This is a paper that my sister, Audrey, wrote for one of her English classes. I think it is incredible that she is thinking about things like this at the age of 16.
International Homelessness
“Poverty is not something created by the poor people. It is created by the system” says Nobel Peace Prize winner, Muhammad Yunus (qtd. in Lynch). Providing homes for the homeless will not end poverty, but it is a step in the right direction. The amount of homelessness in the world today is incredible and will only continue to get worse unless the international community does something about it. Lack of housing can affect not only the homeless, but everyone else as well. Poverty is just asking for war, and who wants that? An impoverished country needs assistance from the rest of the world, or this problem will never be alleviated. Some would think differently, but international homelessness is a problem that should be taken into the hands of those who have the means to help because some believe it is the right thing to do, it is a good starting place for someone to get a job and support themselves, and poverty and homelessness are causes of violence and war.
This may not apply to everyone, but there are many who would agree that helping the less fortunate is the right thing to do. It is morally right to lend a hand to those without a home if at all possible. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights says, “Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services, and the right to security in the event of unemployment, sickness, disability, widowhood, old age or other lack of livelihood in circumstances beyond his control” (qtd in ‘Right to Housing’). Everyone should be able to have a house of their own where they feel safe and that meets their specific needs. Not only do they have the right to these things, but those who already have more than what they need should do what they can to help others. No one should have to be worried about where they will sleep or if they will be safe at night, yet it is still a major problem. A government or a person should not stand in the way of someone else obtaining what they need, yet it still happens. When the topic of homelessness is brought up, many may think of those in third world countries, but there are many homeless people in well-developed countries, too. In Paul A. Toro’s article, “Toward An International Understanding of Homelessness”, one of his main points is that it may have been common to find people without a home in third world countries, but now some of the most developed countries are having homelessness problems. Homelessness is now a major part of society, whether it was intentional or not. In places like the United States, where some of the richest people live, there are many without a place to call their own. Does that not seem strange? People living “the American Dream” may need to reevaluate their priorities. Is owning the nicest car or wearing name brand clothes more important than giving somebody a place to sleep? Most would say no, but actions speak louder than words.
For those who say the homeless should get a job and work like the rest of society before they should be handed a home, how can that be? To get a job requires the right education and honestly, the right looks. Someone cannot walk into an interview having not showered or changed their clothes for a month. A home could be at least a self esteem booster. Without some self confidence, people get nowhere. Education is the key to success, and Nobel Peace Prize winner, Muhammad Yunus agrees. He believes that just giving out help here and there will not solve anything. Education is more important for people to be successful (Lynch). When people are given a home, it is not just a roof over their head; It is one less thing they need to worry about. No, it will not solve all of their problems but it could give people that push to educate themselves and want a job to support their family. The fact that education is most important cannot be stressed enough. Sure, an organization can build a home for a family to live in, but if they do not know how to take care of it, then that is a wasted opportunity. An article titled “Right to Housing” sums up this idea nicely. A major point the author includes is that the best way to provide people with the means to have a house of their own is to educate them. Having a good education will help them financially and in turn, help them with food, housing and other needs. Maybe the international community doesn’t need to hand out homes to people. Perhaps the correct education and support can be used to get them into a house without physically building it and moving them in. “Providing shelter to the homeless” does not have to mean literally set up a place for a family to live and leave them to the rest of it. If the correct tools are available, those who want it bad enough will use them.
How does neglecting the homeless effect the people who already have homes? Poverty in the world today invites violence and war. Desperate people do desperate things, and these actions can affect everyone. There are too many people living without homes in the world today. The amount of people wanting to claim the exact same space is incredible and it leaves nothing to the imagination as to why there is so much violence in third world countries. According to Jim Lewis, “There are 80,000 people living on top of a garbage dump in Manila; a population of perhaps as many as a million who sleep every night in the cemeteries of Cairo; homeless encampments in San Francisco, Atlanta and Houston; guest workers camped beside the towers of the Persian Gulf; migrant workers in the San Fernando Valley. They are all displaced people.” The United Nations has put up tents in what they call “communities” for the massive number of displaced people. A reason for so many people living without a home is the violence in their own country drove them out and now they are in a foreign world along with a million others in the same situation. The cycle of overcrowding, violence and exiting a country continues on and on. The distribution of wealth and power is also what causes this problem. Wealthier countries make it very hard for poor countries to succeed. Muhammad Yunus compares the world to a 20 lane highway. He says “the big trucks for the USA” are taking up most of the room and this doesn’t leave any space for other nations. Traffic rules are needed to monitor the amount of lanes one country takes up. This would eliminate the other countries being pushed to the side (Lynch). America and other large, advanced countries are basically ruining it for everyone else. These nations take up all of the energy and money so they can be extremely comfortable, while too many others are extremely uncomfortable. It does not take a genius to realize that this kind of “highway” is just a threat to peace.
Some would say that the homeless should be able to make a living and get a house on their own. More people might say that there is not enough money to give to people who need it, and they might be right. The United Nations attempts to provide housing to displaced people, but the money that they have to help others is limited. In Jim Lewis’ article, he talks from an architectural standpoint. He says “On the scale at which the UN operates, there is an enormous difference between housing that costs $400 a unit and housing that costs $425 a unit, between materials that can be stored for years and materials that degrade; and if you can squeeze a hundred more of whatever it is into the hold of a cargo plane, so much the better.” Buying cheap materials will not benefit anyone in the long run, but spending an extra twenty-five dollars on a house can be very costly. If the world provides housing for the poor, then what will be needed next? Healthcare and lack of food is just as much a problem as shelter. Olivia Ward writes about the poverty and violence in Africa. She makes the point that if a country, in this case an African country, has little money to feed their people, chances are they will not be able to provide suitable healthcare either. Good doctors, dentists and medicine are expensive. There is no doubt that providing someone with what they need comes at a cost. This is why there are so many organizations willing to help those who cannot help themselves, but people cannot just decide that these organizations have it under control and do not still need financial help from most people who can already afford a house of their own.
Housing will not by any means solve every problem the world has, but it is a great start. Homes are an essential part of everyday life, not matter where someone lives. Who can deny that giving a home to someone will not make a difference in just one life? Why not step in and help in any way possible? International homelessness is a large problem today and it is the world’s responsibility to step in and help because it is morally right, it gives the homeless a sense of confidence and poverty around the world is a threat to peace. Society can do something to prevent homelessness from continuing to grow. Just a house can go a long way for someone who would never think they could have one. Everyone can make a difference, but most just choose not to.
Works Cited
Lewis, Jim. “A Better Home for the Homeless: What Architects Can (and Can’t) Do…” International Herald Tribune (Paris, France) 2008 jun 07: 7. Web. 24 Feb. 2014. .
Lynch, David J. “Nobel Peace Prize Winner: ‘Poverty Is a Threat to Peace'” Usa Today nov. 26, 2006: N.p. Web. 24 Feb. 2014. .
“Right to Housing.” Right to Housing. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Feb. 2014.
Sentamu, John. “Is the Big Society Big Enough to Offer Shelter to Refugees?” The Independent 2011 apr 21: 4. Web. 24 Feb. 2014. .
Toro, Paul A. “Toward An International Understanding Of Homelessness.” Journal Of Social Issues 63.3 (2007): 461-481. Academic Search Elite. Web. 28 Feb. 2014.
Ward, Olivia. “Lament for Africa, a Continent in Pain.” Toronto Star (Toronto, Canada) 2008 dec 14: A.12. Web. 26 Feb. 2014. .
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