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Add Realistic Portrayals of Homeless People to TV Shows
  1. Signatures
    871 out of 1,000
    Petitioning
    1. NBC (+ 1 other)
      Petitioning
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      • NBC
      • ABC
  2. Created By
    Becky Blanton
    Richmond, VA
About this Petition Petition Letter Petition Updates

CBS soap opera The Bold & the Beautiful recently added real homeless people from L.A.'s Skid Row to a plot line. The show used real homeless people rather than hiring actors to portray homeless people. This not only gives those who are homeless a chance to tell their story, it helps raise awareness of what it means to be homeless.

There is more to being homeless than panhandling, addiction or mental illness. The public needs to see more realistic portrayals of real homeless people.

Urge NBC and ABC not to let their writers rely on stereotypes. Instead, they should educate and inform viewers about the working homeless, homeless families and the 80% of the homeless many people never see portrayed in the media. 

Photo credit: gothopotam

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Write Realistic Homeless People Into More Shows

Dear NBC and ABC,

CBS recently added real homeless characters to The Bold & the Beautiful. Many television shows portray the homeless only as addicts, alcoholics and criminally or mentally insane when in fact 80% of the homeless are families, teens, single mothers, and children without alcohol, drug or prostitution or severe mental health issues. The working homeless often live in cars, vans, shelters or couch surf while holding down jobs, going to school and living an otherwise average, if difficult life. The media often focuses on the chronically homeless - but there are other homeless people who need their story told too.

Please portray the full spectrum of homeless people. Many homeless people are single parents, or single adults, or families with children. They work or did work as computer techs, military veterans, lawyers, bankers, teachers, administrative assistants and construction. Some are domestic abuse survivors who got out of bad situations, others are college students. Some are teens who have become homeless. Most are homeless because of the economy, a lack of affordable housing, domestic abuse and medical or other issues. Writing in realistic homeless characters into your story lines will not only make homeless characters more believable, but will educate and attract viewers - many of whom are in similar situations themselves.

I urge you to tell your writers for all shows to incorporate realistic portrayals of homeless people in ways that show the realities, not the stereotypes of homeless people.

[Your name]

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