The United States is the leading country in resources, arms and ammunitions in the world, and has a population of 327 million according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Though it is highly modernized and urbanized, not all citizens live a luxurious life here. Many people do not have a physical address to live in, no good food, education or other basic needs.

They are the unrecognized part of the population.

They are homeless.

Homelessness has always been a serious issue in the country. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) uses a narrow definition, largely limited to people living in shelters, transitional housing and public places.

According to it, at least 2.5 to 3.5 million people sleep in places like these. This number is outrageously high.

The country has neglected this issue.

It is hard to imagine a day without shelter and security, while people like us are helpless. The root cause of this issue is that many people cannot afford housing.

There is a limited scale of housing assistance programs available to people. The housing that is available is also highly expensive. If housing is so expensive for an average earning person, then it certainly isn’t affordable for those who do not have a stable job. The other possible reasons for homelessness are divorce, domestic violence and unemployment.

Many efforts have been made across the country to help the homeless with shelters.

Homeless service providers and the Federal government have reduced chronic homelessness among veterans with targeted efforts like the HUD-VASH program.

It provides special sections of housing for veterans, which I believe is extremely important.

Similarly, laws were created to provide equal opportunity for free public education to homeless students. It is supposed to break down all the barriers such as residence restriction, medical record verification and transportation issues.

These efforts are not enough to resolve the problem of homelessness.

Still the 1996 Urban Institute findings of the National Survey of Homeless assistance providers and clients (UIHAC) shows that 53 percent of homeless people have less than a high school education.

There are several complications in being homeless. Lack of stability and consistency can be detrimental to young kids.

Many homeless people are deprived of good education. Those who live in shelter houses, such as foster kids, become homeless after they are 18. Lack of funding leads them to wander around, because many do not get adopted.

They suffer from disproportionately high rates of poly substances abuse, mental illness and physical health problems.

Lack of health insurance, Social security card and permanent address prohibit many homeless people from receiving care.

Homeless people are overlooked by society.

They are suspected to be criminals, but they are the real victims, especially of hate crimes.

According to National Coalition for the health (NCH), there were 109 attacks on homeless people.

This number increased by 24 percent last year.

Amidst the terror of being unsecure, how can a homeless person thrive and work for his/her life?

There are shelter homes in the country, but they are not in good condition. Many run on donations made by the public and state government.

However, they are not receiving the proper amount in funding for it.

When the asylums and mental institutions all closed down over two decades ago, most of those people became homeless. Dealing with the pressures of mental illness and not having access to medically prescribed drugs can cause homeless people to use illegal drugs to cope.

The announcement that the Desiard Street Shelter House is planning to stop its night shelter services due to economic instability hits home about this issue.

Have we ever wondered what might happen to the innocent lives that rely on these shelters? It is easy to ignore people when you are better off than them but that doesn’t make it right. We have to be better.

We, as a community, should work collectively to save the shelters for the helpless.

The people in authority should realize this issue and work out solutions to give a better life to the homeless.