Is Homelessness a Big Deal?

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When people see a homeless person they probably try to walk the other way to avoid being asked for money. Many people don't think about the homeless; they just think about how to avoid them. People think "that doesn't affect me," but it does. Homelessness affects more than just the people suffering from it. Not many people know how much money they are actually giving to homeless shelters. Helping the homeless is a big deal and should be dealt with, but not with the way the government is handling it. The government throws an enormous amount of money around and builds a few rickety buildings and thinks this solves the problem, but it doesn't. Putting money into something that doesn't work is no way to solve a problem. There is approximately 3.5 million homeless people in the US ("Overview of Homelessness"). Americans are responsible for all of these people whether they know it or not ("Homeless Stats"). The government should be spending money to help the homeless become productive citizens, instead of on shelters that serve only as a temporary, ineffective fix.
Americans spend more money than they think on these shelters. One woman's shelter in Maine costs about $157,650 a year just to keep it running ("Emergency Shelter"). That doesn't count the cost of actually building these shelters. It also doesn't cover extra expenses such as, bills, food, extra necessities to keep the people safe and healthy, or ways to help them.This just accounts for keeping the building running. Neither does it cover the costs of hiring workers to help out. That would be another $69,500 ("Emergency Shelter"). Homeless shelters cannot rely on money from their pockets, so they rely on the nation's money or donations. Not many people are willing to randoml...

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...ness. N.p., Mar. 2014.
"Emergency Shelter." Abby's House. N.p., n.d. Web. 4 April 2014.
"Homeless Stats." Homeless article, Facts about Homelessness. Homelessness statistics N.p., Jan. 2008.
McKinney-Vento Education Assistance Improvements Act and Data Collection. "Education for Homeless Children and Youths Program." Data Collection Summary 2013. PDF file.
"Overview of Homelessness In America." Homelessness In America. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 Apr. 2014.
Ramesh, Randeep. "A Fifth of All Homeless People Have Committed a Crime to Get off the Streets." Theguardian.com. Guardian News and Media, 22 Dec. 2010. Web.
4 April 2014.
Santora, Marc. "City’s Annual Cost Per Inmate Is $168,000, Study Finds." The
New York Times. The New York Times, 23 Aug. 2013. Web. 4 April 2014.
"Why are People Homeless?" National Coalition for the Homeless. N.p,n.d. Web. 30 Mar. 2014.

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