Tutorial on how to make a homemade toilet for the homeless sparks debate about treatment of the unhoused

A video that teaches people how to craft a makeshift toilet for the homeless has sparked debate about how the community in the US is treated.

In a video posted by Shirley Raines, she demonstrates a way to fashion a toilet out of a bucket, a garbage bag, cat litter, a sealable bag and a portable toilet seat and lid.

The founder of the LA-based homelessness nonprofit Beauty2theStreetz, Raines posted the tutorial on Twitter to demonstrate how the toilets lids donated to the charity are used in practice.

The post highlighted the need for such makeshift contraptions. In the comments, discussion around the treatment of the homeless and what the country’s government is doing to help house them began.

One person wrote: “The fact that these need to be made is heartbreaking cuz the government has enough money to give them homes.”

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Meanwhile, another said: “We are doing everything but fixing the actual problem…”

Some people took the opportunity to point out the money that the government spends on sectors such as policing and the military.

Other users in the comments were disappointed with some who appeared to care more about the amount of plastic being used than they are able homeless people having somewhere to use the bathroom.

In another tweet, Raines explained that the city had removed all of the portable toilets for the homeless. It meant that between the hours of 6pm and 6am, the homeless have nowhere to use the bathroom.

The video brought into focus the issues faced by the homeless, with many questioning why when so many homes stand vacant.

The work Raines does is wonderful, but it is equally tragic that there is a need for it in the first place.