Submitted by dilemma on
I chose this topic, because, in my opinion, it is relevant. There are a lot of people who ask for alms in the whole world and this situation is not getting any better, therefore it is important to pay attention to the problems of homeless, get deeper in them and not only discuss how to solve them, but also try to do something in practice.
Claim: Often we can meet homeless people, which are asking for alms in the streets, but is it enough to give them few euros to change their life?
Introduction + Questions:Everyday in main city streets, squares, parks single mothers, children and elder people asks money for food, clothes, or other living essentials. What emotions to you they cause? Do you want to help them or maybe you pretend that you haven’t noticed them and ignore them? So how we should act when we meet homeless people?
Nut Graph: All people are different and at first sight it is difficult to see their intents. For some homeless people money is necessary to buy food or clothes, but other part of homeless people spends their money on intoxicating products. But there is one more people group who asks for alms, they are doing it because they like to live like that. Unfortunately we can’t read other people minds and we don’t know on what purposes they spend their money or for who our money is most needed. Finally money giving is just help for a single time. If you want that people would start new normal life you have to put in more effort, long-term help and support.
People’s opinion: “Caritas” shelter social worker Dovilė Spėčiūtė: “People asking for alm asks for help, and asking help is elementary human right. How to act with people who are asking for alm is a choice which makes everyone individual.
Vilnius archdiocese “Caritas” organization director Linas Kukuraitis thinks, that firstly public have to be educated, that they would know how to act with mendicant people or the one in crisis situation left on street person. Usually people give money too fast for those who ask.
Facts: An estimated 100 million people worldwide were homeless in 2005. In western countries, the large majority of homeless are men (75-80%).
Most common causes of homelessness:
1.Personal causes of homelessness
1) long-term illness;
2) substance abuse;
3) divorce, domestic violence;
4) poor physical and mental health.
2.Structural causes of homelessness
1) unemployment;
2) a lack of affordable housing;
3) poverty.
More facts: On the10th of October is World Homeless Day.
FEANTSA ( European Federation of National Organisations working with the Homeless) was established in 1989 as a European non-governmental organisation to prevent and alleviate the poverty and social exclusion of people threatened by or living in homelessness.
Wrap-up: Often when we give coin for homeless people we do not realize what his life history is and how did he ended up in this situation. Maybe if we would try to know homeless people, we would understand all situations and it would let us to decide if we should help for them or not.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homelessness
http://www.merceralliance.org/why_homeless.htm
file:///C:/Users/user.user-PC/Downloads/16_sadauskas.pdf
By Migle Aliukonyte
