Imagine you had all the money in the world and could solve all of the world’s problems, or at least most of them.
Sometimes, we wish we had the power to change things for the better, but we think making a difference is out of our reach. In reality, it’s not.
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Maybe you can’t stop a far-away war or end world hunger, but it’s time we bring these solutions close to home and fix the problems that are right here in our community.
America’s homeless population increased by 12% from 2022 to 2023, going from around 580,000 unhoused people to nearly 650,000, according to the U.S. Department of Urban Planning and Development.
California has the highest homeless population, reaching over 180,000, which represents over a fourth of the nation’s homeless population. Ironically, California has the highest income tax rate.
But let’s bring it closer to home in Louisiana, where over 7,000 people are unhoused. In Baton Rouge, there are around 430, with 230 of them in shelters, according to the Louisiana Balance of State Continuum of Care.
That’s around 200 people that have no place to live. Only 200.
One could say solving the problem isn’t simple.
The homelessness problem stems from a lot of causes: unemployment, addiction and mental illness, to name a few. But isn’t it the same with many problems worldwide? Wars, famines, social unrest—you can’t pinpoint a singular reason why they happen, but you can sure as heck send a ton of money, which can substantially help.
So why aren’t we doing the same thing closer to home, especially when some of those problems could be more effectively solved?
We’re better able to understand the challenges our community faces because we’re living in it, and we’re also paying to live in it. But that’s not enough.
The solution is taking action with the resources we have to help our neighbors, the people closest to us who are struggling. We can do that by raising awareness of these problems and demanding something be done about it.
But what does the media do? It typically gives more attention to issues that are more astounding and likely to garner more attention. But attention isn’t always the same as awareness and education, and sometimes, all the funding in the world can’t solve the problem when the solution is unknown.
Yes, you can raise awareness for multiple causes, and yes, funding could be better administered to solve problems at home and abroad more effectively. But there’s only so much air time on local news, only so much attention, time and funding we can give to any given issue.
If every community were to focus its own resources, time, attention and awareness on solving its problems, much more effective work would get done.
And as for those communities facing bigger problems, the ones who are able to improve their own community’s situation sooner could offer aid and help.
But it shouldn’t be the other way around.
You shouldn’t look out your window to see your neighbor’s house on fire while ignoring the blaze in your own kitchen. Your family and friends are there; who’s going look inside your own home to help them?
The answer is that it’s up to us. There are many ways we can start change and solve all the world’s problems.
We just have to bring it close to home.
Isabella Albertini is a 23-year-old mass communication junior from Lima, Peru.
