Who Can Speak for the Homeless? Developing a Sustainable Model for Feeding the Homeless of Philadelphia

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Anna Ralph

Abstract

On March 14, 2012, Philadelphia's mayor announced new regulations concerning the feeding of the city’s homeless population. In response to critics, the city held hearings on the proposed regulations and modified the original proposal, but this issue remained volatile.


Few things elicit more passionate responses than the topics of food, hunger, the homeless, human rights, social justice, suspicious governmental actions, and religious freedom. Much of the controversy centers on whose understanding of the needs of the homeless is most accurate and comprehensive. To better understand these complex issues, it is necessary to step back and take a dispassionate look at who the homeless are, what has been attempted to meet their needs, what societal factors complicate the issue, who can realistically speak for the homeless, and how a sustainable and holistic model of providing for the food needs of the homeless might be developed.

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Lead Essays