The history of the word "need" is interesting. It comes from the Old and Middle English words for "distress" and "necessity" (American Heritage Dictionary, 2000). The most accurate definition of "need" found in the dictionary is "necessary" (2000). For example, plants need water to grow. People need food to live. In current language, however, many people use "need" in the place of "want." They say they "need" a new pair of jeans, for instance, when in reality they mean they "want" (desire) a new pair of jeans (American Heritage Dictionary, 2000). The term "need" then seems to have two different meanings these days, one for true need and one for a desire. Two examples of these two types of definition can be seen in looking at those who are homeless vs. those who are Hummer owners. The rest of this paper will look at the term "need" in relation to the Homeless and Hummer owners.
The needs of the homeless are the needs of people with no accommodation of their own which they pay rent for or own. The only accommodation available to the homeless is shelters which offer a bed for the night, and sometimes a meal. Many homeless sleep on the streets in homemade shelters of cardboard boxes and whatever else they can find. The homeless are those people who carry all personal belongings with them in bags and often in a shopping cart. They truly need shelter.
Most homeless people are also in need of medical care and many of them are in need of mental health services because they are people who have been released from mental hospitals and have no where to go or have been malnourished for so long. Homeless people truly need food.
Homeless people are people who wear dirty clothes from living on the streets and not having facilities to wash their clothes, and often not having a change of clothing. Homeless people are dirty because they have nowhere to bathe on a regular basis an
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