I chose to write about homelessness is America because it is a continually increasing problem that has become important to me. As a New York City girl, seeing people living on the streets or begging is unfortunately a common sight and occurrence. Even though I’m generally an empathetic person, I would walk by a person begging on the streets without a second glance. This changed when a speaker came to my high school to talk about her cause Knock Knock Give a Sock. She started collecting socks to give to “people experiencing homelessness” (not homeless people)after she met a man who told her all he needed was a pair of socks. She gave me a new perspective on how we treat others.

There is a stigma surrounding people who experience homelessness that they’re either drug users or “crazies”. However, in reality, many of the people that are in homeless shelters or on the streets are just going through a hard time and don’t have the family or friends they can stay by. 

Homelessness is a major problem in cities where people become desensitized and are not shocked by the issue anymore. As a society, we dehumanize people who experience homelessness. We avoid their eyes, speed up as we pass them, or cross the street to avoid them entirely. We are quick to judge people who experience homelessness even though we don’t know their circumstances. We are quick to tell people that they’re lazy and they should just get a job. My purpose in writing about homelessness in an Op-ed is to bring awareness that most people who experience homelessness are just like any one of us and it could possibly (God forbid) be one of us in that situation.