Category Archives: Organizations

San Diego Nonprofit to provide portable showers for homeless people

How we should treat each other, Local organizations

Think Dignity, a San Diego-area nonprofit, plans to bring portable showers to neighborhoods throughout the city.  The showers are about the size of a horse trailer, have stalls for men and women, and are pulled by a truck.  They plan to park on private property for a maximum of four hours at a time, so they will not require city permits.  Moving from place to place on a regular schedule means that they can serve more homeless people that they could with only one location.

Anne Rios, Think Dignity’s Executive Director, said that the showers will help homeless people feel better about themselves, and it will also make it easier for them to find jobs.  The program is patterned after the Lava Mae mobile shower program in San Francisco.  Lava Mae converted four old buses into mobile shower stalls.  That program has been very popular.

Think Dignity partnered with two other nonprofits, Burrito Boys and Las Patronas, to buy the equipment.  They are seeking barbers and hair stylists willing to donate services at the shower sites.

Los Angeles Times, February 1, 2016, page B6.

Panhandling: “Bad on all Levels”

Local organizations

While speaking to an employee of an organization, which provides aid to low-income families and the homeless, they began to speak to me about the recent decision in Redlands to criminalize panhandling. They handed me a 3-inch by 4-inch booklet entitled Redlands Charitable Resource Coalition: Guide to Local Resources. As I flipped through the booklet with information on where to find local food distribution, local hot meals, medical services, and hygiene services, they explained that the Redlands Charitable Resource Coalition in which they were apart of had printed over a thousand copies of these booklets to distribute to the community. The intent behind this is that when an individual is confronted by a panhandler in Redlands they can give them this small paper pamphlet with a map included on where the panhandler or homeless can go to receive help. The employee then proceeded to explain to me that panhandling is “bad on all levels” and it makes the city look undesirable to tourists, and certain panhandlers can make more money in a day begging and then spend the money however they pleased. It’s no surprise that this individual is in full support of the most recent act to criminalize panhandling in Redlands. I was taken back by their remarks. How could someone in charge of an organization that works with the homeless have such negative opinions of panhandlers and the homeless? Even with the resources provided in this book it is nearly impossible to get all the aid available if you are homeless. So how can they believe that this book will help the homeless more than an individual buying them a warm meal or giving a dollar or two? Or are they assuming that the panhandlers are criminals, con artists, or drug addicts? Will this small pamphlet allow homeless people to get more services available to them or will it simply drive them out of Redlands making it, as they said, “more desirable for tourists”?

Here is a link to the Redlands Charitable Resource Coalition. All the information in the pamphlets are also on this site.

http://www.rcrchelp.com

 

Keeping Promises

About being poor, Local organizations

For those of us on this rainy day, we are lucky to be sheltered by a roof over our head and a warm blanket, maybe even some hot cocoa. For the homeless of Orange County, my hometown, they are not so lucky. In a recent article published by the OC Register, what was formerly known as the Santa Ana Transit ran by OCTA, will be renovated into a safe haven and emergency shelter for the homeless during the rain. Mercy House, a popular organization that advocates for the homeless, fought hard to win over the space inside the transit and was allotted five months of use, but only when raining. This was after the supposed promises in which the Board of Supervisors had been presented with a petitioned proposal to provide more emergency shelters during El Nino and had agreed to provide more funding and supplies for shelter:

“Supervisors authorized a contract bid on Dec. 8, but seven weeks and several inches of rain later, no new beds are available. ‘The county did not keep its promise to provide those 440 beds,’ said Madeleine Spencer, an activist with Project Homelessness.”

As weather conditions continue to worsen, there has been an increase in activism and even a stronger push to open more permanent homeless shelters in Orange County. Shocked by the reluctance to help, I am hoping for Orange County citizens and organizations to continue pressing the Board of Supervisors and ensure that they receive the $500,000 funds to utilize for the support shelters for the homeless.

You can find the article here: http://www.ocregister.com/articles/county-701855-shelter-homeless.html

Non-profit Organizations

Organizations

Our class got the opportunity to have a Skype call with a specialist who works with a nonprofit organization in New Jersey. This company has been working for over 30 years since 1983! Their mission is to offer shelter, services, and supportive housing to homeless and low income people. They are a nonprofit affordable housing development in New Jersey. They have 85 beds in Morris County which is very large for this area. They have programs for families, single men, single women, and safe haven programs for the mentally ill. They also have transitional housing for families. It is next to a school and park for families which was created in 1996. It is in between affordable housing and shelters. Some will leave the shelter and come here to these houses to avoid the shelter. They are apartments but they refer to them as a place for participants in the program. People can stay up to 18 months but there are still programs you need to go to and curfews to follow. The Mount Kemble home is a property that is on the national and state historic register. It is well over 100 years old. It is a 19 room, rooming house for senior women who are in low income. They pay 30% of whatever their income is. They have a full time house manager but most of these women are coming here as a last resort. Their spouses may have died or they exhausted all of their savings and they only have social security to live off of. Another thing they try to do is bring in revenue resources to support the program, this way they don’t have to rely on the government or private donors. This is a furnishing solution which has been going for about a year and a half now. This type of program is something that we need in more states to help the cause of homelessness.

#F*ckThePoor Campaign: Put your money where your mouth is

Anti-Poverty Programs, International, Organizations, Related topics

Yes, this sounds bad; however, this campaign is a great example of how society hinders itself from solving a problem that they are concerned about. On April 7th, 2014, The Pilion Trust Charity asked Londoners to “put their money where their mouths are” by filming their reactions to a man wearing a “F*ck the poor” sign. The video on their blog shows that the Londoners weren’t fans of the statement. However, when the man flipped his sign over to read “Help the poor” and held a donations cup, he was completely ignored by the public. This controversial campaign is the wake up call that not only London society needs, but that all societies dealing with poverty need to be aware of. Their campaign is message is: “We know you care. Please care enough to give”.  What’s the point in caring and being offended by a sign that says “F*ck the poor” if they are doing just that when ignoring a sign that wants to help? We are part of the problem and that is why is it still prevalent today.

Share this campaign and open eyes, because deep down, we all do care and that should be enough motivation to give. Here’s the link to the Pilion Trust’s Blog with the video: http://piliontrust.com.

Finding My Way

Books and Films, How we should treat each other, Local organizations

It was refreshing to read Toni Flynn’s “Finding My Way: A Journey Along the Rim of the Catholic Worker Movement.” It has been so long since I have read a book like this. At first my eyes had difficulty adjusting. I could not read a whole sentence in its entirety because I have become so used to skimming for key points, dates, and themes. Once my eyes began to slow down I began to savor each word and the truth in Flynn’s writing. Flynn invited me to take a look into myself.

I found the book to be beautifully crafted and organized. The different books provided a foundation as did the opening words at the start of each book. Flynn wrote with such intimacy and truth. The book served as a reflection of Flynn while provoking reflection in the reader. Flynn writes in a way that seeks to question our motives for our actions. While working with others Flynn finds a shared humanity and discovers the darkness within herself. Flynn constantly looks inward. At one moment when she is at the chapel hospital Flynn writes, “I look inward at my own stubborn refusal to let go of the memory of past wounds inflicted on me as a child” (47).

I feel in a way that this course, Hunger and Homelessness has been an exercise in finding my way personally and as a student. This course has caused me to look inward, as I take what we learn to heart. Balancing, accepting, and letting go are tasks I am learning.

Affordable Housing Organization

Organizations, Solutions to Homelessness

On Tuesday, April 8th we had a Skype phone call with a man who works at a non-profit organization in New Jersey. This organization was founded in 1983 and they build affordable housing in multiple cities in New Jersey. This organization has gown tremendously, they have created shelters, transitional housing, and apartments. Eighty percent of their donations come from private donations, which has given them the opportunity to create some options for those who are in need of affordable housing.

One of their shelters is a renovated nursing home and it has 85 beds in it. They have a senior women’s shelter that actually started in the 1920’s. They have 57 apartments spread throughout four different towns. They also have transitional housing; the houses are built in several different locations as well. The rent of the apartments and houses depends on the income of the family and the size of the family.

Most people think that affordable housing means a house that is barely standing in a bad area, but not this organization’s affordable housing. This organization does an outstanding job of building houses that include all amenities for a low utilities bill. Some of the features include solar panels, bamboo flooring, heat pumps, and water efficient sinks, toilets and showers. The outside of these houses also matches the theme of the surrounding houses often with the same height of the actual house.

I was surprised to hear that the neighbors were not upset about these affordable houses coming into their neighborhood. This is because the members of this organization reach out to the neighbors and engage with the community. This organization seems as if it is benefiting those who would otherwise be homeless in New Jersey by providing a place for them to stay and to get back on their own.

Final Internship Report: A for Advantageous

Local organizations, Organizations, Related topics

In the last 7 weeks, I have spent 35.5 hours interning at local youth shelter in order to gain both a deeper understanding of how they operate and some experiences to take back and share with my class. It is a small run agency that functions solely for the clients and to reach their ultimate goal of family reunification. Now, how is it that the shelter is able to accomplish such a goal? Like all other processes, there are steps that are taken, however, it isn’t refined enough to be called a smooth operation.

The shelter provides the clients with a shelter manager, a youth advocate, and eleven staff members to assist them during their stay within the program. The shelter manager and youth advocate are key factors in determining how the shelter is run and how the daily schedules are planned. The daily schedule is what keeps both the clients and staff on track for the day, making sure that they have regular meals, chores are getting done, and productive activities are taking place.

With the intern and volunteer program being relatively new, the shelter staff tends to under utilize what the volunteers are capable of doing, leaving them to either hover over the clients or complete the little tasks that have been left untouched by the staff. I have spent the majority of my time at the shelter supervising and participating with the clients in their positive reinforcing activities.

These positive reinforcing activities, such as morning check in, life skills, and group circle, allow the clients to learn healthier ways for dealing with their situations and in becoming the best possible version of their selves. However, these activities also promote a self-blaming quality in the clients that is an apparent theme throughout the individuals and in the activities. It also doesn’t help that some of the staff promote the societal expectations that they have so far have yet to understand. This program may have good intentions, but it is still focusing on the individual rather than the over arching structural problems that they are definitely aware of.

Although the shelter is very successful in returning majority of clients to their families, rather than another safe environment, there needs to be a deeper understanding of the structural problems that lead to the issues clients face for the staff. The shelter manager and youth advocate are more than capable of providing the insight into this if they were only aware of that this knowledge needed to be shared.  This is one area where I had tried to step up and force them to utilize me because taking this class also has provided me with the awareness of structural problems that they do not posses.

Overall, the shelter has a good track record for completing their mission time and time again for an agency that has only been around for three years. I would give the shelter an A for advantageous because that is what they give their clients; the advantage to take the cruel world head on and be successful.

Final Internship Report

Homelessness, How we should treat each other, Local organizations, Organizations

After finishing my time volunteering at my internship I was able to grasp the full meaning of the organization.  They serve as an open door to their community serving anyway that they can. Through volunteering I was able to see the strengths and weaknesses of this organization. Strengths include helpful and thriving volunteers, non-discrimination towards clients, various service/resource centers, and correspondence with local organizations and churches.  All of these help the organization thrive into a better organization.

When I first volunteered I noticed how many other volunteers there were and how all were diligently working with smiles on their faces.  Volunteers are the biggest strengths and assets to the organization.  The number of volunteers the organization has is what keeps their doors open because they make all of the distribution centers and resource clinics possible the organization’s goal is to provide as many things as they could for each client so that they could use their earned money elsewhere, such as paying rents and other bills.  This is seen as a strength because clients can come here and not have to worry about being pushed away.  The organization is a sign of hope, an open door, and a place where people know they can come to receive help in many ways.  They provide service to all families that are registered with the organization.  In working with other organizations, this organization has created a multifaceted relationship with these prospering organizations and has truly embellished their mission statement

Weaknesses include, low volunteer restrictions, moldy food, and difficulties getting in contact with members of the organization. Volunteers do not need to have interviews or health screening which is something that should be done since volunteers deal with food.  Sometimes the food is not edible and a lot of it is thrown away.  Lastly, the members of the organization are extremely busy so it is quite difficult to get into contact with them and ask direct questions about the organization.  The weaknesses do not compare to the multitude of strengths that are seen through this organization.  The organization is doing great things for its community and is building stronger every day.

Overall, this organization has been a great place to volunteer.  I am seeing the benefits and hope that they bring to people who are struggling, but also the impact they have on volunteers.  The organization is a small community within the larger community that helps people needy people in ways I did not think were possible.  Seeing how volunteers who were once helped by this organization are giving back, shows the impact that this small community has had.  People who volunteer at are hopeful and dedicated to helping others in any way that they can.  It is an organization that has stood in Redlands for over 14 years and continues to follow its values every day of feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, and helping those who are hurt.  They thrive off of volunteers and donations, so giving back to this organization is something I see myself doing in the future.Open Hand[1]

 

Final Internship Report

Local organizations

My internship works with runaway youth, with the primary goal of family reunification. The shelter director, youth advocates, counselors, and volunteers play a critical part in meeting this goal.

Multiple times a day the youth advocate provides a space for the youth to check-in. Check-in provides a space for the youth to share their feelings. During check-in a youth advocate will ask each youth questions such as, on a scale from one to ten how are you feeling? Why are you feeling this way? Is there anything that we can do? What attitude are you going to have today? What are your goals for the day and week? I participated but the youth advocate did not participate. I question if this creates the assumption that the youth advocate is better than the youth. Perhaps the youth advocate not participating helps protect the youth advocates authority.

The highly structured program makes the organization successful. A struggle that the organization faces is how fast the population changes. New clients quickly change the atmosphere. Not only do the clients shift, but the volunteers, and youth advocates change too. A group of students from Cal State San Bernardino used to bring in weekly art lessons that the youth really enjoyed. The students stopped coming and the kids were left with no art. This presents a difficult situation because you want the youth to enjoy art and you want to welcome whatever time and talent the volunteers have but what happens when the volunteers go and the youth remain?

Limited staff train volunteers, who might be there short or long term. I recommend that volunteers are used in areas in which the volunteers are strong so the volunteers can be used more productively. In addition, the volunteer process might prevent students and community members from helping.

Poverty is never mentioned directly, but referred to indirectly. I listened to one conversation which the youth talked about their past experiences of stealing and using drugs. Some of the youth’s behavior reflects that of those who are living in poverty. Programs are offered to change some of the youth’s behavior, such as teaching coping strategies.

The organization is doing good considering that it was only established three years ago. The organization does a great job at treating the youth as an individual and providing them with the required services.