Homelessness is a serious problem in America. The song Moments (by Emerson Drive) was written to show us that homeless people are just like everyone else. They have dreams, problems, and families just like us. Sadly, homeless people across the country are being criminalized simply for being poor. However, there are better ways to deal with homelessness.
The Meanest Cities is an article published in America, a national weekly magazine that publishes articles about the relationship between Catholic teaching and American politics and cultural life. The magazine was first published by the American Jesuits in 1909 and now has a circulation of about 45,000 readers. The Jesuits still publish and maintain the magazine today. The Meanest Cities is an article that deals with how cities handle the issue of homelessness. I believe that the Jesuits offer a great argument into why cities should make a greater effort to help people move out of homelessness, rather than criminalizing them.
This system of helping the homeless involves using “constructive alternative to criminalization.” These alternative methods, such as the nonprofit Task Force for Ending Homelessness based in Broward Country, Fl., help people move out of the condition of being homeless rather than criminalizing them. The teams’ role is to inform chronically homeless individuals of available social services and encouraging their use. Since the program began five years ago, it is estimated that there have been 2,400 fewer arrests annually. This example proves that not only is the author’s solution presented as feasible and practical, but that it is actually already being used and has worked for the past 5 years in parts of the country.
Overall, I believe that the Jesuits offer a great argument into why cities should make a greater effort to help people move out of homelessness, rather than criminalizing them. They appeal to the reader’s emotions, they give concrete examples, and lastly they provide not only a solution, but one that has been working, as opposed to the current broken system.
I'm from Florida (Pinellas county, not Broward, but all of Florida has a high rate of homelessness) and I remember a few years ago a group of people pitched tents under one of the freeway exits. The police came and slashed the tents and forced the people out. Where else were the supposed to go? It was disgusting! The cops eventually were reprimanded for destroying someone's personal property, but it didn't really do much good- the tent city was still gone, and the people who had been living there were still homeless. I hope programs like this catch on in all of Florida and around the country. We need to start helping people move forward, instead of punishing them for the position they're in.
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