Homelessness. An overly iterate word yet still dismissed. Every night many families eat together under a roof, laughing together. Yet at the same time, innocent people are wandering the streets in hopes of finding a decent place to sleep. These people don't have a home to come to every night after a tiring day. These people are homeless. 

In Plano, there are many homeless people who are suffering yet barely any efforts have been made to put a stop to it. The city and the population need to help these people get out of poverty. 

A major action that should be taken place is getting them off the streets, especially at night. Over the years, the amount of homeless individuals unsheltered has increased drastically. According to Erick Pirayesh, a journalist from Community Impact, said “During a single day…there were 161 sheltered and 92 unsheltered individuals in Plano… the report showed. This year, the point-in-time report shows the number of sheltered individuals dropped to 89, while unsheltered people increased to 127”. The statistics simply don't match. Put yourself in their shoes. Imagine being outside the entire day attempting to find a job or get some money to survive. At the end of the day all you want to do is sleep in a safe place, not surrounded by streetlights, and the loud noises from the cars on the road. However, you have nowhere to go, because the shelters don't take in any more individuals. So you're stuck in a small tent on the street, foraging through what you have to simply sleep. How would you feel? No one would want this upon themselves and it is unfair that these people have to go through it. These shelters can have a higher capacity or maybe more should be made, but homeless people not having a place to rest is not an option.

Moreover, the city hasn't been putting enough effort into helping the homeless. According to Matilda Preisendorf from local profile, “The city council met on August 22 to determine the fate of $138,815 in services and assistance. From that sum, $134,000 will be put towards services for homeless individuals”. This may seem like a large benefit, however, this amount will not help them come out of homelessness. According to the Salvation Army of Plano, “around 7,000 North Texans are experiencing homelessness, and 200,000 are at risk of becoming homeless”. Currently, “the average annual salary in Texas is $52,574”, so the money the city has given is approximately the salary of two people and a little more. This amount of money may help the homeless population temporarily, but something has to be done to take them out of poverty, not just survive it. Others may suggest that giving this amount of support to the homeless may encourage more to continue living the same way due to the conditions being decent, however, doing this would encourage much more to get out of poverty and set a purpose in life. If they start giving enough to take them out of poverty, not only will they achieve more goals in life and have more happiness, but they will also prevent themselves from falling into poverty again.

However, it's not just the city that has to take action. The people have to help them. The other day, my family and I were going to our local grocery store, and a homeless family with two young kids was standing near the entrance. They had both lost their jobs due to Covid, and were asking for the slightest bit of money. We barely had any change on us, and the only things we had was a single dollar. When we gave it to them they were so grateful and gave us a rose. These people didn’t have to be so kind when they were helpless, yet they were so humble. It's up to the people to help them with their challenges, because these innocent people are in positions where they can't help themselves. Helping doesn't require money, but requires kindness, which can sometimes be rare in the current society.

Remember those who still matter, whether status and living circumstances differ. Listen to those who wish to speak, yet are never given the opportunity to be heard. Speak for those who aren't heard, because they may be in positions where they cannot. Make the change. Help a lost soul find their way home.

Work Cited

Pirayesh, Erick. “Plano Reports Number of Unsheltered Homeless People Has Increased Since Last Year.” Community Impact, Impact, 14 Oct. 2021, communityimpact.com/dallas-fort-worth/plano/government/2021/10/14/plano-reports-number-of-unsheltered-homeless-people-has-increased-since-last-year/. 

Preisendorf, Matilda. “City Council Dedicated $138,000 for Homeless.” Local Profile, 5 Dec. 2022, localprofile.com/2022/08/29/plano-homeless-help-housing-citycouncil/.