In a ranking of countries with the highest standard of living, the United States comes in eighth place ("Standard of Living by Country"). This suggests that there should not be many homeless or impoverished people living in the U.S. However, as stated earlier, there are over half a million homeless people living in this apparently wonderful county. To make matters more grim, it should also be noted that counting the number of homeless people in any given location can be difficult and inaccurate. It is nearly impossible to account for every single person living on the streets, and the definition of homelessness varies place to place. The result of this is that statistics on homelessness are lower than what they really are. Nonetheless, over half a million people were counted as homeless in the U.S. Of those counted, nearly 15 percent were considered chronically homeless, meaning that they are on the streets long term (“Snapshot of Homelessness”). Considering the number of people challenged by homelessness, it should be a leading issue in communities and …show more content…
Homelessness is sadly common in the United States, and millions are affected by it worldwide. Not only is it extremely difficult and dangerous to those experiencing it, but lack of remedy for it saps resources and money from hospitals and the government due to the cost of incarceration and emergency room visits. It can be solved through housing first methods, rehabilitation, and overall compassion towards those in need. Homeless people are no less important than anyone else in the world. They deserve the basic necessities of food, water, clothing and shelter, and overall, they deserve to feel