Homeless People

The Salvation Army released a report on how Canadians feel about homeless people, not gonna lie, I was kind of shocked by the info!

• 40% of us believe that most homeless people want to live on the street or in shelters
• 30% believe that a good work ethic is all you need to escape homelessness
• 20% think the homeless people are to blame for the situation they're in
• 43% never give money to them
• 40% believe they're mentally ill
• 33% are scared of homeless people

And on the flipside

• 93% agrees that no Canadian should be homeless
• 86% believes housing is a fundamental right for all of us
• 75% acknowledge that once you become homeless, it is difficult to get into housing

I met a homeless man in Vancouver, we sat and chatted for hours about his situation. His ex-wife had taken him for everything, and he was so distressed about his divorce that his employer fired him! It really opened my eyes to the simple fact that not all homeless people made some bad mistakes to lead them to where they are today.

While I think it's great that soo many Canadians step up to the plate and donate to third world countries, or places that are in dire need such as Japan after the latest catastrophe... but don't forget about your own neighbours.

There's so many ways to help fellow Canadians, and the Salvation Army can help you get started!
http://www.salvationarmy.ca/