NOTEBOOK #1

ENGLISH 2010
YENAH PARK
TOPIC: HOMELESS
MY TOPIC
HOMELESSNESS
IMAGE #1
This image shows a homeless youth
sleeping in the streets. There is nothing
covering him except for the clothes on
his body, which looks like he’s been
wearing for some time. This image is a
big wakeup call to show how big of a
problem homelessness is. The child is
alone, without anyone else to look out
for him. It breaks my heart to see things
like this because he is not a rare case.
There are kids like this everywhere that
have been left to fend for themselves.
IMAGE #2
This image was part of a controversial
experiment to see if good graphic
design could help homeless people
more than a typical cardboard sign
could. I think it is showing how our
perception of homeless people is so
fragmented and judgemental before
we take the time to get to know them.
We assume many things when the
majority of people were once living
‘normal’ lives like us. Something as
simple as a sign changes our brains
and makes us perceive people
differently.
IMAGE #3
This image is from downtown Salt Lake
City when the Road Home Homeless
Shelter closed in 2019. A next door
neighborhood became a hotbed for
drugs and crime, leaving everyone to
agree: the downtown shelter needed
to close and find a new way to help
the needy. Being someone who has
lived near Salt Lake City for most of my
life, I definitely have had experience
seeing homeless people on the streets
and it’s crazy to think that there are so
many different people who have to live
through this.
IMAGE #4
This image is very informative because
it shows a general chart that shows
what triggers homelessness.
Homelessness is an ongoing problem,
but it is important to address why it
happens in the first place. Instead of
blaming homeless people for their fate,
it’s important to realize that sometimes
there are factors that are out of their
control. I think a general assumption is
that homelessness happens because of
the loss of a job or because of an
addiction, but it is interesting to see all
of the other reasons that can trigger
homelessness.
IMAGE #5 This image shows four different
scenarios of homeless people that are
asking for help. ‘Please any help. We
are homeless. We need your help. We
are not hopeless.’ This simple graphic
speaks so many more words than just
what is on the page. We have been
taught that homeless people are
responsible for their misfortune,
forgetting that a little bit of help goes
a long way. The sacrifices we make
are so miniscule to us but they can
have life changing effects on others.
The last line “We are not hopeless,”
shows that there are still people who
care and give them hope regardless of
their circumstances.