What sources/articles are connected to this essay? Essay: The human side of homelessness is often forgotten when we talk about making it illegal. To really understand how these laws affect people, we need to hear from the people going through it. Many homeless people have mental health problems, which can get worse because of their situation. The National Coalition for the Homeless says about 20-25% of homeless people in the US have severe mental illness, compared to only 6% of everyone else. This isn't just a coincidence—it's because homeless people don't get the help they need. A lot of homeless people also have problems with drugs or alcohol. They might use these to try and deal with how hard life is without a home. But this can make things even worse, creating a cycle where they're stuck in poverty and addiction. Making homelessness illegal just makes these problems worse. When homeless people are arrested, their things get taken away, even things they need like medicine. And being targeted by police all the time can make their mental health worse and make it harder for them to get better from their addiction. I wanted to focus more on how homelessness affects people's mental health. I included statistics to show how many homeless people have severe mental illness and substance use disorders. I explained how being homeless can make these problems worse, and how laws against homelessness can make it even harder for people to get better. My goal was to show that homelessness isn't just about not having a home—it's also about people's health and well-being.