I partnered with one of my classmates Jordin for our Each One Teach One project. Our project focused on educating people on the basic facts about homelessness and trying to break stereotypes. We felt that this class has really taught us a lot about the homeless population and has broken several stereotypes throughout the course of the semester, which is exactly why we felt more people should be educated on the things this course teaches. For our project we originally were going to present to both of our sororities, but then we thought why limit it? We felt that tabling in front of the Commons would allow us to reach a larger population and to students who were “available.” By available we mean that they were students who had the free time to speak with us and who actually wanted to learn more, rather than forcing someone to sit through a presentation. For our table we printed out photos ranging from different homeless people on the streets and different statistics about the homeless. Our game was more so trying to gage how much people actually knew about the homeless so we had a series of questions written on one side of the paper with the answer on the back. Then we would ask them to guess what the answer would be to see how much they knew about homelessness before we flipped the card over for the answer and informed them even more about the answer. Our two biggest questions that we had people answer were “What do you think is the main cause of homelessness?” and “If you see a homeless person on the street, even they were simply napping what number do you call?” We also had other questions, but these were the two most popular questions that gathered the most response and largest attraction from the people we spoke with. When we asked people if they knew what number to call if they see a homeless person most either said 911 or said they had no idea. When we told them about the “511” number most people were surprised and no idea that number existed in the San Bernardino County. I personally think this was my favorite part of teaching people because I remember when the police officers taught us this I was so taken back and had no idea. It is such a simple number to remember, so if we taught them anything during our teaching project and if only one thing stuck with them I truly hope it was this number. Now when we asked people what they thought was the main cause of homelessness, most people naturally said drugs. We actually had over 10 people say drugs, the most out of any other category. I have to say though, that before taking this class I probably would have said the same answer had someone asked me. The next most popular answer was mental illness, and people assuming that mental illness is what led to people being homeless. My favorite answer we received though, that didn’t just simply scratch the surface, was one person saying the leading causes of homelessness is because of food deserts, bad government funding, and expensive education (college). These answers were all interesting to here because I believe if we would have taken a poll at the beginning of the semester in our class about what we thought were the main causes of homelessness each of us would have had similar answers. The overall experience of this assignment was rather rewarding. This assignment allowed to me to reflect on how I kind of was and the way I was thinking about the homeless when I first began this class. Some of the students had surprising guesses to our questions, while others had really surprising things to say about the homeless. Everyone has different opinions in regards to the homeless, but overall I believe we had a fairly good response rate. Students were engaged and wanted to actually hear about what we had to say.

This week,  we got to hear from our fellow peers once again about the internships they have taken up this semester. They all range from dealing with adults to the homeless youth and each person has had a difference experience, even if they were at the same location as someone else. Overall, it is interesting to hear what people have to say about their organizations and what they have learned from them throughout their time there. This time for our presentations we included a piece about evaluating the organization as a whole. So this meant that we included what we thought they were doing well, but also what we thought could be improved on, whether or not it was in their control, we still wanted to give a general idea of how we think the organization could potentially function better. Not that is was necessarily nice to hear that everyone faced some sort of challenge or at least noticed one with their organization, but it was comforting to know that not every place is perfect and is still constantly striving to do better. We heard from organizations that have been around for over a hundred years and from some that have only been around for less than a year. With everyone having such a wide range of internships that have been around for different time periods it really allowed us to see what works and what doesn’t work. One of the most common themes that I found within the organizations that all have a lack of funding. Money is what allows these organizations to function and provide resources and programs to their clients, but without they are unable to. It is becoming harder and harder now to receive funds and grants for these types of organizations, but the few that do I only hope they put the money toward good use as I am sure they will.

This week in class we had a presentation on tiny homes and whether or not they could be a solution towards homelessness. There are pros and cons towards tiny home villages and whether or not they would be beneficial to society let alone the homeless. Something to consider is whether or not it is a good idea to put the homeless population all in the same area or to spread them out. This is not an answer that can be answered immediately because again, we have to look at the pros and cons. Having them all together could make things easier for the community itself, but may not be beneficial to the homeless population. However, having them dispersed all over a city may make it difficult to regulate them and have an idea of where they may. Tiny homes I believe are a good option for homeless because it provides a better shelter then sleeping on the park bench. However, my initial thought when I think of tiny homes is all the TV shows that are made about the rich wanting tiny homes.  The rich are  saying they want to “downsize,” but then spend an abundance of money on trying to make it the fanciest “tiny home” someone has ever seen. I personally believe that tiny homes are nothing but a trend that people have recently discovered. If one simply Google’s “tiny homes” and clicks on images the “TINY” homes that come up are absurd. They are beautiful and a generally interesting idea (one I could never live in though), but one could easily tell that they have a lot of money put into them. I recognize that building tiny home communities for the homeless population would not have such elaborate homes because they would have such a smaller budget, but then I also feel that the rich would no longer be interested in them. I don’t say that in a bad or a good way, I just believe it is the truth because then the rich would not think they have something “unique.”

This past week in class we were fortunate enough to have a Skype conference call with David McGuire, the CEO of Homeless Solutions, Inc. in New Jersey. They are a homeless shelter who serve a variety of people,  from single men, single women, families, and those who are mentally ill. They also have a traditional housing program where people have jobs, but simply cannot afford the housing in their county. It is an 18 month housing program and they will help you create a budget, improve your credit score, help you work towards a better job or a promotion, and several other things that could help better your life. Another thing they have been working towards is affordable housing. Something that plays a large factor in homelessness is the fact that there is no affordable housing options. Homeless Solutions Inc. has recognized this problem and has began to build affordable houses to better benefit their community. They look at persons income and if you make less than a certain amount of money you can qualify to live in one of the affordable houses. They have also strived to make these homes as green as possible to reduce the impact on the environment as well as keep cost low. One of the most surprising things I learned was that there are at least 8 people who get evicted from their homes a day in their county. I do not know why I was so surprised by this number because I know there is such a large homeless population, but I had never thought about the number of people who are evicted from their homes on a daily basis. One of the things I really appreciated from talking with David, is Homeless Solutions, Inc. slogan. There slogan is “Give a hand up, not a hang out!” This means that they have to do the hard work, but Homeless Solutions, Inc. will be there to give them advice on what to do. I think this is important because, not to stereotype, but a lot of the time people do not want to help the homeless because they feel they are giving them a hand out. They do not want to give beggars money because they feel as though they worked hard for their money and they could simply do the same. This goes for homeless people as well, some simply do not want to have a job because they are getting hand outs on the streets, which is easier then working sometimes. I appreciate that Homeless Solutions, Inc. is focused on helping someone, but only if they are first interested in helping themselves and willing to do the work.

This past week we had another series of presentations, this time focusing on the housing offered to the homeless population. One of the presentations was on a book called “Housing First.” This book was interesting because they recognized that the housing approach was not working and decided to do something about it. First, they asked the homeless population what they wanted and they all responded that they wanted housing. It baffles me that they did something as simple as ask the people what they wanted and acted on it. Most people beat around the push or assume they know what is best for someone when more often then not we have no idea until we ask the person who it is directly affecting. Since they said they wanted housing that is what they received. Most services first option to help the homeless is putting them in a shelter, but Housing First’s approach is to get them housing first and the very last option is for them to go into a shelter. The reasoning behind getting housing first is that people said they do not succeed in a shelter or transition home. By having a house they are able to get a fresh start to focus on themselves. I agree with this approach because people who live in shelters were ultimately on a cycle of getting a bed, going back on a waiting list, and then back to the streets while they wait for an available bed. It is an unhealthy cycle for anyone to be living in, but Housing First is offering a real chance at a do over that can go a long way for people.

This past Wednesday in class we were fortunate enough to hear about everyones internships that they are partaking in for the semester. Everyone’s was different, which made it that much more interesting to listen to. Everyone’s varied from dealing with youth, to low income families, to single mothers, to actual shelters. A common theme I found in all the presentations is the language that each facility uses. They did not refer to them as “homeless” or “the needy” instead they refer to them as clients or participants or youth when they are dealing with minors. I thought this was important because being homeless is a situation not a permanent state, but if you are constantly being reminded that you are homeless it can cause you to think differently about your situation.

Another thing that stood out to me was how many services are provided to people, but more specifically the youth. I was pleased to hear that there were still rules about staying in school going to show that there are no free hand outs – if you do your part we will do our part. It is sad to hear about all the youth who do not have homes or a good home life, but it is inspiring to see all the help and programs that are offered to them. A lot of the facilities mentioned that a lot of the volunteers help the youth in more ways then they think. Just by talking to them and listening to them goes a long way with anyone that you talk to and I can only imagine when someone stops to take an interest in someone going through a hard time it makes a big impact on them. Several youth do not know what it is like to be given attention or really listened to, but by giving them this it may seem small to a volunteer who may not even know what they are doing but it means a lot to the youth.

While having this time over break to reflect on the firs half of the semester I found myself discussing the homeless issue with my parents. My mom is part of a charity league (Assistance League if anyone has heard of it), and the day I came home for break she was not home because she was out volunteering. She was at a local Target, with several other members, awaiting the arrival of 50 homeless people to come and shop. They were giving out gift cards worth $120 to help them purchase basic necessities. Target also took away taxes and gave them a slight discount, so they were really allowed to buy $138 worth of items. They only had 38 people show up, but for those 38 people I am sure it helped them a lot. It is simple acts and partnering like this that helps us take little steps toward helping someone back on their feet. Yes, there are the ones who did not come, but the ones who did are showing that they are trying to get back on their feet. I also spoke with my dad about the “tent city” along the 57 freeway and how those who lived there were now being put into hotels. This is not too far from where I live so I have been seeing several angry post from people that I know because it is their tax dollar providing this lodging until the city knows what to do with them. This issue just shows that no one is ever going to be happy with whatever current situation is going on – it is a part of life. It is not just directed at the homeless population, it is every issue we face. There is no possible way to please EVERY SINGLE PERSON, but that is why compromise is a key factor to living with other people. My dad and I tried to spit ball a few ideas back and forth about a possible solution, but we recognize at the end of the day it would take a lot of people to agree. We said that creating a tent city in the high desert where resources are available to help those who want to get back on their feet do so would be a good idea, but it is the matter of getting it started.

This past week in class was unique in the sense that we were able to listen to different speakers. On Monday, we had the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department come in who are a part of the Homeless Outreach Program in San Bernardino. We also had a Skype conference with call with two experts who specialize in homeless counts. Both sets of speakers were incredibly interesting and I was able to learn a lot more information from them. From the San Bernardino Sheriffs’ I learned a lot about different costs. I did not realize that instead of dialing “911” when you encounter a homeless person and think something may be wrong, you should dial “211,” which is a homeless outreach program who will send someone to help. The reason to call the “211” number is because it cost tax payers less money. I know I was completely unaware, as I am sure many other people are, the cost for emergency vehicles just to respond to a call and not utilize anything but their vehicles. If you call “911” about a homeless person, they more than likely will dispatch an ambulance, fire truck, and police officer. I learned that just to run a fire truck it cost $300 each time they turn it one. That is a lot of money and more often then not the homeless person is just sleeping because they do not want sleep at night because it can be dangerous. Also, according to the San Bernardino fire station they receive on average 15 calls a day and half of them are for homeless. That is over $2,000 that is being used just on a fire truck alone to respond to a call they probably are not needed for. While talking to the homeless count experts, I learned how much money went into homeless counts. It can be anywhere from $1,000 to nearly a million dollars. I was surprised by this because I do not understand why it cost this much. I personally do not understand why the money they are using towards homeless counts, if it truly is that expensive, why they cannot use that money to build more shelters or even just provide a meal to the homeless instead. If I was homeless I personally would rather have money used to buy me a meal rather then it being to train someone to put down a tally mark when they walk past me once a year.

This week in class we looked at the beginning of homelessness and the causes of it. I found it fascinating that there was never a problem with street homeless until the steep recession in the 1980s. Learning that street homelessness only became a problem in the 1980s showed me how new this issue is. I am not sure why I thought this was an issue that has been going on for a lot longer, but I learned that it has not. One of the things I found fascinating in regards to counting homeless was their reasoning for doing it in January. I had wondered why they did the count in January, but after learning the reasoning it made more sense. They do the homeless count in January because they hope it is easier to count people since it is cold outside, so they hope they are mostly in shelters. Something that was even more of a shock to me was the amount of money it cost to keep someone on the streets for a year. I knew it cost a lot of money for a homeless person to be on the streets, but I did not realize that it was $45,000. It baffles me that this money is not being put to a more efficient use, as I am sure it baffles many people. $45K is a lot of money that could be used to build shelters, temporary homes, or simply provide a meal for a person to eat each day.

This week in class we spent our time on group presentations listening to what books our peers had read in relation to homelessness. The book that stood out to me the most was “Homeless Mothers: Face to Face with Women and Poverty.” They started off the presentation with a video of a family with 6 children living in a hotel. They were living in a hotel because they were kicked out of the home they were renting due to the landlord not paying the mortgage and just taking their money. This is just another example of how no one plans on being homeless, but sometimes life takes a dramatic turn for the worst – especially when crooks are involved like this landlord. They then went on to discuss the different mothers in the story and the hardships they were facing. Most of them had/were in abusive relationships (usually multiple) and quite a few had multiple children. It was sad to listen to these women’ stories because I felt as though they were all trying to escape, but kept ending up back into an unhealthy cycle of abuse and drugs. I am glad that they were all able to find the author, Deborah Connolly, a social worker for help, but it makes me think of the women who are not as fortunate to have someone. I hope that they one day do find the person who will help them out of this cycle though. One final thought, there was one thing that really grasped my attention at the end of the presentation and that was when one of the mother’s said she just wants to hear her child laugh again. That broke my heart to hear that this mother isn’t asking for money or anything, but simply for her child’s laughter because a child’s happiness is the purest thing I think.