Guerrero 1 Diana Guerrero Professor Wingate English 114B 24 April 2013 Becoming Homeless is No Choice.

Thousands of people are left homeless all over the world for various reasons. Some may be personal reasons, like drug addictions or a mental illness, depression. Also, tragic events like natural disasters and nation economic problems, these events can lead a person to lose their job. Worldwide the number of homeless people has increased within the last decades; these people do not choose to be homeless. Many of these people are affected by the countries condition during the time of its crisis and end up being homeless. The country leads the people to become homeless; it is never a persons choice to become homeless. For example in the story The Tattooed Soldier by Hector Tobar, illegal immigrant Antonio goes through rough times in the U.S. when he is kicked out of his apartment and left homeless along with his friend Jose Juan because of financial issues. Antonio shares Voy a ser uno de los homeless. It did not seem right to him that a man who loved to read, a man with Crimen y Castigo and El Idiota and other works of real literature scattered on the floor of his apartment, would be called this ugly word (Pg 5). Antonio cannot believe such tragic thing is happening to him, an Educated Guatemalan who had to flee from his country after running for his life, had now lost his job and his home. Many people who cross over to the U.S. are here for a better income, or to escape their corrupted native homes. In his country, Antonio had a descent life; he had gone to college and had a wife and a son. Guatemala was not in good shape at the time, it was corrupted and the

Guerrero 2 Guerillas were after him because of revolutionary events he had been part of in the past. His wife and son had been killed, leaving him with no choice but to come to the U.S. escaping these nightmares he did not know what his new life in another country would be like. Antonio did not choose to have this life; in fact he was an educated man who was nothing but a busboy in the U.S. Many immigrants go through very similar situations. Becoming homeless is more often caused by worldwide economic collapses. The article Introduction to the Homeless: Opposing viewpoints pointed out that Homelessness was no longer an isolated problem, the result of local circumstances. Instead, it was widespread, the result of a worldwide economic collapse, and local governments and charities were unable to cope with the enormity of the problem. This statement made is very in fact, true. Hundreds even thousands of people are affected by the struggle the country may be going through. In the United States the great depression that took place during the 1930s affected many people. The article writes, During the economic collapse known as the Great Depression, however the number of unemployed grew exponentially, and many Americans became homeless. This is not only happening in the U.S but all over the world. The article L-Shaped Poverty Lines; the Legacy of Depression, writes about a homeless man named Kiyoshi and how the economic crisis affected him during the countries tough times leaving him without a job. The article announced Like many of Japan's homeless, Kiyoshi lived a normal life during Japan's boom years, working in a restaurant. But life became hard in the 1990s after the property and stockmarket bubble burst. He now collects empty aluminum cans to earn--"on a good day"-around {Yen}1,000 ($10) for food. Kiyoshi is a victim of the crisis Japan is going through like many other people. He did not choose to be homeless, he was just very unfortunate, and these events lead him to become homeless.

Guerrero 3 The economic crises that happen worldwide arent the only problem leading to homelessness, but those trying to cross borders to get to another country are left homeless as well. How does this happen? People from Mexico traveling north to get to the United States, are usually caught by the border patrol; who send them back to Mexico. They do not send these people back to their homes with their families; instead they just leave them out on the streets. In the article New Relief effort on U.S./Mexico Border, writer talks about a family who was captured by the U.S. border patrol agents, after walking six hours after crossing the border. A local group who is in charge of a shelter for deported women in Mexico explains, The women who have come to stay here have been abandoned, theyre hungry and thirsty and they have blisters on their feet, said Areaceli Wedigton a former immigrant and guest of the shelter. When the women arrive, they dont know what to do. They dont have any money; they dont have any food and our families dont know whats become of us. These families are just trying to get to the U.S. for a better future but many are caught by the U.S. patrols, sending them back across the border, they are left homeless. To make things worse they are left in a part of the country where they dont know anyone and have no family. These unfortunate events, happen not based on their own decisions but based on governmental circumstances. Luckily these shelters exist to help these families get back on track with their lives. There are many organizations all over the world that help those in need. There are shelters and

Guerrero 4 churches where the homeless can sleep and shower, and many donation centers where people can donate clothes and foods for them. This organization in Mexico previously mentioned tells us A lot of people are suffering," said Sean Carroll, S.J., executive director of the initiative. He noted an increased number of deportees finding their way to a care center where deported migrants can get a hot meal and help with medical needs. "We're serving a lot of people," he said. "We want to respond to them and relieve that suffering, and through that we hope to also be transformed. This just shows that although many homeless strive to get money for some food on a daily basis, there are organizations that help those who are having a very hard time trying to get back on their feet. After all, these depressing events do not happen on their own; a person does not choose to be homeless. This is why these organizations exist, to reduce the homeless and help those in need. Previous mentioned article Introduction to the Homeless: Opposing viewpoints, explains how the government during the Great Depression in the 1930s was for the first time aware that their decisions lead people to such horrific tragedy. Writer agrees when explained During the Great Depression the federal government, with the support of a weary citizenry, for the first time assumed a major role in the battle against poverty and homelessness, President Franklin D. Roosevelts Federal Emergency Relief Administration provided clothing, food shelter, medical care, and cash to the

Guerrero 5 homeless, and the works Progress Administration created jobs. These programs were discontinued during World War II when economic production increased. While the government during that time was helping the homeless it did not last before they discontinued the program because of another nation issue. Why were we at war anyways? Instead of being at war we could have continued the programs to help those affected by the great depression. Many organizations now-a-days are formed by local people and churches and I think that is a brilliant idea since our leaders are busy spending money on other things. Many argue that a person chooses to be homeless but that is not true, it is certain circumstances that lead one to become homeless. They dont choose to be from one day to another. When one becomes homeless it is very hard to pick yourself back up from the sinking situation, because you have hit rock bottom. In The Tattooed Soldier, Antonio who becomes homeless is starting to fit in with the other homeless people. He was starting to get used to the fact that he had no roof to sleep under, no food, no water for showering. Author tells us, Dressed in rags. Antonio hadnt thought much lately about what they looked like. He had begun to forget the threads that dangled from the bottom of his pants, the little holes that had appeared in his shirt, the layer of sweat and grime that perpetually covered his skin (Pg 71). Antonio had not thought about his appearance, he was starting to forget what he had become. Antonio was very depressed, he had not chosen to become homeless but he was slowly being hypnotized into not doing anything to better himself. Many of those who become homeless start to play their role as a homeless person, many are homeless for years for the reason that it is not easy to get back on their feet and get a job.

Guerrero 6 Many of those might end up as addicts and worsen their condition when they did not choose to be homeless to begin with. There are many organizations that help these in need but not enough to give them a home.