I really enjoyed this week of talking about different cities, and learning of a couple theories out there of what actual steps to take to solve the homelessness issue. It was no surprise to me that Los Angeles was making more progress than San Antonio because of certain ideological issues that are affecting policy. San Antonio’s choice to isolate the homeless, blame their situation on personal failings, and rely on private action showed in their results as Los Angeles is experiencing more success in long-term solutions.

Dan McGuire’s skype call was also really informative. Homeless Solutions in New Jersey is privately owned, and I think that it was good for me to hear about a private organization making real sustainable differences, because based on the reading and discussing we have been doing in class I have found myself leaning in favor of government providing these services. Privatizing this issue seems to go hand-in-hand with doing things like blaming peoples situation on personal flaws and damaging stigmas. It seems like that would be a good idea because of the way it would impact national narrative, but it’s always a good reminder that private institutions can do plenty good.

Hearing about how state funds have shrunk dramatically was definitely disheartening. I believe that across the board there was a 75% drop. Fixing this problem will obviously take a lot of resources and it seems like we are moving in the wrong direction.

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 week we heard from Dan McGuire, the CEO of Homeless Solutions, a homeless organization aimed at providing housing and development programs for people facing homelessness in Morris County in the state of New Jersey. I found our conference call to be insightful and I learned a lot from Dan. Something that surprised me was the statistic that eight households get evicted each day in Morris County. It’s my feeling that if the county can recognize that statistic, then they can recognize that there is a housing crisis they need to tackle. Like Dan said, it’s all about the money and government support. Without that help, organizations like Homeless Solutions can’t accomplish much. I was curious to hear Dan say that in their Safe Haven program for those suffering from mental illness, Homeless Solutions does not house individuals with diagnoses of schizophrenia or bipolar disorder. This left me wondering what help is out there for those individuals, who may be at a higher risk of homelessness. I loved hearing that Homeless Solutions is aiming to partner with fortune 500 companies in the area to create a positive pipeline from their shelter to higher-paying work! It’s a creative idea that allows Homeless Solutions to vouch for individuals that they know will become successful employees.

A side note: I found Dan’s advice for those seeking employment in the non-profit world to be really helpful. He reaffirmed my belief that any sort of experience can be marketed toward whatever company you’re applying to. He said it himself that secondary experiences are a value and that you should sell those in an interview. While I try to enter the real world, I will keep his advice in mind.

This past Thursday I went to hear Loretta Ross speak here at the University of Redlands. She spoke on white supremacy in the age of Trump. In addition to this she mentioned human rights. Among these were things like health care, shelter, education, and clean water. After mentioning 8 human rights, she added one more being access to the internet. Free access to the internet has the potential of becoming another human right that isn’t offered. This made me think of homelessness and the already present human rights which are denied to individuals in the United States. The statement Loretta Ross made holds truth. One can only access the internet if consuming in a place that provides that service along with their own free internet or consuming it themselves with paid plans. Money is the big factor and it’s what is needed to access the internet where almost everything operates. Access to employment and other resources is extremely limited without technology making it even more difficult to transition from homelessness if that is one’s situation. In addition, those who do not have a presence on social media and the internet can often be excluded and discriminated against, basically becoming invisible. They are denied a voice and discourse, and cannot become a part of established online communities.

I see what Loretta Ross said coming into play in the near future. I also recognize the potential for this to effect individuals near and in homelessness. Without systematic change in policy, it will be another entity that determines the fate of individuals experiencing homelessness.

Last class, Dan McGuire spoke in regards to a nonprofit organization known as Homeless Solutions, inc. in New Jersey. He gave us a quick overview of the organization as a whole and included statistics that show the degree of helpfulness and support the agency receives. The nonprofit organization serves about 600 individuals with housing and shelters directly and approximately 40% of the homeless population per year. The main shelter in New Jersey supports up to 85 beds. Although this agency supplies many homeless individuals with shelters/housing or other necessary functions, Dan touched on the subject of shrinking state funds and local protests that support NIMBY (Not In My Backyard). The main issues with nonprofit organizations is receiving federal programs that support accurate funding in order to withstand the programs. Federal programming also imposes the idea of “one size fits all”, ultimately implying that giving one solution should help all aspects of homelessness, but that is not the case.

Despite minimum support from locals and governmental policies, the agency continues to supply affordable “green” housing. Not only is Homeless Solutions, inc. creating affordable housing opportunities, it is also creating such housing that is fundamentally “safe” for the environment. This idea of reducing one’s negative environmental impact as well as creating housing opportunities for the unhoused supports the concept of Tiny Houses, which are considered small housing facilities that greatly support quality over quantity with housing facilities. The idea of being environmentally friendly while supplying affordable housing can be a great incentive in support of building these facilities. Laura and I will touch more on this idea of Tiny Housing in our presentation!

During one class period last week, I remember bringing up the possibility of affordable or low-income housing being implemented in the soon-to-come University Village train development, a facet of our University’s greater “North Star 2020” plan. In response, Jim essentially chuckled, and understandably so. The university administration have expressed no intention of implementing affordable or low-income housing in the area; their main intention is to spice up the campus and make it more attractive, a way to increase enrollment levels. In a sense, such spicing could entail creating another bourgeois downtown Redlands.

To provide some context, the University’s Institutional Plan reads:
“Let’s imagine just one student on this pathway with us who arrives at the University in 2020. She is a new graduate student who steps off an ultramodern, streamlined train onto the new “University Village” platform. She will cross through an inviting plaza to the north campus for her courses, encountering undergraduate students from the historic residential quad bicycling or walking through campus and on the new Orange Blossom and Zanja trails. When courses are over for the day, our new arrival will return south to townhouse-style apartments at the Village. Residences and apartments for young professionals, alumni, senior retirees and the general public encompass a lively plaza and green space dotted with amenities for our University and its town: a hotel-conference center, a coffee shop, a pub and restaurants, a significant college bookstore, a meditation-yoga studio, and a hub for neighborhood shopping, recreation, and services..”
How about that! Young professionals and yoga studios!
In my view, shaping the University Village into a bourgeois paradise would be a huge wasted opportunity to foster equitable housing solutions. Because the city of Redlands does not have much affordable housing in the first place, the future character of this development could be interpreted as a statement on the trajectory of this city. Will Redlands simply become more of an oasis for old white people and Esri employees in the sea of madness that we call the I.E. or will it become a space for inter-class mingling, where those living in South Redlands will no longer dominate city functions?
What have you all heard about the University Village development? Is its future character as significant as I describe?

I recently found an article in the New York Times that discussed food insecurity among students of all ages, both k-12 and college level. It is titled, “Have you Ever Experienced Food Insecurity,” and it is actually an opinion piece as well as it is a poll for students to comment on and express their experiences with food insecurity. According to the article and “Feeding America,” there are approximately 13 million students across the country that are being raised in food insecure homes. We don’t talk about this large portion of the population perhaps because it is embarrassing or shameful, but this is clearly a group of the American public who deserves more attention and fewer negative stigmas. Part of the process of removing stigmas is for schools to provide free school lunches to all, as districts in New York have begun to do. Another interesting component to the piece was its discussion of spring break for college students, and what this time off from school means for students who are food insecure. It is a widespread assumption that students leave the university for spring break, but this is not always the case. For students who can not afford to leave campus for vacation and are expecting their dining halls to remain open, they are often left disappointed and hungry. There are no solutions to this problem provided in the article, but perhaps the change could be as simple as university catering services remaining open during university breaks, just with fewer staff.

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/21/learning/have-you-ever-experienced-food-insecurity.html

At the shelter I volunteer at this past Thursday one of the girls was kicked out for having the remnants of a 4-loko in her room. She had not been drinking it, and it was most likely left over from her last group home. Because alcohol is forbidden at the shelter, she was immediately kicked out when staff found it in her room. Within a few hours a social worker arrived, the kid packed up her stuff, and she was off. I had not been informed of the situation at first and for the two hours prior to her departure we had been talking, cracking jokes, and playing cards with the other kids. As she left the building she turned back to the staff member Jason and said, “I’ll probably be back in a few weeks.” After she’d gone I asked Jason what his thoughts were on the strict nature of the shelter rules. He has worked here for some time and seen it all. “We just can’t have alcohol here. It’s not cool. It’s a problem. Alcohol has been responsible for some of our worst night,” he said. “Alcohol leads to fighting… someone slashes their wrist in the bathroom… we can’t tolerate anything.” Even though the rules seemed draconian and over the top, even thoug she probably would be back in a few weeks or months, and even though the staff really didn’t want to see her go there was no other choice. Each organization has its own rules for a reason. It’s just unfortunate that these kids are just shuffled around from place to place, from group home to group home. There is no concentrated or well-funded solution to the issues confronting homeless and runaway youth. These shelters are just a bandaid.

Last Wednesday, the class had a video presentation with Dan McGuire, CEO of Homeless Solutions in New Jersey. He talked about the history of Homeless Solutions and how it has expanded its programs over time. This program has a number of shelters. One shelter includes 85 beds for single men, women, families, and the mental health. It serves about 600 people directly every year. 40% of these people come to Homeless Solutions employed. This relates to their mission statement, “A hand up, not just a hand out.” Dan described this statement that the people who use the services also have to put in the effort to make a change, such as searching for jobs or participating in the therapy services.

I noticed that many of the agencies that our classmates are interning at also value this mission statement. I do agree that the people should put in effort, but I fear that if they are not showing any change, the agencies might release them. What could happen to those people if they are turned away because they are not making enough progress? At the agency that I work at, I have heard about people being released and not allowed to return to any of their services. These have been because of altercations or not cooperating with the staff. It upsets me that these individuals do not appreciate the help that they are being offered. I ask myself where else do these people go once they have been turned away. Thankfully, there are agencies like Homeless Solutions that change the lives of people who commit to making a change and put in the hard work.

This weeks speaker  was from Homelss Solutions Inc which is a nonprofit that focuses on housing and shelter in New Jersey. They are around 35 years old and help hundreds yearly in Morris county. They have a few programs which are very helpful to everybody needing assistance. They offer shelter to men and women who are single, families, and people who have a mental health diagnosis. Homelss Solutions also offers a transitional housing program and full apartments. With some of the housing options you are allowed to stay up to 18 months. In addition you have to pay for part of you stay, go to budget training, learn about credit and nutrition, and they are a curfew. I found it so interesting when they said that about 75% of the people in the transitional housing have a dual drug and alcohol problem.  Homeless Solutions also offers a home called Mt. Kembel. This is a home for senior women with low income. It amazes me that the took the older generation into consideration because most organizations only focus on the younger youth up to around age 50. But the older generation is very important for our society because they made our cities what they are now. The speaker mentioned that everyday 8 households get evicted. I was shocked to hear that and it made me so sad. I know this number is continuously growing but that means the number of people on the streets will continue to rise. The government needs to step in and start helping more.