In light of how we have seen the way in which sheltering services for the homeless are oftentimes unresponsive to or ignorant of the structural violence causing homelessness and instead focus on ameliorating pathologies within individuals (i.e. in The Value of Homelessness and Inequality, Poverty, and Neoliberal Governance), I am curious about whether or not a shelter can have political agency in the fight to “end homelessness.” Can a shelter simultaneously save drowning people who were thrown in “the river” and beat up the person or phenomenon that threw such individuals in the river in the first place? Or, is addressing structural violence antithetical to the mere existence of shelters, meaning a shelter addressing structural violence can no longer be what is commonly known as a shelter because shelters are inherently geared toward ameliorating individuals?
I guess that this is essentially a question of whether or not there is a place for social work in the fight to “end homelessness.” One could argue that efforts to “empower” poor people are really fallacies that end up perpetuating a cycle of individual blame and failure and that the only place for psychology in battles against homelessness is in the process of medicalization, which, as we see in the chapter about Ariel in Inequality, Poverty, and Neoliberal Governance, does nothing for homeless people.
What do you all think about this? I briefly researched “homeless shelters and political activism” on the web and came across an organization called the National Coalition for the Homeless, which doesn’t seem like a homeless shelter at all. Check out their website at: http://nationalhomeless.org

During our oral internship progress reports, we presented how each agency serves the homeless in the community in different ways. It was interesting to hear about the language that the agencies use to refer to the people they assist. This encouraged me to research how others feel about the approach and language in regards to homelessness. An article titled, “Ever Wondered What To Say To A Homeless Person?” by Winston Ross, discussed way to acknowledge and speak to the homeless.

The article began by explaining how most people do try to avoid the homeless. Thankfully, there are those who decide to talk to the homeless and are interested in helping. I believe the right words can make a big difference. The article states that a simple “hi” or “hello” can make an impact. Regardless of what your greeting may be, it’s important to look the person in the eye when speaking. It was reassuring to hear during the presentation that one agency encourages everyone to speak at eye level. The article also exemplifies that a “how are you” can create an opportunity to provide help. “Many who live on the streets battle the feeling that they’re inadequate or nonexistent to the rest of the world.” Having a genuine conversation can reduce those emotions.

I believe all people should show respect and dignity to the homeless and to not dehumanize them. This is also something that each of the agencies value. Acknowledging these individuals and speaking with them may be a way to provide the help that he or she so desperately needs.

http://nationswell.com/homeless-america-5-things-to-say/

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.

I really enjoyed listening to everyone’s presentations this week on the work they are doing at their internships. In a way, it was discouraging to hear about all of the great experiences people are having, and all that they are learning from being so hands on. Since I am doing my internship here from campus, I haven’t been able to interact with the individuals the organization is serving as much as I would like. That being said, I am still learning a lot from the research I am conducting as a part of the internship, and hopefully it is all valuable information to carry with me into future volunteer and internships in the future. I really appreciated hearing about the language each of our organizations uses when addressing and talking about their clients, families, etc.. As we have learned, there can be so much shame, negative social stigma, and stereotype that can revolve around homelessness rhetoric. It is encouraging that there are individuals working in the field who are so conscious of the language they are using. It confirms their mission to serve and empower the homeless populations.

Prior to the start of spring break, the class was discussing our personal beliefs about homelessness, what we have learned, how we view the issue, etc. One issue we discussed that truly stuck out to me was how we (as people) should manage the homelessness issue properly. There is no single answer and there probably will never be one. Each individual interprets the issue differently at hand. Some may think increased welfare programs could help decrease the rate of homelessness and others may firmly believe more housing could end the crisis. The key to ending homelessness is impossible, but the second every citizen realizes they must acknowledge and address the issue is the moment when change can actually happen.

A few students presented a book where the main belief towards ending homeless derives from availability of housing. The author put into context the idea that increased housing will be the most beneficial and influential strategy to ending homelessness. Housing will be the solution to homelessness was the main point. To some extent this may be true, but it brings safety, expenses, and social status concerns. If a city decides to build affordable housing for low income workers, will the area surrounding the building social status decrease? Along with these concerns, an issue that is found common among shelters is the available living spaces within the facility. If more affordable housing is built, there is no guarantee that the facility will be able to host every homeless individual.

Another point that caught my attention was the idea that shelters and programs are only assisting the problem, not adding any factual solutions. In some sense, I agree with this statement. Some shelters are only provides living spaces, which can be seen as assisting the homeless instead of  benefiting the individual on their journey to get off the streets. This topic is something I want to discuss more and learn more about.

Reading the LA Time’s reporting on the homeless population in the LA area has made me reflect on how important it is for news organizations to act as advocates for the homeless community. Their input, investigation, and overall contribution to the national discourse about homelessness in the United States is an important and irreplaceable facet in bringing exposure to an issue that many Americans would prefer to ignore. In a recently published article about LA’s homeless problem the author wrote, “skid row is — and long has been — a national disgrace, a grim reminder of man’s ability to turn his back on his fellow man. But these days it is only the ugly epicenter of a staggering homelessness problem that radiates outward for more than 100 miles throughout Los Angeles County and beyond.” The author hits a note for me, a thought that political energy only gathers when the problem becomes unbearably visible. For the “invisible” homeless community, exposure is all-important. Skid row has always been a “national disgrace” as the LA Times put it, but I think to a majority of Americans skid row and other similar settlements are a disgrace simply for being visible.
A second thought I have had recently pertains to the book I read for our last presentation. The book was “Down and Out, on the Road: The Homeless in American History,” in which author Kenneth Kusmer argues that homeless communities have been, at times, the most progressive and accepting groupings in the country. Kusmer suggests that gay men were attracted to life on the road, and that Black men faced less persecution relative to government institutions. Gender norms were also broken down as the few women who traveled on train cars assumed masculine characteristics or facades. Personally I find this to be an ideological stretch, but there is an implicit point worth some merit. Economic class is the one thing that can unite people, and money is the most powerful of all social constructions.

After reading the article, “A Homeless Camp in Our Back Yard? Please, a University Says,” by the NY Times,” I was interested to find more articles of people living in tent cities. The article, “America’s Tent Cities for the Homeless,” by Alan Taylor, tells the stories of individuals living all over America in these encampments instead of on the streets. It gave short descriptions of the individuals and how they ended up in the camps. The article also showed pictures of these individuals and their tents. One man lived in a tent within Seattle with his young son. He stated that his son “doesn’t view this as a negative thing, I mean being a little boy and resilient he looks at it as an adventure” (Taylor, 2016). The son views their situation as fun and is basically like camping. The father continues to describe how they feel safe and it is almost like this tent city creates a sense of community.

While living in the tent cities, these people still live in uncertainty, but have stability within the camps. As a child, I always enjoyed camping trips with my family, but I could not imagine doing it for months at a time. I question how this will affect the children in these situations, and what will happen to them if they are forced to relocate their camps?

Even though these individuals are in terrible situations, it is reassuring for me that each of them describe this community “like a big family.” I would hope that these people can help and support one another.

https://www.theatlantic.com/photo/2016/02/americas-tent-cities-for-the-homeless/462450/

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.

Over this first half of the course, I realized I have learned so much and have been enlightened into a world that I have had the privilege not to experience. However, I think it is a world everyone needs to know about because; the world of homelessness comes with many different covers. I see those on the streets and realize it exists however, I also know friends at this small, private, liberal college who are also homeless. There is no poster example of homeless except the one that the social stigmas have created. Homelessness comes in all different grades of extremes and in completely different situations. An article that caught my attention this week was on the way Disneyland employees have been living. “According to a survey of thousands of low-wage employees at the park, nearly three-quarters of workers who responded said they do not earn enough money to pay for their basic monthly expenses, and one in 10 said they had been homeless in the past two years.”

When I think of Disneyland, I picture happily ever after’s, fireworks, laughing kids, because that is what they advertise, and yes it is true people have amazing memories from the park, including me. But what you don’t see is the behind the scenes that a lot of resorts and parks tend to have. Although, Disneyland offers so many job opportunities their employees still don’t make enough to live at the needed budget for the state of California not to mention Orange County. ““Every time we get to the end of the month, I have to choose what bills to pay,” she said. “We want kids, but there’s no way we’re going to do that when we can barely afford to feed ourselves.””- Grace Torres. Employee’s sleep in cars, shower at work, and brush their teeth at the nearest Starbucks. Employees want a family, or to grant their current families a good and happy life, but to the extent that they must fake to the world their true struggles to keep out of the stigmatized homeless representation. “I do my job with a smile on my face,” she said. “Most people don’t know what I’m doing. It’s not exactly the most lovely thing to hear about, that I can’t even take care of myself.”- Rebekah Pederson. For me this semester I am learning to look beyond the first face of a person I see, to not judge a book by its cover, if you might say. Someone can be happy yet they have their struggles, and someone can be at their all time low and still have hope. Homeless to me is no longer something I simply see it is not an identity I give to someone it is a situation I look into.

Medina, Jennifer. “By Day, a Sunny Smile for Disney Visitors. By Night, an Uneasy Sleep in a Car.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 27 Feb. 2018, https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/27/us/disneyland-employees-wages.html?smid=pl-share.

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.