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A few years ago, I observed commuters and shoppers stepping over homeless people lying on the sidewalk yet bending down to pet the person’s dog or cat. It was disturbing at best, despite my love for animals. Why did people seem to care more for animals than their fellow man? Not surprisingly, my research revealed the pervasive perception, that people believe that the pet cant control their plight on the street, while their owners can. Unfortunately, the theory that people are responsible for their state of homelessness simply does not hold up to the facts. According to the National Coalition for the Homeless and the Safe Housing Partnership, 57% of all women experiencing homelessness said that the primary cause was domestic violence, and 15% of people experiencing homelessness cited divorce or separation as the primary cause, per the Curry International Tuberculosis Center. The National Institutes of Health reported that in Delaware, 21% of homelessness was connected to housing evictions. Add to that, 46% of unsheltered people cited unemployment as the primary reason for being homeless, found the University of Southern California. Additionally, over 32,000 veterans are homeless on a given night, largely due to PTSD, according to the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans. A support network Yet simply strengthening marriages, changing housing laws, or improving employment statistics will not solve homelessness. While speaking at a Street Charity fundraising event in Atlanta in April 2024, Pastor Tommy Palmer of the Atlanta Dream Center[DA1] [DA2] , reported that The number one reason for homelessness is the lack of a support network around an individual when crisis strikes. Often, when someone loses their job, gets divorced, or is evicted from their home, they can turn to family members or friends. In many cases, people who become homeless have neither. An estimated 57% of Americans live paycheck to paycheck, according to Market Watch Guides, and Empower reported that 37% of Americans cannot pay for a $400-plus unexpected expense. Therefore, a simple financial crisis can quickly escalate to missed rent payments, relational strife, or substance abuse, starting a chain reaction. According to the National Alliance to End Homelessness, 62% of people living in shelters are experiencing homelessness for the first time. That stands in stark contrast to many stereotypes about people living on the street. Without a human, relational safety net, homelessness can become a reality. Despite the existence of government and charitable programs, shelters, and soup kitchens, not all people have the wherewithal to navigate the system. They cant all speak the language or even know how to read. These unimaginable barriers are real and make homelessness that much more understandable. Appreciating this is the key concept. Too often, the homeless debate focuses on determining who is the responsible party. People ask whether the homeless person could have or should have avoided their plight. Whatever the conclusion, lack of shelter, especially during extreme weather, can cause cognitive disorientation. This can rapidly lead to severe depression, heightened anxiety, and acts of desperation. The desperation can sometimes trigger drug and alcohol abuse. They cannot make a simple plan to help themselves find shelter or civic resources. They are helpless more than they are homeless. Stepping toward someone and asking if you can help, is a powerful act that immediately addresses a persons most basic need for human connection, especially if they have none. A human reaction By simply acknowledging someones existence, looking them in the eye, and asking their name, one can possibly help them regain enough self-worth to trigger the necessary amount of self-belief needed to take the next step to seek shelter, food, or clothing. Occurring in parallel to dispensing help, is the help that you give yourself. According to the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, the act of helping those in need can actually reduce your risk for high blood pressure. Cedars Sinai cites an increase in your own serotonin and dopamine levels as a result of helping others. You feel good about yourself, and your body responds. [DA3] Regardless of the personal or societal choices that led to the person laying in front of you on the street, we all face a choice of how to react. Help is always the best choice. Whether it is precisely what they need or simply all that we can provide in the moment, it will help them, help us, and help society. John Patton is CEO and founder of StreetCharity.org.
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Ever wonder what happens to the bags that never make it to baggage claim? Some of them are now turning up in influencers lost luggage hauls. Its every travelers nightmare: you land, but your suitcase doesnt. Across social media, creators are buying unclaimed luggage and unboxing the contents on camera. @luciasland Part 1/2 – unboxing someones lost luggage #lostluggage #traveltiktok #traveltok #lostandfound #airportlife original sound – Lucia Most of the time its just piles of unwashed clothes, but the chance of uncovering valuablesor simply something bizarrehas fueled a viral trend. In one viral video, a TikTok creator pulled out hair straighteners, Pokémon cards, and an iPad. In another, the haul included a Ziploc bag of an unidentified brown substance and a plug-in air freshener. @beckysbazaar Replying to @hannahhuskinson5342 PART 2!! The most random selection of things were in this suitcase from @undelivrd Do you think it was worth 129? #lostluggage #suitcase #unclaimed #unclaimedmail #airport #thrifted #unboxingvideo #mystery #mysterybox original sound – Beckys Bazaar Nearly 92% of lost bags are eventually reunited with their owners. But if a bag goes unclaimed for three months, its sold off to third-party resellers. In the U.S., the Alabama-based Unclaimed Baggage store is the only retailer specializing in lost luggage, where items can be bought individually or in mystery boxes. In the U.K., shops now auction off suitcases to the highest bidder, sight unseen. That element of surprise makes for good content, and many unboxing hauls rack up millions of views from curious onlookers eager to peek inside a strangers life. If youre worried about your own belongings being unboxed online, know that the risks are highest on international flights, where mishandling is five times more likely than on domestic routes, according to a 2024 report from the International Society of Aeronautical Telecommunications (SITA). Of the 33.4 million mishandled bags that year, 8% were lost or stolen. If your missing suitcase ever does resurface in one of these mystery hauls, you might get your items back, though sometimes only by buying them back piece by piece.
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The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced Wednesday night that Susan Monarez has been removed from her position as director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Monarez, who began her tenure just under one month ago after being confirmed by the Senate on July 31, was reportedly asked to resign on Wednesday because she clashed with HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. over proposed changes to vaccine policies. After refusing to resign, she was fired. Susan Monarez is no longer director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the HHS wrote on X Wednesday night. We thank her for her dedicated service to the American people. The announcement of her removal came just hours after the FDA approved new COVID-19 vaccinationswith limits for who qualified to receive them. The new vaccines are available to only younger adults and children with certain medical conditions, a significant change from past policies that approved them for everyone 6 months or older. Lawyers representing Monarez have asserted that her firing is legally deficient and that, as an appointee, she will remain in the position until President Trump himself fires her. Even though her firing is contested, Monarezs departure is making waves. It sparked a series of resignations by other top CDC officials and calls for Kennedys ouster. Here’s what to know. Who is Susan Monarez? A longtime civil servant, Monarez is the first CDC director to be confirmed by the Senate, following a 2023 law requiring confirmation for the position. She is also the first person without a medical degree to be chosen for the role since the 1950s. Earning her PhD in microbiology and immunology from the University of WisconsinMadison, Monarez spent years researching infectious diseases. Her expertise led her to serve in several government agencies, helping to transform prevention, diagnosis, and treatment efforts for infectious diseases. She became director of the CDC after serving as acting director for the seven months between Trumps inauguration and her confirmation. Before that, she served as director for the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health, another HHS agency. “Dr. Monarez is a public health expert with unimpeachable scientific credentials,” Kennedy said in a statement after Monarez was confirmed as CDC director. Why do Monarezs lawyers contest her firing? Soon after the HHS announced Monarezs departure, her lawyers issued a statement condemning the agency for weaponizing public health and denying that her termination had come through proper channels. When CDC Director Susan Monarez refused to rubber-stamp unscientific, reckless directives and fire dedicated health experts she chose protecting the public over serving a political agenda, Mark S. Zaid and Abbe David Lowell, Monarezs lawyers, wrote in a statement posted to X on Wednesday night. Dr. Monarez has neither resigned nor received notification from the White House that she has been fired, and as a person of integrity and devoted to science, she will not resign. Later that night, Zaid confirmed that White House staff had notified Monarez that she was fired, but they did not accept this notification. As a presidential appointee, senate confirmed officer, only the president himself can fire her, Zaid wrote on X. For this reason, we reject notification Dr. Monarez has received as legally deficient and she remains as CDC Director. We have notified the White House Counsel of our position. The White House did not respond to a request for comment about Monarezs job status, but at a press briefing Thursday, Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt asserted that the president issued her termination and was within his rights to fire her. It was President Trump who was overwhelmingly reelected on November 5th. This woman has never received a vote in her life, and the president has the authority to fire those who are not aligned with his mission. What are other leaders in medicine and politics saying about this? Monarezs ousting seems to be the final straw for many public health and political officials who disagree with the new administrations approach to public health, which has undermined federal health institutions with budget and personnel cuts while public trust in these institutions continues to fall. Last nights removal of CDC Director Susan Monarez and the resignations of other senior CDC leaders are highly alarming at a challenging moment for public health, Bobby M. Mukkamala, president of the American Medical Association (AMA), said in a statement Thursday. In the wake of CDC budget cuts and the termination of hundreds of employees earlier this year, the AMA is deeply concerned that this turmoil leaves us highly susceptible to public health threats. At the CDC itself, at least three leadersincluding Demetre Daskalakis, Debra Houry, Daniel Jernigaresigned Thursday, citing ongoing changes at the agency and issues with RFK Jr.s values and approach to managing the agency. Top Democrat lawmakers have also weighed in on the agencys turmoil, calling for the replacement of RFK Jr. RFK Jr. is a catastrophic failure and a clear danger in office, Senator Michael Bennet of Colorado wrote on X. He never shouldve been confirmed in the first place, and every day he stays in power puts the American people at risk. He needs to be fired. In a statement, Senator Jon Ossoff of Georgia wrote that putting a quack like Bobby Kennedy in charge of public health was a grave error and that the administration is putting lives at risk. Who will replace Monarez as CDC director? With Monarez out after just under one month at the helm, the CDC is once again looking for a new director. At a press briefing Thursday, Leavitt said a decision would be announced by President Trump or Secretary Kennedy very soon.
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