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Homelessness is one of our nation's most misunderstood and vexing social problems. The face of homelessness has drastically changed throughout the years. Because thousands of individuals from public psychiatric hospitals were discharged in the 1980's, many without a home to go to, the popular misconception arose that all homeless people were mentally ill or suffered from drug or alochol addiction. More often than not, homeless people were portrayed as lazy and unclean, even "worthy" of contempt, a view that was grounded more in our own unwillingness to help rather than any sense of reality.
Today, the common view of homelessness is drastically changing as working class families, struggling to tread water in fluctuating economy, soberly face the prospect of living on the streets. More and more Americans are starting to realize that homelessness often has little to do with mental illness or drug addiction, but a series of unfortunate, and often unforeseeable, circumstances that can affect even the hardest working among us. According to one study conducted by the National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty, approximately 3.5 million people - 1.35 million of them children - are likely to experience homelessness in any given year.
Even in the bleakest of economic climates, we are still a nation of plenty. Because we believe that everyone deserves a roof over their head at night, every Hope for the Homeless t-shirt or necklace sold will pay for one night's room and board for a homeless individual in your area.
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