service learning log #2

Project Homeless Connect 6

On May 1^st I was sitting in the Gottesfield room getting training for project homeless connect 6, I and all the other 200 volunteers were told that it was going to be awkward talking to these people, that it will take the whole day to get through the services the client wanted. That it would be crowded and that clients might also start getting desperate or would want to leave. Or that parents would feel nervous about leaving their children in the daycare provided. Many that were returning volunteers expressed how emotional it was and how difficult it is for them to make positive conversation with their clients. These comments sort made me a tad bit nervous, not because I was scared to talk to a client but because I was curious of what type of person I was going to be paired up with.

The day came sooner than I though and without even knowing I was paired up with a Caucasian male in about his mid 20’s or 30’s. We shook hands and introduced ourselves; his name was Myles, and he was very simpatico. Our first stop was the breakfast line. We both grabbed some fruit and pastries. Then we sat down and went through the first page just to get started. Here I learned that his full name is Myles Rubin Browning and was originally from Boston, Massachusetts. That he was indeed homeless and that he arrived from Boston to Denver in May of 2007, he also gave me the date he entered rehab for alcoholism. I also asked him about his thoughts on the Denver Road Home. When I asked this question, I wondered if he knew what it was, and to my surprise he did. He answered that it was a good plan but that he and everyone he knew thought that it would not remove homelessness completely. He also said that not only was PHC6 a start for this plan, but also that it looked good for the mayor to be doing this.

We then walked towards our first stop, the Birth Certificate/ID, where a small problem emerged. The problem was that apparently his mother changed his name when they moved to California. She had also changed hers which made it more difficult to know which name she used when getting his birth certificate. His first name before the change was completely different. Because of this, they took about 30 min trying to figure out how to get everything done. Then we went to employment section and also to Housing and last but not least the Haircut section. All through the day, we had great conversations.

Some of them were very interesting and very funny. This man named Myles was very hopeful of making his life a bit better with our services. He was very humorous as well; this was what struck to me the most since he would make jokes of just about anything. I wondered how after having to live such a rough life he can still laugh and make jokes. But this man Myles he was something else. He made me see how lucky I am, and how grateful I should feel for everything this life has given me. He made me see that everyone is a paycheck away from being homeless. Myles, a homeless person that has alcoholism disease makes jokes about it and tells them to other s as if nothing of what he said affected him in any way. He also said that alcohol is not bad that its good to forget problems and have fun for a little while but that people should not abuse it because than it will take over you. It amazed me that to him appearance was everything he stated that just because someone is homeless it did not mean he had to be dirty and unsanitary. He also gave me pretty good advise his last words were “stay in school don’t become homeless”