People have grown fearful of running into someone who is homeless and will often cross to the other side of the street and avoid eye contact. Homelessness is a huge issue that can harm a modern society. Many measures will have to be taken, but the outcome of a healthy society is worth it. The fight against this issue must continue in order to provide a safer environment and to give a chance of a better education to children in these homeless families.

According to the National Correlational for Homeless (NCH), around 20% to 25% people without homes in the U.S. suffer from mental illness. People with mental illnesses are not getting the treatment they need when homeless and they can become a danger to themselves and the people around them. Moreover, people with mental issues can be provided with treatment services and housing that can ensure their mental health issues are being helped.

Not all homeless people live alone. In fact, 41% of the homeless population lives in families. According to the NCH, one out of 30 children in the U.S., or 2.5 million, are known to be homeless each year. Usually, children in these families do not attend school as they cannot afford the daily and yearly costs. These children will have a large disadvantage, even if they do attend school on a regular basis. They might not be able to afford the necessary supplies and tools that schools can require, such as simple notebooks and paper. Children failing to start their education at an early age can lead to a large drop in the economy in the future. If they are able to gain an education, then they will be able to fill the jobs and work fields that are necessary to keep the economy in today’s society at a healthy and thriving level. The environment that these children grow up in does not allow them to complete their homework efficiently, be fed properly, or gain mental stability. If this issue is fought against with housing reform, the children will have a chance to become educated, live in a more stable environment, and restart their lives.

However, some think that helping homeless people would require a huge amount of unavailable time, money, and resources. Many also believe that if these assets were available, they could be used for greater and more needed issues, such as defence. This leads to the biggest issue; whether or not the safety of society is worth the mindset of the people in it. For those who think that money is not available, this fact is invalid because if help comes to the homeless, then more and more money will be produced as more jobs are filled. The government ought to divert spending to helping homeless people gain employment and integrating them back into society.

The homeless population needs to be helped and laws such as Claremont’s no-street parking only segregate against people who cannot afford homes. The government needs to do more than just outlaw homelessness. Issues such as these can be fought against in many ways. Local homeless shelters can be built, food drives can be held, and low-income homes. In order to put an end to this matter, develop a safer environment, and give equal chances of education homeless children, the resources, time, and money needed are surely worth it.