Times discussion focused on homelessness

There are people in the Towson community that have experienced life on the streets, but many students may have not talked to anyone in that situation or been in that position themselves. 

To learn about the issue and the trend of homelessness, students and faculty discussed the rising number of homeless people in America during The New York Times Talk Monday afternoon.

Electronic media and film assistant professor Elsa Lankford was the host for the discussion. Lankford felt very strongly that homelessness is a rising concern and that those who are fortunate enough to have a home should not take their possessions for granted.

“These are people who have stories that aren’t told very often and these people could very well be one of us,”Lankford said. 

The group talked about various reasons for homelessness and discussed the need for people to reach out and help others. Lankford stressed the importance of volunteering in soup kitchens or homeless shelters as a way to give back to the community.

“There are very few people who are doing enough for those who are homeless,” Lankford said. “Even just being more aware of the problem helps.”

Several attendees discussed the issue of being “home poor,” which means having a home, but not being able to afford furniture or any other necessities, so the home is empty. The group majority felt that having a home, even an empty home, gives people a sense of security as well as a sense of community.

“The idea of a house is not only a part of your identity, but also a sense of security,” Lankford said. “But when you do not have anything to put in your house you aren’t homeless, but how much do you really have?”

Junior Chelsea Harris attended this discussion because she said she feels that not enough is being done about people who do not have a home of their own. 

Harris was surprised to hear the stories of some of the homeless people because they do not fit the typical stereotype of druggies or criminals.

“The one thing that stood out to me was that everyone in the articles that was homeless didn’t start out that way,” Harris said. “Some of them started off as the typical middle-class Americans just trying to live ‘the American dream’ but due to the economy they were forced to be homeless.”

A major part of the discussion was the recession’s impact on people losing their homes. Many students agreed that the poor economy is forcing people to downgrade their lifestyles and give up luxuries, cars and in worse case scenarios – homes.

“Ten percent of homeless people lost their homes to foreclosure,” Lankford said. 

“It really could happen to anyone of us.”