Sydney Lin

English Period 5

13 March 2017

Homelessness: The Solution

It is a lugubrious sight to those, who drive through this great city of Las Vegas, when

they see the streets, the freeways, and the parks crowded with homeless people of every sex.

These people, instead of being able to work for their honest livelihood, are forced to walk the

town carrying cardboard signs, begging others for money and food.

I think it is agreed on by all parties that not only do these people clog up the beautiful

streets, but also cause a drain on America’s economy, which is currently in a deplorable state.

Therefore, whoever could find out a fair, cheap, and easy method of making these homeless

people sound and useful members of the common-wealth would deserve so well of the public as

to have his statue set up for a preserver of the nation.

But my intention is very far from being confined to provide only for the homeless people;

it is of a much greater extent, and shall take in the whole number of homeless people at a certain

age so that we shalt not deal with their dirty, ugly faces appearing at every corner. We will not

have to feel the pulling of our heart strings every time a man is out in the cold, begging for

warmth. We will no longer face economic disaster, and will not have to give up our hard-earned

tax money for the well being of these people.

Many people may be under the misconception that homelessness doesn’t impact anyone

but the homeless person. However, this is incorrect as homelessness affects schools,

communities, and even entire cities. Homeless youth, who account for up to 34% of the entire
homeless population, switch schools every time they switch shelters. It is well known that

homeless people must move around a lot, and even more well known that education is a very

important step in not becoming homeless later on in life. However, homeless children switch

schools many times a year, and may even skip school to deal with family problems at home. This

is a great injustice to the students who are their classmates, as these students are forced to get to

know their homeless peer (for no reason as they will leave in a few months), as well as listen to

their awful stories which may cause depression in these students who have homes. Community

wise, although already partly addressed, homeless people bring down the aesthetics of an area.

Their dirty selves haul around random objects, leaving a trail of trash. Homeless people may

even camp together, bringing the real estate value of homes in that area down. Lastly, homeless

people greatly affect cities. They can cause traffic annoyance when walking down streets with

their “pity-me-and-give-me-money” signs. They bring the economy of a city down by having the

government invest in shelters that they won’t go to. They upset the citizens. Overall, homeless

people are a great burden.

As to my own part, having turned my thoughts for many years upon this important

subject and maturely weighed the several schemes of our projectors, I have always found them

grossly mistaken in their computation. It is true that, in 2014, Las Vegas had an increase of 28%

in its homeless population since 2013, rising to a total count of 9,417 homeless people.

Approximately 36,700 Southern Nevadans have experienced homelessness at least once

according to the same census, which was conducted by the Clark County Department of Social

Service. As of now, the National Alliance to End All Homelessness has released a plan, and

more than 324 communities have taken part in the plans to focus on ending homelessness on all
populations, including families, youth, veterans, and the elderly. Barack Obama also created a

plan in 2009. However, nothing has helped because the 2016 homelessness statistics say that half

a million people were homeless, and 15% of them were chronically homeless, meaning the

person has a disability and has been homeless for more than a year.

I shall now therefore humbly propose my own thoughts, which I hope will not be liable to

the least objection. I have been assured by a very knowing British of my acquaintance in Las

Vegas that it is extremely easy to buy and live in a house, whether it be in Tampa, New Orleans,

Florida, or Las Vegas (the four metro areas with the highest rates of homelessness in America).

I do therefore humbly offer it to public consideration that, of the 564,708 homeless chaps

in America, at least half of the homeless population will build and/or buy a house, along with a

plot of land. I have already computed the charge of an average house, inhabitable for a family of

2-4 homeless. That is, roughly $188,000 for a house, and $175,000 to build a house, although

some architecture students have designed a house for about $20,000. What a low cost! Everyone

who’s anyone will be able to have their own house in no time.

Some persons of a desponding spirit are in great concern about how the homeless will

acquire the money to build and/or buy a house. I have been desired to employ my thoughts what

course may be taken, to ease the nation of so grievous an encumbrance. It is well known that the

definition of homeless is without a home, therefore typically living on the streets. Once a

homeless person is in a home, they will no longer be classified as homeless! Of course, there

may be small amounts of debt, but at least they will no longer be a homeless person! Don’t be

homeless! Buy a house! Live in it!

 In all seriousness, however, I offer an actual proposal and the advantages to sever all or

most homeless situations in America. Rapid re-housing, prevention, and diversion can be offered

to the homeless population. What this will do is offer families, adults, and youth the opportunity

to become acquainted with financial assistance and services, introducing them to stability and

backing them away from transience. These services can be traded for simple service work around

the community, such as picking up litter or supervising school crossing roads. I realize that this

solution will not solve every homeless person’s problems, as each case is different, but it will be

a good start. When people see others get out of a bad situation that they also happen to be in,

they will likely feel inspired to try and get out as well. For disabled, homeless veterans, the best

start would be opening more homeless shelters across America for the citizens to be treated and

rehabilitated. Although it will cost more money on the government, thus raising the average

citizen’s tax rate, it is the least we, as Americans, can do to help those who served us.