The first time I visited my mom at a homeless shelter was during the month after my birth. It was at The Road Home, a homeless shelter in Salt Lake City, Utah. I was not homeless, nor was my mother. My mother worked to identify and assess housing opportunities for people who were experiencing homelessness. A few times a week I would go with my mom to work and be with her while she went about her day. I watched as she talked about different cases or had long meetings about impossible issues she was trying to solve. When I wasn’t in her office I was with her co workers being carried around, toddling, until I was old enough to be separated from her world. Being around the 1,000 person a night shelter, witnessing lives in distress and realizing the gap …show more content…
I helped with anything from organizing hygiene supplies to waking up at four in the morning in the dead of winter to do the annual federally required point in time count. I gained so much from volunteering there, but out of all the many years the experience that most stuck with me was participating in a Point in Time Count during the last week in an icy cold January when I was 13. I was woken up at 3 in the morning and told to get dressed. I knew what we were about to do and had been ready for this night for a while. I was with both of my parents and a few of my moms coworkers who were skilled at street outreach approaches. We drove over to headquarters and I vividly remember how cold the car ride there was. Once we arrived, we immediately began going over the plan of where we were going to look for people and what we needed to be prepared to do. We stuffed bags full of blankets, clothing, food and hygiene products which we called survival kits and began our long search to make sure we knew who was experiencing homelessness and where they were exactly. We went to many locations and met many people. Every time we found someone the point person on our team named
Christmas came early at High Desert Homeless Services Inc. when Mr. and Mrs. Santa Claus, came along with city officials, CHP Officer Matt Hunt, and an always generous toy contributor, A.J. Foran.
California currently faces the ominous blessing of the El Nino weather system, which promises to bring desperately needed rains in the form of storms and torrential rains. In preparation for these rains, California also has to address the homeless population, who will be stranded in the rains if adequate shelters are not provided for them. In his article, Sunnyvale: Fast-tracked Emergency Homeless Shelter Set To Open, Eric Kurhi cites expert opinions, utilizes emotional appeal, and employs rhetorical devices such as diction in order to provide information on the new homeless shelter opening in Sunnyvale while discussing the overall problem of homelessness.
A current social justice issue that is faced in our world today is people experiencing homelessness; this issue is a main focus in the Catholic Church.
Homelessness can be defined as a person or family that does not have a fixed, acceptable place to reside or lives in a place that was not meant for human habitation, such as living on the streets or in a car (HUD, 2014). Homelessness does not discriminate due to age, sex or race. The homeless population consists of single adults, families with children, teenagers, and the elderly. While although each have specific needs one issue they have in common is the lack of a stable place to live.
I heard a blood-curdling scream and I jumped. I felt silent tears running down my heavily scarred face, but they weren’t out of sadness. Mostly. They were a mixture of pain and fear. I ran into the eerie, blood-splattered room and screamed as I felt cold fingers grab my neck. Before that night, I didn’t believe in the paranormal. Now I sure as heck do. I had been chased out of my house after a fight with my step-parents because I wasn’t doing well in school (I had dyslexia), and I had taken shelter in what seemed like a normal house. I realized what I had gotten into after the sun set. The doors locked without a sign of anyone going near them. A cold draft filled the room I was in. The house turned into a horrific scene, and I knew I would never get out alive. It was the Asylum. There’s a rumor in our town, a rumor that started when someone made the observation that everyone fit in. No one was considered strange, homeless, an outsider. That doesn’t seem possible, you think. In my town, there are tons of people with no homes, or people that don’t belong, you think. Well, think again. Those homeless people? Think about how many there are. They fit in with each other. Those people that don’t belong? Once again, they fit in with each other. But then, you
Couple of days ago I saw a homeless people that seemed to be ranging from all ages. Homeless people I thought were mostly people who had lost their job as a result couldn’t pay for their living conditions such as a house and or apartment. After looking at this teenage boy has made me wonder what caused each homeless person that they have to ask for money. As I grew up, I got a better understanding of why these people were hand paddling for a living. I learned that most of these people had lost their jobs and or had bad money managing skills. Homeless people are everywhere around the world no matter the country and state. Near a gas station in Seattle I noticed a teenager who looked as if he was a senior in high school. He looked as if he was only the streets for a couple of day to a maximum of two weeks. Most homeless people I see are mostly lived like that for weeks and month. Also have that certain smell I can never forget.
Being in a school that brought students from various counties and cities with different backgrounds, beliefs, and perspectives, opened my eyes to seeing just how diverse humanity is. In a time when everyone is struggling with personal problems, I know how monumental a simple volunteer act can be. One of my favorite acts of service is tutoring. I tutored an elementary-aged girl for two years in Fort Lee and I will always remember those two years as the most fulfilling. Education is so precious, and children are the most open to it.
The homeless stand down was an eye-opener experience for me. I had the opportunity to interact with several individuals, and one family. Initially I conducted some interviews with them to help complete the questionnaire; and the remainder of the time, I escorted the individuals and helped them choose items that were necessary for them. As I talked to each of them, I realized that the present state of these individuals were a product of the current economic situations. According to the National Homeless Coalition (2009), work factors are one of the many reasons why individuals are homeless. One of the individuals that I spoke to informed me that he was working a regular nine to five job at a construction site, but now due to the economy he is only working a couple of shifts and even those shifts are inconsistent.
As a BSW prepared social worker I can help combat the problem with homelessness in my community. In order to do this I have to do several things before I put anything into action. The first thing, after graduating and obtaining a position, would be to get permission to start looking at creating a homeless program. The next thing I need to do is talk with the various agencies in my community. I need to see what exactly they have to offer for the homeless, because I do not want to duplicate services. After I have done this the most important thing I need to do is talk with the homeless about what they actually want so that I am addressing their needs effectively. After I have done these few things I need to create a committee of various people from different agencies so that it becomes a community effort to help address the homeless issue. Once the committee is formed then we can develop an action plan. Part of the action plan would be to apply for government grants, talk with the town board about creating a homeless shelter, and finding others in the community that would be willing to give their time. In the mean time we can give the homeless the necessities they need such as clean socks and shoes, proper clothing, toiletries, and blankets/sleeping bags, etc… Another part of the plan would be getting them connected to mental health services, health clinics/health insurance, and job
I started volunteering at the food bank and the soup kitchen in grade 9, with a nudge from my friend. During my time as a volunteer, I would ask for donations and collect any non-perishable food items. Later I would go to the Soup Kitchen, to help cook some of these items and serve them to those in need. My volunteering experience allowed me to experience the environment and face situations that I otherwise would not. It opened my eyes to the harsh reality and lifestyle that many individuals in our society face today. My time at the food bank and Soup Kitchen helped me understand the importance of giving, ...
Despite many obstacles in my life, my experience performing community service stands out as the most memorable. I was sixteen at the time, and just beginning my first job at a fast food restaurant. I had to learn how to balance between community service in the morning and my employment at the local Wendy’s. It was very stressful and influential at the same time.
The area I had once lived in, was not exactly an ideal place for children to grow up. For me, though, the hazards of my neighborhood never seemed real and I had never found myself afraid for the safety of me or anyone I knew. I thought, as most children do, that I was untouchable, and no one would have the desire to hurt me in the first place. It seemed like no danger could touch me, because for all I knew, people only got hurt on TV.
I would like to start by saying how I see it and define it in my own words. It is the state where an individual doesn’t have a normal house and are not financially stable in life. It is the situation where you have to look after yourself or another person that is also homeless. You won’t be able to find the proper housing like a normal and secured place to live. All day and all night, you will be trying to sustain yourself from everyday challenges, like looking for food to eat, a place to live, and proper clothing.
My mother was taking care of me, and my three other siblings all alone by herself. When my father was living my mother only had one job, but now she had to work more. She had a massive impact on our lives by making sure we had everything we needed. Because I was the oldest of my siblings, I felt like I was a parent. At just eight years old, I had to skip school just to make sure my siblings had someone to look after them while my mother worked. I was obligated to feed them, give them baths, and put clothes on them. It was very difficult, but I knew my mother had to pay bills, and take care of us and herself, so I knew she couldn’t afford a babysitter. When times got very tough, my mom would get stressed out and take it out on us by throwing tantrums, hollering at us and beating on us. I didn’t have a choice but to encourage my mother, and be the one to push her to not give
I also had the privilege of helping with the Meals on Wheels non profit organization. My grandfather used to be a Meals on Wheels recipient and he would share with me how he enjoyed looking forward to their company and a hot meal daily. I volunteered because I wanted to give back and help someone else’s loved one in the same way. It was very rewarding delivering hot meals to people who didn’t have the means of getting one as well as being there for them to talk to. Overall, it was a very humbling experience, it made me realize just how blessed I am and how much I take for granted daily.