The Issue of Homelessness - Essay Example

? THE ISSUE OF HOMELESSNESS (YOUR TEACHER’S THE ISSUE OF HOMELESSNESS Introduction Kids sleeping in wooden carts parked alongside the street in the many Asian countries and people sleeping on park benches in many Western countries. Homelessness does not concern itself with race, religion or nationality. It is a social problem anywhere in the world. For whatever reason, there are always individuals living without a permanent place to call their home. Even in a progressive country like the United States, homelessness is now a fact of life. Especially after the recession struck, people were forced to give up their homes and live in the park in tents. (Reade, B., 2012) Many Americans are angered by the presence of these tent cities. For this group, having a home is synonymous to achieving something in one’s life. Home ownership also means protection from bad elements outside the home. Regardless of the cons, this paper will attempt to explain that being homeless may actually be a good thing because it teaches the individuals to be more mature, to develop significant life skills, and to have enough money for other necessities. Being homelessness is NOT the way to live Roots Traditionally, people believe that there are three necessities in life. The three important things a person is supposed to have are clothing, food and shelter. (Wallace, n.d.) It is this concept that makes people associate shelter or a home with establishing roots. It is not hard to understand. Once a person is able, he or she invests in a home. This is where the individual will live with his loved ones. As such, the term “settle down” was coined to mean one’s act of planting his roots in his permanent abode. It is in the house that the person builds memories and mementos with his loved ones. Because of this mindset, the idea of losing this structure means to also lose the ability to make those memorable experiences. Security In the Home Alone movies, the protagonist was always fighting the bad guys from inside structures easily referred to as places of dwelling. This notion of being able to protect oneself in one’s home is common to everyone. Each person can maneuver inside his or her own home with eyes closed. Homeowners know every crook and cranny of their houses that they feel more protected inside it than probably anywhere else in the world. It is this sense of security that people think they lose when they are devoid of a roof over their heads. Without something solid like the walls of their own homes protecting them, people feel very vulnerable. The American Dream The last reason why many people think being homeless is not good is because homelessness means they failed to accomplish their American Dream. When asked about what the American Dream is for them, almost nine out of ten people would always give ‘owning a home’ as an answer. Even long after the American society has accepted that a great recession has indeed come into their lives and caused them to lose their homes, many still believe real estate investment was the best thing they did. (Brennan, M.) Owning a home meant one was financially capable to meet the mortgage. Like owning a car, having one’s own house was a status symbol for people who could afford getting a house. For this group, the idea that homelessness can actually bring good things to a person will be a hard-sell. Homelessness IS not that bad after all Savings Indeed having a home has a nice ring to it. Everyone wants to get that opportunity of waking up to their own place be it a house or an apartment. It gives a person a pleasant feeling knowing that he or she is heading purposely, after work or a night out with friends, to a place that is very familiar and comfortable where he or she can literally kick their shoes off and relax. However, this happy feeling comes with a large price tag in the form of mortgage payments because majority of Americans are still paying off their housing loans. In fact, this is why so many people are not in tent cities after the recession hit. Being homeless means one saves on the cost of housing and can put that money towards savings or something more important like school fees or food expense. (Mobile Homemaker) Security It is a sad fact of life that for some people the idea of home brings to mind incidents of abuse and anguish. There are many children who have received physical abuse and neglect from their parents, other members of the family or people outside from the family. (American Society, 2012) Physical abuse does not choose an age and so, unless he or she is pulled out from the abusive environment by the courts, when the victim is old enough he or she often tries to escape from the abuse he or she gets from home and decides to wander on the street. For these victims, having a home does not mean they are secure from harm. The situation is quite the opposite for them. Having the freedom to do whatever they want without fear of getting kicked or slapped or cussed at means so much more than having a permanent roof over their heads. After all, for these people, home is relative. They can make any place they go to as their ‘home’ as long as they enjoy living in that space. Character Last but not the least being homeless can actually motivate an individual to be stronger in facing life’s trials. Having no home means that the individual needs to be decisive. It can be hard to find a place to stay at. Depending on the person’s means this place can be as simple as a tent or as convenient as an inexpensive trailer. Regardless, the person needs to be very particular where he or she stays at because this abode may or may not offer permanent residence. So, the person must learn to be ready to pack up and leave in a snap when needed. The individual’s survival skills will also be honed. For homeless people, the term survival of the fittest can be applied in their situation. They do not enjoy the protection of a firm and safe structure such as a house. Being homeless exposes the individual to sickness, danger from unscrupulous persons and unexpected bouts with the law as vagrancy is frowned upon in many societies. The homeless person must ensure his or her safety from all of these at all times. Finally, being homeless encourages a person to become even more mature. This is not to say that being under a roof trains the individual to be childish or grow up without a backbone. Nevertheless, if children who grew up in a sheltered home are compared to those who live on the streets, the latter’s way of thinking is more worldly and their quality of knowledge is more street-smart than textbook-acquired. Certainly, these skills would be very helpful to them in meeting life’s challenges. Conclusion & Implication In every corner of the world, societies manifest their close relationship to the idea of having a home in their art, music and the like. Stories about the ancient times were filled with huts, cave-dwellings, pyramids and so on. Through time, these societies have evolved and acquired knowledge to have a better grasp of the events around them. Because of this, there has been a difference of opinion regarding the topic of homelessness. While others support the idea that homelessness is not a good thing, some advocate the idea that not having one’s own home can also be an effective way to mold a person’s character and cost of living. Through this discussion, it has been implied that being homelessness nowadays is viewed not as a sign of incapability but as a means of developing a person’s attitude and way of life. References: American Society of Prevention of Cruelty to Children. (2012). Child Abuse Statistics in America. Retrieved from http://americanspcc.org/child-abuse/statistics/ Brennan M. (2011). Is The American Dream of Home Ownership Dead? Not Really. Forbes Business. Retrieved from http://www.forbes.com/sites/morganbrennan/2011/02/11/is-the-american-dream-of-home-ownership-dead-not-really/ Hughes, J. (Producer), Columbus, Chris. (Director). (1990). Home Alone. [Motion picture]. United States: Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation. Mobile Homemaker. (2004, Oct. 20). Advantages of Homelessness. [Web log]. Retrieved from http://guide2homelessness.blogspot.com/2004/10/advantages-of-homelessness.html Reade, B. (2012) “In the US today, you’re on your own”: The homeless living the American Nightmare in tent cities. Mirror News. Retrieved from http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/in-the-us-today-youre-on-your-own-753586. Wallace. (n.d.) The Five Basic Needs of Life [PDF document] Retrieved from http://www.mtlakes.org/staff/~Wallace/LifeScience/documents/NeedsLiferev.08.pdf Read More