Important Needs of Homeless People Essay Example

in the United States. Of those people, 216,211 of them are women. Although there are more homeless men than women, the number goes to show that all these women have a hard time accessing products for menses. Adding insult to injury, this is one less worry for homeless men. Tampons and sanitary pads are considered a “luxury” item since it only is beneficial for women which is partly the reason there is tax on these products. Since many are able to afford feminine products the tax isn't an issue for them but it is an issue for the low income and the homeless. Mens products , such as “Viagra, an erectile dysfunction medicine, isn’t taxed in any state except Illinois” (Qiu), feminine products “are taxed in 40 states--putting them completely out of reach for women with limited funds” 5 states have already abolished the tax on feminine products to make it more affordable.

Even though the tax was removed from the products it is still expensive to buy in bulk which most women do. It is clear that is it outright unfair that a male product is not taxed in any states but one and feminine products, which are used daily, are taxed in 40 states. Gender discrimination is a flaw in our social justice system, men don't even think about the struggle of menses and why would they even have to. But it is necessary for men to take action in this issue as well.

The taboo of menstruation has led to lack of proper care, education, and support of this overlooked and stigmatized issue. All women deserve the right to have affordable and easy access

to all feminine products needed. Although homeless women and men are equally unfortunate, women have one more expense to worry about and it may take them days to collect the money for. In the time being where they cannot find or buy a sustainable amount of feminine products, they have to resort to makeshift items that are often unsanitary. One women spoke “her shelter provided only 2 pads per cycle, whereas the average woman uses approximately 20 tampons/pads per cycle”. That could only last them about 1 day of their menstruation and a period can last up to a week or more. Homeless shelters try to provide the needs but there is a limited supply.

Homeless women don’t ever have the privacy nor much access to bathrooms, so they can take care of their period. According to Huffpost “the average woman endures some 456 total periods over 38 years, or roughly 2,280 days with her period — 6.25 years of her life”. One can only imagine how many feminine products that really is, feminine products that homeless women don't have access to and cannot afford. It is clear providing feminine pads is an underlying issue in most shelters. People never really think to donate pads and tampons as feminine products and you have to specifically ask for it. For proper hygiene everyone needs at least a toothbrush and deodorant. But women need their tampons and pads. “the daily lives of homeless women and girls are fraught with enough uncertainties,” Huffpost claims. They have to worry about whether or not they should free bleed or face the embarrassment of having soiled clothes.

Periods are a naturally occurring process

that is not a choice. The government needs to impose a system where women have access to affordable feminine products. Although many can afford to purchase tampons it is very very hard for people who cannot afford them to get access to them. A solution to this problem would be including feminine products into the supplemental nutrition assistance program and Women, infants, and Children. These programs provide free diapers and needs to nurture infants and small childrenDo you ever wonder homeless people live their day to day life without the access to fundamental needs? The needs to live a fully healthy and happy lifestyle? You shouldn’t have to decide day by day whether you will spend you will spend the scraps of money on a pleasant lunch or a box of tampons. One of the greatest issues amongst homelessness is sanitation and health. This is a broadened issue but for women especially it is difficult to have proper hygiene. All women go through menstruation monthly. It’s not a biological choice. It is part of life and part of a woman’s daily life.

Homeless women cannot afford the feminine products needed and often resort to other items for their menstruation, items in which are completely unsafe and unsanitary. Due to the lack of proper sanitary pads they have, it leads to endless health issues in which these homeless women cannot seek attention for. Putting emphasis on it's not a biological choice, feminine products are a necessity for all women. The government or the state should be able to provide free feminine products to all homeless women because there is a lack thereof. This is a majorly overlooked

issue because it only impacts one gender. But it impacts women significantly. This never even crosses most men's mind which outright discriminatory and comptempous and should be a priority in helping the homeless. It is humane to care about the well being of others and providing feminine products for homeless women is problem that is waiting to be solved.

According to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s, as of 2018, there are 552,830 homeless people in the United States. Of those people, 216,211 of them are women. Although there are more homeless men than women, the number goes to show that all these women have a hard time accessing products for menses. Adding insult to injury, this is one less worry for homeless men. Tampons and sanitary pads are considered a “luxury” item since it only is beneficial for women which is partly the reason there is tax on these products. Since many are able to afford feminine products the tax isn't an issue for them but it is an issue for the low income and the homeless. Mens products , such as “Viagra, an erectile dysfunction medicine, isn’t taxed in any state except Illinois” (Qiu), feminine products “are taxed in 40 states--putting them completely out of reach for women with limited funds” 5 states have already abolished the tax on feminine products to make it more affordable.

Even though the tax was removed from the products it is still expensive to buy in bulk which most women do. It is clear that is it outright unfair that a male product is not taxed in any states but one and feminine products, which are used

daily, are taxed in 40 states. Gender discrimination is a flaw in our social justice system, men don't even think about the struggle of menses and why would they even have to. But it is necessary for men to take action in this issue as well.

The taboo of menstruation has led to lack of proper care, education, and support of this overlooked and stigmatized issue. All women deserve the right to have affordable and easy access to all feminine products needed. Although homeless women and men are equally unfortunate, women have one more expense to worry about and it may take them days to collect the money for. In the time being where they cannot find or buy a sustainable amount of feminine products, they have to resort to makeshift items that are often unsanitary. One women spoke “her shelter provided only 2 pads per cycle, whereas the average woman uses approximately 20 tampons/pads per cycle”. That could only last them about 1 day of their menstruation and a period can last up to a week or more. Homeless shelters try to provide the needs but there is a limited supply.

Homeless women don’t ever have the privacy nor much access to bathrooms, so they can take care of their period. According to Huffpost “the average woman endures some 456 total periods over 38 years, or roughly 2,280 days with her period — 6.25 years of her life”. One can only imagine how many feminine products that really is, feminine products that homeless women don't have access to and cannot afford. It is clear providing feminine pads is an underlying issue in most shelters. People never

really think to donate pads and tampons as feminine products and you have to specifically ask for it. For proper hygiene everyone needs at least a toothbrush and deodorant. But women need their tampons and pads. “the daily lives of homeless women and girls are fraught with enough uncertainties,” Huffpost claims. They have to worry about whether or not they should free bleed or face the embarrassment of having soiled clothes.

Periods are a naturally occurring process that is not a choice. The government needs to impose a system where women have access to affordable feminine products. Although many can afford to purchase tampons it is very very hard for people who cannot afford them to get access to them. A solution to this problem would be including feminine products into the supplemental nutrition assistance program and Women, infants, and Children. These programs provide free diapers and needs to nurture infants and small children.