The True Impact That Public Perception Can Have On The Houseless Community

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    One of the biggest faults that every human being shares is the temptation to judge. The instinct to instantly judge something or someone based off of either face value or what the societal standard is at the time is very common. Especially today with the constant advancements in social media. Whatever the public standard dictates is what the majority of the population thinks initially at the very least. This thought process behind public perception applies in a big way when it comes to the community of people who experience homelessness. 

    Homelessness is very prevalent issue, especially in the Portland metropolitan area. It is constantly being thought about and nonprofit organizations are always finding ways to better educate people about it as well as finding shelter for this community. Although these efforts have made a significant impact, they are not getting enough funding or support in order to change the situation for the better. This is all due to the poor public perception that has been put onto this group of people for so long. As stated by a Journal on the topic of homelessness, "communicate in a way that deepens public understanding, attracts new supporters and builds demand for change. Findings reveal that public opinion tends to overlook the relationship between homelessness and poverty or other structural causes in favor of a more fatalistic view that blames individual circumstances and poor choices"(Why We Need To Change The Way We Talk About Homelessness). In other words, we need to change the way the topic of homelessness is discussed, we do that by changing the language in which this group of people is described as well as slowly generating a more positive view amongst the public. By referring to them as people who experience "houselessness" instead of the more negative and inhumane version that is saying they are "homeless". That is jus one small step in the direction we need to take moving forward.

For more information, you can find a list of nonprofit organizations here





Published By: Dylan Hockert Graphic Design Major At Portland State University

 

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