For the past week or so I’ve been hearing fellow students and faculty talk about the casual subject of Southern California’s strange weather this winter and the fact that it doesn’t feel very wintery. Several people were talking about how they wished it would rain so they could wear their warmer clothes, or simply desired the presence of snow on the mountains for aesthetic or recreational value. At any other moment of my life, I would have viewed these desires as innocent and natural. However, given that we’ve been reading articles and pieces about homelessness and life on the streets, it dawned on me that those of us with a roof over our heads, the money to purchase warm clothes or hot foods, or a car to transport ourselves with, we have the privilege to want these things (however, the desire to have rain and colder weather does not exclude on the other hand cold weather for the sake of the environment and the prevention of drought).<\/p>\n
This warmer weather is likely viewed as a blessing for those who have to wonder every day where they will find a place to sleep at night or a place to rest during the day. Unlike the rest of the US that is suffering from extreme cold weather, rain, flooding, hail, the West coast, while experiencing unusual warm weather, has been luckier for the homeless who may otherwise seek shelter by getting into prison for the winter.<\/p>\n
As Kenan Heise explains in his book, The Book of the Poor<\/em>, the combination of winter and poverty can be incredibly detrimental to the health of individuals living in poverty, if not potentially kill those who don’t have shelter or warmer clothing. These needs put pressure upon shelters and food banks that are already pressed for more supplies to give.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" For the past week or so I’ve been hearing fellow students and faculty talk about the casual subject of Southern California’s strange weather this winter and the fact that it doesn’t feel very wintery. Several people were talking about how they wished it would rain so they could wear their warmer clothes, or simply desired … Continue reading Homelessness and the Weather<\/span>