Before poverty can be solved, says Michael O'Neill, public attitudes must change.
Challenging these attitudes is O'Neill's job. He coordinates the speakers' bureau for the National Coalition for the Homeless, a nonprofit based in Washington, D.C. Accompanied by a panel of speakers, all of whom are currently or formerly homeless, O'Neill travels to high schools and colleges across the country to educate students about the reasons behind hunger and poverty.
He begins panel discussions by asking students to name stereotypes about poor or homeless people. "They all shout, 'alcoholics and drug addicts,'" O'Neill says. "Then I share statistics."
O'Neill explains to students that 39 percent of the national homeless population are children younger than 18; almost half of those children are under age 5. Other startling facts include:
* Hunger exists in one out of every 10 U.S. households.
* More than 36 million people in the United States live in households that experience hunger.
* An estimated 13 million American children go to bed hungry every night.
* In the past eight years, poverty has risen 17 percent.
Jonathan Kozol, author of Savage Inequalities: Children in America's Schools, has praised the National Coalition for the Homeless and its school-based presentations.
"The poor too seldom are allowed to speak for themselves in our society, yet they are frequently their own best advocates," he says. "This is why the (speakers' bureau) serves such a valuable role."
Data compiled from Kids Can Make A Difference, Bread for the World, and the National Coalition for the Homeless.