Myra Fearn, Rebecca Cousineau, Sarah Gallaher, and Kelsey Lawrence
Persuasive Essay
The homeless in America, let alone in our one community of Mt. Pleasant, MI, are often
overlooked. What is the exact definition of homelessness? Usually, it is defined as a person who does
not have a regular and adequate night-time residence. A study by the National Law Center on
Homelessness and Poverty estimates that between 2.3 and 3.5 million people are homeless on any given
night in the United States. So why, in this so called “land of opportunities”, do we have many people
who cannot afford a stable lifestyle? Homelessness is a result of extreme poverty, and usually they don’t
have enough money for food or other resources. This is why we are so concerned with the homeless
people of our community. We believe that everyone deserves equal treatment and opportunities to
achieve the American dream. It’s not right that some should prosper while others are without basic
needs. Money is not the deciding factor of who deserves what. Most citizens don’t realize that anyone
at any time could lose everything. If we all work together, we can build a stronger working class, and in
doing so we can all build a better community.
What puts any one person above another? We are all people, regardless of material
possessions. Money should not be the deciding factor in the success or failure of any human being. This
is why we believe that everyone should do their part to help out those around them who are less
fortunate. For people all around the world, America has always stood out as a leader in equality. So why,
then, do we constantly step on the classes below us? Everyone deserves equal treatment, regardless of
where they live or how much money that they have. No one person deserves to be without a place to
sleep at night.
What most people fail to realize is that anyone, at any point, could fall into their shoes. In our
less than perfect economy, it’s not hard to suddenly lose everything that you have. According to the
National Alliance to End Homelessness, in the past 2 years about 1.5 million people have fallen into
homelessness. 1 out of every 50 homeless people are children. Would you want to be kicked when you
are already down? No, of course not. Why, then, do so few people volunteer at soup kitchens or
homeless shelters? Many people consider helping homeless in other countries, but fail to realize that
there are many homeless families in their own communities. We need to help those around us so that
when we fall down, someone might help us back up.
Here’s a little information to think about: The economy of any community is basically built upon
its working class. If all of America were to help out those below us, we could build a stronger and more
stable working class. If we were to build up this new working class, you would definitely be able to see
the levels of poverty and unemployment drop. It would be like killing two birds with one stone! Not
only would people be able to provide for themselves and their families, but our community as a whole
would be much stronger.
Many higher class citizens assume that people are homeless because of addictions or pure
laziness, which might not be too far off in some cases. Most are afraid that if they volunteer and get
involved with the homeless, that they will somehow come in contact with drugs or bad lifestyle choices.
Because of this, many people don’t help out, which is really only making the issue worse. Men and
women who have made bad choices in the past are usually just looking for help or some kind of
redemption. By not helping those who have made bad choices, we are only pushing them further into a
dark chasm. Some ways that you can help is by giving to homeless shelters or food kitchens, who will
distribute your donations to the homeless. You can also give food or clothing directly to someone on the
street, rather than giving them money. This will ensure that they won’t spend your money on drugs or
other addictions.
While it might seem scary to volunteer at a homeless shelter, we believe that it is our duty as
good citizens of this community to help those around us. Everyone needs to extend a hand to those who
struggle on the streets. This is why we believe that it is so important to help people in extreme poverty.
Money does not make the world go around. America is split into many different states, cities, counties,
and communities. If we were to start in our one community, then maybe we could build up our whole
country, and possibly even change the course of worldwide humanity and equality as we know it.