You make it sound like no one has ever done anything to help homeless people. There are so many people, in St. Pete and out, that are not, by any means, avoiding the issue of homelessness (or the homeless themselves). Maybe you should go into the ways that people are working to assist the homeless people EVERYDAY. If you take a look at the wiki from Advanced Technical Writing Spring 2010, you will find many examples of organizations that are working to solve this problem. 

You end this paper by asking your classmates which organizations you could look at that deal with homelessness. Don't you think that finding the specific organizations is the job of the EXPLORER? You are "writing to explore", right? So explore. Find the organizations. Go meet with them. Talk to them. See what they're doing. EXPLORE! Then, come back and write.

-Adam

Have you, as a class or as individuals, looked into the services provided to homeless and impoverished people in the area?  Here is a sample of some great and informative research done in the homeless sector of the Pinellas county non-profit scene.  Your paper would become more powerful if you reworked it around your personal story (your sister), researched locally and brought back a more informed and focused argument. 

I agree with Adam entirely here.  I'm actually a bit surprised by the lack of research/exploration apparent in this piece.   It's your job as a student philanthropist to learn about the needs of the area. 
-Jaime

avoiding the homeless 

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