Research on Homelessness

Social Experiments

I've seen so many videos and social experiments proving time and again that so many rich people cannot relate or understand and SO many are just downright rude and awful. It's strange, this disconnection. This separation. This mentality that as soon as someone is on the street they're suddenly less than human, 'not like us', not worth our time or care. It's a hard experience being homeless, many are homeless to escape abuse and many just don't have a choice. And yet people treat them like they're diseased and evil. Like their homelessness is contagious but you're immune if you're rude. I'm really good at relating to people but I am having such a hard time trying to understand why someone would be so horrible to another human who's already hurting.

It seems to be about empathy. Only the homeless can truly understand what it is to be homeless, and though they have very little, they're willing to share what they have.

Side thought - giving feels good. Feeling like you're at the bottom where you have to ask other people to give to you must feel awful. Even when you have very little, giving to someone else would feel good. I was reading an article a while ago - I can't find it now but it was saying it is necessary for our happiness to give, either our time, money or kindness. 

Real homeless people

Reading mean tweets:

Short doco

'Putting Homelessness in Focus' Part one

Part two

Auckland girls interview homeless

New report on 'new faces of homelessness' 

Housing crises, minimum wage and other factors are causing hard working families to loose their homes. From here, the children develop sickness, don't do well at school, and stress levels rise.

These people are homeless. We may not see them on the streets but they have no where to live.

Their story is becoming increasingly common

Useful links:

Canadian homeless help

http://www.raisingtheroof.org/about-homelessness/long-term-solutions-for-homelessness/

Auckland businesses spraying homeless, news report

https://www.tvnz.co.nz/one-news/new-zealand/-inhumane-auckland-city-businesses-drenching-homeless-with-water-q01872

NZ stats and info

https://www.parliament.nz/en/pb/research-papers/document/00PLEcoRP14021/homelessness-in-new-zealand

homeless death rates

http://www.cdc.gov/features/homelessness/

Useful nz info

http://nzccss.org.nz/work/poverty/the-real-housing-affordability-issues/homelessness-the-invisible-housing-problem/