According to a June, 2019 study conducted by the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority, only 29% of people who are experiencing homelessness report serious mental illness or substance abuse problems, which is consistent with national data. In fact, further investigation revealed that those who do suffer from these conditions report that it was homelessness that caused the problem and not the other way around. Most people who are experiencing homelessness did not lose their homes as a result of addiction, but rather, losing their home is what caused the addiction. Mental illnesses, such as depression, are a natural byproduct of the trauma associated with losing everything you once had, such as your previous identity, friends and family, job, pets, and social standing. Substance abuse is a common coping mechanism to numb the pain that comes with catastrophic loss. Memories of their previous life, coupled with the grim reality of their present situation, is enough to drive anyone to abuse alcohol or drugs.

Numerous studies conducted across multiple platforms report varying figures regarding the prevalence of serious mental illness among the homeless. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services reports that about a third of the nation's homeless population suffers from mental illnesses ranging from bipolar disorder to schizophrenia. Studies also indicate that in most cases, the individuals suffered from mental illness before becoming homeless and that homelessness was a direct result of their illness, which is in direct contrast with those suffering from addiction. Studies further hypothesize that those suffering from mental illness, who are unable to manage their illness and their lives on their own, are far more likely to end up homeless. Once these individuals are out on the street, their chances of accessing care are very low. This lack of access to care may be due to the individual's inability to locate services without assistance from another person, or access to the internet or a telephone. They are far less likely to pursue help for a mental illness while they are in search of a safe place to sleep, or something to eat. This is precisely why Helper Bee exists: to deliver donated mobile phones and other helpful resources into the hands of those who need them.

Whether or not an individual's poor choices or judgement are the reasons they became homeless is not for us to decide. Common logic may suggest that we all "get what we deserve in life," but we believe that everyone deserves the right to human dignity, regardless if they've made mistakes. While we do agree with the credo that food and shelter are privileges that are earned, we also acknowledge that some people simply cannot provide for themselves in the same way that we can. We believe that everyone deserves another chance, and that is an individual has fallen to a level from which they cannot escape, then it is our sense of charity that must intervene. Whether or not an individual "deserves" to live like an animal, and be subjected to great personal danger and illness, is not for anyone else to judge. Helper Bee exists to make their struggle a little less terrible.

If you ask any homeless organization, they will tell you the same thing: only a small percentage of homeless individuals and families actually live on the street. In fact, according to the National Coalition for the Homeless (NCH), only 25-30% live on the street. Most of society's homeless live in vehicles away from our sight, and that's why this group is largely unaccounted for. Even the groups whose sole purpose is to count the homeless in each city every few years will tell you that they cannot possibly estimate how many people are living in vehicles. While they do manage to count a high number of them, there is simply no way to provide an accurate count.

People who live in vehicles are only slightly "better off" than their street-living counterparts in that they still face the same daily struggle for survival. They are also hungry and cold (or hot), they also must seek out water to drink and wash with, and they must also look for a safe place to go to the bathroom several times a day. If a person or family is "lucky" enough to have a vehicle to live in, they can at least keep some items with them, such as food, blankets, or a cooler with bottled water.

This one might be the most troublesome of them all. To think that someone would choose this way of life is about as ridiculous and unfair as it could get. Nobody chooses to be homeless, just as nobody was born homeless. Homeless people started off like the rest of us: with a home. They are homeless as a result of a tragedy or some type of catastrophic event. While it's easy for us to assume that an individual must prefer to have their "freedom," we must understand that that is probably a bluff. Freedom from accountability, responsibility, and paying bills would be considered "freedom" to some, but the shame, humiliation, and never-ending fear that comes with homelessness is almost never a choice. If an individual prefers living on the street over a clean, safe home, then good for them! Helper Bee will give them socks and food too!

This is another one that defies logic. People who say that homeless people "should just get a job" have not yet figured out that it just isn't that simple. Many factors are at work that go against them getting a job, the first one being that they have no address, phone, or email address. Secondly, they have nowhere to shower or keep clean clothes. The third factor is that they don't have anywhere to keep what few possessions they do have, especially if it's a pet, while they're at work. Lastly, and possibly the most important, is the probability that they in fact do suffer from a mental illness that renders them unable to not only find a job but to keep one.

Another fact that most people don't realize, is that a lot of homeless people actually do have jobs. These are the homeless people that we don't see out in the open. These are the ones who sleep in their cars, wash up in public restrooms before work, and use their small paychecks on gas, food, parking, work clothes, and sometimes motel rooms. In order to get an apartment, one must have decent credit, references, and a large deposit. Someone who is earning $8/hour is not going to be able to save that amount of money if they're spending their paychecks on daily survival. It's a vicious Catch-22.

If the average person knew how much work it took to survive on the street with no money, they would not use the word "lazy." The very process of staying warm, or cool, or dry in outdoor weather is a challenge in itself. They must find a safe place to sleep each night, find somewhere to use the bathroom several times each day, and of course, find food and water. All of this is accomplished without a cent to their name, among a public that scorns and shames them. They must avoid violence, theft, and rape every minute of the day and night. They must sleep with one eye open, and they must endure all of these things with the painful memories of their previous life. "Lazy" is not a word we would use to describe these survivors.

Usually, the only time we hear anything about the homeless in the media is when one of them commits some type of violent act. We see stories on television about crazy homeless people harming others. The fact is, homeless people are no more crazy and violent than normal crazy and violent people that aren't homeless. Violent crime happens regardless of someone's housing situation, and it's usually a result of someone's mental illness. It is absolutely a fact that a large number of homeless people suffer from mental illness, and it's all the more reason to vote for healthcare reform. If the State had somewhere to put the mentally ill, they wouldn't be on the street hurting people and committing crimes. Nobody wants their precious tax dollars to be used to treat the mentally ill, because they don't make the connection that if the city had more hospitals to house the mentally ill, then violent crime, burglary, and vandalism would drop significantly.

As of this writing, there has been very little statistical data that links homelessness with individuals with a criminal background or record. However, we would be naïve to assume or state that homeless people never commit crimes. We know that they do. We also know that most homeless people that commit misdemeanors such as theft or trespassing do so out of need. Homeless individuals who commit violent crimes, or are generally threatening or menacing to other citizens are simply in need of treatment, institutionalization, or in some cases, incarceration. As stated previously, if more State-funded clinics and hospitals were available to provide help for the mentally ill, the public would see much less of these types of crimes. It's a serious issue that must be dealt with on a Federal level, with support from the taxpayers.

Many of the elderly homeless citizens do not have families to care for them, or they've simply been abandoned, so they are left to fend for themselves on the streets. However, their numbers are lower than the able-bodied adults, teens, and kids. The reason it appears that most homeless people are elderly might be because they are more "out in the open" than their younger counterparts.

Our unsheltered neighbors are as varied as the rest of us, including levels of intelligence. The difference, in this case, is that people of lesser intellectual means in normal society are usually helped along by their families and/or the State. Homeless individuals of a lower intelligence quotient don't have anyone to help them along, so they are particularly vulnerable and in need of help. These individuals are also much more susceptible to violence.

Some homeless people may have given up fighting against the insurmountable odds of survival in an increasingly expensive world, especially those of lower-income. As housing costs skyrocket, they're unable to afford a decent place to live. The sudden loss of a job or a lack of helpful family or friends may have forced them onto the street. Once a person has found themselves with zero resources to help them out of that hole, it is nearly impossible to dig themselves out. They now have a different fight, and that is one of daily survival in very harsh conditions.

It's a well-known fact that homeless shelter funding has decreased over the years, partially because taxpayers do not want their tax dollars going toward this crisis. The result is less shelters and fewer programs for the homeless. Mental health services are harder and harder to access, in-patient programs are disappearing, resulting in more and more homeless with mental health problems. While there are still many organizations that work tirelessly to fight the good fight, they simply cannot keep up with the increasing numbers of homeless.