Homeless of America

Homeless of America

           You’re walking down the street and come across an old homeless man on a wheelchair. He says, “hi good morning,” you simply look away and ignored him. Maybe it was because he looked dirty or you probably thought he is just another beggar. 

          This man is John Albert Rogers, an American citizen and Vietnam veteran who is also a father. Unfortunately, he is one of many homeless man living in the streets of America. According to the The National Student Campaign Against Hunger and Homelessness, there are approximately more than 3.5 million people living in the United States as homeless and 23% of those people are U.S military veterans.
-considering how your work narrows towards info about the veteran homeless population, is this the focus/position you want your final article to take?  If so, here would be a good place to give even more detail/info about the veteran population specifically in California-  I would look into Long Beach also. 

            During his childhood years, John’s parents had very low income and were always busy. As a result, John was always with his older brother who raised him and taught him the ways of life. John became very close to his brother and learned a lot from him for example, he taught him how to play baseball. Unfortunately John’s brother was drafted in the military and sadly never made it back home alive. This tragedy led John to enlist in the military, he served from 1969 to 1971. After coming back from the war he felt disrespected and mistreated by society. From his experience at war he became scared of loud sounds and even spent time at Veterans Affairs Hospital in psychiatric ward. Although he faced many struggles, John is a very positive man who has faith in God and never loses hope that things will get better.
- consider looking into VA hospitals and other Veteran based resources that are out there for the homeless.  What are those resources, are they being used, do we need more, etc. 

Like John, there are other homeless on the streets without a place in society. Men and women who once gave their live to serve this country are often ignored because of the stereotypes society has on homeless. We may see a person sitting on the side of the road with dirty clothes asking for money and we are quick to judge that this person may have a drug addiction or are just plain lazy. 
-develop this more because here you touch on the negative stereotypes/representations of the homeless and how that affects us and the way we feel and interact and therefore assist the homeless
-where do these negative feelings and stereotypes come from, how do they still exist, etc. 

The reality is that we don’t know the real reason why their life turn out this way. There is always a story behind a beggar on the street. Although some may have an addiction, they are all in need of help and acceptance regardless of their appearance and backgrounds.
-I can see another veteran's story working well as an example here since you already talked about John.  
- or possibly some more info describing the veteran population here in California and how they don't fit the stereotype and need assistance or need to utilize the assistance that is already out there- is this an awareness issue? 

So next time you come across a homeless person on the street don’t ignored them and remember to greet them because like John, there is always a reason why this person became homeless and don’t categorize people because of the way they look and what they represent.

                                                                                                         -Jose Melena