I recently had my eyes and mind opened to an issue that I now see as “the war on homelessness.” I would describe based on the actions taken by our city and federal governments to attempt to deal with the homeless population. These actions include things becoming visible in cities all around the world — such as anti-homeless spikes and benches, laws and regulations.

I have seen homeless people on the streets all of my life, but I was always influenced to believe that these people were nothing more than drug addicts looking for a bit of pocket change to fund their next drug or drink purchase. Unfortunately, I believed the common misconception that these facts were completely true, up until recently, when I began to research homelessness in depth for a class project. Since then, my perception of this issue completely flipped.

Chronic homelessness is caused by mental or physical disorders, preventing these individuals from providing themselves with shelter, income, and a strong social network. A few years ago, I learned about the anti-homeless spikes that London began to put into the sidewalks, streets and storefronts. They started to place these spikes so that the homeless would stay away from areas considered too nice for them to inhabit. I then began to research other anti-homeless measures taken in the United States, learning that these type of spikes had been implemented in U.S. cities as well.

Another tactic used is the anti-panhandling rules that prevent homeless from asking for money from fellow citizens. "Sit and lie ordinances" control where and how long people could sit and lie in certain places in cities. I also saw pictures of benches that have arm rests cutting through the middle of benches that prevent people from physically being able to lie down on them. There are also certain benches that are slanted at an angle, making it impossible to lie down without sliding off.

We push the idea out of our immediate sight so we can continue to feel as if it doesn’t actually exist — an “out of sight, out of mind” mindset. If we can push the homeless out of our physical sight, then we won’t ever have to think about the issue in serious depth. We are able to glue down these spikes and put our minds at ease. We no longer have to see the poor homeless man lying down outside the shopping mall. We have forced him to another area where we will not have to pity him any longer.

Throughout my research, I discovered an inspiring group of people who decided to take action into their own hands. They decided to revamp an area that had fallen victim to the anti-homeless spikes. They glued a soft bed over the spikes and placed a bookshelf filled with free books next to it.

I find it uplifting that groups of people like this exist. Although much of the information I have found throughout my research is negative, it is hopeful to find people taking action. My hope is to spread knowledge and awareness pertaining to this issue and to hopefully reverse the negative stereotypes surrounding the homeless population in our country.