Unexpected inclement weather in the low 40s and nothing but a cardboard box to use as shelter in the rain. These are the circumstances in which senior LeighAnn Ashford had to undergo for five nights straight in Little Park. If five nights seems like a lot, try weeks, months, even years. When government teacher Brett Boatman challenged his students to take on a cause and “make a difference”, LeighAnn was inspired. She decided her cause would be to help the homeless who endure drastic temperatures regularly and wonder what they’re going to be eating the next day. If they’re going to be safe. “I am grateful that Mr. Boatman pushed me to think beyond myself,” LeighAnn said. “We get so wrapped up in ourselves that we forget people need help.” …show more content…
She knew what she was going to do. In order for the family of five to have enough money to pay rent on a home for a year, she was going to raise $3,000 in the five nights she camped out. Makida’s husband was killed by Sudanese government soldiers in 2014 forcing the family to move to the United States into a refugee camp and soon into the Shelter. “The shelter is much nicer than the refugee camp. But now, we get a home after only five months.” Makida said. “God is working through LeighAnn, certainly. We are grateful and humbled.” Camping out and raising the money was going fairly well up until day three. “Staying in the box wasn’t a big deal until the rain came and the temperature dropped,” LeighAnn said, “but then I found the photo of Makida and her children. I pushed through for them.” That night, local news station KVET came out to interview LeighAnn as the rain seeped into her box. Both the reporter and her parents attempted to convince LeighAnn to return home, but she was determined. “I told myself I could handle two more nights,” LeighAnn said. “And I
In the 2014 article "Let's bring warmth to the homeless", the writer shifts between a relaxed tone to urge Melbournians to create a community where the homeless are not 'invisible', to a serious tone to assert the rising issue of homelessness. Elise Elliot does this in order to encourage her fellow Melbournians to step out of their comfort zone and make a change to help the homeless in Melbourne. As the article was published in the number 1 leading Newspaper in Victoria, the Herald Sun, Elliot aimed to impact as many people as she can, she uses relatively informal language to do so allowing her to connect with her audience. She aims to connect with her audience to create an atmosphere where Melbournians have sympathy for the issue and want to change their ways to make a difference.
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 people see the homeless, they are quick to assume whether the homeless are where they’re at because of drugs, or not being in a stable environment. However, homeless people rarely receive an opportunity to tell their life stories or even have the chance to explain how they ended up in the situations they are in. Homelessness in Boston has persisted and increased for decades. Though there have been efforts to combating the issues of homelessness and housing, it appears that there is no solution in sight. Winter have become nightmares for most of the homeless population in Boston. Weather ranges from thirty degrees down to ten, sometimes single numbers. Weather that is below freezing are moments where people like myself, need to be in warm places. Kourtney McLean is a woman financially and emotionally not stable enough to take care of herself. Ms. McLean has been living on the streets for almost all her life --homeless and struggling to get on her
...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.
Hypothermia is a cause for concern when temperatures are in the 32 degrees to 50 degrees range. Since winter shelters are only available once temperatures drop way under, those without homes have to suffer in the cold winter weather. This shows how homeless people must be strong enough to endure the harsh weather and only those with stronger immune systems will be able to survive. The cold winter weather affects everyone and only the fittest survive. “While some called her a thorn in their side, others called her their friend and a ‘special soul.’ At the end of December, she died from exposure on a bench outside of a coffee shop,” (Lives of the Homeless). The harsh conditions made it hard for this lady to survive. She, like many others, had a life and a story to tell but the weather was unsuitable to be homeless in. Many like her die because of the weather. The
In the park written by Gwen Harwood, was originally written under a male pseudonym. The poem represents the idea of changing identity because of certain circumstances as well as challenging common ideas, paradigms and values & beliefs which is commonly held amongst mothers in today’s society.
In this story, poverty and homelessness is the underlying problem. However another problem discussed is whether or not the potential loss of funding sources to help the homeless justify not standing up against policy that negatively affects the homeless population by causing unjust criminalization (Pg. 100). In my heart, and in a perfect world, I would never want to sacrifice my beliefs of fighting for the greater good of all people, but I understand that it is more complicated than this in real life. There is no doubt that we are all born with different opportunities. Our text explains some of the personal factors that determines who is homeless. Some of the contributing causes of homelessness include addiction, disability, mental illness,
“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)
I was in the car with my friend and we were listening to Tiesto and we were living the part, singing along and clapping as if we were in some concert in Las Vegas. Truth was, we were in Ashrafeye and we were just passing time until we went home. While rocking around, a sudden knock on the window startled me and I looked out to see a woman holding a child. This woman looked young, maybe no more than 21 and she had a small girl in her hand. I opened the window and she started begging for money. I had seen many fair shares of beggars before but what struck me about this girl was that she was almost my age, and was also a Syrian. This girl…. Could be my sister. I suddenly thought how scared this girl must be, living in a terrible conditions away from her country, and on top of that being forced to beg for money and food. This girl is doing this mostly not for herself but for her baby child, for whom she is willing to die. The story of this girl is very similar to the poem of Mahmoud Darwish “A Gentle Rain in a Distant Autumn” in that poem the poet is describing how he left his country and he was then searching for a new reasons to die, in that poor girl case the reason to die for was her small child. The author also quoted “form the country that slaughtered me” and by this he is referring to his own country. This is very much similar to this girls story by which the war that happened in her country, my country, slaughtered her and made
In 2009, Scott Bransford wrote an article called “Camping for Their Lives”. In this article, Mr. Bransford talks about tent cities and the homeless situation in the western states of the U.S. The author does not give many detailed descriptions of how the homeless come to be in their financial and living situations. Mr. Bransford appears to feel sad for the homeless in his article. He gives several examples of similar scenarios throughout the country, as well as in Canada. Although the article has a somber tone, there is only one side to the story that is given. Mr. Bransford has a few strengths but just as many weaknesses in his article.
Some major problems that presented themselves were the elements, hunger, and loneliness. After surviving the terrible storm he knew he needed to build a safe warm haven for himself. He also wanted a spot that would be not noticeable. He finally decided on an old Hemlock tree where the roots formed a hole and the inner part of the tree was rotting. It took him six months to carve and burn out the Hemlock that would accommodate a bed he made with ash slats and boughs from the Hemlock and a chair for sitting and viewing the weather when it was terrible.
Imagine, it’s a frigid winter 's night, people rush around you on the busy sidewalks trying to find the perfect present for that special someone. You, however, are looking for something completely different. Looking for recyclable scraps that litter the street, you hobble around and try to walk off the numbness in your toes. The bustling streets start to empty out as it nears midnight, you too should go home. Therein lies the problem: you don’t have one. Homelessness is becoming a serious global problem. Cities around the world are trying anything they can think of to fix this epidemic, and the first step is to understand the full extent of the situation. The United States has a population of about 300 million people and approximately 650,000 of them are homeless on any given night
On a normal of our everyday life, we find ourselves going to work or heading somewhere to meet up with a friend. While on the way there we pass someone that we don’t know sitting down on the ground alongside with him is a cart from a store filled with old clothes that either found or got from someone, some trash, maybe something small to eat to help with his hungry stomach growling throughout the day. You wonder how he got themselves into a position like that? Yet sometimes we know how he got there, although, we don’t always know someone else’s story. You leave some money by his foot to help get himself somewhere for a short time. Homelessness has increased over the years, from 1990s up until now. I believe that we can help these get back into a better environment for their life with the help of local shelters, food banks, donations from churches and schools, and many more things we can do in Licking County.
The issue I am concerned about is of homelessness. There are many people who are living in the streets, hungry, cold and lonely. According to estimates, 100 million people worldwide are literally homeless. They have no shelter: they sleep in doorways, in parks or under bridges. Or they sleep in public buildings like railway or bus stations, or in night shelters set up to provide homeless people with a bed. (Leach, Monte. "A Roof Is Not Enough - a Look at Homelessness Worldwide, by Monte Leach, Share International Archives." N.p., 12 Jan. 2016).
When we sacrifice our time to help someone in need, whether it is a great or small need, we become a part of their life and can help alleviate heavy burdens. We feel good for looking outside ourselves and contributin...