All posts by Andrea

About Andrea

Hello! I am a senior Business Administration major with minors in Government and Sociology/Anthropology! I am from Redlands, CA and am looking forward to graduation in April!

Teaching Project

Homelessness, People, Poverty

College is an experience where students are exposed to many different types of elements including getting out of one’s comfort zone, learning about an uncomfortable topic, or having to stand in class and present on something you never knew about before the assignment. I realized there was probably a pocket full of student who had never thought about the concept of hunger, homelessness, and poverty in the context and depth that this course has discussed the topic. On campus, I am involved in various organizations including a national business fraternity. This being said, the reason I minored in SOAN was to expose myself to another side of life than what business describes. Many of the people in my fraternity have never been exposed to the other side in a scholarly and academic setting. This has lead them to jump to conclusions about homelessness that may not necessarily be true but they just conform to what society states we should think and feel when it comes to the topic of homelessness.

I did my teaching project on was my last day volunteering at my internship and I came straight from doing my hours to complete the presentation. The reason I did this was because everything about my feelings of homelessness and how I felt about the internship would be prevalent in my mind. This would also lead me to be more passionate during my presentation as well. As I said, I invited the members of my business fraternity to come to my presentation. I did not tell them of anything that was going to happen so I made the dress casual to spark more attendance. I opened up the presentation describing the course and what we have learned over the semester. I then had them create a budget for a certain set of characteristics a homeless person might face. I gave them the prompt of being a part time cashier at Walmart making roughly $8.50 an hour for 20 hours a week that has two kids, one five-year old and one two-year old, no car, and no nearby family. Most of the reactions to this was amazement. They could not even understand how a person in this situation is supposed to attempt to get by. I gave them 5-10 minutes to try to create a budget for this person but they could not carry out that. At this point, I started my actual presentation in which I talked about the average perception of homelessness and what the reality of the situation is. I told the story of Shanesha Taylor (I wrote about her in one of my blog post assignments) and how even though she was trying to get a job, she still faced several burdens that would be difficult to overcome. I then gave the HUD definition of what homelessness is defined as. Additionally, I went on to describe what it would take to end homelessness and how everyone can do their part. I used this moment to talk about my internship, both the positive and negative aspects. The teaching project itself was more difficult than I had thought. This was because I had learned so much that it was difficult to convey even 5 percent of my knowledge.

Internship Report Final

Uncategorized

When given an organization that no student has “good luck” with, my initial perception was skewed. Yet, after volunteering for the past several weeks, I have gained a new outlook on life and have a different perception of society. I learned the most from the volunteers rather than the people using my internship’s services. Life is full of all kinds of obstacles that people face. The most valuable thing I have learned is that anyone can bounce back from an unfortunate turn of events; all it takes is dedication and a little bit of help along the way. The organization I volunteered at attempts to be that helping hand to aid people’s success. Even thought they have a religious foundation, that does not come into play when they are actually providing a service to the community.

Volunteers do not necessarily do it for the fact that the cause is a good on; people volunteer for themselves most of the time. This being said, the people I have met because they had to volunteer were more interesting than the people who came to receive services. The volunteers have gone through everything we have talked about in class but have turned it around somewhat to have a place to live but they still have to pay back the societal debt that they owe. Based off of their mission and goals, my internship lives up to everything they promise. Yet, the way in which they complete those tasks do not seem to be aligned with the image they hope to convey. It is hard work day in and day out to provide these services to those who need it. Yet, this kind of “work” should be viewed as help rather than a burden in a schedule.

The point and intended purpose of this internship was supposed to be learning about the structure of these organizations and how they live up to their mission. However, the internship caused me to learn more about the societal structures of poverty and homelessness, how even in this situation there are people who exert dominance, and how picky people with nothing can be. Additionally, the “work” that I did was just manual labor of lifting boxes, filling them with food, and taking them to people’s cars.

I value the feeling of helping others and this experience heightened that feeling and more. The internship allowed me to go out of my comfort zone due to the fact I have never volunteered somewhere by myself. Being alone through this process  enabled me to reflect and appreciate my time that much more. Hunger and homelessness are issues that will not be resolved in my lifetime. However, I know that I am able to do my part in helping where need be. Now, I know that others are out there to help as well; the difference lies in intent and the effect of the service. This passion I have for the issues surrounding hunger and homelessness will always be instilled within me and I know I will continue serving my community in one way or another because of my internship.

 

Crime of Homelessness

About being poor, Causes of Poverty, Government programs, Homelessness, Portraits of Homeless, Working poor

It has been interesting to see that most people think that homeless people are in the situation they are in because they are lazy and/or have no work ethic. This being said, for my teaching project, I have been trying to find real stories of people who are trying their hardest to get out of their situation as well as break the societal cycle.

Yesterday, a social reform type blog posted an article that did just that.  Shanesha Taylor is a homeless mother of 2 that was offered an interview. Because she had no one to watch or care for he children, she had me wait in the car. When she was done with the interview, her life became much more difficult. She was then arrested and her children we taken to child protective services. Since the story did not explain why she was homeless in the first place, it still shines a bright light on the issue of single mothers and their poverty level.  The article says that about 1.6 million kids in America are considered homeless and that sets them up for immediate failure as it makes it much more difficult to rise out of it. After hearing this story, many people reached out to Shanesha and donated money for her to help regain her children’s custody. As this situation was not her choice, it shows that society is constructed by giving the unfair advantage to those who need it the most. Now Shanesha and many women in similar situations have to deal with systems that will cost even more money and time. It is sad to think that people get in trouble for being in a situation they have no control over.

http://socialistworker.org/2014/04/02/the-real-crime-is-homelessness

Complaining goes a long way

Government programs, Homelessness, News link, Organizations, Reflections on our Reading

In an article posted yesterday by USA Today, benefits from the VA was re instated for those who had “less than honorable discharges.” After recently revisiting their eligibility statements, they quietly removed this category of recipients away.  Additionally, this past December, the VA cut finances to their support program as well as cutting transitional housing for those who served less than 24 months as well as less than honorable discharge. More often than not, the veterans that fall into this category  do not receive VA benefits therefore making them unable to receive benefits from homeless programs, or so the VA decided.

Once people heard of this change, they saw it quite contradicting to the goals that Obama had set in his State of the Union address earlier this year.  Senators, advocates, support groups, social welfare organizations and more all saw the heartlessness  in the VA’s actions. In response, the VA said a law has to be created to change rules. On Friday, Senator Murray, who sits on the Budget Committee, from Washington, created and presented legislation on this topic. “In the meantime, Robert Petzel, the VA’s undersecretary for health, restored support for all homeless veterans who had previously been receiving it.” About 1 in 10 veterans who live on the street have “less than honorable discharges” and almost 60,000 veterans in general are homeless. Not all veterans are immediate homeless; due to post dramatic stress syndrome, abuse, and life events, some become homeless after years of being back from their tour.

This article touched me because it is amazing to see what can happen when people feel like there has been injustice. Especially when a group that was subject to these changes does not have the strength to fight back, it is amazing what the power of voices can do to help make a positive change. From our reading of Book of the Poor, we saw many organizations are out there to aid people and offer them the best well-being they can. In this case, many people and organizations are out there to support veterans everywhere.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/03/29/homeless-veterans-va-denied-support-ptsd-discharge/7013129/

Housing the Homeless: the ultimate solution

Homelessness, News link, Solutions to Homelessness

In an article from the Huffington Post, there was a study in North Carolina that showed signs that it is cheaper to give housing for homeless then for them to live on the streets. This study was conducted in an apartment complex of people who used to say they were homeless and showed a savings in health care and jail time. This apartment complex called the Moore house provides a safe place to live for 85 people who have suffered from homelessness for many years. The article stated that within a year the people who resided in the apartments “saved $1.8 million in health care costs, with 447 fewer emergency room visits (a 78 percent reduction) and 372 fewer days in the hospital (a 79 percent reduction).”  Additionally arrests and jail time both dropped roughly 80 percent. Most people do not think of the crimes that are committed to homeless people, only what crimes homeless commit to others. Yet, within the study, they discovered that crimes that are produced by homelessness, such as loitering, trespassing, and begging, aided in the prevention of increasing certain repercussions for the homeless.

In our course, we discuss many theories, ways, points of view, and alternatives we should give to homeless people. Housing would be the best option in a perfect world. The Moore house has the goal and motto of “housing first” which requires no drug test or what some would consider an invasion of privacy. They ultimately care about a persons well being and treats their tenants as people with compassion and support. This article went on to describe one of the inhabitants stories. As we have read, the system treats everyone differently depending on their characteristics. Needless to say, to “fix” the problem of homelessness we need to start at the root, which is reteaching the characteristics of certain groups and focusing opinions on experiences and interactions.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/03/25/housing-first-homeless-charlotte_n_5022628.html

Rise of Youth Homelessness

Uncategorized

In an article written for NBC New York, there has been a rise in homeless in the local youth population. Not only has the economic recession contributed to this, but the aftermath of Sandy has put a damper on many people’s living situation. One of the school districts on Suffolk County, William Floyd, has approximately 500 homeless students. The community understands and sees the struggles these kids encounter everyday. As such, even though some are able to get temporary housing, it is usually inconveniently far from the school district itself. With the rise in technology usage, most of these 500 students do not have the means to keep up their studies like other students. Additionally, some of these students go with out food. The schools in this area used to have a “homeless liason” or extra funding to aid these students. Yet, with all things, the recession took a chunk of that out of the schools budgets for these students. The fact that the majority of people who are homeless fall into the category of young students is disgusting. We show so much concern for those who are elderly in rough situations. As we discussed in class, there are so many social welfare programs that benefit the elderly. Yet, the youth are our future and they deserve to be cared for when no one else can care for them. As cold as it is, the elderly had many more opportunities, and have received aid in numerous ways. The younger people are the ones who have faced the budget cuts and dealt with all the economic repercussions. How can we expect there to be a brighter future if do not provide the means for those students to overcome obstacles society has placed upon them?

http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/Homeless-Students-Long-Island-Schools-Increase-250710011.html

Internship Progress

Local organizations, Portraits of Homeless, Uncategorized, Working poor

Through my internship, I am volunteering at a religious organization that provides food boxes, emergency food boxes, nightly dinners, and chapel services. I was determined to figure out what the organization had to offer as I wanted to be as unbiased as possible for the entirety of the internship. Upon first going there, I was aware that I was going to be package food and distributing it to those in need. However, I was unaware that it was going to be so much more complicated than that.

The hostility of the current volunteers was somewhat off-putting, yet this was a concept I would come to understand later on. I met a man named Bob who was the only one who greeted me kindly. We put together food boxes and he asked me several questions about my purpose and what I hope to gain out of the internship. The next time I came, mostly everyone greeted me kindly as I had gained the trust of Bob. The dynamic between the volunteers seemed unbalanced. This lead me to ask Bob why he started volunteering at my internship site.

Bob went on and explained his troubled youth in Chicago, to his move out west to work for a bank. Bob had a tiff with drugs and drug usage which landed him in his current unemployed state. He is on welfare and due to the fact he is unemployed, he has to volunteer 150 hours a month to receive his aid. Because he spends so much time volunteering, he is unable to apply for jobs due to irregular “free time” and a lack of internet service. Bob has a nine year old daughter and a wife, who is also unemployed. This lead me to investigate what motivated other to volunteer at the site. The answer was that they were all on parole, probation, or actively going to drug court for their own separate reasons. More than half of the volunteers were using the services of the site itself, depending on their own weekly food box.

There are a few key takeaways I have had thus far. First, all homeless people are not the same. Some people come to pick up their food boxes in work uniforms and some arrive in tattered clothes, but have the same needs. Second, not all people who need help can receive it. There is a rigorous process with my internship site that makes it competitive to receive aid with the limited number of spots. Those who are able to consistently receive aid are viewed as “the lucky ones.”  Lastly, society perceives help and aid in interesting ways as our culture feels like a simple “handout” can lead someone to success. While having a meal would make someone more likely to complete activities since they have calories to get them moving, it actually accomplishes nothing. The construction of our societal model of help blurred by certain help being perceived as good when the reality of intentions does not match the desired result.

Another perspective

News link, Portraits of Homeless

In an article written in Philadelphia, PA,  a homeless man writes about his perspective of the hardships of being homeless.  He goes on to say that homelessness is much more than not having a place to live, rather the issue is most likely deeper. Overcoming the hardship of homelessness is not as simple as some might think. When someone has reached this kind of low in their lives, it takes much more confidence to rise up and see a hope in one’s future. One Step Away is a small newspaper that is produced and sold by homeless people.

As soon as I read this, it reminded me of Street News that I read about in Grand Central Winter. After selling the newspaper, he realized he had a job and a new stable foundation to only grow from.  he said that even though people might not think that selling a newspaper could give you any new skills, but he has learned much in customer service, promotion, and more. He ended his article by thanking his audience and to those who have displayed random acts of kindness.

Reading articles and books from the perspective of the homeless continues to blow me away. How genuine, kind, and full of life some people can be when they have so little, is amazing. From my internship to observing people going about their daily lives, it is hard to see genuine optimism and love of life. Yet, for the people who have so much, nothing ever seems good enough. Why is society like this? What are we doing wrong? Who instilled this thought process in us? All I know is that this course has opened me up to a new kind of compassion, willingness to help, and outlook for others well being. I hope to be more like the man who wrote this article. If that were the case, the world would be a much better place.

 

 

 

 

http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/one_step_away/Homelessness-can-run-deep.html

Giving the shirt off your back

Uncategorized

Over the past week, our class explored many various statistics and information concerning homelessness. As those numbers put at our heart strings, they can only tell us so much. Personal accounts and stories are the only way that a message can truly be conveyed. Additionally, the statistics offer no solutions to the problems. After our class discussion, I realized there is no true way to end homelessness. Programs, initiatives, and support can only do so much; they cannot simply make the problem vanish into thin air. It is similar to giving food to a wandering cat and it develops the pattern of coming back for more and not learning from its experience.

This morning I was listening to 97.1 KGGI FM and they have a segment called “Random Acts of Kindness.” One listener called in and told the story of how he started donating to the homeless. He said he met a homeless person who had worn the same shirt for three months. One day when he came home, he used his own t-shirt to wipe the sweat off his brow and proceeded to throw his shirt away. At this moment, he realized how wasteful he has been and decided to change for the better. Pulling his friends in the cause, they were able to give shirts to everyone in need within their town.  It is nice stories like this that convey the passion necessary to start instilling this behavior in children from the start so giving to those in need is not abnormal or difficult to accomplish.

One man’s leftovers is another man’s feast

Solutions to Homelessness

After volunteering so far this semester, I have grown curious about food. At the Salvation Army, they receive food from Target, Albertsons, Panera, and other partnerships with Inland Harvest. However, establishments like Stater Brothers and Vons that are within a half of a mile do not contribute to these causes. With the amount of light research I did, there were no articles or prevalent research done on this topic. Where does all the waste go? Obviously not to the people who need but do they just simply throw it in the trash? Or maybe they compost the left overs? Or maybe they do donate it but to another organization?

My question is this: why are companies not transparent about this? This would only give them great press coverage and a good name. Are they trying to hide how much they actually waste, or do they not waste enough food to donate? The more and more I started to think about this, it made me angry. For instance, I wonder what schools do with their left over meals. I understand that some products can be packaged and reused, but they have to be taken care of eventually.

All I know is the amount of food they can use at shelters is amazing. The staff at the Salvation Army get creative and make meals based off of what was dropped off to them the day before. In addition, they pack their food boxes trying to meet the needs of all the food groups and to be able to stretch for a week.  They make it work with what they have and help as many people as they can. One can only wonder what the possibilities could be if every company donated what they had as left overs.