Why is Homelessness Often Overlooked?

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By Cody Jones

It is often overlooked how many people are without a place to call home on a nightly basis. One may come to a big city like Portland and see the homeless people on park benches and huddling in street corners but view them as an annoyance. They fail to consider where these people are getting their next meal and do not think about where these individuals may go when the sun goes down. Instead, they keep walking, ushering their family in front of them, on their way to the next boutique store or fancy restaurant.


The stark reality is that there are over half a million people on the streets across the United States (Washington Post). These people are struggling to find their next meal, find a warm place to sleep, and ultimately survive. One would think if there are over a half-million homeless people across the country that more people would deem it an important issue to address. Instead, it is often put on the back burner in terms of city planning. I think one reason it is overlooked is that it is deemed a tough issue to address that takes a lot of time and resources to fix. However, my counter to this viewpoint is that no human should have to sleep on the streets if they do not have a home. They are human beings and deserve security, a roof over their heads, and a warm meal.


I think that this perhaps could be changed the more awareness is brought to the subject. I think if people are presented facts like how many people are out on the streets on a nightly basis that maybe then they will deem it as an important issue and lobby for programs to be put into place to help homeless individuals reintegrate into their local communities. I firmly believe at the end of the day most individuals care about other human beings. If they care about society then they should be outraged at the mass amount of people sleeping out on city streets.


Below are two resources that present facts on homelessness in Portland and the United States:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2019/live-updates/election-2020/fact-checking-the-fourth-democratic-debate/how-many-homeless-people-are-there-in-the-u-s/

https://www.portlandoregon.gov/toolkit/article/562207


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