Amy Freeman Homeless

Amy Freeman’s editorial titled “Jobs won’t save homelessness. Housing can.” was published in The Washington Post on March 3rd, 2017. Freeman expressed her opinions on what she believes is the most effective way to overcome the issue of homelessness. She made it clear that providing jobs is not enough. After reading Amy Freeman’s persuasive editorial and completing more extensive research on the topic, I have decided that I completely agree with Freeman and believe that housing is the most direct and effective way to lower the amount of homeless individuals, in the US. I hold this opinion because people need permanency to thrive; the majority of homeless people suffer from alcoholism and drug addiction, which makes it difficult for them to save

They most likely believe that shelters are sufficient for the homeless. The first person accounts regarding shelters uproots this theory. People claim that they do everything they can to avoid shelters because of the horrifying stories they have heard. “There were 826 “violent incidents” in New York City homeless shelters last year, including sexual assault and domestic violence…”(Semuels). Along, with the crimes that occur in shelters the homeless also avoid them because in most cases they are forced to leave all of their personal belongings behind(Semuels). The homeless may not have much but they find pride in the few items they do have, so abandoning these sentimental objects is painful. This validates the fact that shelters are not a sufficient source of

permanency leads to stability, and stability allows for the reconstruction of an individual's life. It has been reported that six out every ten homeless people struggle with addiction and drug and alcohol abuse(Thompson). This means that even if they manage to obtain a job they will struggle to keep it. Also, many believe that jobs allow the homeless to save up and eventually purchase an apartment or house, but this is very rare. Most often, they spend their newly acquired money on drugs and alcohol. Even the ones who save their money have a difficult time finding affordable housing. What if jobs are not the issue? Studies show that approximately 44% of homeless individuals have jobs and many of them have two jobs ("Employment and Homelessness"). A very large misconception is that the homeless are in the situation that they are in because they do not want to work. This is completely false. Many homeless individuals have either a mental or physical disability, and even if they do not most of them lack a proper education ("Employment and Homelessness"). These are huge barriers that make it extremely difficult for them to find a job that will pay enough to keep them off the