While my time at my small local organization is over, I am pleased at the sheer amount of work that they do for the local low-income and homeless community. This organization started with a food pantry and has expanded to a food pantry, clothing distribution site, a medical clinic, a dental clinic, a AIDS programs, computer classes, GED classes, job preparedness classes, and even a off site women’s shelter. While this organization has seen large growth they are still continuing to grow and are currently looking for larger facility to move to. The organization is funded completely from donations, volunteers, and a small amount of grants from local businesses. They would rather not have government funding or grants due to the amount of requirements needed to get the grant and sustain it as well. For instance, if they have certain government funding for food they would need to get each recipient’s individual identification, a piece of mail from their property, and their social security number each time they went to the food pantry. By not using governmental funding they choose to put their faith in God that he will provide them with what they need. For example, just the week prior one of their delivery trucks had broken down yet the next day they unexpectedly received a three thousand dollar check in the mail from an anonymous donor. This three thousand dollar check immediately went to fixing the broken truck. Putting their faith in God to provide for the organization has helped them reach more individuals in need by not relying on restrictive governmental funding.

It is important to note that the organization would not be in existence and helping as many people as they do without their faith. I believe that their faith has brought together volunteers and the less fortunate to give and receive aid together. They have created relationships with the homeless and low-income while providing them with aid. Unfortunately, while the organization is committed to helping the community, volunteers seem to use sick talk discourse when speaking about the less fortunate. If the volunteers had more knowledge of the structural issues they would be better prepared to help the community without this discourse. While they do not have this structural knowledge, it is important to note that the service they are giving is aiding hundreds of families and homeless each week. Even with the occasional sick talk discourse among the volunteers, the organization still manages to treat the homeless and low-income with respect and dignity.

Who here like me has walked by a homeless person with an animal and either felt sorry for the homeless pet or wondered whether the animal was just a way for the homeless person to get more money panhandling? These are two common ways the public thinks about homeless pet ownership. Many people even go as far as to cut the leash and take the dog to give them a better life. Police have even been known to take dogs from the homeless if they do not have the correct proof of ownership forms. I recently came across an article that broke down this criticism of dogs with homeless owners and explained some new study findings. The study suggested that homeless pet owners who stay with their pets are less likely to suffer from depression while on the streets. With only about nine percent of shelters catering to dog owners these homeless populations who do not wish to separate from their dog usually end up on the street. While dogs aid their owner’s mental health they also serve a vehicle for motivation for the owner to get their pet and themselves off the streets. So maybe next time you see a homeless person with a pet you may think differently about the pet’s purpose and the owner’s intention. Perhaps there should be more shelters aimed at homeless pet owners. Take a look at the interesting article and tell me what you think!

https://www.good.is/articles/homeless-people-pets-bias

After listening to all the presentations today I realized how much I have learned so far about homelessness and poverty. Then it dawned on me that if it took almost an entire class to learn about homelessness and poverty how do we expect the rest of America to fix the problem if they don’t even understand the basics. It appears that most of the books and conversations we have had so far direct us to educate one another and ourselves on the issue in order to combat the problems. Seems pretty logical right? But how do you do that? Homelessness and poverty does not come up in my day-to-day conversations except with other people who I know are interested in sociology. I can’t imagine homelessness and poverty easily come up in others conversations as well. So this leads me to the question of how can we as college students begin to discuss and educate others and ourselves about this? Perhaps each of us can attempt to discuss homelessness and poverty in person with at least two people a week. Maybe week can create a fundraiser with education built in. Maybe we can even create a regular homelessness and poverty seminars with an incentive to come. There are so many possibilities to try and inform and discuss homelessness and poverty around us yet it is alarming that we don’t. How can we as students right now discuss and inform others about poverty and homelessness (other than the teaching project)?

The organization in which I am working at provides medical services, dental services, weekly food boxes, clothing, bagged lunches for the homeless, hygiene kits, monthly homeless community dinners, AA meetings, GED classes, computer classes, and job coaching classes to local low-income and homeless individuals. This organization has strong religious ties and is funded completely by donations and volunteers. Working for the food pantry on the weekly food distribution is the most insightful opportunity I’ve had so far. Three hundred to four hundred low-income families come and wait in a long line in front of the organization for their weekly food box or sack lunch. Many individuals come early to claim their space in line with lawn chairs. There is one security guard to ward off any impatient or potentially harmful individuals. The security guard makes the long line full of families, homeless, and volunteers wait to enter the building until they open and are ready to being distribution. Before they open, there will often be a homeless man or two knocking on the front door until the guard lets them come in to use the restroom. The homeless often leave their carts or valuables out front in the care of others or the security guard, while they wait in line for their lunches, hygiene kits, and bathrooms. While they do not provide showers for homeless, the organization refers them to another organization where they offer showers.
Many of these volunteers have and still use/d the organizations aid and a few have even been homeless. These individuals desire to give back the organization that has helped them, and they are usually of the same faith. Their stories tell a dramatic tale of their struggles with alcohol, health, family issues, as well as personal economic catastrophes. They credit the organization and most importantly god, for helping them through their time of need. On several occasions while working at the food pantry, volunteers and employees have stated “they get what we give them”, “beggars can’t be choosers”, or stating that the poor need to put their faith in god and work harder to make it out of their situations. This is disturbing since these individuals are an aid organization providing for these families and individuals in need, yet they do not see the larger societal structure oppressing these individuals that led to being in need. It may be that I have worked along side and spoke to the few volunteers that believe this, however, this lack of larger structural knowledge among some volunteers still has an effect on the organization.
I am excited to continue speaking with the volunteers and staff, as well as to begin conversing with the hundreds of families and homeless individuals that come through the organization each week. I am particularly excited to participate in this month’s homeless dinner, in which I will be able to prepare, serve, and eat dinner with local homeless individuals. This will allow me to understand the homeless’ view of the organization as well as what it means to be homeless in this town.

After visiting my boyfriend’s family this weekend in Los Angeles I was shocked to see a homeless encampment had disappeared from the freeway over pass near their neighborhood. This freeway over pass served as a make shift shelter for quite a few homeless individuals over the past five months. They had set up around five to six tents and seem to keep to themselves. I had asked my boyfriend’s family if they knew what had happened to the encampment and they responded that a neighborhood organization had worked with city officials to get them removed. Before learning all that we have so far in this course I, like many others in that neighborhood, would have wanted the homeless encampment to be moved because it made the neighborhood look bad. Having the encampment near a neighborhood does not mean that the neighborhood is more dangerous, yet many in that neighborhood were scared of the crime that the homeless were bringing into their neighborhood. When I tried to speak about other possible options regarding the homeless encampment my boyfriend’s family was taken back. They refused to entertain any other possibility other than removing the encampment from their neighborhood. They did not feel safe or conformable living so close to a homeless encampment. This experience this weekend let me see how much I have learned about homelessness through this course so far but it also showed me how difficult it can be to talk with others about homelessness when they are feeling that their space is being invaded.

While looking through the Minneapolis newspaper website, The Star Tribune, an interesting article caught my attention from 2015. This article explains an odd zoning ordinance that mandates all emergency homeless shelters to be located in churches, mosques, temples, or other places of worship. In Minneapolis, under 1995 zoning rules, emergency homeless shelters must be located in a place of worship, except a small area downtown where emergency shelters can operate independently. This odd zoning ordinance was originally in place to allow emergency homeless shelters to be out of sight. While Minneapolis is known for having a church on nearly every corner, the amount of the homeless was rising and out growing the church basements the emergency homeless shelters were allotted. In 2015 this zoning ordinance was finally being reevaluated however I am unsure whether there has been an outcome yet.

It is important to note that often times religious organizations will let aid organizations or in this case emergency homeless shelters use rent out or use their facilities basements for no cost and often the churches do not fund these aid organizations.

With this zoning ordinance explained I began to imagine myself as a homeless person in Minneapolis in the dead of winter, which usually gets down to the negative twenties or below, and I need a place not only to sleep but to be during the day so I do no freeze to death. Now I also imagine I have only one choice to spend the day and night in a Lutheran church basement because that is where the nearest available emergency homeless shelter is located. If I do not feel comfortable associating with the Lutheran religion, let alone being in the church, I am out of luck. This zoning ordinance is very strange and puts many individuals in uncomfortable situations.

Has anybody else heard of any other zoning ordinances similar to this?

Heres the link to the 2015 article!

http://www.startribune.com/minneapolis-may-free-homeless-shelters-from-worship-spaces/292035401/

This past weekend I came across a documentary about a man in Oakland who collects illegally dumped furniture and materials, and builds miniature homes for homeless individuals. He is able to build one home a day at no cost. These miniature homes made from materials found on the street give people a safe, dry, and respectable place to call their own. However, with this being one of the many videos I have seen floating around Facebook with individuals doing the exact same thing, it rings up the question of where these miniature homes can be placed. Homeless individuals are subjected to move where they live within a moments notice of police or greater authority telling them, so what would a homeless person do if they had to move their miniature home? Could they even manage to move their miniature home? Could permits possibly be given out for these new tiny homes?
Similarly in Seattle, a tiny house village just opened consisting of 14 tiny homes with access to a building with toilets and showers. This tiny house village is located on a piece of land owned by a church and will cost a total of ninety dollars of month to live there. While tiny homes aren’t a solution to the bigger homelessness problem, it sure is a creative and interesting way to help get some homeless people off the streets.

Check out both links and tell me what you think about tiny houses!

A Big-Hearted Man and His Calling to Build Tiny Houses for Oakland’s Homeless

http://www.kiro7.com/news/seattles-first-tiny-house-village-homeless-open-we/40000629

While planning out a family with one minimum wage working parent and two children’s budget, I was awestruck at just how impossible it is to live on minimum wage pay. I spent much time tweaking expenses, and no matter what, the family would have to live with small housing, state health insurance (CHIP and Medicaid), and food from government programs and non-profits. While researching the eligibility requirements of the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), I came across a recent news article regarding future plans for the Kansas Children’s Health Insurance Program. With the Kansas State budget appearing to have a deficit the governor is proposing to take money from the federal affordable care act; money originally allocated to the Kansas Children’s Health Insurance Program to balance the state’s budget. The governor’s spokesperson is claiming, “Children will continue to be served as they are now, and expenditures remain the same.” Should states really take that risk in shorting the Children’s Health Insurance Program in which countless children rely for their health care? If I were a parent in Kansas dependent on CHIP for my child’s health care, whether they are sick or healthy, I would be furious by the possibility of my child being unable to receive the same amount of care or being unable to register for CHIP due to the loss of the funds. This brings us to a larger issue of policy being determined by wealthy privileged politicians. Balancing the budget may put the governor in a good light, however, is a balanced budget worth the low-income families possibly losing health coverage for their children? Should we be questioning why privileged politicians get so much pull aiding low-income individuals?

http://ksn.com/2016/01/21/low-income-families-worried-about-funds-taken-from-chip-program/