One of the main event that I did in the fifth grade was the homeless project. My experience being homeless part of the fifth grade curriculum. Twelve hours before I went to my elementary school to experience being a homeless person, I had a great dinner. The dinner consisted of grilled hamburgers, baked beans, French fries and corn. In order to survive being homeless, I had twice the amount of food that I usually have. When I experienced being homeless, I learned to appreciate my family as a valuable object to have in a person’s heart through leaving the house for the first time, watching videos and spending the night in a cardboard box. Being homeless mean that others cannot have relationships with others. For the first time leaving home, I hugged my dad for the last time in a clinging way on that day. Parents were allowed to be with their child through the class activities but they had to leave before the students were sleeping in a cardboard box. At the …show more content…
First of all, it was a cool night to spend a night in a cardboard box. I was scared that the wind speed would destroy the box that I have because I lived near the Appalachian Mountains. Next was the food, the school supplied the student and teachers with a loaf of bread and a bag of M&Ms. Personally, I do not like M&Ms but I could not choose what I was going to eat that day. Coming home was the most exciting event that day to me. It is not every day that someone can come to a place and feel like a place being appreciated. When I came back to my home, I dropped all my stuff from the homeless project to hug my parents and my older sister. My parents asked me how I liked being homeless. I replied, “It just a one lifetime experience that tells me that I would not do it for a lifetime.” Over the years as I gotten older, I learned to overcome this experience by getting an higher-education because I would not want to put myself in this
On Thursday October 31st, I attended a public service class where the professor had invited two spokesmen from the ‘National Coalition for the Homeless’ to share their personal stories and what the public can do to help.
When we think of homelessness, we often think of people middle aged and older. For many years now, the problem has become more real to the younger generation. Some are there by choice but still, many are there because of circumstances beyond their control. In the report written by Eleanor J. Bader, she uncovers some of the faces of homeless people that just happen to be college students. According to Mary Jean LeTendre, who was interviewed in the report, “no college has ever asked for help in reaching homeless students” (638).
...on the homeless community. I previously held preconceived notions that the homeless consisted of people who were either unable to connect and form relationships with others or didn’t desire to do so. Yet, I observed most everyone greeting one another and reminiscing with those who have been absent from the community for a while, as well as, expressing concern for those missing. I recognized that the homeless may live in a non-traditional way, but they have established their own communities and are successful in forming and maintaining cohesive relationships.
Have you ever thought about the possibilities of becoming homeless? I think about that almost every day; I try to comprehend and picture in my head the life as someone that lives on or off the streets of New York. New York isn’t one of the cleanest places in the United States, but it sure has one of the highest percentage rates in the U.S. for homeless people. In the 21st century, people raised in the U.S. are not taught about the struggles of homelessness and what they have to go through to survive; most people don’t plan on becoming homeless and became homeless due to the fluctuation in the market and various other problems. Also not only the homeless, but people in depth (people struggling to pay bills or drug addicts) and other people suffering also has to survive.
Homelessness is not something that I could ever imagine completely. I, like everyone else, have a simple idea of what it would be like to be homeless. There is so much more to being homeless than most believe. My exposure to Habitat for Humanity is showing me some about the idea of living in a lower income family. This exposure is an experience that all high school and college students should have.
Over half a million people are homeless in the United States. A quarter of these homeless people are under the age of eighteen, or also known as children. 50 percent of the homeless that are over eighteen years, are fifty and older with health and injury prone problems. One in five homeless people suffers from untreated severe mental illness, and half of these people self medicate themselves. Eight percent of the homeless population are veterans, and forty-five percent of that number is blacks or Hispanics. Most people think that being homeless means begging for money on the streets with a sign, or sleeping on the sidewalk with your dog or cat and maybe even a bag to store some things in; but what does “being homeless” actually mean? Homelessness in the United States and is a bigger problem than most people think.
I heard a blood-curdling scream and I jumped. I felt silent tears running down my heavily scarred face, but they weren’t out of sadness. Mostly. They were a mixture of pain and fear. I ran into the eerie, blood-splattered room and screamed as I felt cold fingers grab my neck. Before that night, I didn’t believe in the paranormal. Now I sure as heck do. I had been chased out of my house after a fight with my step-parents because I wasn’t doing well in school (I had dyslexia), and I had taken shelter in what seemed like a normal house. I realized what I had gotten into after the sun set. The doors locked without a sign of anyone going near them. A cold draft filled the room I was in. The house turned into a horrific scene, and I knew I would never get out alive. It was the Asylum. There’s a rumor in our town, a rumor that started when someone made the observation that everyone fit in. No one was considered strange, homeless, an outsider. That doesn’t seem possible, you think. In my town, there are tons of people with no homes, or people that don’t belong, you think. Well, think again. Those homeless people? Think about how many there are. They fit in with each other. Those people that don’t belong? Once again, they fit in with each other. But then, you
The National Association for the Education of Homeless Children and Youth, N. (2012). Homeless Education 101. Retrieved from Michigan Department of Education: http://www.michigan.gov/mde/0,1607,7-140-6530_30334_40067---,00.html
“Homeless is more than being without a home. It is tied into education needs, food, security; health issues both mental and physical, employment issues, etc. Don’t forget the whole picture.” (“Boxed In” 2005 pg. 108)
Homelessness is increasing more every year. In fact, according to the National Alliance to End Homelessness, over 640,000 people experience homelessness every night. (Hunger and Homelessness in North America) By definition, the homeless are groups of people that do not have a home. They can be people who are mentally ill, unemployed, veterans, or even children born into unfortunate families. Since they have nowhere to go, the homeless usually live inside abandoned buildings, in the streets, or in makeshift homes, such as a cardboard box or homemade tent. Although some work to find a decent home, many still suffer from depression or are psychically disabled and cannot work. (Overview of Homelessness in America) These people do not choose to be homeless, instead they become homeless due to a series of unfortunate events; namely losing their source of income or becoming homeless by birth. One instance of this occurred in the life of Hazel Washington. Hazel was fleeing an abusive relationship when she moved in with her relative and his girlfriend, but she was not told about their impending eviction. Because of this, her roommates took everything she owned an...
Annotated Bibliography: “Homelessness and the selfish society”. “Homelessness, Citizenship, and Identity : The Uncanniness of Late Modernity” Arnold, Kathleen R. 2004 Kathleen’s book brings up many detailed facts about how homelessness is a never-ending situation due to mental illness, poverty, social structure and political parties. She discusses how many of society groups illegal immigrants, mentally ill, jobless and many other categories under the homeless category.
That can make you change the way you look at people because anyone can be homeless and you will not know it. My perspective personally changed because I thought that everyone in my class was just a normal student as me but my eyes opened when I found out that some people could be or have been homeless. According to the article “Las Vegas Hard Numbers: 7000 Homeless Kids” it states that “At whitney elementary School in Las Vegas—where an estimated 85 percent of the students are either homeless or on the brink.” This statistic shows how ridiculous homelessness in kids is, these are children that are in elementary school. These are 5-11 year old kids, when I was 5-11 my biggest complication was what toy I wanted to play with next. Homelessness needs more attention and cannot be ignored because these kids are the next generation and no kid should ever have to go through the complications of being
Homelessness has gained mass attention throughout the world. It’s an ongoing, insoluble issue that continues to exist and affect many in the Unites States. “Approximately 3.5 million people are homeless in the United States at any given time” (McBride, 2012). Sadly, due to the nature of homelessness, it is difficult to obtain an accurate number of the homeless population (McBride, 2012). Many people have negative prejudice views of homeless individuals. Self-worth, dignity, as well as trustworthy affects the homeless, often questioned by society. Through the testimony of John Doe, a better understanding will enlighten others, myself included, and bring awareness to this mass population.
I would like to start by saying how I see it and define it in my own words. It is the state where an individual doesn’t have a normal house and are not financially stable in life. It is the situation where you have to look after yourself or another person that is also homeless. You won’t be able to find the proper housing like a normal and secured place to live. All day and all night, you will be trying to sustain yourself from everyday challenges, like looking for food to eat, a place to live, and proper clothing.
Over the summer my friend and I decided to join the Coalition for Homeless Women. I learned a lot while visiting the numerous women shelters and I can admit that I too had very stupid and naïve perceptions of some of these women. Even though I was not as “rotten” as some of the girls I attended school with, my parents sheltered me. I will always remember walking down the street one day and as I passed by a homeless woman I handed her my dollar. My father immediately looked at me funny and said “Sonia, you shouldn’t have given her your allowance, she will only use it to buy drugs or alcohol. She will not use it for anything good!” At the age of ten those words resonated in my head for some time. My perception of homeless people was somewhat flawed until I was old enough to understand the world for myself. I was really happy when I visited shelters and spoke to some of these remarkable women. They weren’t on drugs, they weren’t alcoholics, and these are wo...