Dear Next President, 

Poverty and homelessness in America is not talked about enough. We Americans are always worrying about National Security and fighting foreign terrorism. I personally watched all of the Presidential Debates, and I did not here Poverty and Homelessness come up once in any of the debates. This made me sad, because there is homeless people who are sleeping in the cold streets, and there is hard working parents, who work multiple jobs, just to make ends meet. These people need your help. 

You probably have different views on how to decrease poverty and homelessness in America, but I have an idea that many people have also, which is spending less money on the Military. According to NationalPriorities.com, "In fiscal year 2015, military spending is projected to account for 54 percent of all federal discretionary spending, a total of $598.5 billion. Military spending includes: all regular activities of the Department of Defense; war spending; nuclear weapons spending; international military assistance; and other Pentagon-related spending." I thought this statistic by NationalPriorities.com was really interesting and surprising. Military spending makes up 54% of the government's spending in America. That is a lot of money we are spending on our Military when we are not in a war. We could cut some money from the Military Budget and fund programs that would help people without a home and people who are in poverty. 

According to Familypromise.org, "1 in 5 U.S. children under age 18, or nearly 15 million, live in poverty. This statistic was really surprising and alarming. One statistic that really stood out to me is why there is family homelessness in America. According to Familypromise.org, "The three most cited reasons for family homelessness are: 1) Lack of affordable housing, 2) unemployment, and 3) poverty." We need to make cuts on the military budget and use that money to fund affordable housing, create more jobs, and set up programs that would help homeless people find a permanent home and job. 

Young and old need your help Madame President/Mr. President. Please take this idea, an idea that many people have in mind, into consideration. This is an easy way to help people who are either in poverty or homelessness and still not have a major impact on other things in the United States. 

Sincerely,

Liban