Project Hope for the Homeless
"I work off and on. Mostly day work is all there is. Used to be a teacher. I'd like to find a good job, but how? When you're on the street, you've got one set of clothes, two if you're lucky, and they're always dirty. No place to shave, shower, clean up. And any job that's decent will ask for an address, phone number, a driver's license. It's hard to break out of the cycle and into focus. " --Mark (a homeless person)
Mark is just one of the estimated 1.2 -2 million people who experience homelessness each year, about 760,000 people are homeless each night (Homeless Youth). When we looked at these figures, it made us stop and think of how fortunate we are to have a home, clothing, food, and little things that many of us take for granted. Like Mark, many homeless people have nothing to look forward to. They don't know where they are going to sleep that night or what they are going to eat next. Many homeless people have no hope.
We, Aimee Johnson and Jessie Virnig, along with Amy Wilson and Shawn Klimek, decided to try to give the homeless a little hope. The week before Christmas we went door to door and collected food for the local homeless shelter. We decided to focus on collecting food because around the Christmas season, a lot of emphasis is put on toy drives and people sometimes overlook the fact that the homeless still need to eat. In order to broaden our research, we decided to collect food from more than one group of people. We went to an average middle class neighborhood and to a college dormitory. Before we went out into the neighborhood and dorms, we prepared a thank you letter to give to everyone explaining to them who we were, to tell them that we were collecting food for the homeles...
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...ving them hope. Not only are you giving them hope, you are giving everyone a sense of community.
"Happy is the person who is generous with his loans.... He gives generously to the needy and his kindness never fails. He will be powerful and respected" (Psalms 112:5-9). We seldom take the time out of our busy schedules to stop and count our blessings. We consume ourselves with worries and stress, forgetting that there are people in this world that are a lot worse offthen we are. This project gave us a good chance to stop and help others who need our help. "Remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said, 'There is more happiness in giving than in receiving"' (Acts 20:35). If everyone gave a part of their time to helping others that need their support, then we believe that everyone would feel a little better about themselves and this world would be a better place.
As David Hufford said, in Beings Without Bodies, much of folk belief about spirits is found to be reasonable. This account is reported under his experience-centered theory. Hufford said much of the belief of spirits is reasonable as it is established on logical understanding from a person’s own experience. However, Hufford said not all beliefs are backed up by experience or even evidence. Some beliefs are made purely on faith. (Hufford p.11)
In “The Tell-Tale Heart” by Edgar Allan Poe and “A Rose for Emily” by William Faulkner both main characters are portrayed as irrational and are isolated from reality. The narrator in “The Tell-Tale Heart” murders an elderly man, as he is fearful of the man’s eye. Emily Grierson in “A Rose for Emily” lives secluded from society, until she marries a man, Homer. She ultimately kills Homer in his bed and leaves his body to decompose for many years. Both the narrator in Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Tell-Tale Heart” and Emily Grierson in William Faulkner’s “A Rose for Emily” deny reality so vehemently that they isolate themselves from reality. Their isolation and denial of reality cause both to commit murder.
One common theme for students transitioning to college is the concept of the freshman 15. The freshman 15 is the idea that a freshman college student will gain 15 pounds throughout the duration of their first year of college. It is something nearly every incoming college student hears about (Delinsky & Wilson, 2008). The freshman 15 can be accounted to numerous factors, such as the student’s living environment, the food available to them, the level of their physical activity, their level of stress, and their eating habits.
This great nation of awesome power and abundant resources is losing the battle against homelessness. The casualties can be seen on the street corners of every city in American holding an ?I will work for food? sign. Homeless shelters and rescue missions are at full capacity. There is no room at the inn for the nation?s indigent. Anyone who has studied this issue understands that homelessness is a complex problem. Communities continue to struggle with this socio-economic problem while attempting to understand its causes and implement solutions. The public and private sectors of this country are making a difference in the lives of the homeless by addressing the issues of housing, poverty and education.
http://kidshealth.org/kid/cancer_center/HTBW/digestive_system.html ( I didnt copy direct quotes, however I had used the idea of the beginning in my research on the digestive system to help the reader better understand the system)
Typically, people have the impressions that homeless people are sloppy, lazy, and irresponsible; however, the truth may be shocked because there are many people who have jobs and non-habitual to drug or alcoholics still remain homeless. ¡§It is a tragic aspect of our culture that homeless people, in addition to suffering from the hardship of their condition, are subjected to alienation and discrimination by mainstream society. It is even more tragic that alienation and discrimination often spring from incorrect myths and stereotypes which surround homelessness.¡¨(The National Law Center) Homelessness results from a complex set of circumstances that require people to choose between food, shelter, and other basic needs. Once the choices are limited which means people can no longer obtain what they need often result in hom...
With nearly 3.18 million people in the United States, there are 610.042 individuals who are homeless which calculates to about nearly one in five individuals (U.S. Census Bureau, 2014 and HUD/US, 2013). At any time situations can change that can render an individual’s homeless. There are no qualities that exempt individuals from the chances of becoming homeless. However, there are certain predispositions and characteristics that can predict the likelihood of becoming homeless. Homelessness can be contributed to a number of situations such as occupational stress, financial stress, mental health issues, substance use, gender, age, race, disabilities, incarceration, chronic illness, and family stress.
Douglass, Frederick. “Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave: Written by Himself (ed. John Blassingame) Yale University Press, 2001.
There are many other cases of why the homeless are homeless like domestic violence, mental illness, addictions, and unaffordable health care. Homelessness is a problem which has been caused by many different aspects but mainly money because of massive unemployment rates. A hidden aspect to homelessness that we may not think of is ...
“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...
The fabled Freshman 15 is said to affect college students in the first few months of school, adding about 15 pounds due to eating more. Men and women alike seem to think it is as much a part of higher education as reading lists and blue-book exams.
In modern times, around two-thirds of American high school students continue their academic careers and enroll in college. This change in scenery results not only in a change in values and beliefs, but also in a change in the lifestyles of many students. Even though many high school and college students will tell you that they do not need their parents, most students do not and can not make all of the most beneficial decisions for themselves. This life style change contributes to one of the most widespread issues not only among college students, but among American people as a whole: weight gain. Food choice and lack of exercise are the primary reasons that many college freshmen gain weight when entering college, also known as putting on the
Howard, Barbara J. “Do What You Can for a Homeless Child.” Pediatric News June 2008: 16. Academic OneFile. Web. 23 Oct. 2013.
As young adults transform from their years of high school to the beginning of college, they are faced with many new challenges and obstacles. One such obstacle is the struggle of keeping a healthy diet and staying physically fit. This lack of regard can lead to weight gain, unhealthy habits, and ultimately life threatening diseases. This weight gain is commonly referred to as the Freshman Fifteen, fifteen pounds that many first-year college students gain. There are multiple reasons for this increase in weight. First, the students are constantly surrounded by unhealthy food options. Secondly, many young college students are not performing enough physical activities to stay fit. It is reported that only 35% of twenty-one year olds are engaging