.16). – Title from the screen
Should we help the homeless? [Electronic resource]. – Access mode: http://www.debate.org/opinions/should-we-help-the-homeless/ (last access: 18.06.16). – Title from the screen
What are the consequences of homelessness? [Electronic resource]. – Access mode: http://www.crisis.org.uk/pages/causes-consequences.html/ (last access: 18.06.16). – Title from the screen
