Day Eight: Monday, May 21

My feelings about homelessness prior to today were that homeless people are likely in their situation because of mental illness, or a lack of ability or will to find work and earn a living. I err more on the side of being unsympathetic to the homeless, thinking that they could pull themselves out of a situation with a little hard work. I do not have experience with the homeless in other countries, so my opinions of the homeless in Austria and Hungary were the same as my opinions of the homeless in the U.S. Following the Shades Tour, I realized that people become homeless due to a variety of reasons. Whether it be due to overwhelming circumstances, debt, physical or mental disease, or unemployment, homelessness is sometimes the only option for some Austrians and others worldwide. I was also able to learn of the aid offered to the homeless in Vienna. Compared to the U.S., there seemed to be much more sympathy for the homeless in Vienna. Three main highlights of the Shades Tour for me were learning statistics of prevalence of homelessness, learning the most common causes for becoming homeless, and learning of ways in which the Viennese government and social programs provides aid to its homeless.