Tracing The “Loneliness Epidemic”
Americans are experiencing an unprecedented social crisis; the so-called loneliness epidemic now impacts half of all Americans according to the HHS Department, and that number is steadily rising year over year. Loneliness can have serious implications for those who experience it, including depression, anxiety, and isolation. Some are now suggesting, however, that by repairing the rifts in fractured communities, this crisis can be mitigated, leading to the launch of local, grassroots projects such as The Faces of Spokane, WA.
The project and others like it were inspired not only by the loneliness crisis, but by a general erosion of community values as well. The Pew Research Center recently found that nearly 60% of Americans don’t know their neighbors, which other experts, such as project creator Lynn Sebert, suggests is at least partially responsible for the crisis the nation now faces…