by Erik Harris

Created on: November 16, 2009

The issue of homelessness hits very close to home with me, as I, too, have been homeless. Many years ago, I was face-to-face with the very same issues. I have seen and heard it all.

Even though I am thankful I was provided the opportunity to achieve success through a homeless shelter, most people are not so fortunate. The shelters are all through the city, open for anyone needing the help, to go.

However, the problem is most of the shelters do not provide the necessary tools these people need to gain self-sufficiency. In many cases, homeless people have been diagnosed with some type of mental illness. Many are unable to get the medications they are in dire need of.

A shelter provides just that: shelter. Maybe a decent meal and a place to shower, but the help stops there. Many of these places treat the homeless terribly. If it isn't enough to not have a place to call home, imagine having people treat you as if you are nothing, a place where you are looked down upon. People who are suppose to be helping you. Imagine a place where you can only stay at night, and have to take all of your belongings with you every day. How is one expected to look for a job, mental help counseling, etc .lugging around everything they own?

Being put with other people in the same situation is a deterioration in itself. You can't sleep at night for fear someone will steal what little you have, or maybe sleeping on a bench intended for use as a church just isn't comfortable enough to shut your eyes. You have to worry about what everyone else is doing instead of yourself.

Aside from this, there are those people who are unwilling to help themselves. Perhaps a drug problem has taken over, maybe they have just grown use to hand-outs. Whatever the reason, it is impossible to help a person who does not want the help or do not want to help themselves. A shelter itself can not provide rehabilitation for those who need it.

Having homeless shelters is a great thing. People need a place to go, to get a meal. Finding the right one can help a person make it out of the situation, but those are few and far between. Shelters are only the start of a much larger problem, and will not solve the homeless problem itself .

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