American Degree
Programme 2012
Segi College Kuala
Lumpur
Introduction to News
Reporting
COMM 132
Mr.Mohd Khalil
Introduction:
Food and accommodation. These are two basic needs that most of us do not give much thought to, but thoseare two harsh realities that the homeless are confronted with on a daily basis.
Tourism Malaysia chairman Datuk Dr Victor Wee, once said “It’s a very revealing experience just going around the city looking for the homeless. I think most of the time we don’t see them. Why? Because we drive in our cars, we look at the traffic lights, we look at the other cars; we don’t actually focus on the people who are homeless.”
Food and accommodation. These are two basic needs that most of us do not give much thought to, but thoseare two harsh realities that the homeless are confronted with on a daily basis.
Tourism Malaysia chairman Datuk Dr Victor Wee, once said “It’s a very revealing experience just going around the city looking for the homeless. I think most of the time we don’t see them. Why? Because we drive in our cars, we look at the traffic lights, we look at the other cars; we don’t actually focus on the people who are homeless.”
And it is true. We are so caught up in our
daily lives making money, handling our love lives, debating bout how many
houses and complaining about how small our houses are. But have we ever spend a
moment in our lives thinking about how blessed we actually are? If we have a
house to stay in, a bed to sleep in, good food and clean water to drink, we are
actually considered one of the wealthiest people on earth!
There are people out there who sleep at different places everyday. And no, I am not talking about a posh hotel, I am referring to different sidewalks, dirty streets and maybe even a box.Yes, some people are so unfortunate, they sleep in a box. Without a blanket to keep warm,without a hygienic place to sleep in, with hardly any money in their pockets.
There are people out there who sleep at different places everyday. And no, I am not talking about a posh hotel, I am referring to different sidewalks, dirty streets and maybe even a box.Yes, some people are so unfortunate, they sleep in a box. Without a blanket to keep warm,without a hygienic place to sleep in, with hardly any money in their pockets.
~Profile of the homeless in the main
city~
Profile of the homeless:
This horrible fate has
befallen on such a man named Farhan. He is a Malay man who is only in his mid
thirties but he is cast away from his home and is now forced to spend his
nights outside in the dark and sometimes with no roof over his head. He wakes
up in the morning not knowing what is ahead of him, but he braves it anyhow. He
is dressed in an old battered jean with his shirt worn out and in a dire need
for new clothes and a proper diet when we saw him but he still looked friendly.
One of the reasons Farhan became homeless was because of the recession that has happened recently. He lost his job within a split second because the company he was working for declared bankruptcy. He was in debt and he had a lot of debt to clear. To be able to pay them off he had to sell of his car and house. “It was a nightmare that time. Even now I feel like it is a dream that I have lost my home and everything I worked for. It is hard to accept, but I am dealing with it one day at a time.” During recession many lost their jobs, but many also became homeless. One of the victims is Farhan.
Currently he is unemployed. He is planning to get back on his feet again and bring himself back out to the world and show them he is not a quitter. It will be hard though he said. This is because for a person who has worked in a bankrupt company and became homeless, not many would have confidence in him to bring their company up. However giving up is not an option. Living like this is not an ideal life style for any person. As a homeless person, you can sometimes go on a day without having any food. You even have the danger of getting wet in the rain and have no shelter.
It is terrifying because you do not have a safe spot for yourself and you never know where you are going to end up. Life is tough. He claims that every day he sees people passing him. Some will just ignore but some will look down at him and sneer. It is very hurtful and at times he wants to just run away but he does not know where he can go because the situation will be the same everywhere.
One of the reasons Farhan became homeless was because of the recession that has happened recently. He lost his job within a split second because the company he was working for declared bankruptcy. He was in debt and he had a lot of debt to clear. To be able to pay them off he had to sell of his car and house. “It was a nightmare that time. Even now I feel like it is a dream that I have lost my home and everything I worked for. It is hard to accept, but I am dealing with it one day at a time.” During recession many lost their jobs, but many also became homeless. One of the victims is Farhan.
Currently he is unemployed. He is planning to get back on his feet again and bring himself back out to the world and show them he is not a quitter. It will be hard though he said. This is because for a person who has worked in a bankrupt company and became homeless, not many would have confidence in him to bring their company up. However giving up is not an option. Living like this is not an ideal life style for any person. As a homeless person, you can sometimes go on a day without having any food. You even have the danger of getting wet in the rain and have no shelter.
It is terrifying because you do not have a safe spot for yourself and you never know where you are going to end up. Life is tough. He claims that every day he sees people passing him. Some will just ignore but some will look down at him and sneer. It is very hurtful and at times he wants to just run away but he does not know where he can go because the situation will be the same everywhere.
He feels neglected and he feels like he is a
worthless human being on earth because he cannot make something of himself. It
brings his spirits down but he has to try to think positive if he wants to move
on and get a brighter future ahead. Being homeless is like being an invincible
man in a crowded room, but being a homeless man to gain back his respect, will
give courage back to others who has the similar fate as he does. He does not
want to be hero, he just wants his life back
In Conclusion:
Many factors such as war,
migration of people, abolishment of slavery, unemployment, the great depression
played a role in the issue of homelessness. Lack of affordable housing and
poverty has been considered to be the main factors for the increase in
homelessness. For many, the idea of owning a home remains a dream.
The lack of adequate housing is not only
harmful for those facing homelessness, but it is also harmful for society.
Poverty and lack of affordable housing leaves many people vulnerable for
becoming homeless.Community awareness can help people understand what
homelessness is all about.
First, understanding homelessness can help
us make sense of their particular situations. Homelessness means a person with
no shelter. Homelessness causes can be explained in three different categories,
the chronic, those who are most often seen in the streets.
The Deinstitutionalized are those who are
released from jail or hospital and have no place to go. The temporary homeless
are those who lack a shelter because of a natural disaster or financial issues,
but who have the means to come back and integrate into society.Community
awareness can function by having preventive measures, and community
participation.
Preventive measures are helpful because it
helps community members have a broad understanding of issues relating to the
prevention of homelessness, also programs and ideas for those already facing
homelessness, and an understanding of the different type of risk associated with
homelessness. The last part of this project consisted of an actual ethnographic
observation of a homeless shelter. The idea was to make observations and
compare them with the literature presented here.
Most of the issues cover here are prevalent,
with few exceptions. For example, the use of drugs was non-existent, and
education seemed to have priority for many, especially the kids. There were
limitations for this study. For example, lack of availability for conducting
night observations, limited hours of observation, and a sense of precaution
felt by newly arrived homeless.
From The Four Ladiki of News
Reporting (Spring 2012):-
1.)Harveena Kaur
2.)Avinash Kaur
3.)Dhivasakti
4.)Roshni Chandru Adnani
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