The Harsh Realities Of Being Disabled And Homeless

Understanding homelessness in the United States is complexed and based on the situations of each person. It is good to know that apart of human existence is having three necessities. Those necessities are food, shelter, and safety. For this, the vast majority of the human population does not willingly subscribe to being homeless. The reason why this is important to know is that sometimes when people see the homeless on the street, there are negative stereotypes. There is a saying that everyone is one paycheck away from being without a home. For example, a millionaire could become bankrupt, miss a couple of payments, his house payment, receive a notice to evict, and finally become unsheltered. Understanding that no one is exempt from the harsh realities of the possibilities of becoming homeless would create positive change in the lives of those who are homeless and with those who are disabled and homeless. The disabled homeless is a group with many challenges besides the fact of not living in a home. How would a person have the ability to pay their bills if they cannot physically or mentally work? The disabled homeless face the harsh reality of not physically or mentally being able to work therefore, not having the ability to pay their bills. Hence, the reason they are homeless.

How does the US help those who are homeless and with disabilities? The opinion of some people believes that the United States takes care of homeless and disabled Americans. Is this true? Though the United States has hundreds of human service programs, because of the number of homeless, many people are left on the waitlist and or receive small amounts of money through SSI or SSD. Some people who are disabled receive 700$ a month while living in New York. New York is not a cheap city. Housing and food in New York are very expensive. 700 dollars is not enough to survive in New York, while also while having disabilities there will be more expenses that need to be paid. How can a person who is living in New York afford to pay the high rent costs, food, and the essentials for their disabilities? They cannot. Health care in the United States is very expensive. A healthy individual without any disabilities could pay upwards of 1000$ for a simple doctors' checkup. Imagine how much a person who has a disability would have to pay. So, is the United States doing enough to helps its' disabled homeless populations? That is up to you to decide. For the vast majority of those who are homeless, getting a job is not that easy. If getting a job to have a home was simple, many people would not choose to live on the streets. They would get a job and become wealthy enough to retire early. The things people would do if they had money to do what they wanted? Sounds easy enough, but it is not easy at all.

Safety for the disabled homeless is a priority. Surprisingly, many disabled homeless persons believe they are safer when they are in well-lit areas with larger populations. They feel safer around restaurants and where people are always in sight. One reason is that if they need to buy food or use the bathrooms, because of the high traffic of people, they know businesses are either open 24/7 or that they stay open late and open early. They have access to the commonalities of service.

The disabled homeless go through a lot in their day to day lives. People should try to understand where and what people have gone through in their lives to get to where they are today. Becoming homeless in the United States is common due to the costs of living and health care. Again, as a human, we need four things, food, water, shelter, and safety. As rich of a country as the United States says it is, homelessness should not be a problem. However, it is. The very thing people can take from this is this. Giving money to every homeless person may not be economical however being unjudgmental, kind, and empathetic, could help someone who is already struggling.

Written by: Tasundra Stephens