Homeless & Hopeless

As i came to the country of dreams which is the United States of America, i expected to see prosperity and fairness among everyone. The way life in America is portrayed makes you believe that everyone is happy, everyone's dreams come true. Unfortunately, that is not what i saw when i came. At first, i was blinded by the beauty of the architecture, the advanced technology and the westernized lifestyle. Little by little, i started to notice the gaps beneath the surface. Hopeless individuals who were not giving the opportunity, maybe less fortunate or even abandoned were laying shirtless on the concrete of the streets. There fragile malnourished bodies, as well as their horrible heart breaking condition, shattered every beautiful thought i had of America. This beautiful rich country, who is a Super Power of the world is unable to provide a decent life for these individuals. Many of them have hopes, dreams, families and personalities, but we just look at them as empty useless individuals. Have we ever wondered what these individuals would be like if they were given the chance or the opportunity to do something better for themselves? Among these helpless individuals there might be an artistic, a potential doctor, a father, a mother or any kind of useful asset to the society.

As i ask many people around me, all i hear is " there are shelters for them, they can apply for government aid, or even we can not help them if they don't want to help themselves". These answers are not pleasant to my heart nor my ears. They are provided with a certain help, but is it enough for a person who went through probably drug abuse, rape, emotional distortion or even immense loss? They need therapy, financial and emotional support, and love. They need to feel accepted by the community, and that they are not useless nor hopeless. We need to give them Hope.

Providing them with shelters that can barely accommodate 58% of the homeless community is not enough for such a Super Power. Nor are there enough jobs that will help some of them get on their feet. The statistics show that about 42 % of homeless people are unsheltered, and the number increases significantly as the layoffs and recession continues. There are about 3.6 million homeless people in the U.S. We need to give them a chance to be somebody.

It is heart breaking for all of us to see an individuals sleeping on the street,without clothes, covers nor food, plus you can see the pain and misery in their eyes. Their silence and hopeless look reaches to the bottom of your heart for help, and you feel sorry for them. Sadly, as soon as pass across the block from them, you tend to forget what you saw and you move on in life. And you know why? because we are too selfish to lend a hand to another human being.

Now after reading this, Are you going to move on in life like you forget about them once you pass across the street or you are going to do something about it?

bisou,

Sophie