Over the years, we have seen an increase in the homeless population in our nation. Homelessness is no respecter of persons. It doesn’t care about your ethnicity, socioeconomic status, or age.

We can’t pretend it doesn’t exist. We see it happening everywhere. Homelessness has become a serious issue in our communities. Unfortunately, people think homelessness in always related to drugs and alcohol issues or mental illness, but in all reality, that is not necessarily true.

Our communities have a homeless and hunger problem for numerous reasons. It could be because of a job loss, medical issues, being unable to continue to pay rising rent or mortgage payments, or a lack of affordable housing, just to name a few reasons.

Did you know there are people working and are homeless or another term houseless? Do you know how many people go to bed hungry and wake up the same whether homeless or not? More than you think!

One of the saddest things is seeing people digging in the trash, especially children, looking for food to eat because they’re hungry. With prices rising on a daily basis, it can become difficult for people to meet their basic needs! That should not be!

Who wants to wake up homeless on the streets, moving from shelter to shelter, or living in their cars? No one! These things can have a significant impact on one’s mental health.

Let us remember, everyone that is homeless doesn’t have an addiction or is mental ill; simply, they are human-beings that are facing life challenges. We all have faced, or currently facing some type of challenge in our lives.

They have a story to tell, if someone is willing to listen!