We’re only two weeks in and I feel as if my knowledge of American homelessness has already changed and evolved drastically. It is not that I wasn’t aware of the inequalities in our social system before, but I had never sat down and really examined the shocking  numbers that accompany our widespread issues of poverty. I have lived in an incredibly small town my whole life, away from practically any indicators of homelessness. Driving into the nearest city of Portland always provided a stark contrast to what I was used to. In a place where there are many people visibly living homeless I never really knew what had led them to that point or what help they were being provided. After reading Nickel and Dimed and learning about the deep cracks in our social safety net propelling the cyclical pattern of poverty, I am more curious now about how Portland, in particular, is aiding their homeless population. My dad is a firefighter for the city and works in an area where there are countless RVs and campers that litter the streets, filled with people who don’t have anywhere else to stay. Recently the city has put more of an effort into ridding these areas of the “transients” as the firefighters call them. To me, this doesn’t seem productive. Where do they go? What help are they being given? On the other hand, Portland has instated new tent and tiny home cities where people can stay the night and get off of the streets. It appears  the city is perhaps conflicted about what to do, and maybe that is how all of the U.S. is feeling. Cities and states want to provide safe communities for their constituents, but the ones they are willing to help the most are those at the top, by encouraging gentrification, by pushing the homeless to the outskirts, and by increasing housing costs (as Portland certainly is). As discouraging as this is, I am excited for the remainder of this class because I think it will provide us with a more personal, realistic, and critical view of the inequalities in America we typically like to avoid.