This is a blog swap chain letter organized through the Yakezie network. This post was written by LaTisha from Financial Success for Young Adults; where she writes about managing money like a banker. There are 4 stops. Check out my post Thank God I’m Homeless in the US at Life and My Finances!

Homelessness in America is a really bad problem. Not because of the number of people that are homeless, or the level of need that they have, but mostly because of the fact that we have become blind to homeless people.

Think about the last time you saw a panhandler with a sign that says need food. (Where do they get those signs anyway?) Did you read the sign? homeless signs
Did you believe what it said?

Regardless of whether you did or not, I’m really not about to talk about the number of people who are in need in America. That’s a post for another blogger. But what I do want to do is give you a chance to really think about what you would do if you were in the same situation as that homeless person. I can personally think of one major action that I would take to change my situation.

Education

I would further my education. Remember the Evans family from the tv show Good Times? They were always struggling to make ends meet and hanging in a chow line to eat. But like I wrote in that article, education would have made a big difference.

Now every person that finds themselves in the position of having no home obviously got there in different ways. Some may already be educated, some may have just hit hard times and some may not care. But let’s say for instance you are homeless and you do want to change your situation. Where do you start?

Needs

Well the first thing to take care of is food, clothing and shelter. If you remember Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, nothing else matters until these three are taken care of. So find a shelter or a church that will provide that for you.

This homeless mom really wanted to send her son to a better school district. She understands that a better education will allow her son to earn more and take care of his needs and even wants.

Wants

Once your needs are provided for it’s time to get your fair share of what our government offers. Now begin applying for part time jobs. Be ready to do any job as long as it provides a stream of income and it is legal. If you can find a way to pay for a P.O. box then you can use that as your address when applying. Head to the library for internet access and start looking into government grants for furthering your education. The money is out there but most people just do not know it is available.

The Future

As you complete your education you will be able to upgrade your current job and even secure a full time position with a respected company. Then you can begin to save and grow the money you have with easy money tips!

Photo Credits: http://nowthatsnifty.blogspot.com/2009/07/funny-homless-beggar-signs.html

Joe Edward

Joe Edward