If we want to end homelessness, we need more places for them to go. Homelessness is a big problem that the world faces. In 2017, there was 2% of the world's population that was homeless, not including the other 20% that lived in inadequate housing, (according to yale global.) All in all, there are thousands of people in this world that live on the streets. And I think that building more shelters for them to live in and offering them the help that they need will help those that are homeless get back on their feet. Without places for the homeless to go, they will continue to live on the streets. Or in tents, cars, the woods, under bridges, or in other places that were not meant to be lived in.
There are lots of states and cities that have tried to help solve homelessness, Duluth included. Back in 2007, Duluth put into motion a 10-year plan to try to end homelessness. There are many organizations in Duluth trying to help end homelessness, and while they have made progress they haven’t fully solved the issue. The coronavirus is also coming into play now, making the whole problem a lot worse. The CHUM website (which stands for Churches United in Ministry), says “30 families, 59 children, and 1135 adult residents lack shelter.”
More and more people are left homeless each year, and while there are many shelters and other places available, there still isn’t enough room for everyone. Shelters and housing services such as CHUM, require residents to stay sober and non-violent, (” CHUM which is Duluth’s largest homeless assistance organization, ” according to Duluth reader). This means if you want to join one of their shelters you can’t consume drugs or alcohol, and you have to be peaceful with the other residents and members of the organization. A lot of the shelters such as the family shelter are almost always full, only allowing a certain amount of people/families to live there at a time.
The main solution to homelessness is to provide housing and help. While there are a lot of places the homeless can go, i.e. shelters, housing developments, or staying with friends. Even though there are all these options, there isn’t enough space for all the homeless people, or even the majority even if we only focus on Duluth. So I suggest we make more. I suggest that we build more shelters or miniature/portable houses for them to stay in.
Pros
Getting people off the streets
They get the support of the shelter and all its residents
They can get the help they need to turn their lives around
They have somewhere to stay during the Winter
Cons
Lack of finances and funding/donations
Close quarters (spreading of diseases)
Finding places to build and getting grants
Awareness. Tell people what is happening, and make them aware of how serious the issue is.
Funding. You need money to maintain and build the shelters, whether from grants, fundraisers, donations, etc.
Spread the word. After everything’s built you need to tell people that you are accepting applicants, and to let the public know their help was appreciated.
Get them the help they need. Shelters generally enforce policies, no drinking/doing drugs. Some even require you to talk to a housing advocate to figure out your housing situation. And if you have an addiction, have rehab available.
For a shelter to even be built, you need the funding to do so. People in a community should help others in their community, though they don’t have to. I’m willing to bet if you spread awareness of the issue and held a fundraiser to try and fix it, that they will be willing to do what they can to help. Homeless people don’t just need places to stay though, they need help getting a job, saving money, helping to turn their lives around, etc. Help should be available to whoever wants/needs it. And though there are a lot of solutions for homelessness, one of the most important solutions is making housing available.
If we want to end homelessness, we need more places for them to go. Homelessness is a big problem that the whole world faces. In 2017 there was 2% of the world's population that was homeless, not including the other 20% that lived in inadequate housing, (according to yale global.) All in all, there are thousands of people in this world that live on the streets, and I think that building more shelters for them to live in, and offering them the help that they need will help those that are homeless get back on their feet. Without places for the homeless to go, they will continue to live on the streets, in tents, cars, the woods, under bridges, or in other places that were not meant to be lived in.