The progression of my writing has been a long road. I challenged myself all throughout last year stacking my schedule with English credits because I have never been the writing guru of my anything. I mainly struggle with compressing my ideas and kicking out irrelevant ones. If it is possible, I have too many ideas. My mother is a phenomenal nonfiction writer and has wrote as a passion since before I can remember about our family and her life. I would say she has the biggest impact on my writing as a child. Throughout my childhood, I was never good with grammar or conventions, but I always made up for it with my unique ideas to get my point across/ hook people in. If anything, I could still use help with my conventions and grammar as stated above. 

        My senior year English teacher, Dr. Rips really had an impact on the improvement of my writing! She really worked with me personally on both my weaknesses, as well as my strengths. Nowadays, I am aware that I need to use my writing strategies to really organize my thoughts beforehand. Preparing helps me avoid babbling on and on about nonsense that takes away from the main idea. Before I start writing I find all the information I possibly can and combine that with my own prior knowledge covering all that I can. also, am a huge note taker and print out all the information I can find, on such topic so that again I am left to pick out what is important and what is not.  

        The class that helped me improve my skills, was referred to as a “college style course” at my high school.  The best I've ever written most definitely was the one I fell in love with my senior year research methods class because I had a topic that I researched for months and felt very strongly about. That topic “going green” covering the consequences of how we treat our environment and about improving our economy by living an ecofriendly life. This piece of text made me grow both as a reader and writer because I took the class day by day and really built off everything I had learned.   

      When beginning any paper, I like to go back to the drawing board, and use webs to organize all my ideas and condense them down by most important as main points and the rest somehow fitting into its supporting details. As I near the end of a piece of text, that means at least 2 people have revised/commented on my paper as well as my own personal conventional check.  

      My favorite environment for writing can vary most of the time. Just surrounding myself with nothing but my work, laptop and headphones in a very quiet place is ideal for me. I would say the Bahamas, sitting on the ocean, but that is not yet something I have been able to experience. I only really like to write stories about fiction because sometimes gathering fact can be stressful as well and citing sources.  

Amy Doty 

English Comp 1 

20 October 2018 

Homeless Epidemic 

            On average a person who goes homeless is most commonly only going to be without a place for one to two days and should never return to being homeless. Being without a home for a long term is unlikely thing but is currently on the rise. While some people lose everything due to criminal acts or drug use others can lose jobs or fall into a hard situation with paying bills and end up on the street with their family, those are the individuals that need this assistance and support. This I learned from watching the day time television show the Ellen DeGeneres show, where she highlights wonderful, caring people that deserve a second chance. There are a lot of homeless victims that share incredible stories and give and create a very positive even if that is their current state of living. 

            According to the Department of Housing and Urban Development, “about 2 million people in the United States were homeless at some point in 2009 (meaning they stayed overnight in a shelter or in a place not meant for human habitation). But on any given day, only about 112,000 people fit the federal definition of "chronic homelessness," which applies to those who have been continuously homeless for a year or more or are experiencing at least their fourth episode of homelessness in three years.” Genetic ties to mental illness or disability make up those who are experiencing long term homelessness. While they make up a small part of the homeless community they are said to be “disproportionately costly to society.” 
           They consume nearly 60 percent of the resources spent on emergency and transitional shelter for adults, and they occupy hospitals and jails at high rates. As a result, many people falsely concluded that an increase in homelessness in the 1980s resulted from the deinstitutionalization of psychiatric care in the 1960s and 1970s,” also stated by the Department of Housing and Urban Development. Poor people with very serious psychiatric conditions such as delusions, schizophrenia have more means of support than others in poverty they are more eligible for a disability check from the government, Medicaid, housing and support devices specially for their needs. How does anyone expect these people to get off the streets, when some of them can not even physically get up on their feet to get moving. 

         In the article entitled,  “Don’t Help the Homeless, Critics Say It Hurts Them” both Amy Taxin, Geoff Mulvihill, and associated press argue that our society's role in positively contributing to helping the homeless have made them enable to get back off the streets and keep up with a habitable residence. Tents, tarps and litter cover the streets near homeless communities, which is a big concern because it is causing the areas to be much “less sanitary” says consultant Robert Marbut. The individuals believe that government housing for the homeless is not a positive step in this epidemic because they give zero to none, when it comes to help with health care incentives for addicts, mental health patients, and the disabled. They believe these services put them back into the mold for homelessness because they receive limited services without treatment, are said to be no help at all. 
           I completely disagree with them, as their points have a sense of reason, there are people who would genuinely going to use it the benefit and help them out of homelessness then that idea seems unreasonable to me. In every situation in life there are people that will use resources for good and some bad. It’s even mentioned in the article, that the government has forced people to move from bus stops/benches to the flood control channel, Santa Ana River in Anaheim. I couldn’t imagine losing my job and being forced to move into a tent on a flood control channel, my point being we are hardly doing much for the homeless as it is.  

 There are many little things the average person could do every day to help those less fortunate, people need homes, food, healthcare and we need the governments help to make a change.  
           I aspire to be able to use both my personality and voice to raise awareness to help the homeless in the future if there is still a huge problem and have always wanted to further research to extend help. The opposing article referred to in the paragraph above, “Don’t Help the Homeless, Critics Say it Hurts Them,” seems to tie together all types of homelessness into such negative views such as those who are addicts or criminals because that is how our society view all, if not most, homeless. There are always going to be a ton of both good humane people and others who use do not have an intention to do good for whatever the reason. We should not reduce our contribution as a country to the homeless, that may only deepen the problem and at least can help a lot of good people that are looking for a second chance, or even children who start off life with no necessities for life.  I believe the government should continue to assistance and raise awareness to help decrease the numbers of people facing these hardships.  

 

Citations 

Staff, The Week. “America's Homelessness Crisis.” The Week - All You Need to Know about Everything That Matters, The Week, 11 Mar. 2018, theweek.com/articles/759683/americas-homelessness-crisis. 

“The Homeless Epidemic.” Project Homeless Connect, www.phcslc.org/the-homeless-epidemic. 

Estries, Michael. “Ellen DeGeneres Presents Homeless Teen with $50K Scholarship.” MNN - Mother Nature Network, Mother Nature Network, 5 June 2017, www.mnn.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/blogs/ellen-degeneres-presents-homeless-teen-with-50k-scholarship.

Amy Doty
English Comp 1 

15 November 2018 

                                                       Reflection Journal 2 

         For this paper I was given the task to interview someone with an opposing thought process to mine when it comes to the homelessness epidemic. For this interview I spoke in depth with Nick Morgensen, who feels fortunate to be living a life where he has all his daily necessities within reach, lived in a middle-class home, attended catholic schooling his entire life. Nicholas volunteered for Siena Francis house all four years of high school in Omaha, NE and listening/ spoke with a variety of ethnicities and people about their lives and the hardships that have come along with it. Nicholas stated that “most homeless people can receive benefits and that the homeless should be responsible for changing their situation and using the resources they’ve got in front of them already to get them back into society.”  

       Nicholas backs us his points with reasonings about the fake homeless that try and scam others, and those who put themselves into homelessness by losing everything due to the use of drugs and alcohol. Nick learned most of his knowledge about the homeless at the Siena Francis House, which is known for assisting about 400,000 people each year. He volunteered during high school at the shelter; by helping those individuals prepare meals, serve them and clean up. The most empowering part was sitting with the guests and hearing their own life stories of them on the streets. 

       He mentioned the idea of the fake homeless and how it is difficult for some people to get assistance just because they are trying to decipher between people that really need help and those that don’t. Both feeling very strongly about our points, we are both just trying to think in the shoes of those who experience such tragedies and don’t put themselves into their place sometimes people fall into hard situations. When individuals are without a home for a long term is unlikely thing but is currently on the rise. While some people lose everything due to criminal acts or drug use others can lose jobs or fall into a hard situation with paying bills and end up on the street with their family, those are the individuals that need this assistance and support. 

       Although I initially wanted to speak with a homeless victim themselves, I chose to use Nick as my interviewee due to his background. I  thought it would be interesting to her some who has it all’s point of view on a matter involving those who have so little. The primary audience would be for those that are considering their own position on homelessness or those that are homeless so that they can be aware of why not everyone acts so nice and giving to those that are less fortunate. 

       I believe as though the homeless need more assistance from the government to get up and off the streets, meanwhile he thinks that it is the homeless job to use the resources they are given by the government to get themselves out of the hole.  These victims facing homelessness are left with a lifetime remembrance of the hardships and obstacles they must have had to overcome, PTSD, eating disorders, drug and alcohol addictions. I strongly believe, that no matter the actual side of the individual, reading any information on this topic will either strengthen or sway the readers own opinion.

         Another way someone can become homeless is through a loss of income or even housing affordability, leaving someone in this position with close to no options. Individuals that are escaping violence, sometimes resort to leaving everything and hitting the streets to avoid danger. Racial disparities set those apart from others when trying to receive benefits, because to some they are less of an importance. Over half a million individuals are without a home and necessities every day! One eighth of homeless housing in the United States, has lost since 2001 making these people pay even higher payments for their housing. Meanwhile some cities are making homelessness a crime, changing rules on where people can tent out and sleep.  

        As of 2017, In Nebraska alone there are 2,501 homeless people known people struggling to support their families, let alone themselves. The National Home Alliance, stated they are a “a nonpartisan organization committed to preventing and ending homelessness in the United States.” While this website gave me a lot of information including facts and advice on what homelessness is, and how someone can begin to get out of it, this “alliance” does not seem to be the ones going out to help these people in need.  I also disagree in the sense that they give all this advice and facts, yet still people are doing the minimal and not catching homelessness at the source. Individuals need more than a meal on the table from the local soup kitchen once a year. Homeless veterans desperately need assistance and deserve our hep along with the government, as well.  

         Since last year, Nebraska has worked to get all known homeless families sheltered and off the streets. While homeless individuals are slightly less than rocketing but still decreased to 7% unsheltered, as the statistics for families increased to be 100% sheltered. There are all kinds of homelessness, the most common four are referred to as either sheltered (with or without a family), or unsheltered (with or without family). One in five people that are without a home are those that suffer with mental illnesses which increasing self-medication with furthers risk of addiction setting them off more and more.  

        In personal relation Nebraska, their homeless every statistic mentioned has decreased almost dramatically. For veterans, there are tens of thousands that are homeless every single night. One quarter of these people being young children and teenagers that will soon have to support their own families while they came from nothing when they were born into the circle. Unaccompanied youth can lead to gangs, robbery, or drug abuse because someone who needs quick cash and sometimes are not even of age for an occupation yet, will do anything to get food on the table or a hotel room to shower and sleep solid for a night. 

Amy Doty 

English Composition 

11 December 2018 

                                                 REFELCTION JOURNAL 4 

 The homeless need more assistance from the government to get up and off the streets, meanwhile others believe it is the homeless job to use the resources they are given by the government to get themselves out of the hole. These victims facing homelessness are left with a lifetime remembrance of the hardships and obstacles they must have had to overcome, PTSD, eating disorders, drug and alcohol addictions. 

            I believed this quote I found was very important because it left me wondering and connected with the little he had to say and found it to be so true, we need to come together and fix this place when it comes down to it there's not much beyond what is right in front of each one of us. . I hope that more people take into consideration these people and how wise and important the homeless can end up being to our society. ” The morning sun waved a crossed the boardwalk in Venice, it was on this Friday David Weller sat watching beachgoers on a plastic folding chair walking past. He had been living among the beach for the past four months “after $850-a-month rent sharing a Mid-City house became too much for him to handle on a Social Security check.” The beach gave him a sense of hope and peace, “This, to me, is the end of the world,” he said, glancing out into the pacific “You can’t go any further than that big ocean out there.”

          Connecting to the Norton Reading, Against the Odds by Dainel Borchers, Truman states that he developed a connection with the people he spoke to, which relates into how people are going to become aware of the cause is for them to thoroughly understand what is happening and what they can do to help. The assistance that is given through the government is limited and broadly categorizes so many types of people into such limited groups which can only negatively affect us as a whole in the long run. These people can create jobs and put money into the economy. The homeless do not receive that help that seems to be given to them by the government, making the criteria for these people looking to start over very singling and incompatible. 

We need to be providing the homeless with support begins by addressing the obstacles they face in their communities. Almost everyone agrees that homelessness needs to be dealt with and is a very big issue in the united states. Our government is said to take account for the kinds of things that have been happening in result of this homeless epidemic. Personally, I think the louder our voices the bigger the impact will be for all the change that so desperately needs to be happening in our country right now!