Hidden Soles

https://www.usnews.com/news/health-news/articles/2020-03-19/california-rushes-to-try-to-contain-virus-among-the-homeless

This article from USANews showcases the trials the homeless are experiencing with the COVID-19 crisis. California is allocating $150 million to help the homeless move off the streets by providing temporary single-room shelters such as in hotels, trails, or tents. Being in groups is dangerous and states with large homeless populations are trying to address the issue in regards to homelessness. How do you think you can help your local homeless population in this time of crisis?

California Rushes to Prevent Virus Spread Among the Homeless California officials are rushing to rent hotels rooms and build temporary shelters to isolate confirmed coronavirus cases among the homeless population.

https://www.nytimes.com/video/us/politics/100000007111840/cuomo-calls-crowds-of-homeless-on-subways-disgusting.html

Governor of New York, Andre Cuomo, calling homeless individuals disgusting and states essential workers deserve better. Perhaps we all deserve better in this time of crisis? Homeless individuals living in New York are in a state where many services are shut down, many public places are closed and they are struggling more so than others. If we can't support all individuals in a society, but only support those that can provide some basic services for the society, then where do we stand as a country united? To separate others based on their ability to provide and deny other's opportunities for growth and has necessities only reinforces the cognitive dissonance everyone is already experiencing. In a time of crisis, everyone is essential to the success of a nation.

Cuomo Calls Crowds of Homeless on Subways ‘Disgusting’ Gov. Andrew Cuomo said homeless people sleeping on New York City’s subway trains during the coronavirus outbreak was putting essential workers at risk.

Caleb Week

Homelessness in America

We all know how expensive it is to buy a house these days. It might’ve been cheaper back in 2007/2008 when the market crashed, but today millions of Americans are living paycheck to paycheck. One mistake, and it could mean the end of their housing. However, for individuals experiencing homelessness already, there is a solution. Although housing is expensive, rapid re-housing programs can solve homelessness in America. Rapid re-housing is the premise of giving individuals a home without stipulations. The 3 steps of rapid re-housing are to first: find individuals willing to rent to these programs and homeless individuals/families who want housing; supply the fees/costs for up to 6 months for the housing; and follow up with case management such as financial training, employment opportunities, and child care according to the National Alliance to End Homelessness. With so much housing already available in America, rapid re-housing is not too much of an issue when it comes to availability for housing. Likewise, re-housing has been proven to be the most effective strategy for ending homelessness. Many jobs, banks, government agencies, and programs need an address to send information to, so if an individual who is homeless can’t provide that, they are stuck being homeless. But if stability is provided for the first few months so they can have an address, build up savings, send their children to a school, and get the help they need, individuals won’t be experiencing homeless any longer. Each year, the government appropriates billions of dollars in spending to help end homelessness. If rapid re-housing was a focus of the billions of dollars, homelessness could end in a few years and the billions of dollars can then be re-distributed in other programs. And if the individuals who were homeless now have jobs, they are also adding to the local, state, and federal economy. Even though housing is expensive, rapid re-housing will end homelessness and in the long run, save America billions each year and even add more money to the economy.

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/21/us/california-homeless-backlash.html

There's no denying that there is a lot of homeless individuals living in Southern California. This article, however, focuses on the individuals who live in houses but experiencing seeing the homeless. Members of the communities in Southern California have been experiencing mental distress or what some refer to as "cognitive dissonance." A quote in the article states, "residents say they have found themselves weighing concerns for the less fortunate against disruptions to their own quality of life." Here, the individuals who support liberal ideologies are frustrated with the homeless because although they want to help them, they don't want to be affected by the homeless encampments and are now trying to figure out solutions to stop the homeless from going into their communities. The original purpose was to help the homeless, but now new intentions, such as placing boulders on sidewalks, and enacting new policies, prevent the homeless from getting the help they need. Individuals are experiencing imbalances in their minds and way of life. They want to help, but they don't want to see the homeless being helped. How do you feel about this? Leave your comments below.

https://www.city-journal.org/san-francisco-homelessness

I chose this article because even in the title there is symbolism used to catch interest in reading the article. The overall feeling throughout the entire article left me thinking about a totalitarian type of solution to homelessness. Not the best way to go about things. In this article, the symbolism spread throughout was one of distaste towards those experiencing homelessness. A prime example of symbolism is in the article's title, "San Francisco, Hostage to the Homeless" Here, the author is comparing San Francisco to being a hostage and the homeless individuals being the ones who are the perpetrators. But the symbolism is one to be imagined by the reader. What in your mind does a hostage situation look like, and after reading this article, what does it look like now? A hostage situation is dangerous, needs to be treaded about carefully, and above all, threatening both in act and description. Homelessness is not a dangerous act and they certainly cannot control a city or hold it "hostage." What is your opinion after reading this article? Leave some comments below.

San Francisco, Hostage to the Homeless Failure to enforce basic standards of public behavior has made one of America’s great cities increasingly unlivable.