Saturday, May 10, 2008
Post PHC6 Reflection.
Now that we have all experienced PHC6 as well as some other form of volunteer work, and have worked with the homeless in a one on one environment, have any of your thoughts or views of these people changed? Also, have you learned anything about or from the homeless community that you did not know before? And finally, throughout these volunteer opportunities, what was one thing that has happened, or occurred to you, that you found especially significant and why?
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For a while, I have had a preconception of people without homes as lazy and passive. I have always thought that people who were without homes did not apply themselves. My mother always told me that what I put into life is what I would get out of it. Seeing the homeless made me think that they put little into life, seeing that they have little. However, through working and conversing with these people without homes, I have learned that many have had jobs but were laid off. A lot of times, homelessness comes from issues that are beyond their control. They do not choose their circumstances, which is something that I recognized. For example, the guy that I took around at Project Homeless Connect had only been homeless two times. This time he was homeless due to a job loss, which caused him to lose his house and return to the streets.
I also learned that despite the run around that they receive from different organizations and institutions, they remain levelheaded and happy, for the most part. My PHC client was happy even after he had to go through the entire employment process after he had proved that he had completed the paperwork a week ago. The lady had found his information in the system, but refused to let him continue on with the employment process until he filled out another form. I would have been angry with having to repeat things that have already been completed. However, the bureaucratic system did not anger him. He calmly filled out the paper and looked forward to the opportunities that would be open up to him. I pictured people without homes as sad and depressed, yet he proved my preconceptions to be wrong. Even through difficulties, he maintained his bliss.
On the other hand, I have learned how dependent people without homes become on government aid, shelters, and soup kitchens. My client became homeless for the first time due to his dependence on shelters and homeless facilities. He was taking advantage of the resources and help that is out there. He exclaimed how many people rely on free things, which is why some people are homeless. They become so reliant on these facilities and resources that they refuse to better themselves. When things are handed out to them, they take advantage. I did figure that this was true before I became acquainted with people without homes. I found this especially significant because it confirmed what I have thought for years. I also thought about the increasing numbers of homelessness, which correlates with the increasing numbers of shelters and aid. The more shelters and handouts that are given, the larger the numbers of homelessness will be.
What struck me was that very few of the people at PHC fit the typical homeless stereotype. In fact, the people who were there seemed like they had their act together. If there are the stereotypical homeless people in Denver they were not the ones who came to homeless connect. The specific woman I helped, Juanita, is 24 and has 2 young children. She went to college for two years but didn’t finish. She is living with her grandmother right now and her goal was to get housing and help with first month’s rent, which we accomplished, so she could move out. Juanita has been homeless for 3 years and her older child is 2 and a half so she has never had a home while she has been a parent. Despite this, she seemed like a good parent. From what I observed she was patient and caring with her kids. She and the father of her kids are no longer together but she moved to North Carolina, where he was for work, for a couple months so he could still be involved in their lives. Now he is living near by them and both parents try to spend as much time with the kids as possible. I was really impressed by this. There are so many other challenges in their lives but they seemed like they try not to let things detract from their parenting. I’ve seen parents who have homes and no financial worry be worse parents. I complimented Juanita on her parenting skills and I could tell it’s something she takes pride in.
Any subconscious stereotype I applied to homeless people prior to my experiences in this class are now completely gone.
After going through PH6 the biggest thing I realized is that the people working there in a lot of cases cannot do much to help out the homeless. My homeless person suffers from parkinsons and had to quit working because of it a year ago. He had a good job and now has basically no income whatsoever. He is currently waiting on social security checks to start coming for him, which at $2000/month should get him off the street. However, at PH6 it seemed like every place we went to could only do paperwork and give referrals, but not actually help him out. The dental and eye work was too minimal to do anything and he was not able to get any prescriptions for the drugs he needed. Fortunately he was a happy guy who was content to just have had a day away from the shelter, get some free food and some free clothing.
I was worried going in that I wouldn't be able to talk to my client very well, but actually him and I were able to keep talking the entire morning and he turned out to be a very impressive guy who was extremely unfortunate to have to give up working. Overall, I don't know what could be done to improve PHC. It seems that a lot of people were not able to get anything that they want, but with the circumstances for a lot of people there is no way they can get housing or prescriptions.
After completing PHC6 and volunteering at the Denver Rescue Mission, I have found a new appreciation for the homeless and have developed more compassion because the stereotype I had held for many years from lack of experience with the homeless has finally given way to real experiences and with them and the understanding that comes with that. At PHC6, I was pared with a 34-year-old woman who had never been homeless before 4 months ago. Her situation was so circumstantial, that had it not happened, she would still have a home and a family today. However, unexpected turns came in a relationship she had with a man and the father of her 6 children (1 on the way) and she was suddenly on the streets, pregnant and alone. However, her motivation is what really struck me about Eunice, my client. She was in school, going through a housing program at her shelter, has already applied for housing so she can get out of the shelter, and is taking alcohol counseling classes to make sure she is doing everything she can to get her 6 children back. The overall kindness of the homeless and happiness they displayed, even though their situations are among the worst one can be in, really surprised me and warmed me to them more quickly than I had imagined.
I had a very interesting time at PHC6. What I found was that a huge variety of people make up Denver’s homeless community. I saw infants, children, teenagers, adults, as well as senior citizens. This experience made me want to be able to help the homeless community more effectively. I felt like the services provided were great, but I wished more could be done. For my client, William, obtaining a stable job was the most difficult part of being homeless. I understand how it may be difficult for people that are homeless to find a job that they actually enjoy. Lack of interest could make it difficult for anyone to do a job.
From this experience, I learned that some people who are homeless don’t really have a crazy story to tell. I realized that even simple things like a divorce can bring someone into poverty and homelessness. This really related to the story of Chris Turner in The Pursuit of Happyness in the way that things got difficult for him once his wife left. I also realized that I was a little disappointed with the way the services were provided. I think that sometimes the people running the program need to be a little more aware that maybe these people have some of this information already and it would be more useful for them to just move on to the next step. From this, I learned how much more I would like to be able to help these people. Our economy is not the greatest right now and I can see how even when William has a job, that he needs something more substantial in order to progress. I understand that there are limitations to what Project Homeless Connect can offer, but in this case I was hoping that it could offer a bit more to help William with getting a job. I now recognize how difficult it is right now for anyone to get a job and how this is even more of a problem for people who are homeless. From my experience with William, I have become aware of the hardships that many homeless people face in terms of just living. I didn’t really think about how hard it is for people who are homeless to obtain a stable job. But William also made a point that if you “don’t like the job, then you are probably not going to show up for it and then you end up getting fired after only having the job for two weeks.” Without having a profession or skills, people who are homeless get stuck with jobs working at your local McDonalds which is demeaning as well as a pain in the ass to work at. No one wants to work at some of these jobs and I can see how miserable life could be for someone who always has to work the jobs they hate. I personally think employment needs to be considered more closely in terms of homelessness and the types of jobs that are available to them.
I’m not sure PHC or my work at the Denver Rescue Mission has really changed my view of homelessness or of homeless people, but it has certainly opened me to being more compassionate. At PHC there was a man whose nose was so severely broken that it appeared to be lying on his cheek, yet he will probably never get it repaired. This was an interesting fact for me to reflect on; the fact that he would never receive medical attention for what is a pretty severe medical condition.
I found the bureaucracy of homeless aid to be stifling. Even though Veronica, the woman I escorted, and I were there for over three hours, she left with nothing more than she came with, save a folder full of paperwork which she would have to return at some point in the future. We tried to get her an ID card and a birth certificate, but to get either one you need the other; so we filled out the paperwork which she kept, but I doubt she will ever return them. To obtain a Social Security Card she needed to present a photo ID which of course she did not have, so again we filled out paperwork which I placed in a folder for her, probably never to be seen again by the city’s social workers. Although the social workers were very helpful the prodigious amount of paperwork needed to apply for the simplest form of aid provided a strong bulwark, it could take as long as half an hour to fill out a 10 page packet just to receive food stamps.
I suppose the most interesting thing which I have learned through my volunteer experiences is the inefficiency and inaccessibility of the social aid which the city provides. I realize that some of the bureaucracy is certainly necessary, and that it deters fraudulent requests, but it also deters those who legitimately need the assistance. I found it interesting that much of the city’s notifications of food or housing aid come through mail, which is of course a problem for many homeless people who do not have a permanent address, I do not see how the city could get around this problem, but it remains one of the many paradoxes of the city’s attempt to aid its homeless population.
My experiences with the work we have been doing have really shown me that this situation can affect anyone. The people that I have met both through the Denver Rescue Mission and PHC6 were all people who led lives with successful jobs and family lives, and one thing happened that devestated their lives. What I also found with the people I've met is that they are very grateful for the help that they received, my client at PHC was so happy even though she was still needing to do things on her own after the event such as go down and confirm so records and apply for emergency assistance. She just kept telling me that "Today was a good day!" and I could tell that it made such an impact in her life just to get a little bit of help. Those are the only experiences I've encountered however and I know there are other people out there that don't see things as my client did. These experiences haven't really shown my anything new that we haven't learned this quarter, but it was a great experience in terms of my life and it taught me a lot about what this community is.
Certain thoughts about homeless people have changed a little. For example, the person that I got assigned with was named Dwight Henson. Once I got to know him, he began to tell me how he ran against the mayor of Denver whenever the previous election was. When he told me his entire experience of running for mayor of Denver, it really surprised me because the last thing that I thought would happen is meet a person during PHC who ran for mayor of Denver. His experience moved me a lot because it caught me off guard. At first I didn’t believe him, but then he went more in-depth and told me about his entire experience. Dwight Henson has proved all stereotypical beliefs that people have about homeless people wrong. I learned one major thing from PHC. The major thing I learned is that the homeless community is very connected. Everyone knows everyone either through homeless shelters, jobs, or local events. I found it very interesting because I saw lots of people who knew many other people. The most significant thing that has happened to me from my entire experience of PHC is that it seemed like many homeless people including Dwight seemed like they just want someone who they can talk to and know that someone cares about them. PHC was an experience that I have never been a part of before that I thoroughly enjoyed.
My thoughts, views, stereotypes, feelings, and almost everything else changed because of PHC6. I am no longer afraid to look a homeless person in the eye. I am not judgemental of homeless people anymore, and I only hope that this stays with me forever, which I think will happen. I learned that many of these homeless people just need one break and they will be fine again. I know that one bad break ruins everything, but one good break can bring it all back. I never thought of it in this sense and it was a very meaningful thing that I have learned. This day was life changing for me, and hopefully my client, Michael. On this day, I helped him get his first job in over 6 years. He was a former insurance salesman in New York but has been jobless since he was cut due to pay decreases at his old job. Michael is very qualified but due to his job history, or lack thereof, could never get more than an application. This was extremely significant to me because I helped Michael get back on his feet. This is a day in which Michael and I will never forget.
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