Introduction Being homeless is a problem that our society is facing, yet fails to address. Within communities, people see homelessness occurring on a frequent basis, but instead of recognizing the problem, they turn their head and act as though it does not exist. Currently, within the United States, an estimated 2.3 to 3.5 million Americans experience homelessness each year (Baggette, O 'Connell, Singer, and Rigotti, 2010, pg.1362). Even with this outstanding number of people placed within this situation, minimal effort is supplied in means to offer help and support. In order to solve this problem, it must first be addressed and recognized. The United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) defines being homeless as “an
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Within Colorado Springs, over 1,350 families are on the Housing Authority waiting list for the 705 public housing units they have to offer. With the current turn over rates for these housing units, it would take more than ten years to accommodate just the current waiting list (City of Colorado Spring, 2013). For every 100 individuals who are categorized as economically low income or homeless, there are only 16 affordable and available housing (City of Colorado Springs, 2014). For homeless individuals faced in this situation, they are left with no where to go, and as such resort to public …show more content…
The executive director of American Civil Liberties Union of Colorado, Nathan Woodliff-Stanley, says "The net effect is it criminalizes a whole class of people, its discriminatory enforcement" (2015, pg.2). An example of this can be noted in a case involving a homeless individual named David Madison. In November, 2009 Madison was turned away from shelter in Boulder, Colorado, and was forced to sleep outside. That night it was far below freezing with a high of only eleven degrees outside. In an attempt to not freeze to death, this man took shelter in his sleeping bag. By doing so, he was violating a camping ordinance that prohibited sleeping outside with shelter. In this weather, he could have legally slept outside in only his clothes, but the sleeping bag used was considered shelter, and made him a criminal (Woodliff-Stanley, 2015). When placed in this situation, homeless individuals are forced to break the law in order to
Within Colorado Springs, over 1,350 families are on the Housing Authority waiting list for the 705 public housing units they have to offer. With the current turn over rates for these housing units, it would take more than ten years to accommodate just the current waiting list (City of Colorado Spring, 2013). For every 100 individuals who are categorized as economically low income or homeless, there are only 16 affordable and available housing (City of Colorado Springs, 2014). For homeless individuals faced in this situation, they are left with no where to go, and as such resort to public …show more content…
The executive director of American Civil Liberties Union of Colorado, Nathan Woodliff-Stanley, says "The net effect is it criminalizes a whole class of people, its discriminatory enforcement" (2015, pg.2). An example of this can be noted in a case involving a homeless individual named David Madison. In November, 2009 Madison was turned away from shelter in Boulder, Colorado, and was forced to sleep outside. That night it was far below freezing with a high of only eleven degrees outside. In an attempt to not freeze to death, this man took shelter in his sleeping bag. By doing so, he was violating a camping ordinance that prohibited sleeping outside with shelter. In this weather, he could have legally slept outside in only his clothes, but the sleeping bag used was considered shelter, and made him a criminal (Woodliff-Stanley, 2015). When placed in this situation, homeless individuals are forced to break the law in order to