Shelters

Many times when hearing about the epidemic of homelessness people take the viewpoint that homeless people are homeless for one reason or another. Whether they have a drug addiction or are just too lazy to get a job, those of us who are living comfortably can always seem to formulate a reasonable justification for this problem. Not only do we come up with answers to the problem, but we also assume that homeless people can find the desired shelter somewhere else. They can go to government shelters or church basements, we fail to face the realities of the situation or even recognize them.

The truth is that shelters are not even a temporary, solution to the timeless homeless dilemma. Shelters are not a desirable place to take refuge even to those most desperate.
Shelters are usually dirty and crowded. The beds are crammed into tiny spaces almost on top of each other and people are forced to sleep right next to people they don't even know.
Sometimes you're lucky if you even get into a shelter.

Very often shelters get filled to capacity (or over) and no more people can be admitted due to safety hazards. People are forced to wait on lines and waiting lists to be admitted and are sometimes turned away. There is also a time limit put on the extent of a person's stay in a shelter. In some places the time period is as short as 244~ hours. In others it ranges from 1-2 weeks or as long as you'd like to stay. It all depends on the location of the shelter, the demand for space, and the people running it.
Usually when you are given a bed in a shelter a bed is all you get. There is no extra space or a place to store your belongings. This means you either carry everything you own around with you or you leave it at risk of being stolen. Most homeless people possess very little, but the little they do have is very' valuable and important to them and they can't afford to lose anything.
When it comes to comfort a shelter is not a home. No one should be expected to feel 'at home' while sleeping next to some stranger they've never seen before and will probably never see again.
Families are often divided when entering shelters because males over the age of twelve are not permitted to stay in regular shelters. They have to go to shelters set aside specifically for men. This leads to the separation of husbands and wives, fathers and children, mothers and sons and brothers and sisters.
So the next time the topic of homelessness is brought up, we ask you, please don't jump to conclusions trying to find the simplest solution to the problem. But do consider everything we've said here and remember that it's easier said then done.