I was hoping to update while on the trip- but wow there was little time to spare! We had such a busy and amazing week in D.C.!
Where to start?
Pre-trip
To capture the trip in a blog just isn't going to happen. But I will try to give an account of the things that really stuck out to me last week, and the lessons that I learned.
I had a rather large role in selecting the site we went to, and the issue that we wanted to work on this year. Since September we have been working to make sure this trip would happen. The biggest struggle was raising money, but in the end we met our goals. It felt great to work so hard for something, and see it all come together. I realize now that there are so many things that are possible, and having people work for a common goal can be difficult but even more so- very rewarding. I was thinking today about how crazy the yard sale was, and the days before it happened. We were worried that we wouldn't have enough items to sell, and then 24 hours before the sale started I was picking up donations non-stop. Sofia, Sarah, and I stood in Sofia's garage the night before with items up to our elbows. At 5:30 a.m. we had people lined up trying to buy things and we were barely set up. Its these crazy moments that made me appreciate this experience so much more. Had we not overcome the obstacles we did I don't think this trip would have the same meaning.
The Trip
I was surprised by how smooth everything went getting to D.C. the 17 hour drive went by really fast, and the group was able to get to know each other better than ever. Though we were all very tired, no one complained. When we got to D.C. a parade was going on for St. Patty's Day and all the roads to the hostel were blocked. I think it took an extra hour and a half to get to our hostel but that was the only trouble we had.
YSOP- Youth Service Opportunities Project is an amazing organization. Our hostel was so close to them, and that made everything really easy. We really didn't know what to expect our first day. The first morning we were there John Palinski- a volunteer at YSOP gave us a great intro and we broke into groups. John is such a great guy and very intresting he had worked for the Obama campaign and was a Wilco fan like myself ( and sarah!)
Over the course of the week my group and I got a really great insiders view to different organizations and their approach to dealing with the issue of homelessness.
We did administrative work in an Emergency Rental Assistance Program Office where I was able to help people fill out applications. I got to hear their stories first hand one mom needed help with a deposit and first month's rent totaling $4,400 for a 3 bedroom apartment. She has 4 kids and works as an assistant teacher at a Montessori. Without help from this program she would have two options 1) live in a one bedroom with her four kids because that's all she could afford or 2) move in with friends or a shelter until she had enough money saved for housing that would accommodate her and her family.
Many people face these kind of tough options, and the more limited their resources are ( help from friends or family, or child support from fathers) the more at risk they are to become homeless. Its programs like ERAP that keep people from becoming homeless. ERAP is mostly government funded. I am interested in researching what rental assistance programs are available in Pensacola, and if they are helping our citizens from becoming homeless.
We also worked in a charter school for low income kids in Anacostia called KIPP academy. This was one of the most favorite sites we worked at, and I am sure that other group members will add to our experience. The teachers at KIPP are dedicated to helping these students break out of the cycle of poverty and after this middle school they try to place them in charter high schools, and boarding schools. The school is really amazing- not the best technology or resources, but by far the most dedicated staff I have ever met. They put a huge emphasis on college, and putting the message to these kids that college is not only a possibility for them, but a way to meet their goals in life. We helped grade papers, and do more administrative work. We also got to have lunch with the students who asked us all about college, and what classes we liked the most.
We had a homeless dinner on Tuesday night. This was one of the best memories I have from the trip.
We were able to serve the homeless population in D.C. with a great dinner and conversation. We exchanged stories, and lots of laughs. One of the men I met, Eric made a lasting impression on me. he writes for a publication called " Street Sense" which is a newspaper staffed by homeless men and women in D.C. they are able to express their views and ideas about being homeless, and government action ( and inaction). They sell it on street corners and are able to make a small income. Eric isn't just homeless, he is an advocate for the homeless. He sits on a homeless council in D.C. and is an activist for the people who end up on the streets. He did not carry one ounce of self pity. His attitude towards life was inspiring, as well as his ability to overcome adversity.
We spent the last two days working in a transitional home. It was great to see all sides of this issue and how vital a transitional home is. We worked at place called Milestone, and their approach was very unorthodox. The resident manager, Barry cares a lot about the people who come into this housing unit. I think that its important for transitional living to be an environment in which individuals are treated with respect and encouragement. We definitely saw this there, and what a difference it made to thoseresidents. Many of them were getting their lives back together through working or going to school. They pay 1/3 of their income to live in the units and milestone matches their savings.
Post trip
These approaches all made a huge impact on me. I also started thinking a lot about what our approach to homelessness is in Pensacola, and I honestly can't say that I know that much. I know that there are different organizations doing great things, but I don't know where their funding comes from, or if there is much of aid for transitional housing, or rental assistance.
It is one thing to give people a meal and a bed for a night, but what about the long term? What about the people who can barely make their rent each month and then get laid off?
What about a homeless person who suffers from alcohol addiction, but is ready to get their life back together? I now know that transitional housing keeps people accountable, and detours them from drug usage. There are so many different avenues of homelessness, and I have realized that we have to look at each individuals and their needs. We can't just group them all together. Battered women, runaways, drug addicts, and those suffering from mental health all fall into different categories and that is a key issue. I see so many people suffering from mental illness on the streets in Pensacola, and now I have to ask why is this?
I hope to raise awareness in my own community, and ask hard questions to those who run homeless programs, and those who allocate funding. My group and I are hard at work trying to understand this issue and what we can do to make an impact in Pensacola.
Overall, this trip really opened my eyes to the bigger picture. With an economic down turn before us, this issue is as timely as ever and now its our job to be an advocate for those who can't advocate for themselves.
Where to start?
Pre-trip
To capture the trip in a blog just isn't going to happen. But I will try to give an account of the things that really stuck out to me last week, and the lessons that I learned.
I had a rather large role in selecting the site we went to, and the issue that we wanted to work on this year. Since September we have been working to make sure this trip would happen. The biggest struggle was raising money, but in the end we met our goals. It felt great to work so hard for something, and see it all come together. I realize now that there are so many things that are possible, and having people work for a common goal can be difficult but even more so- very rewarding. I was thinking today about how crazy the yard sale was, and the days before it happened. We were worried that we wouldn't have enough items to sell, and then 24 hours before the sale started I was picking up donations non-stop. Sofia, Sarah, and I stood in Sofia's garage the night before with items up to our elbows. At 5:30 a.m. we had people lined up trying to buy things and we were barely set up. Its these crazy moments that made me appreciate this experience so much more. Had we not overcome the obstacles we did I don't think this trip would have the same meaning.
The Trip
I was surprised by how smooth everything went getting to D.C. the 17 hour drive went by really fast, and the group was able to get to know each other better than ever. Though we were all very tired, no one complained. When we got to D.C. a parade was going on for St. Patty's Day and all the roads to the hostel were blocked. I think it took an extra hour and a half to get to our hostel but that was the only trouble we had.
YSOP- Youth Service Opportunities Project is an amazing organization. Our hostel was so close to them, and that made everything really easy. We really didn't know what to expect our first day. The first morning we were there John Palinski- a volunteer at YSOP gave us a great intro and we broke into groups. John is such a great guy and very intresting he had worked for the Obama campaign and was a Wilco fan like myself ( and sarah!)
Over the course of the week my group and I got a really great insiders view to different organizations and their approach to dealing with the issue of homelessness.
We did administrative work in an Emergency Rental Assistance Program Office where I was able to help people fill out applications. I got to hear their stories first hand one mom needed help with a deposit and first month's rent totaling $4,400 for a 3 bedroom apartment. She has 4 kids and works as an assistant teacher at a Montessori. Without help from this program she would have two options 1) live in a one bedroom with her four kids because that's all she could afford or 2) move in with friends or a shelter until she had enough money saved for housing that would accommodate her and her family.
Many people face these kind of tough options, and the more limited their resources are ( help from friends or family, or child support from fathers) the more at risk they are to become homeless. Its programs like ERAP that keep people from becoming homeless. ERAP is mostly government funded. I am interested in researching what rental assistance programs are available in Pensacola, and if they are helping our citizens from becoming homeless.
We also worked in a charter school for low income kids in Anacostia called KIPP academy. This was one of the most favorite sites we worked at, and I am sure that other group members will add to our experience. The teachers at KIPP are dedicated to helping these students break out of the cycle of poverty and after this middle school they try to place them in charter high schools, and boarding schools. The school is really amazing- not the best technology or resources, but by far the most dedicated staff I have ever met. They put a huge emphasis on college, and putting the message to these kids that college is not only a possibility for them, but a way to meet their goals in life. We helped grade papers, and do more administrative work. We also got to have lunch with the students who asked us all about college, and what classes we liked the most.
We had a homeless dinner on Tuesday night. This was one of the best memories I have from the trip.
We were able to serve the homeless population in D.C. with a great dinner and conversation. We exchanged stories, and lots of laughs. One of the men I met, Eric made a lasting impression on me. he writes for a publication called " Street Sense" which is a newspaper staffed by homeless men and women in D.C. they are able to express their views and ideas about being homeless, and government action ( and inaction). They sell it on street corners and are able to make a small income. Eric isn't just homeless, he is an advocate for the homeless. He sits on a homeless council in D.C. and is an activist for the people who end up on the streets. He did not carry one ounce of self pity. His attitude towards life was inspiring, as well as his ability to overcome adversity.
We spent the last two days working in a transitional home. It was great to see all sides of this issue and how vital a transitional home is. We worked at place called Milestone, and their approach was very unorthodox. The resident manager, Barry cares a lot about the people who come into this housing unit. I think that its important for transitional living to be an environment in which individuals are treated with respect and encouragement. We definitely saw this there, and what a difference it made to thoseresidents. Many of them were getting their lives back together through working or going to school. They pay 1/3 of their income to live in the units and milestone matches their savings.
Post trip
These approaches all made a huge impact on me. I also started thinking a lot about what our approach to homelessness is in Pensacola, and I honestly can't say that I know that much. I know that there are different organizations doing great things, but I don't know where their funding comes from, or if there is much of aid for transitional housing, or rental assistance.
It is one thing to give people a meal and a bed for a night, but what about the long term? What about the people who can barely make their rent each month and then get laid off?
What about a homeless person who suffers from alcohol addiction, but is ready to get their life back together? I now know that transitional housing keeps people accountable, and detours them from drug usage. There are so many different avenues of homelessness, and I have realized that we have to look at each individuals and their needs. We can't just group them all together. Battered women, runaways, drug addicts, and those suffering from mental health all fall into different categories and that is a key issue. I see so many people suffering from mental illness on the streets in Pensacola, and now I have to ask why is this?
I hope to raise awareness in my own community, and ask hard questions to those who run homeless programs, and those who allocate funding. My group and I are hard at work trying to understand this issue and what we can do to make an impact in Pensacola.
Overall, this trip really opened my eyes to the bigger picture. With an economic down turn before us, this issue is as timely as ever and now its our job to be an advocate for those who can't advocate for themselves.
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