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.

At my internship on Friday, I had a bit of a shock. As I walked in the front door, I saw a boy who looked identical to my little brother. I took a double take and seeing him again made it spookier. This whole encounter got me thinking about how things are more real when they affect you directly. If your family struggles with homelessness then you are more likely to truly understand what the meaning of homelessness really is, what it actually feels like. Seeing someone who so closely resembled a member of my family, someone who I love dearly, in a shelter struck very close to home. It got me to imagine what it would be like to have a sibling runaway, or to be on the streets as a young teenager. Up until this point I had stayed pretty detached from it all, seeing it more as something that happens to others rather than something that could happen to me or the ones that I love.

After coming to this realization, I put together that this idea of it being “other peoples problem” is the mentality that a majority of society puts out about homelessness. They can say they understand, volunteer their time, donate extra food, extra clothes, even money, but they never truly understand the effects and the toll it takes on everyone who is involved. It is not a voluntary action to become homeless; people don’t just one day say hey I’m going to be homeless today. And kids sure don’t runaway from their homes, or end up in foster care just for the hell of it. In fact, a majority of the kids on the streets who are facing homelessness are there because their parents don’t want them or their parents abused them, or they just plain and simple don’t have a family or a house to call home. Before I worked in the shelter, I viewed running away as a kid a kind of glorified action that you did to be a rebel, but that you would always eventually return home. As a kid I ran away once because I was mad at my parents, but never once did it cross my mind that I would never come back or that I would have to find a place other than my bedroom to spend the night.

All the clients at the shelter have a story, a reason for why they are there. Some have families, others have social workers, and some have both or neither. But to comprehend that there are kids out there that aren’t loved and cared about by their own family makes me sick. I know if my little brother ran away I would do everything in my power to get him back. Because that’s what you do for the ones that you love.

Sean Cononie is a known advocate for the homeless community. According to the article, Cononie was paid $4.8 million dollars by the city of Hollywood to not only relocate, but leave the city. The deal between Cononie and Hollywood consisted of the exchange of the homeless shelter, along with his other properties in the city for the money.

However, for Cononie, leaving the city not only means finding a new home for himself but a new home for his 112 “clients” whom consist of the homeless community. In 2015, Cononie purchased a former 125-room hotel in Polk County for $2.1 million, where he was able to house 112 clients who were formerly staying in a Hollywood homeless shelter.

However, the article reports that Cononie recently decided to sell the hotel building for $2.8 million dollars on Friday, the 11th. It is suspected that Cononie wants to return to Hollywood, despite not being allowed back.

This article highlights the relevant concern, in regard to a growing homeless population. Hollywood Commissioner, Linda Sherwood, voices her opinion on the matter: “We gave him the extra money in order for him to stay out of our city for 30 years. I would be very unhappy if his clients come back to Hollywood, whether it’s under a bridge or on the beach.”

Displacing the homeless community will worsen the issue at hand. However, Sherwood insists that eliminating resources, such as the ones previously being offered by Cononie, will alleviate the issue. Sherwood’s issue is not with homelessness but with the homeless community.

Citation:

“Paid $4.8 Million to Leave, Homeless Advocate Sean Cononie Ready to Return to South Florida.” Sun-Sentinel.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Mar. 2016. <http://www.sun-sentinel.com/local/broward/hollywood/fl-cononie-coming-back-hollywood-20160314-story.html>.

From the book that Kelsey and I are presenting on, I have thought about a few problems that might arise when we make affordable housing more available.  This is not to say that we should axe affordable housing all together, rather, we should just keep some things in mind.  First, if we have an open application process for affordable housing, i.e. anyone can apply, and most likely get it, wouldn’t that possibly create a dangerous community among those who live in low income ousting areas?  I remember reading Sidewalk and hearing stories about how people would make a choice to either stay on the street or purchase a spot in a shelter for the night.  The cost wasn’t an issue for them, rather it was safety.  The shelters themselves were dangerous.  How would we provide a safe environment among low income housing communities?

Another issue that the book looks at is the increasing standards of living among the middle and upper middle class.  Real estate agents and city councils want to attract high income individuals to their areas, so housing construction includes putting in more amenities, more bedrooms, bathrooms, better technology, ect.  And not surprisingly, this is raising housing costs.  How to House the Homeless suggests that we bring the standards of housing down, with fewer regulations as to what amenities must be included in any kind of housing.  So, a lower standard of living would be present among these communities.  With hardly any regulations, these low income housing areas could have the potential to appear  somewhat like a prison complex.  How do turn the “projects” into real communities?

When we think about what causes homelessness we typically think the usual things about how people loose their jobs or deaths in family or a tragic life changes. We don’t really hear of top Athletes becoming homeless and without a place to live . I was reading this article about a former offensive lineman from UNC that was homeless due to what people thought was drugs and alcohol, but his family thought it was from football. In the article they talked about how scientist studied Hoffman the former football players brain and found out that he had stage 2 C.T.E or also called chronic traumatic encephalopathy which causes problems like depression, short-term memory loss, lack of impulse control, irritability and mood swings. This disease has stages that range from 0-4 on the severity level, Hoffman was diagnosed with various mental illness and manic depression. Hoffman after being diagnosed with the C.T.E continued to live on the street, He is now dead he rode is bike into oncoming traffic on a poorly lighted road in Haines City, Florida in November, hid died on the way to the hospital after colliding head on with traffic on his bike. His Mom didn’t think that  he killed himself or tried to she thought it was the C.T.E and all the head injuries he got while playing football that made him this way and ended up homeless. For me being a football player its crazy to think that this can possibly happen not only to me but to other friends i care about. We tend to think that being homeless comes from money and other tragic things in peoples lives we do not think that it can happen because of football or sports. After reading this article it made me think about how anyone and everyone is at risk of possibly becoming homeless.

Interning at Our House, a youth shelter in Redlands, has been a learning experience. I have learned a lot about the foster system and how awful and disorganized it really is. The organization I am interning for tries to help these foster kids and kids who have runaway from their homes as best they can. But since they are a government-funded program, their resources are limited as well. Between the restrictions of the system and the many factors that put youth on the streets, once they are out there it is made near impossible for them to get back on their feet.

I have spent a total of 4 days volunteering at Our House and in those 4 days I have only touched the surface of what I believe I will learn not only about myself but also about the organization as a whole. Before Friday I had felt like my services at the center were not needed but finally on Friday I was given responsibilities such as answering the phone and participating in group sessions that let me see the first glimpse into how the organization runs.

In my short few days of interning, I’ve learned that working in a shelter is a job all about relationships. The relationships you make with your clients, the ones with your piers and the ones with your superiors are what make the job what it is. Listening to the stories of all the staff made me realize that this organization is purely there for the kids. Our House is there to help the ones who need a boost, a support system, somewhere safe to live. But they are not there to take in the trouble cases; they do not have the resources to be the fixers. They don’t want the violent ones or the ones with a tendency to run, because if they do run, the chances of a staff running after them are slim to none. One of the staff made a comment to me saying “if one of the clients goes AWOL (runs away) while I’m working there ain’t no way I’m running after them.” This statement didn’t come from a place of dislike of the clients, but rather from a place of taking the remaining clients best interest to heart. “You cant save them all” one of the staff once said to me, but you do what you can for the ones who want your help. And this is what Our House is all about. They are there for the ones who want help. The ones whose parents have bailed on them or who haven’t found their place in foster care. They are there for support; to create a place that some can call home. They are there to help these kids in need, not save them.

For those of you that weren’t able to make it to Relay for Life on Saturday it was an extraordinary experience. Seeing so many people standing up and being united for one cause was truly remarkable to witness, and it got me thinking if we can do this for cancer, why not homelessness? So far Relay for Life has raised around $43,000 (correct me if I’m wrong Emily) and fundraising will continue for a next couple months. I honestly think having an event structured the way Relay for Life was, and having people spend 24 hours walking the track, having guest speakers and those who have had experience with homelessness throughout the day could and would be a major step towards raising public awareness and putting a more positive spin on public opinion while raising money. Getting other non-profits involved would help immensely; there could be one target organization that all donations would go towards, or there could be multiple organizations that split the donations. Either way I think the organizations would greatly appreciate the assistance. This would definitely take a lot of planning, time, and effort, but with hard work and dedication the University of Redlands could be one of the first schools in the country to do something like this; who knows, maybe there’d be media coverage of the event if it were advertised enough, that would expand public awareness way past the boundaries of our community. I really like this idea and see no reason why something like Relay for Life can’t be replicated for other causes. Let me know what you guys think, maybe we can start working with admin on it.

Hunger is everywhere. We might not think about hunger in America. Do we pay attention to this social issue as much as we should?

SNAP is the universal food stamp program providing many hungry families with a system of purchasing your food.

According to “Food for Thought” on NPR, these SNAP benefits are enough to keep people fed. They highlight the statistic that one-third of families on SNAP still have to visit a food pantry.

It seems that there are many negative factors to a program like SNAP. The cultures of different eating styles, obesity, sugar addictions, lack of education about health eating and purchasing of food, and lack of healthy options.

Hunger and poverty go hand in hand, affecting the lives of many people who are not able to maintain a healthy lifestyle.

One recommendation is for SNAP distribution to be given on a bi-weekly or weekly basis instead of monthly, therefore allowing for meal planning within a shorter time frame.

Another solution to hunger and bad health is a recommendation to lower the price of produce. Lowering the price of produce allows these healthier, non-processed foods to look more affordable and appealing to purchase.

Research shows that lowering the price of fruits and vegetables by 30% would save nearly 200,000 lives over 15 years.

A study was done that gave more money for SNAP but only to use it for fruits and vegetables and showed that the participants of this study did indeed consume more produce.

With these results and suggestions, it seems like there is a feasible solution to hunger. What are your thoughts on other methods to eliminate hunger and promote health eating?

http://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2016/03/03/468955099/the-snap-gap-benefits-arent-enough-to-keep-many-recipients-fed

http://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2016/03/02/468921290/slice-the-price-of-fruits-and-veggies-save-200-000-lives

The organization I have the pleasure of working at is Operation Grace. Operation Grace began as a homeless shelter provider in 1993. They provide desperately needed aid for hundreds of homeless in the San Bernardino area. They aid people in “dusting themselves off and getting back on their feet.” The same family has owned this organization since it has opened up. Jessica, the leader of the organization, has worked there since she was a little girl when her parent’s were in charge. She has literally grown up in this organization and is now a pastor and head of Operation Grace. Operation Grace’s main cause is to alleviate the homeless population in the city. In addition to housing women and children in emergency shelters, they also provide low income and transitional housing. The organization also provides additional services and referrals to anyone who calls the office. Overall, their main focus is to help families get into homes that they can call their own.

Although Operation Grace aids families with shelter, they only house women and women with children. The thing that stood out to me the most about this organization is that 90% of the homeless people they shelter are able to move into permanent housing of their own, on their own.

Operation Grace believes that women sometimes find themselves in situations that are out of their hands. This is a cause of homelessness that they see often. They also believe that there isn’t enough housing for people with low income. This is why their foundation is based on giving women the tools and services for money management in order for them to be able to obtain a house of their own. Because these women have been through hardships, the organization supports them by supporting them with positivity and care. The organization is also heavily influenced by their faith. Jessica, the head of the organization, is also a pastor and hold Bible readings. She decided to do this work because she felt like it was her duty as a person of faith. That’s also how Ms. Pride got into this work. She said she had never went to school for this, but that she felt like God was calling her to do more. This work is not easy to do, yet they manage to bring smiles on their face everyday when they come to work. I strongly admire this about them. Their positivity and faith gives them the ability to help people in any way that they can. I think it’s great that they use their faith to help, yet never try to force their faith on anyone. As a not so religious person, I really like this about them. Because they work as a family, their shelter works as a family too.

I have only been working at Operation Grace for about two weeks now, but I already feel like I am learning so much. This isn’t a pleasurable job to do, yet they do this work for the people they are able to help. All in all, I look forward to going back to see what more I can learn and experience. I know that I have much more to take in from this internship.

In my months at my social service organization, I have realized a few things. The first being that inefficiency in social services is common and due to the requirements of funding requests, is almost unavoidable. Secondly, the dynamics of this organization could be greatly improved if the hierarchy of positions wasn’t instilled as much as it is. Lastly, to be in this organization, one must have thick skin, a strong sense of urgency, and the desire to help those in need, while jumping through obstacle after obstacle.

The organizations mission is “to alleviate poverty, encourage self-sufficiency, and promote the dignity of all” and by doing so they help citizens far below the poverty line receive rental, food, transportation, and shelter assistance. Due to the funding at this organization, work ethic and documentation are emphasized greatly. The food assistance process is relatively quick for the client, but may take about a week to report for the case manager. Rental assistance, unfortunately, is a much longer process for clients who need the assistance. It can take from two to three weeks and by that time, the client may have been evicted from their home, or lost a deal with a landlord. This type of inefficiency could be changed if funding increased, but because we have to budget out the month based on our funding, it leaves the case manager to decide who is worthy and who is not. In previous classes there has been discussion of the worthy versus unworthy, and I am happy to say that this organizations discourse on those who need assistance is positive, for the most part. Other than frustrations when dealing with paperwork and people who do not qualify for our program, this organization speaks empathetically towards its clients, and tries to make them feel important. They believe homelessness is caused by a series of unfortunate events as well as the surroundings and upbringings of a client. Many of the families they assist, have a history in their family of homelessness, low income, or abuse.

With being introduced to so many struggling citizens, it is no wonder that case managers often become frustrated, stressed, or irritated with the work they do. Then this relays to the program coordinator who believes emotions should be left at the door when entering this field.

Currently, I have noticed the turnover rate for case managers is very high. I have seen two case managers come and go, including my own, unexpectedly. For reasons such as low wages, office coworkers, and micromanagement of caseworkers, I can understand why there is a quick burn out. However, aside from this negative aspect of the work, the organization I interned with is extremely passionate, and those who have the same passion as others within the office are the ones who have worked in the organization for over 30 years and love what they do. What I have noticed is that the people willing to help the less fortunate are successful when they are not doing it for the profit.