Letter to the State Representative on the Increased Criminalization Efforts Against the Homeless

Dear State Representative Collins,

As a citizen of your district who has witnessed the increased criminalization efforts against the homeless in our community, I wish to present some of the concern that I feel should be addressed. The citizens who are not fortunate to have secure roofs over their heads due to the difficult economic status have long been sidelined by the society; this ought to change soon.

The homeless citizens are familiar with the oppression that they face on a daily basis. Around the state and the country as a whole, they have been referred to in derogatory terms. They are viewed as the burden of the society, that they lack morals and decorum. However, they are the victims of longtime prejudice by the society. We, as the society and the community, are the one who has betrayed them through neglect and stigmatization.

Research that has been conducted by several organizations shows that the homeless citizens have long endured hostility from some rogue members of the community. They homeless citizens are being beaten up by youth gangs and the female being subjected to sexual violence. Most of the homeless folks have faced discriminations from the other divide of the citizens, being barred from using some of the public utilities such as buildings, or being denied to use public transportation, or access public parks as well as being given work.

For so long, the homeless have been let down, primarily by the people and the government, reducing them to nothing more than statistics at best. They have been exposed to severe conditions that lead to health implications. Such situations need rectification by ensuring that these people are safe and secure and that they are relocated to adequate housing whose costs are low. This can be achieved by the government and the private sector, who can step up together and promote the view that housing is not only as a right but also as a commodity in its entirety. This is something in which the corporate world may invest in and solidify thereby solving if not reducing the problem of homelessness.

I, therefore, request you to support bills such as the Ending Homelessness Act H.R. 2076 sponsored by Representative Waters. If passed, the bill will guarantee that the constitutional rights of the most vulnerable citizens of our state will be adequately safeguarded and protected. The law will guarantee that the homeless shall not be discriminated during employment, or have their personal properties tampered with. With the new legislation in place, the homeless are guaranteed that their privacy and personal information is safeguarded and that they receive equal and unbiased treatment from the federal and state agencies.

I also urge you to, at an appropriate time, raise awareness to this cause by reminding Americans that the homeless people are human and that they not only have rights but also that they deserve to be treated as humane as possible. Please support this piece of legislation and other similar bills by voting Yes so that the homeless, as well as the other members of our community rights, are protected.

Thank you for your efforts and time for serving New York!

Sincerely,

Your name.