Homeless: Anything Helps.

My favorite thing about New York is the people, because I think they’re misunderstood. I don’t think people realize how kind New York people are.

– Bill Murray

    In a city filled with such wealth, almost a fifth of New York City residents live in poverty and nearly half the city’s households are considered near poor according to The Center for New York City Affairs. Aside from this, as of June 2019, 60,849 people in New York City are considered homeless and about 4,000 people turn the streets of the City into their bed each night. Moreover, out of 8.5 million people, nearly 1 in every 121 New Yorkers, or over 170,000 people, is currently homeless; however, only 1 out of 17, or 500,000, are visible. With that being said, it is not surprising that homelessness is one of the toughest challenges that New York City faces.

The first couple weeks in New York, I felt as if it was impossible to walk anywhere without encountering someone homeless; a sad sight for sure, but the very real reality one must accept about New York City. When I would find myself getting lost, an occurrence that was as constant as enduring a long commute due to traffic, I would always be forced to accept this reality head-on. There were two specific times where I interacted (positively) with people who were homeless. The first encounter was in the subway station when my metro card was not working and there was not a help booth. I kept swiping my card hoping it may eventually work when a man noticed I was having trouble. He gave me the location of the corresponding station that would have a help booth so that I could get help in regards to getting my metro card to work. The second encounter I can recall was one afternoon when I was out shopping and exploring the Lower West Side. I was trying to find a specific store using my phone’s GPS, but ended up walking in circles (or at least what felt like) when a man on the street called out to me and while pointing in the direction said, “uptown is that way, downtown is this way. And 6th avenue runs this way, 31st street runs that way.” All I remember thinking at that moment was how grateful I was because I have never been so lost and confused.

    Although these interactions were short and brief, they exhibited genuine random acts of kindness when least expected. Both experiences truly opened my eyes and showed me that random acts of kindness can come from those least expect. These interactions made me more aware of those homeless around me as well as feel obligated to help them in their time of need because they did that for me. This thought process was something I was able to reflect upon more in-depth later on in the summer and tie it back to my classwork when we approached week eight as the theme was governing global poverty. This topic was one of importance as it addressed the crucial issue of ‘what is one’s responsibility to help those who are poorer, both in terms of money and resources?” While it is a very complex issue, it ties into the challenge that New York faces every day in regards to homelessness and poverty.