About Homelessness: A Treatise

Recently, I was confronted with being without a home, otherwise known as homelessness. I had always heard stories in which people who were homeless spent years trying to find housing, but I never thought it would happen to me. Luckily, I found that I could utilize various resources to my advantage.

In a city like Toronto, there are social agencies that provide shelter, food and clothing for those who need them. In certain cases, there are also social support networks which help out a homeless friend. In some countries, individuals who are rendered homeless have no choice but to rely on their friends and relatives rather than on non-existent social support agencies.

In my case, unfortunately, my friends and relatives did not help me at all. In fact, I had people say to me that it was inconvenient for me to stay with them, for even as short a stay as overnight. So, I turned to social agencies and obtained all the necessary support.

I have discovered that when one is in a certain situation, there are always ways of alleviating the negative consequences. As far as homelessness is concerned, it does not have to exist for people who choose not to be. The social support services do have rules, however. I chose to follow those rules so that I was able to obtain housing. Therefore, I had housing within a very short period of time. In conclusion, a person is the author of his or her own fate and no one has to accept the turmoil of being without shelter; anyone who is homeless can turn that situation around for the better.

The social services system is flawed. Unfortunately, these flaws will not be ironed out in the near future, but a person can change how they behave within this framework, to improve their situation. If we all support each other we can take one step forward to eliminating homelessness.