Institutionalization Of Homelessness

In 2003, the Scottish Parliament passed the Homeless act which had the aim of ensuring that by 2012 everyone assessed as being unintentionally homeless will be entitled to a permanent place to live. It failed. Instead in 2012 there were 10,308 unintentionally homeless people living in temporary accommodation, with 10% of the vast number – mainly single parent families, I must add- being evicted leaving them with nowhere to go. This ‘outstanding’ act has not been executed leaving it just as writing on paper. However, we ordinary citizens in Glasgow have decided to tackle this economic enemy one step at a time. Through projects, such as Social Bite, we have provided those battling in the frontline of homelessness nutritious meals and even jobs. …show more content…
During a case study regarding homelessness in Glasgow, people were asked if they would give money to the homeless or to Dogs Trust. A meagre 8% of people said they would give money to the homeless, and when the remaining 92% were asked why they wouldn’t drop their spare change in the cup they gave the following responses: “Most people who are homeless are homeless for a reason. Either their families chucked them out or they have spent their money on drugs and alcohol.” And most disturbingly: “Homeless are the virus of our society, they force us to give them our hard earned cash not to feed themselves but to feed their addictions.” Homeless people do not choose this lifestyle and unfortunate circumstances often force them into a situation from which no one will help them – the government least of all. While some homeless people may suffer from addictions which keep them in the system, many affected by homelessness feel they are trapped by a system which does little to help them back out. Every solution offered seems to be temporary; a temporary solution designed to last the rest of their lives. Homeless people unexpectedly find themselves into a situation where they are homeless and suffer in many ways – mentally and socially – because they struggle to rise out of the depths of homelessness. It is disgusting that people automatically assume that just because someone is homeless they are somehow a lesser person. So why are we programmed to only view the homeless …show more content…
He wore a tattered beanie hat that sat above his sunken eyes, and shoes which had lost their purpose of protecting feet. So instead of buying myself a cheap nail polish – that would have just been thrown into my never-ending collection – I paid £2 to provide the man with a satisfying meal. His eyes began to glaze with tears, ‘Can I ask you something? Have you ever been constantly surrounded by people, yet felt so alone you would question your own existence?’ This young man no longer sits outside my work begging for food; he now dines for free with help from Social Bite’s ‘Suspended Meal and Coffee Scheme’. Social Bite is a sandwich shop with a difference as it is a ‘Social Business’. This means that 100% of the profits made in the store are given to good causes and 25% of the business’s staff were once homeless. If you ever fancy a Michelin-starred sandwich, or some fair trade Rwandan coffee, then pop into one of the two stores in Glasgow. Not only will you be filling your stomach, you will be fuelling the battle against

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