Homelessness is an increasing problem in modern society. Not just the US, but the entire globe is seeing more and more people living on the streets. A modern-day ailment that there doesn’t seem to be a cure for. Let’s think for a minute just what homelessness means. The word itself describes a person without a permanent dwelling. This could be a house or an apartment that the person cannot obtain and maintain. The term homeless can mean many things. Depending on what country or jurisdiction you are in, it could include people that are living in a homeless shelter, a domestic violence shelter. It could mean that you live long-term in a hotel or motel. Or extreme cases where home is a car, a squat, a cardboard box, a tent or shanty town, whatever it is, these people deserve better.
The UK homelessness charity “Crisis” defines a home as not just a physical space, it is something that provides roots, identity, security, a sense of belonging and a place of emotional wellbeing, sound familiar? A 2005 study estimated that there are 100-million people world-wide that are classed as homeless, which is 1 person in 65, a disgraceful figure in this day and age. It also stated that approximately 1-billion people live as squatters, refugees or in temporary shelters, all of these people are lacking in adequate housing. These figures also went on to state that the majority of homeless (75-80%) are men, with single men making up a particularly high percentage.
There are of course many government and church organizations around the world that try their hardest to cater for and combat this ever increasing problem. There are countless charities set up to raise funds and try to house these unfortunate individuals, as well as private donors who try their hardest to make a difference. The problem of these desperate people has been compounded by the fact that in some cases their only form of income, panhandling and begging, is becoming increasingly illegal in some cities.
So I guess the question arises, what can we, the human race, do to try and help these desperate people who just want what most of us take for granted? Young filmmaker and social commentator Coby Persin decided to conduct a social experiment to see how the man-on-the-street reacts to homeless people trying to make a dollar. He sat on the streets for an hour at a time, the first hour he had a sign saying he needed money for “weed, Drugs and alcohol” the second hour he sat there with an emancipated looking young girl and had a sign saying “single father needs money to support family” the response that Coby got will leave you scratching your head and wondering if charity really does start a home.
