Face of homelessness is misconstrued in society

William P. Young said, "Pain has a way of clipping our wings so we cannot fly."

That statement rings true for any person who has experienced a hardship.

One type of hardship that is becoming an epidemic in our society is homelessness, but the face has been misconstrued.

The true face of homelessness is not how it is being portrayed by society.

In actuality, the true face is women and children.

The National Coalition for the Homeless did a national study and found that the fastest growing sector of people experiencing homelessness is women, children, and families comprising 40 percent, and rising.

Sixty-five percent of the families experiencing homelessness are females with children, and the main reason they are now homeless is predominately because of abuse they were experiencing at home.

Nationally, 20 to 40 percent were being sexually abused, and 40 to 60 percent were being physically abused.

Their lives were already hard, but once homeless, they do not get any easier.  

As many as half of the children are victimized sexually, or robbed.

Five thousand homeless children under the age of eighteen die each year from assaults, illness, or suicide, but it does not stop there.

Women and children are sometimes in such horrible situations that they have to resort to negotiating "survival sex" for a roof over their heads.

The places they can find to sleep are usually under a bridge, in a barn, a car, substandard or abandoned houses, in parks or literally just on the street in all types of weather.

To make matters worse, one of out of three of the children living in homeless conditions end up falling behind in school, or dropping out, and are never able to break the cycle of poverty for themselves or their families.

None of these conditions are acceptable for any human being, but they do not have to stay this way if we all step up and make a difference.

The easiest and best way to help is by offering a helping hand, and donating time, clothing or funds to a shelter nearby.

Every person runs the chance of having their wings clipped so they cannot fly, but everyone can fly and everyone should fly no matter how old they are, where they are living, or their gender or ethnicity.

You can make a difference in the lives of people experiencing homelessness next week by coming to make fleece tie blankets that will be distributed in Lawrence, Butler, Mercer and Venango counties.

The blanket project will take place in the University Union in room 204 from 12:30 – 2 p.m. on Tuesday.

Come and help to make the lives of people experiencing homelessness a little bit brighter, to give them the hope that they need to break the cycle, and to help them soar to the highest heights.