I need to convince my students that they shold care about the homeless! How?

Question

I teach five classes of college bound students, and as our problem based learning unit, the teachers have chosen to discuss the problem of homelessness. The problem is: about half my students don't even want to do it! They say it's the fault of homeless people that they are homeless, and it's not the responsibility of society to do anything to help. I know how they feel: I know that I have been angered to see homeless people throw the food I have given them away, and we all probably exchange stories about something like this that has happened to us. But that's not the point. Homelessness is a problem, and many people don't realize that there are many reasons for homelessness, not just laziness. What can I do? I've already discussed these things with my classes.

Answer 1

Start with the list of WHY people are homeless and WHO homeless people are. People are often shocked to find out what percentage of homeless people suffer from *severe* mental disabilities. The second shocker comes when they find out how many people who are homeless are veterans, including from the current military campaigns in Iraq and Afghanistan. We're overwhelmed with the message "support the troops!", but what a shock it is to find out how many of those troops are on the streets right now.

I used to think homeless teens were lazy good for nothings who were just taking a break from their families. When I befriended a woman who worked with homeless teens in Austin, I was stunned as the facts/realities she shoed me regarding teen homelessness -- how many of the kids were victims of sex abuse at home, how many were mentally disturbed... I felt ashamed at my previous assumptions.

You need to get literature and speakers from organizations that deal with homeless issues. You aren't the expert -- don't try to be. But these people and their organizations are. They would be HAPPY to come talk to your students, to answer their tough questions, and to give them the cold hard facts regarding homelessness.

Next, you review the consequences of homelessness, to both those who are homeless (huge risk of all sorts of health diseases, of being robbed, of being raped, etc.) and those who aren't homeless. Again, call on the experts to help you.

You can't compel people to care. All you can do is give them the facts, show them the realities, and then let them make their decisions.

Answer 2

Well, the 'homelessness' you've just discussed is the sort of 'open' homelessness, and it's a fact that in some places those people need to pay someone else in order to be able to stay in one spot and ask by-passers for money (it's the fishy spot, you know). There were numerous stories, some even published in newspapers, of scams like that; I personally recollect an article which said that a journalist tried to follow a homeless woman to interview her on her situation only to come to her high-rise condo.

The big problem lies within people who are not as open about their situation. I think shows like Oprah would probably have good videos about that. Many people live in extreme poverty, but don't like to share their troubles with others and don't want to ask people for money. This is generally hidden from the public view, so you'd have to dig deeper.

If you're really adventurous, you could go visit a homeless shelter, where you'll see people who only go there for food (because they can't afford it), and maybe you could speak to one of them. Hell, bring him in to speak to your class.

There are many articles on this issue, such as this one:

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/24/us/24maine.html?_r=1&th&emc=th&oref=slogin

Answer 3

well i may not know much but what my teachers tell me is that we need to help those ppl because you dont know what has happened to that person. they could have a mental disease and got rejected by their family and cant work so they live in the streets. or maybe u could say that some people might have gotten their identity hacked and had no money left at all. so now they live in the streets because they have nothing else. if you take your students to go fix up a house or to a shelter u really will change their ideas. when i was 8(not that long ago) my church went to go fix up a house of a man that we didnt know at all but we fixed up his house because it got in a terrible fire and had nothing left and he could only pay for basics but that wasnt much. ever since i got to paint that man's house i see ppl differently. that maybe there's a good side to these people. but people just dont care or enough or have the time to learn their stories.

Answer 4

I would say the best way to convince them is to see for themselves how these homeless people land in their situation. Take them to places where these people are commonly found and let them see how little babies and woman and men have to live, it will also teach them to be grateful for what they have. Let them experiance all the details.

Answer 5

I think you should show a video to them about it