Hello Earthlings,
I didn't post yesterday as I was tired and didn't want to publish a post full of nonsense, so anyway I was originally going to do a post about a day out in Liverpool and stick to my usual theme of cheeriness, but I couldn't ignore the big issue of homelessness and how much it upset me.
I'm sure you are sat reading this post in a warm house, with warm clothes on, you've had a hot meal and you know that you're safe. There are so many people in our country who don't have any of that and simply sit on a street with merely a sleeping bag often losing hope.
I didn't want to publish this post without doing some research. There are many reasons people become homeless, by looking on the Framework Housing Association I found these facts. For women the most common cause of becoming homeless is because of domestic violence, just take a minute and think how awful your life must be if packing up and leaving with no safe place to go is better than your current situation? Men often get kicked out by parents, the same with young people and they are left with the sudden worry of having to try and scrape by alone. Aside from this, there are also many other reasons people face homelessness, including: debt, mental health issues, illness, unemployment, isolation and substance misuse. We should be trying to help these people in any way we can, yet what I was the most surprised about in Liverpool is that so many people could just walk past them. Is this the society we live in nowadays, where we turn our backs on other people out of sheer ignorance to the problem surrounding us?
A couple of years ago my mum recommended that I "liked" a page on Facebook called "Chesterfield Christmas Shoebox Appeal" and since then I have been more aware of the simple ways WE can help people. Recently, I saw an article in the local newspaper that spread the news of the death of well-liked homeless man. The most surprising part of the article was that "There is no emergency housing and there is nowhere for people to go and sleep for just one night". According to Chesterfield facts, Chesterfield has a population of around 71,000 and I am not saying that everyone is homeless or anything like that but for a town with that population and nowhere for anywhere to sleep for just one night is shocking. However, Chesterfield Christmas Shoebox Appeal restores my faith in humanity as they work tirelessly to help the homeless people of Chesterfield. From making shoe boxes at Christmas for men, women, the elderly and dogs to going out with Church on the Bus, to setting up an Amazon wish list, to using their Facebook page as a way to spread positivity.
The reality is, it doesn't take a lot to try and help anyone in even a little way. Buying a cup of tea or a sausage roll, donating warm clothes, simply making a shoebox at Christmas time...acknowledging that these people are in fact humans and they never asked to be without a safe place to call home.
There are many charities nationwide who are there to help homeless people, collectively we can all help to put a stop to this and show people that good things do happen. Stop worrying about the silly things, like whether the rain is going to prevent you from putting your washing out, or that you have missed Corrie, or that Mr Nobody has taken the last biscuit out of the biscuit tin and start to worry about the things that matter.
I want to make it clear that I am in no way claiming to be an expert regarding homelessness, I am merely a 17 year old who wants to try and help in any way I can.
I shall leave you with a quote that I found whilst on the Chesterfield Christmas Shoebox Appeal Facebook page.
Thank you for taking your time to read this,
Lia x
P.S. I have linked all the pages I have referred to if you would like to look further.
I didn't post yesterday as I was tired and didn't want to publish a post full of nonsense, so anyway I was originally going to do a post about a day out in Liverpool and stick to my usual theme of cheeriness, but I couldn't ignore the big issue of homelessness and how much it upset me.
I'm sure you are sat reading this post in a warm house, with warm clothes on, you've had a hot meal and you know that you're safe. There are so many people in our country who don't have any of that and simply sit on a street with merely a sleeping bag often losing hope.
I didn't want to publish this post without doing some research. There are many reasons people become homeless, by looking on the Framework Housing Association I found these facts. For women the most common cause of becoming homeless is because of domestic violence, just take a minute and think how awful your life must be if packing up and leaving with no safe place to go is better than your current situation? Men often get kicked out by parents, the same with young people and they are left with the sudden worry of having to try and scrape by alone. Aside from this, there are also many other reasons people face homelessness, including: debt, mental health issues, illness, unemployment, isolation and substance misuse. We should be trying to help these people in any way we can, yet what I was the most surprised about in Liverpool is that so many people could just walk past them. Is this the society we live in nowadays, where we turn our backs on other people out of sheer ignorance to the problem surrounding us?
A couple of years ago my mum recommended that I "liked" a page on Facebook called "Chesterfield Christmas Shoebox Appeal" and since then I have been more aware of the simple ways WE can help people. Recently, I saw an article in the local newspaper that spread the news of the death of well-liked homeless man. The most surprising part of the article was that "There is no emergency housing and there is nowhere for people to go and sleep for just one night". According to Chesterfield facts, Chesterfield has a population of around 71,000 and I am not saying that everyone is homeless or anything like that but for a town with that population and nowhere for anywhere to sleep for just one night is shocking. However, Chesterfield Christmas Shoebox Appeal restores my faith in humanity as they work tirelessly to help the homeless people of Chesterfield. From making shoe boxes at Christmas for men, women, the elderly and dogs to going out with Church on the Bus, to setting up an Amazon wish list, to using their Facebook page as a way to spread positivity.
The reality is, it doesn't take a lot to try and help anyone in even a little way. Buying a cup of tea or a sausage roll, donating warm clothes, simply making a shoebox at Christmas time...acknowledging that these people are in fact humans and they never asked to be without a safe place to call home.
There are many charities nationwide who are there to help homeless people, collectively we can all help to put a stop to this and show people that good things do happen. Stop worrying about the silly things, like whether the rain is going to prevent you from putting your washing out, or that you have missed Corrie, or that Mr Nobody has taken the last biscuit out of the biscuit tin and start to worry about the things that matter.
I want to make it clear that I am in no way claiming to be an expert regarding homelessness, I am merely a 17 year old who wants to try and help in any way I can.
I shall leave you with a quote that I found whilst on the Chesterfield Christmas Shoebox Appeal Facebook page.
Thank you for taking your time to read this,
Lia x
P.S. I have linked all the pages I have referred to if you would like to look further.
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