I am very happy that Kennesaw State University is looking out for their homeless students by building an emergency dorm for them this semester.
According to KSU’s website, a student will be allowed to live in this one-bedroom and one-bathroom dorm for up to two weeks while they work with the Campus Awareness, Resource and Empowerment Center to find permanent housing.
During my past few years working at The Sentinel, I have written a few stories about homelessness and the CARE Center. I have reported on KSU’s annual Homelessness Awareness Week, and I have interviewed people who work with homeless students at KSU and homeless individuals in Atlanta.
I have also visited a homeless shelter in Atlanta for a class assignment, and I have interviewed the student who received KSU’s first Homelessness Awareness Scholarship.
Homelessness is an issue I am very passionate about, and my knowledge on this subject has increased over the past three years. I hope that KSU not only provides for their students in need, but also educates all students about homelessness and poverty. I hope we can fight to dissolve the stigma of homelessness here on campus.
Ever since I began reporting more on homelessness, I have started to look around me for people who are in need — and my perspective has changed. Over 13,000 individuals are homeless on a single night in Georgia, according to the Georgia Department of Community Affairs.
For some people, it is easy to see that they live on the streets, but there are probably more individuals suffering that you don’t see.
I believe it is important, even for students, to be educated on homelessness: what causes it, the daily struggles of those who are homeless and how you can help someone in need.
I encourage all students at KSU to open their hearts and minds to the issue of homelessness and how it is affecting our fellow classmates. Let’s begin erasing any stigmas we may still have against homelessness.
