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Showing posts from September, 2020

Rising Homelessness and The Pandemic

As the COVID-19 pandemic rages on, many people are at risk of becoming homeless. Many are experiencing lay offs or job loss, yet bills are still due. The inability to pay their bills due to the pandemic is causing people to be evicted, forcing them onto the streets in these dangerous times. So why aren't we talking about this more? Being homeless is already an extremely dangerous and stressful situation that no one wants to be in, let alone being homeless during a pandemic. So how exactly does this affect them worse than it does those with houses?  The homeless population is often of older age and/or with underlying medical conditions, putting them at a greater risk of serious infection. How are homeless people supposed to get masks, hand sanitizer, or even soap? Yes, there are shelters and they help a lot of people, but living in a shelter isn't always the best option for people who are homeless. Some shelters turn you away due to/if you identify as LGBT or transgender, not al

What is Happening in Louisiana?

 Over the past couple months, the entire world has been going through a devastating pandemic. But to make things worse, recently Louisiana and Texas have been hit by hurricanes.  Hurricane Laura hit most recently, about a week ago. Hurricane Laura was a category 4 hurricane, with winds up to 150 mph and a storm surge height of 15 feet. This hurricane left many areas of Louisiana and Texas destroyed and suffering. Now, many people are left without water, power, and shelter. Following the hurricane however, is a dangerous heat wave with high humidity and temperatures that feel like 103-110 degrees Fahrenheit. Many people will be suffering during this because they don't have access to water or shelter after the hurricane hit.  It has been reported that 25 people have died between Texas and Louisiana from this disaster, and half of that number is from generator leaks. So on top of the pandemic, hurricane, and record heat waves, many are dying from carbon monoxide poisonings as well. To

Why Access to Nutritional Information is Most Important in Poor Communities

  Growing up in Metro Detroit, I've seen so many people struggle not only with affording food, but with healthy eating. It is known by most that it's cheaper, faster, and easier to eat fast food than it is to cook healthy and nutritious meals everyday. But why is that? Most people in low income communities don't have the time to cook meals everyday, as they're forced to work ridiculous hours just to stay afloat. Most of the people I know in my community work anywhere between 40 and 60 hours a week. How can you expect someone to have the energy to be able to provide themselves multiple nutritious meals a day when they barely even have time to relax? Then there are so many people who do have the time, energy, and motivation to cook for themselves, but they don't know where to start. That is what I want to focus on most. The lack of education that is provided to poorer communities is systematic, it is built like that to keep the poor on bottom. At my high school, I bar