ART 3170 Civic Engagement: Social Issues "Action" Project: Homeless Life Matter

HOMELESS LIFE MATTERS

Civic engagement is working to make a difference in the civic life of one’s community and developing the combination of knowledge, skills, values and motivation to make a difference. According to the New York Times, civic engagement means to promote the quality of life in a community, through political and noon- political processes. In my own opinion for civic engagement is, making a change in the community and in the world where people come together in their roles as citizens to improve the civic life.

My social issue topic that I choose is homelessness. This social issue is important to me because I live close to Downtown Los Angeles and there’s like a street full of homeless people with their tents or shelters made by hand. It is really sad because sometimes the homeless people fight for a piece of chicken they find in the trash that people throw away. I don’t know what homeless people do when it is cold and there are rainy days, like where do they go? Homeless people get rejected from help sometimes because of how they look and smell but they need the help.

Problem Definition

Step1: Research

1) A) Article: “Causes, Effects and Issues of Homeless People”

https://www.longdom.org/open-access/causes-effects-and-issues-of-homeless-people-2167-0358-1000223.pdf

B) Website: “Understanding how homelessness affect us all”

https://theatreforliving.com/past_work/after_homelessness/KitchenTable_Guide.pdf

2) According to the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority, an estimated 82,955 people feel into homelessness during 2019. In the same year, 22,769 people were place in housing through the country’s homeless service system. An estimated 52,686 people became homeless free. To be more accurate 227 people became homeless every day. There is about 20% of homeless that are over age 62 and youth those under the age of 18 – 24 are more than 3,000 homeless.

http://www.laalmanac.com/social/so14.php

This is the numbers of the homeless population counts in Los Angeles County

Year	City of Los Angeles			All Los Angeles County
Year	Total	Unsheltered	Sheltered	Total	Unsheltered	Sheltered
2020	41,290	28,852	12,438	66,436	48,041	18,395
2019	36,300	27,221	8,944	58,936	42,471	13,786
2018	31,285	22,887	8,398	52,765	39,396	13,369
2017	34,189	25,237	8,952	57,794	42,828	14,966
2015	25,686	17,687	7,999	44,359	31,018	13,341
2013	22,993	14,968	8,025	39,463	25,136	14,327
2011	-	-	-	39,135	20,517	19,176
2009	-	-	-	38,602	21,073	16,745
2007	-	-	-	52,956	39,168	13,788
2005	-	-	-	65,287	53,429	11,858

This is the Age Group of Homeless from 2018 – present

Age Group/Percentage	City of Los Angeles			All of Los Angeles County*
Age Group/Percentage	2020	2019	2018	2020	2019	2018
Under 18	4,923 (11.9%)	3,305 (9.1%)	3,022 (9.7%)	7,491 (0.0%)	5,061 (9.0%)	4,731 (9.5%)
18 - 24	2,910 (7.0%)	2,272 (6.3%)	2,052 (6.6%)	4,181 (6.6%)	3,527 (6.3%)	2,955 (5.9%)
25 - 54	23,479 (56.9%)	21,788 (60.1%)	18,446 (59.0%)	37,138 (58.3%)	24,063 (42.8%)	29,571 (59.2%)
55 - 61	5,898 (14.3%)	5,654 (15.6%)	4,755 (15.2%)	8,606 (13.5%)	8,375 (14.9%)	7,871 (15.8%)
62 and Over	4,080 (9.9%)	3,146 (8.7%)	3,010 (9.6%)	6,290 (9.9%)	5,231 (9.3%)	4,82

Step 2: Personal

1) This issue affects me because it is sad and disappointing seeing people young like my age lost in the world not knowing how beautiful life can be. We don’t know their story in why are they living in the streets but there are so many opportunities out in the community that can help. I feel worse when its winter and homeless people walking without a sweater and shoes knowing tis cold. I would feel terrible feeling cold during winter and not being able to drink something cold to warm me up.

2) I choose this issue because I lived through it when I was in one time when I was waiting in the Starbucks lien and a guy in a wheel chair knocks on my window and says “do you have a spare change?” “I need it for at least some Advil, its cold and my bones hurt”. I gave the man 20 dollars and he started to cry because he was more than blessed receiving 20 dollars that can help him buy more than just some pills started telling me his story on how it all started. I’ll never forget it because it’s something so sad that makes you think “why his family member leaves him out in the streets knowing he needs medication and is too old”.