Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Cassidy Thomas
English 2010
Mrs. Burr
12 April 2019
Curbing Homelessness
between the compulsion to relieve suffering and the hope that a donation will encourage, instead
of ease the mental and physical desolation of the homeless. Money does not benefit nor help the
economic situation of poverty, unless you are apart of an organization that can ensure the money
is spent wisely.
We are all familiar with the concept that giving the homeless money is not always a
great idea, handouts such as food and shelter are better options. When considering the
individuals well being in the long run, food and shelter give more area of a long term growth;
money often leads to drug and substance abuse in order to cope with the lifestyle of being
homeless. The studies seem to back up this idea. One report from Addiction and Homelessness
are Interrelated suggests “ that the relationship between homelessness and alcohol and drug
addiction in mentally ill homeless people is interdependent,” and a group of researchers who
have tested out this theory explain the relationship. Through this study they found that thirty
three percent of the fifty four patients found homelessness as a stressor, where twenty five
percent were possible stressors. Nevertheless, the project proves the dissipation that happens
with the money that is being inclined on the streets, and the reality of what money spending
really is going towards. On account that panhandlers rarely have a way to save their money, they
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are quite often impelled to pay out their earnings quickly. This leads to habitualizing short term
wants, rather than long term needs which can lead to vulnerability in drug and alcohol addiction.
Cash donations are not economically smart either. They don’t benefit the receiver in good
way and they are destructive to the smooth flow of the economy. Homelessness evolves into
panhandling. Panhandling causes unneeded chaos and an uncomfortable environment for the
people living around the area. Areas that are exposed to panhandling are often dirty and
unsanitary. Issues like these can easily be resolved by changing the way we give. Putting more
thought into how we help the less fortunate can greatly benefit us as individuals and a
community in the long run. Instead of tossing cash out the window like confetti, we can put our
efforts into donating to charitable works, organizing food drives, and putting more thought into
Now, let us talk specifics. What are the top underlying factors that cause homelessness in
the first place? More than any other reason, there is a shortage of housing that low income people
are able to afford. With no housing options, there is unreliability, eviction, and eventually
understanding where the majority of homeless are located can help solve the problem. According
to National Alliance to End Homelessness the “states with the greatest number tend to be the
most populous” and “The ten states with the highest homeless rates account for 55 percent of the
homeless population. New York, Hawaii, Oregon, California, and the District of Columbia top
this list”(p4). Among youth, single adults, and the already homeless domestic violence is
common. Those who escape abusive relationships and have experienced domestic violence may
seek homeless service programs in order to stay in a safe place. Others turn to homeless
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programs primarily because they lack resources and are unable to to find housing after leaving an
abusive relationship. After experiencing a crisis like these, the first response would be safety
which identifies with a statistic from National Alliance to End Homelessness that “On a single
night in 2017, homeless services providers had more than 55,000 beds set aside for survivors of
domestic violence”. Seeing this quantitative data proves that domestic violence is a definite
factor in the causes of homelessness. An ongoing physical or behavioral health condition as well
as a disability can also lead to homelessness. National Alliance to end homelessness did a study
“On a given night in 2017, 20 percent of the homeless population reported having a serious
mental illness, 16 percent conditions related to chronic substance abuse, and more than 10,000
people had HIV/AIDS” which shows Homelessness and health are certainly interrelated.
After being approached by the homeless numerous times in your own city when you do
not want to be bothered by scavenging men it can be easy to judge, however, it’s important to
realize what the majority of these people are truly seeking. Yes, some merely want your cash so
they can indulge in their addictions, although there is a fine portion of the homeless who want
effective assistance. If we want to limit panhandling, then we must address the problem, and
smartly doing so. I discussed dominant causes of homelessness above, so what kind of assistance
are they searching for? The key to fixing homelessness is straightforward, housing. People who
are experiencing homelessness want to be connected to housing services, and by being so they
are able to focus on other areas that have played a part in their homelessness. There are many
organizations that are dedicated primarily to assisting the homeless in finding housing, and
designed to end homelessness. National Alliance to End Homelessness has two assistance
programs, permanent supportive housing and rapid re-housing. “Permanent supportive housing
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pairs long-term rental assistance with supportive services. It is targeted to individuals and
families with chronic illnesses, disabilities, mental health issues, or substance use disorders who
short-term rental assistance and services. The goals are to help people obtain housing quickly,
Another trigger of homeless as Previously stated is domestic violence, and according to National
Alliance to end homelessness “The immediate need of a survivor fleeing domestic violence is
safety. Some survivors may be able to safely stay in their own home with some additional
financial support through rental assistance while others may require a stay in an emergency
shelter or transitional housing program before re-entering their own independent housing”.
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Despite there being shelters specifically for those involved in domestic violence, we are still
seeing patterns of domestic violence victims on the streets, and with no place to go. Addressing
As a further matter, the second step is resolutions. This is a crucial issue and whatever
we as individuals can do to help will benefit the homeless. By now, the concept of not giving
cash is understandable; in an article called Cities Ask Citizens to Help Curb Panhandling
“homeless advocates broadly agree that giving money to panhandlers is an inefficient way to
Jones(previously homeless) he also explained how compensation is the most ineffective way to
help. That being the case, identifying the solutions is principal. In regards to housing, Helping
People off the streets suggests that “cities must develop easily accessible, day time facilities with
no resident component” that would give the homeless a place to stay during the day and
connections to programs(Hess). There are also numerous ways that you can give your support in
this economic crisis; National Alliance to end homelessness e ncourages you to take action by
participating in the following: Tell Congress to Fund Homeless Assistance Grants, Go Tweet
Fund Homeless Assistance Grants, Sign Up for Alliance Advocacy Alerts, and Tell Your Senator
to Sign the Homeless Assistance “Dear Colleague” letter. You can find more information about
https://endhomelessness.org/help-end-homelessness/take-action/.
To that end, life will become easier for the homeless when you lend them a hand instead of
lending ten dollars because when you “Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day but when
you teach a man to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime”(old navajo proverb).
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Works Cited
WYDICK, BRUCE. “Unlocking Effective Giving.” Christianity Today, vol. 61, no. 10, Dec.
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Blumgart, Jake. “Cities Ask Citizens to Help Curb Panhandling.” Planning, vol. 84, no. 3, Mar.
2018, p. 8. EBSCOhost,
search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=128314438&site=ehost-live
Hess, Robert V. “Helping People Off the Streets: Real Solutions to Urban Homelessness.” USA
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search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=2667932&site=ehost-live.
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search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=61155207&site=ehost-live.
Solovy, Alden. “Beggars & Holy Men.” H&HN: Hospitals & Health Networks, vol. 72, no. 19,
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search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=1193058&site=ehost-live.
“Addictions and Homelessness Interrelated.” Addiction Letter, vol. 11, no. 2, Feb. 1995, p. 7.
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O'Flaherty, Brendan, et al. “A Smarter Way to Regulate Panhandling.” CityLab, 11 July 2017,
www.citylab.com/equity/2017/07/panhandling-laws-bill-de-blasio-new-york/533223/.
Cowen, Tyler. “Should You Give Money to Beggars?” Marginal REVOLUTION, 11 Nov. 2004,
marginalrevolution.com/marginalrevolution/2004/11/should_you_give.html.