The simple website “Selfies with Homeless People” shows people taking pictures with homeless people. They collect and share images from people around the web who have posted pics of themselves with homeless people, as if being homeless is something to laugh at. Needless to say, it’s disturbing and offensive. You’ll feel your blood start to boil the more and more you look at these pictures.
Being homeless is no laughing matter. And honestly the fact that these people are taking pictures with homeless people makes me so mad and sick to my stomach at the same time.
Did you know that on any given night there are approximately 643,067 people living on the streets?
Of those 643,067, approximately 1/3 of them are families. That’s right, approximately 238,110 are families.
Of the people living on the streets, 25% of them suffer from mental illness. These mental illnesses can include schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and depression.
As you scroll down the page, you’ll find yourself getting more and more irate. “Do they think this is funny?” you’ll be asking yourself as you move your cursor to click away.
Next time you ignore a homeless person, realize that 13% of homeless people are actually fleeing domestic violence and have nowhere else to go.
And it’s not just mentally ill people who are homeless. About 12% of the homeless population are veterans. Yes, they served our country protecting your freedoms and this is how some are being repaid.
Living on the streets is not only terribly sad and hard, it’s also very dangerous. Some of the risks included are being robbed, illness due to unsanitary conditions, frost bite, and more.
Currently, the United States needs at least 7 million low-income apartments to help low-income families.
Did you know that cities are actually making homelessness a crime? Recently, there was a survey done in 187 cities. They found that 24% of those cities make it a crime to beg in public, 33% make it illegal to loiter anywhere in the city, 18% made it a crime to sleep in public, 43% made it illegal to sleep in your car, and 53% made it illegal to sit or lay down in specific public places.
It’s good to get mad. Then it’s good to do something constructive with that feeling. Let the people in these pics make you so angry you become even more kind and generous in order to make up for their sorry existence in the world. Before you judge a homeless person holding a sign on the corner or sleeping in a park, try to imagine what they’ve been through or what they did before their situation took a terrible turn. A lot of people are one paycheck away from living on the streets. By being more empathetic, we can all become a little more caring and understanding.
What are your thoughts? Let us know in the comments.