It was so nice to be able to sit all together last week and reflect on what we have learned so far this semester. It was neat to hear that everyone has learned and valued different things in the course, and is using that knowledge to apply it to what we are observing outside of the classroom. Keeping these conversations in mind as I left for spring break, I was curious to see how I would encounter homelessness while away from Redlands. I travelled back to my home in Oregon for the week, and was really affected by the images of hunger and homelessness I came across on my various trips into the city of Portland. More than ever, I was very conscious of the individuals I observed who were very visible homeless. They got me thinking about the services being provided to them, or lack thereof. While walking through the city, I came across a variety of different job search centers, soup kitchens, and shelters.. But on the weekend, when I was seeing all of this, everything was closed. We have obviously learned that shelters do most of their work at night, but it really struck me that the multitude of people out on the streets did not have any access to services on Saturdays or Sundays. I don’t know how effective  opening these places seven days a week would be, but sure seems unfair to only address issues of homelessness during the work week.