Homelessness

By Faith Lehr, Grade 7

Imagine this: Someone is broke, but not to the part of poverty where they get help from the government. This person is struggling to pay for their essentials because of the ever-rising inflation in America. They can just about pay their rent, but they don't have enough extra money to pay for anything else. Say this person's only way to survive is to steal from others. Once they get caught, they get in trouble and sent to jail, taking away their freedom. This situation is wrong because this person didn't get help from the government when in need, therefore from an act of fear and survival, they get their liberty taken away from them to protect someone else's property, after the government already neglected this poor person.

The government's job is to protect your life, liberty, and property. In the situation above, we see a prime example of government negligence. By neglecting to protect someone's life, they have to take their liberty away. And I know what you're thinking, "Why can't they just go to a homeless shelter?" That's because every day we see that the homeless shelters are full to the brim with people, meaning space left is little to none. We've made progress, but not near how much better things should be today. According to Security.org, 582,462 people experienced homelessness in 2022.

Today I am here to talk about homelessness, homeless shelters (or the lack thereof), and what the government is doing or should be doing, to help the situation. To start off, some people can't afford housing because of inflation. Inflation in the United States has risen 6.5 % since 2022 according to the US Inflation Calculator. Some houses in West Chester alone could cost $1,325,000, and with less jobs, and inflation, most people can't afford that. People in poverty get help from the government, but those people who are just making enough to pay for housing don't get help. They're not necessarily homeless, but that shouldn't be an excuse. The government could set up a protection plan with other people's help to help the community. Instead, people who make millions yearly, usually don't spend a cent on what really matters. Obviously, some people who make that much do help, but there are not enough good people out there to make a big enough change.

With that being said, I implore you to go outside, and help.