If money cannot buy happiness, those who have it would not bother to have a home. More than half a million homeless persons are spread across various cities in the United States (U.S.) every night. At least 35% of them are unsheltered, spending their nights in the cold streets in environments that are unsafe for human habitation (The Council of Economic Advisers, 2019). In Atlanta, my home city, there are more than 3,200 homeless people, with 939 sleeping outside, an increase from the previous years (Torpy, 2020). The unsheltered group spends their nights in sidewalks, cars, car parks, and abandoned buildings ( The Council of Economic Advisers, 2019). A majority of the homeless people have other personal issues, including addiction and substance abuse problems and underlying physical and mental health issues. Given that they tend to distrust medical care and face difficulty accessing medical care, homelessness may worsen these issues, making it extremely difficult for them to escape the street life. Thus, most homeless people spend their time begging for food and shelter, their two most pressing needs. While helping homeless individuals is morally okay, helping them through designated care shelters equates to teaching them how to fish.
Giving someone a fish is feeding them for a day, but teaching them how to fish is feeding them for a lifetime. Even though one can help a homeless person directly, it is nearly impossible to solve all their problems through a single donation. Therefore, to impact the homeless group, the mayor of Atlanta can collaborate with other interested parties to distribute donation booths in designated places. This move will allow people to donate foodstuffs, money, clothing, and other gifts to homeless people. The money collected can then be used to construct care shelters, where people can also volunteer to provide other services such as medical care, psychiatric help, and guidance and counseling. This state-public initiative will, in turn, help to tackle issues relating to drug addiction, which is one of the leading causes of homelessness. The importance of the care shelters is reinforced by the fact that the upsurge in the number of homeless people in Atlanta in 2020 resulted from the closure of Peachtree-Pine, one of the care shelters in the city (Torpy, 2020). The care shelters can also enhance transparency and accountability on how donations are spent. Notably, one case of a police officer who gifted a barefooted, homeless man with new shoes went viral in social media platforms (Noveck, 2012). Although it was a kind gesture from the officer, the man was spotted a few days later, walking without the shoes (Noveck, 2012). On some other occasions, the homeless people have turned down offers of food from restaurants, preferring to be given cash (Noveck, 2012). However, when they are given cash, most of them buy recreational drugs or gambling with money rather than using it to buy food, clothing, or medication. Such events have erased many people’s sympathies for street families. Thus, care shelters are the only solution for a clean and sheltered environment, where all basic and healthcare needs can be catered for. They can even get the chance for employment opportunities while still there.
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In conclusion, homelessness is one of the most significant contemporary urban problems in America. The financial difficulties, the economic disruptions, and job losses due to COVID-19 restrictions exacerbate the problem. Despite these challenges, creating care shelters for the homeless population is the most viable solution to the problem. These shelters can offer more than shelter to this group of people in that volunteers can also help provide other essential services. In turn, these services, including the counseling of drugs and substance abusers, will impact their livelihoods positively. Over the years, people have been reluctant to provide financial help to homeless people since most of the funds are misused. However, care shelters are suitable for they use all the donations that they receive accountably and transparently. Therefore, the provision of help to the homeless people should purely be through these shelters.
References
Noveck, J. (2012, December 12). Give to people on the street? In cities, it’s a daily dilemma. The Christian Science Monitor. Retrieved from https://www.csmonitor.com/World/Making-a-difference/Change-Agent/2012/1212/Give-to-people-on-the-street-In-cities-it-s-a-daily-dilemma
The Council of Economic Advisers. (2019). The state of homelessness in America . Whitehouse. Retrieved from https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/The-State-of-Homelessness-in-America.pdf
Torpy, B. (2020, September 2). City’s annual census finds more people sleeping outdoors. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (AJC). Retrieved from https://www.ajc.com/opinion/columnists/opinion-atlantas-empty-streets-put-homeless-in-plain-sight/GEV6QRCOMBG45ESHXQMXFIUIA4/
