Dear President,

Even though I am only thirteen years old, and I am still five years away from voting, I believe we should have an input on what we expect from the next president as young adults. I am lucky that I live in a community where we do not want for very much. We take for granted that we have a roof over our heads, plentiful amounts of food, and the better things in life. However, in some other parts of the country, there are people without the basic necessities to survive. Homelessness is a concern for our citizens. These citizens are potential voters.

There are about 564,708 people in America living homeless. There are 322,762,018 people in America. This makes about a little under 1% of the nation homeless. Why you may think that it is not that many people, there is still way too many people living without houses or shelters. Shockingly, 8% of homeless people are Veterans. This is an outrage. Veterans fought to keep our country safe and they return to the United States homeless. A lot of them end up living on the streets because they have nowhere else to go because everyone shuts them out. What can we do to stop it?

Kaylie Hegwood and Tyler Hegwood of Iowa are very hungry, tired, and have no education. Their mom cannot afford a meal three times a day for them. She cannot afford a home for them, and they cannot go to school because they are always constantly moving from shelter to shelter. Their mom has a job, but she constantly has to pay bills and taxes. She gets a very small amount of minimum wage which should be raised so that she gets paid more money per hour so that she can give her family what they need. In regards to veterans, I am proud that I live in a community where something is being done to help out the veterans. The organization, Vets for Vets, helps support and house Veterans so that they can live productive lives. Why can’t there be programs like this all over the country?

The causes of homelessness are poverty, lack of education, unemployment, low minimum wage, and awful home environments. This affects people all over the country without a home because they have to sleep on the streets or find a covered place for protection. Sometimes I see people on the streets asking for money donations and I put myself in their position. To be a successful country, we need all of our citizens to be able to have an opportunity to make enough money so that they are not homeless.

Some people may think that the homeless get what they deserve because of the choices that they have made, or the jobs that they have picked, or what their degree says can be their job due to how long they went to college. I do not believe that this is right though, because I believe in second chances, and I believe that most of them regret what they have done in the past.

As the next president, you should definitely raise the minimum wage and support Veterans and maybe we will stop seeing the sad looks of desperation on people's faces as you stroll by them walking down the city streets.

Sincerely,

Kate C., Pennsylvania