Homeless by Brian

4/5/11

Photography and the Human Condition

            Usually when people think of the homeless a lot of ignorant remarks are made as to why they are in the position they’re in. When you do the research on it, it really opens your eyes to the reality of it and makes you reevaluate your situation in life.  Homeless people lack what we take for granted on an everyday basis, and a lot of people do not realize it because they’re not in the same state in life.  Homelessness is caused by a number of things, from drug addiction, to sheer laziness, some homeless people are war veterans who came back from war and weren’t provided with the substantial amount of help to get them back on track so they ended without a place to stay.  Some folks go through a lot of financial hardship that subsequently led to their homelessness, while others just don’t have the money to acquire affordable housing.  To imagine that some children have to endure such living circumstances is also very unsettling as well, surprisingly 41% of the homeless population is comprised of families with children which is very disturbing.  Some of the leading causes of homelessness in this country are, a lack of health care because if a person gets into an accident and needs medical assistance the bill is usually an astronomical amount of money, and some will sacrifice rent or mortgage to pay that thus leading to them being homeless.  Another leading cause of homelessness is domestic violence.  Women who are a part of an abusive relationship will leave it and turn to living on the streets to avoid the abuse. 63% of the women who are homeless have all experienced domestic violence in their lives, from either verbal or physical.  For some, drug addiction is the cause of their homelessness.  Some will choose their drug of choice over rent or mortgage due to the need to be appeased of stresses the deal with on a day to day basis.  For others who are already homeless due to other reasons and factors develop a drug problem, thus making the process of getting out of their situation harder for themselves, but at the same time coping with the fact that they’re without shelter.