Calum King King 1

Mrs. Walston
English III
17 November 2017

Homeless Shouldnt Mean Hopeless

Its 10:00 in the evening, on a rainy night and you are spending it under the roof of an

outdoor picnic spot. Things arent easy, and its been days since youve had your last meal.

Sitting there hungry, freezing and dirty, all you can think about is where you will get to rest your

head, and where you can get your next meal. This may not be the lifestyle most of us live, but for

a large number of the population, this is very similar to how they have to live every day. In North

Carolina, on one night of the last week of January 2017, 8,962 people experienced

homelessness (NCCEH 2017). Approximately 1,668 people in this population consist of

families that are without a place to call home, according to a count done by the UNC Charlotte

Urban Institute. These statistics detail the sheer size of this problem that many of the people

living in the state and country, are faced with. Additionally, this awful lifestyle is one that even

the most honored people in our country are faced with. Veterans unfortunately make up a large

portion of this population, on that same January night, 986 people out of the 8,962 homeless in

North Carolina were retired veterans (NCCEH 2017). Unfortunately, the reputation often

associated with homeless people is that they are all either substance abusers or people that make

poor investments in general, as well as people who are just too lazy to find work. However,

contrary to this belief, a large portion of these people ended up homeless because of something

they had little to no control over. Things like physical, sexual, and emotional abuse, are all things

that can cause major mental health issues, which are detrimental to these people's lives, and can

lead to potential homelessness if the mental illness reaches a certain severity for the person.

Substance abuse can sometimes be derived from abuse as well, so even those kinds of people

have potentially come from rough circumstances. Homelessness is a problem in every state, and

it should be up to each state to take action and help out these damaged people, even those that
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damaged themselves. Changes to the low minimum wage, affordability of housing, money given

towards awareness and support teams and/or shelters, and post service care for retired or disabled

veterans could all really aid the population of people on the streets if they were made. The North

Carolina state government should be responsible for funding and supporting the homeless

population, due to their ability to house, pay for, and fight for them with their money and

authority.

North Carolinas state government is capable of providing funds and land for groups to

start help and support centers all around the state. These shelters allow those that need help and

are out searching for it to get it for themselves, and their families too if that's their need. Popular

belief amongst most people it seems is that housing the homeless is extremely expensive,

causing taxes to increase. In reality this can be quite the contrary, with there actually being

money to save when it comes to housing these individuals. Housing First is a new approach to

homeless aid that prioritizes getting those that are on the streets, off of them and into permanent

housing. Housing First accomplishes this by putting the homeless into different levels of housing

as they move closer to being able to move into an apartment in their community. This method of

assistance, that has a 90% success rate, costs anywhere from $7,000-$13,000. Looking at the cost

to sustain these people that are on the streets will help show the impact the housing first method

has that can benefit everyone.

On the topic of financially supporting the homeless, former HUD secretary Shaun

Donovan appeared on the Daily Show with Jon Stewart saying "because at the end of the day, it

costs between shelters, emergency rooms and jails, about $40,000 a year for a homeless person

to be on the streets" (2012). Seeing as the cost to keep the homeless slightly sustained on the

streets costs significantly more than housing them, states that do fund the housing of these
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people, will greatly benefit from it. With these people housed, and taken care of, they can get

back into the workforce and make more money to sustain themselves and contribute to the

economy as well.

In order to better support the homeless population, the state government could also help

fight for them by getting them more jobs. For one, the state has the ability to change state tax

incentives to bring more companies to the state, along with the companies jobs. A prime example

of this is how the Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina states that "North

Carolinas targeted, performance-based incentive programs help companies that are locating and

doing business in North Carolina by lessening the tax burden and lowering overall costs to the

company" (2017). It is made evident that the intention of the incentive is to bring jobs to the

state, which of course can help those that are unemployed and even homeless to have a better

chance when searching for work. By bringing in more jobs to the state, the success rate of the

housing first method is sure to see a growth in its success rate, plus, more homeless people may

be able to pick themselves up and into a better situation on their own, not to mention the fact that

getting these people back into the workforce would positively affect the economy. According to

an recent annual survey by the U.S Conference of Mayors, the second leading cause of

homelessness in many cities across the country for families and individuals was unemployment

(2015). Another side to this that the state can fight for is a raise in minimum wage, giving these

jobs the ability to be life sustaining. Not only is there difficulty finding jobs, but the minimum

wage actually hurts those trying to live here, due to it not being all too cheap. Many other states

have a higher minimum wage, and raising North Carolina's could would go a long way in

helping the homeless, and improving the standard of living as well. Adjusting the tax incentives

in the state and raising minimum wage would both help people in getting a job and being able to
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live off that job easier, and as a result, there would be a decrease in homelessness for families

and individuals.

An equally large impact can be made if the state funds and supports the construction of

more affordable housing in North Carolina. According to the previously mentioned annual

survey done by the U.S. Conference of Mayors, the number one leading cause of homelessness

across many cities in North Carolina for both families and individuals is simply the lack of

affordable housing (2015). Considering the reason homeless people are homeless is because they

could not afford life in a home, whatever kind of home that may be, because of this, it should be

evident that the affordability of housing is what needs to see improvement from the state. For

example, in North Carolina, the average price to rent an apartment with one bedroom is $815,

studio apartments are an average monthly payment of $984, and the more bedrooms in the

apartment, the average rent of the apartment gets closer and even exceeds $1,000 per month

(Amelia Josephson 2017). Although these prices are below the national average, what is

unpalatable is that for a person working for $12 dollars an hour, this rent would end up being

about half of their salary each month, and thats just taking into account the people capable of

holding the $12 an hour job. With the minimum wage being as low as $7.25, this makes it

incredibly difficult to pay for both the home and other life essentials required for a family.

Furthermore, the state could very easily fund the construction of more apartments at a cheaper

price, which would at least enable the people currently barely scraping by to possibly be able to

afford a less strenuous lifestyle. One way of supporting this idea of cheaper housing doesn't even

require the state to build a thing. Funding or advertising organizations such as Habitat for

Humanity, and other such organizations can do this sort of work for them, providing furniture

and cheaper housing for the communities in which they serve. If the state focused on cheaper
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housing, the Housing First method would see growth as well, by allowing those that are

homeless to support themselves easier.

In North Carolina, every night, veterans account for about 11.3% of all homeless

adults, and if the state were to fight for these people once they retire, as they had fought for

them when on duty, the amount of veterans that end up on the streets is sure to shrink (NLCHP

2014). One of the prime causes for the homelessness of veterans after their service is that there is

a lack of support for them, and the isolation from other people and social interaction. The state

government could provide veterans retiring from service with different programs that would

allow them to go and be with others in their community, and for those that are potentially

disabled, there needs to be more congregations of people in similar situations to one another.

Furthermore, those that are on the streets that came from the armed forces should have the

opportunity to be with others that were in that situation so they can have people to relate to and

interact with, potentially aiding their mental health as they search for a way to bounce back from

the negative events that lead them to being homeless. Other than the already stated unaffordable

housing, another thing veterans often struggle with is disability compensation, which according

to GreenDoors.org, the average wait to get a disability claim processed is now eight months

(2011). Considering that lengthy wait time for compensation, these disabled people could be

struggling to provide for themselves as is, and need potentially more than just the financial

compensation, which they may have to wait the better part of a year to even receive. Here is

where the state government can step in and make a difference, as this is where they are

responsible to make change for the people that need it.

A slightly different group of people that the state government could play a huge part in

fighting for are the many homeless families out there. Seeing as there arent many family
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focused support structures available to them, the funding of more of these groups could go a long

way in supporting these families. For example, there is the aforementioned Habitat for

Humanity, an organization that partners with a variety of people to bring housing to families that

cant get it for themselves. If the government provided more money and land to organizations

like this, it can give families in need a new hope of finding somewhere for them to call home.

For these families, there is also the notable problem of finding housing big enough for

themselves as well as their kids. In response to this issue, the government could embrace and

assist them by providing more affordable housing for those in this kind of situation, or by again,

funding organizations like HFH that will do it. On top of the price of living, these people would

need to drive their children to and from school, that is, unless the North Carolina government can

step in and provide bussing for students in many different areas. According to the North Carolina

Coalition to End Homelessness point in time count, on a single night in January, 33% of the

people they found were a part of families with adults and children (2017). Consequently, the

state government needs to help these families get back on their feet so that these kids can have a

childhood, and their parents can focus on their kids, not finances and where their next meals

could come from, just like parents should be able to.

A great source of information on homelessness would be someone who has experienced

such a lifestyle. That person is Ray Shore, an ex-homeless man who lived on the streets for ten

years before managing to pick himself up and regain his footing in the world, and living in an

apartment. During an interview, he had some things to add to the discussion. Upon being asked

about how he managed to get off of the streets, he responded it was truly just from the outreach

and love shown by the community Watchmen of the Streets was one group in particular that

had repeatedly come to show me support I have made lots of great relationships with the
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Watchmen which was something that over time inspired me to try get out of the place I was in

(Ray Shore 2017). As shown, even small groups like the Watchmen of the Streets, which is not

funded by the government, can have great impact on those living on the streets. Imagine what

could be done if an organization like this got more funding from the government to expand their

supply and outreach. For most of his time being homeless, Ray lived under a bridge, where he

would read books to pass the time, when asked what he thought the best course of action there

was for helping people that are in a similar place as he was, he said, just show love. People in

tough places want is to know there is hope. Many of these groups exist that try to push homeless

people to make changes really soon. The thing is, it would be far more effective if they just

showed love, and let those people decide when they felt like they could make those changes on

their own. Pushing and pushing until they give in to try is a lot less effective than it may seem on

paper. Once they are willing to commit on their own terms to beat their addiction or find

themselves a job, it will end up much better than if they were forced into doing it when they

didnt feel ready. (2017). Further on the topic of support, homeless people want to feel like

there is a happy ending waiting for them at the end of the rough and bumpy road ahead of them.

An effective way to do that is to let them decide what steps they are ready to make, and help

them make those steps. Sadly, thats a large problem with some of the current organizations and

shelters out there, they just push all the people without jobs to go and get a job, or those with an

addiction to stop right now. Instead, they could say, when you feel ready to get clean, or find a

job, come to us and we will help you, but until then, here are some clean clothes and food.

Giving them a place to turn when they need it would be far more effective at helping them as

opposed to shutting them out when they arent ready yet to take some big steps.
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Despite all of this, it is sometimes argued that homeless people really do not deserve

support, and because they got themselves where they are, they should be the ones responsible for

getting themselves out. One common argument in favour of this point is that all homeless people

do drugs, or really dont use their money on anything other than drugs and other bad habits.

Although a large percentage of homeless people do struggle from a substance abuse issue, it

often stems from a traumatic experience in their life, or due to winding up homeless with a loss

of hope. In addition, people can wind up living their lives normally and make bad choices, linked

with these drugs, which can cause their lives to spiral out of control, losing relationships, their

jobs, and eventually their homes. Addiction is not something that has an antidote to cure in a day

or two, quite the contrary in fact. To tackle an addiction, the person needs consistent counseling,

treatment and support, and most of the time, that isnt cheap. An additional argument often made

towards the homeless is their inability to keep, or even get a job, saying that its because they are

lazy and do not want to get a job. However, in reality, quite a significant number of homeless

people do live employed, it just isnt enough to support life in a home. On the other hand, there

are those that are homeless that simply cannot get a job for the simple fact that they can not

present themselves in a way that is appealing to employers. If they dont have a home with a

shower, washing machines, and nice clothes, they really cannot compete with those who do.

Charisma can do a lot for you in an interview, but if you cant guarantee you can show up to

work clean and in a presentable manner, what is the employer really going to think. Most public

showers and laundromats cost more than homeless people can afford. As a result of this, it

becomes an incredibly difficult task for a homeless person to get and keep a job, because they are

not capable of keeping themselves as clean as they need to be to go to work.

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As has been shown, homelessness is a prominent problem in our world today, and those

who find themselves in a place of this sort of hardship just need support and motivation. Some of

these people are damaged and have been through so much during the course of their lives and

were not able to sustain themselves through deep depressions, abusive environments, or times of

isolation. On the other hand, there are others that found it hard to keep their life together after

financial struggles, and searching for work that can sustain them, and potentially their families,

just hasnt gone well. People living under these circumstances may just need a helping hand to

get back on their feet, while others may need more extensive support. Regardless, the state

government of North Carolina is fully capable of providing these struggling members of their

own society with the support they need to get them back on track to the life they are sure to be

longing for. The government has the ability to make changes to the affordability of housing,

minimum wage, as well as providing resources, land, and money to organizations that are on a

mission to help those who are without a roof above their heads, including those who are

struggling after their work in the military. In addition, North Carolinas government has the

ability to fund, shelter, and stand for the homeless, which would greatly help these people in

getting back on their feet. Dont you think youd want that help if you were in their place.
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Works Cited

Homelessness in America: Overview of Data and Causes. National Law Center on

Homelessness & Poverty, National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty, Jan. 2015,

www.nlchp.org/documents/Homeless_Stats_Fact_Sheet.

Housing First. National Alliance to End Homelessness, National Alliance to End

Homelessness, 20 Apr. 2016, endhomelessness.org/resource/housing-first/.

Incentives. Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina, Economic Development

Partnership of North Carolina, 2017, edpnc.com/relocate-or-expand/incentives/.

Josephson, Amelia. The Cost of Living in North Carolina. SmartAsset, 6 Oct. 2017,

smartasset.com/mortgage/the-cost-of-living-in-north-carolina.

Kelley, Pam. How Do We Solve Charlotte's Affordable Housing Shortage? Charlotte

Observer, Ann Caulkins, 8 Mar. 2016, 09:09 PM,

www.charlotteobserver.com/news/local/article64880857.html.

Keyes, Scott. Leaving Homeless Person On The Streets: $31,065. Giving Them

Housing: $10,051. ThinkProgress, 27 May 2014, thinkprogress.org/leaving-homeless-

person-on-the-streets-31-065-giving-them-housing-10-051-3107834a8632/.

King, Calum, and Ray Shore. How the Homeless Can Be Helped. 15 Nov. 2017.

Statewide Homeless Count. North Carolina Coalition to End Homelessness, Jan. 2017.

Stewart, Jon, and Shaun Donovan. Shaun Donovan on the Daily Show with Jon Stewart. The

Daily Show with Jon Stewart, Comedy Central, New York City, New York, 5 Mar. 2012.

Substance Abuse and Homelessness. National Coalition for the Homeless, National Coalition

for the Homeless, July 2009, nationalhomeless.org/factsheets/addiction.pdf.

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Veteran Homelessness Facts. Veteran Homelessness Facts | Green Doors, Green Doors,

greendoors.org/facts/veteran-homelessness.php.