The US Department of Housing and Urban Development - Case Study Example

Otherwise, she would be cold in her now threadbare pullover, the only other thing that she could say was really hers that she was given many Christmases back by some stranger who found her crying on the junction of Elm and Mel Street. Last week, that boy Curtis in her class had made fun of her look, again! He said it was jaded and unkempt. Well, he didn't know the half of it. At least she was able to shower today. She couldn't remember the last time she had a decent shower. She just used a washcloth to wipe herself in the school bathroom so that she would at least not smell like the old torn upholstery that she always slept on.

Her hair was clean today too. Normally, it was all oily and tangled. No wonder she had such few friends. Other girls at school were always clean, looking all prim and proper in their cute clothes compared to her. No wonder she couldn't get a boy to like her, she thought to herself quietly. Last night her mother was able to get the space at the Open Shelter. She and her sister had been overjoyed. She got a hot bowl of soup and some steaming vegetables for supper and this morning, a mug of tea.

But she thought the best part of all was that she got a bed all to herself that she did not have to share with either her mother or her sister. She had slept soundly for the first time in many weeks not worried about the cold or the mean-looking strangers in the next carton house. She hadn't really eaten to her fill and she thought it hadn't been enough having had anything to eat for two straight days. But it sure had tasted so good. She couldn't remember the last time she had anything hot, and clean, to eat.

Most of the time she and her sister just rummaged through the bins outside restaurants. Two day old croissants weren't all that bad when washed down with some water. She then remembered that she might have to sleep in the carton house today and she frowned. Her mother might not be so lucky to get space in the Open shelter again today. It was by luck that she had managed to do so yesterday anyway. She would be sleeping hungry again today; there would be no hot bowl of soup like yesterday. Well, maybe not because something good just might happen.

Like the Salvation Army would come by handing out packed food like they sometimes do. She thought about Curtis again and promised herself that one of these fine days she would punch him squarely on the jaw. She smiled at the thought of him just squirming. Soon, she started picking the small balls of lint from her frock, and for that moment she completely forgot about Curtis. Someday she would have all the nicest frocks and in different colors too. Pink was her favorite color. It was early morning and a lady going for her morning jog stopped by the bench to stretch for a bit.

As she did so she took out one of those delicious looking power candy bars. As she watched the woman strip the cover of the bar, Sue could already feel the far off rumble in her stomach.