Homelessness Surrounds All

Growing up around Detroit, I have seen plenty of homeless people under bridges, on freeway exit ramps and on street corners.
But I was never aware until recently of how close the homeless really are to me.
At my own high school, Southfield High, there are more than two dozen families that are homeless or in need, according to Andrew Green, adviser to the Southfield Student Congress.
When I thought of a homeless person, I never thought it could be the person sitting next to me in class or the person across the lunch table from me. But in reality, the homeless are all around me.
I came to this revelation while assisting on my school’s canned food drive. To my surprise, the food collected was not being sent to a Detroit shelter. It was being discretely given to needy families in my own school community.
Counselor Neesha Harper says that some students’ only meals are the school lunches and breakfasts that are provided for free to those who need them.
If that is true, I wonder how these students will eat during the upcoming holiday breaks. The answer, according to Counselor Harper, is they are probably not.
This realization causes me to wonder how families can be struggling right in front of me and it is not even noticeable to me.
Southfield, Michigan, has a poverty rate of 11 percent, according to USA city facts. Seems small, right? But, that equates to about 8,000 poor people in Southfield. Of those 8,000 homeless families, more than 24 are a part of my school.
People – including me – often take what they have for granted, not realizing what other people encounter, such as not having a home or a meal. But finally realizing that people so close to me have deeper problems than I have makes me very appreciative.
You just never know what other people are going through at home or in their personal lives.