Sullivan 1

Mianna Sullivan
Professor Beth Bailey
English 2010
31 July 2016
Proposal: Reduce Homelessness

According to the National Alliance to End Homelessness, In January 2015,

564,708 people were homeless on a given night in the United States
(Alliance, 2016). Homelessness is a crisis that needs to end, because
everyone deserves a safe place to call home.

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Multiple people become homeless for reasons they have little or no control
over-such as mental health issues, and not having enough money to pay for
treatment. According to the American Psychological Association, People
withmental disorders experience even greater barriers to accessible
housing than their counterparts (Association, 2016).

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People who are homeless often do not have a safe place to store their
belongings throughout the day, so they have to transport them everywhere
they go. Having a constant load to carry makes it challenging to gain and
keep employment.

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Those who are homeless often do not have a secure place to sleep at night.
Homeless shelters are meant to help provide protection for those who are
without stable shelter, but they often times house people who steal and have
addictions, making the shelter a frequent undesirable place.

Sullivan 5

Many employers do not want to hire people who are homeless, making it
difficult for them to earn money. Not having a way to receive income makes
it challenging for people to leave homelessness.

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One option to decrease homelessness is to target a top contributing factor:

mental illness. If psychological professionals-such as therapists,
psychologists, and psychiatrists-were willing to donate their time and skills,
people with mental illness and low income could be treated at no cost to
them.

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The Legacy Initiative is an organization that builds lockers for people who are
homeless. you don't understand what it's like to have to carry your whole
life around on your back 24/7. How are you supposed to get a job when
you're carrying everything you own? How does that look to your employer? If
we had lockersthat would make a great difference to our community"
(Nelson, 2015). Having a place to put their belongings makes finding
employment easier for the homeless.

Sullivan 8

Communities could work with employers to find jobs that would be suitable
for people who may not have a lot of training or skills. This would provide a
way for the homeless to receive reliable income.

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Habitat for Humanity is an organization that builds homes for low income
families. Citizens can volunteer with this group to help build new lives.

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Rural Housing Development is another organization that helps build houses

for low-income families in rural communities. Soon-to-be neighbors (and
volunteers) work together to build these homes, and nobody moves in until
all the houses in a designated area are complete.

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Works Cited
Nelson, K. "SLC's Homeless Population Can Be Helped through Lockers."
Good4Utah. N.p., 14

Jan. 2015. Web. 22 July 2016.

Alliance, N. "Snapshot of Homelessness." National Alliance to End

Homelessness. N.p., 2016.

Web. 22 July 2016.

Association, A. "Health & Homelessness." American Psychological

Association. N.p., 2016. Web. 22 July 2016.
Froelich, A. End Homelessness. 2015. Photograph. Activist Post. Web. 22 July
2016.
Edinger, A. An Open Letter to Society About Mental Illness. 2016.
Photograph. Odessy Beta.

Web. 7 July 2016.

Press, A. Census finds record gap between rich and poor. 2010. Photograph.
Associated Press.

Web. 22 July 2016.

Brown, F. Japan-Sleeping on the Street. September 2002. Photograph. Forrest

Brown. Web. 22

July 2016.

Four, C. No work. 15 September 2015. Photograph. CBN4. Web. 22 July 2016.

Clemensen, M. Counseling and Psychological Services sees increase in
mental illness. 16 January
2016.

2011. Photograph. Tommie Media. Web. 22 July

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Lopes, M. Duarte Paiva helps the homeless by designing lockers to house

their things. 24

January 2014. Photograph. The Christian Science Monitor.

Web. 22 July 2016.

Habitat, H. Every gift makes a difference. 2016. Photograph. Habitat for
Humanity. Web. 22 July 2016.
Serve, Y. Rural Housing Development. 2016. Photograph. Y Serve. Web. 22
July 2016.
Valdata. Inventory and Warehouse Manager. 2016. Photograph. Valdata.
Web. 22 July 2016.