Since I was a young girl I never understood why there were people living on the streets. Homelessness remains a societal issue that seems to have no concrete solution for ending. And with the winter months upon us in Chicago and the brutal temps, you would think that there would be sufficient shelters that could provide warmth and shelter for the homeless, but apparently not.
Now on the other hand I have had conversations with homeless people who say they don't like staying in shelters because of abuse, theft, intimidation and several other reasons, and I get that. But there has to be a way to provide safe and comfortable housing for those in need.
It seems like I am seeing more and more homeless people on the streets of Chicago now than in the warmer months and that just truly hurts my heart. I was hoping our city could jump on board like other areas and build communities of tiny houses, giving somebody without a home enough space to live comfortably and provide them with the necessities to have a productive lifestyle.
Buying a meal or handing a couple of dollars to a homeless person is just not enough. I am hoping for the day when more resources could be put in use to give every person an opportunity to put a key through a door and have somewhere to lay their head at the end of the day.