CESP Blog

I found this RAP session to be very interesting. I think a particular thing that stood out was all of the barriers that people come across even after they somehow find employment. How will they get to work? How will they care for their kids while at work if they can't afford childcare? This is, of course, if they can find a job that won't ask for a phone number to get a hold of them (because even the Twin Cities mailbox service requires a referral, which makes a lot of the homeless population disqualified).

I know I'll start appreciating the things I take for granted more, like having a support network in my family, access to basic needs, even a place to sleep at night. Specifically because I might be moving in a few months and was considering subletting my room, but I could make do without having someone sublet it. Privilege blinds us in so many ways, be it in race, in gender, or in socioeconomic status. I'm glad that I can see through one more curtain, even if it's just a glance.

I come from a large, tight-knit family that has always been there for one another when times have gotten tough for someone else. Because of this, I definitely know how very fortunate I am for having a support team that has the means and capabilities to help me in any way, shape, or form if need be. I grew up learning that this fact was something to be grateful for, and I have known my whole life that there are millions of people who are not so lucky. However, after hearing some of the recent, actual numbers on homelessness during this RAP session, I got, for the first time, a definite urge to finally do something about this terrible issue.

Every day we see people on the streets, but we rarely stop to think about the situations that left them there, because I have a feeling that if more of us did, we would be a lot less tolerable of the numbers of homeless people that live in this country. The fact is that for many, even if they get a job, the paycheck they get probably won't exceed the typical cost of rent, not to mention the cost of transportation to get them to work, or the cost of groceries to get them through a simple week. It's a vicious cycle that seems to have no hope of being broken, except that it really can be!

I learned from this RAP session that it takes advocacy, education, donations, and volunteering to make a difference and to end the homeless epidemic. The homeless are our neighbors, coworkers, family members, etc. and each of us who has the luxury of having a warm place to sleep at night must start giving back in some way. Whether it be with our time or money, we MUST start somewhere and we MUST start now. Most importantly, however, I realized that the government needs to hear that funding for homeless programs cannot be cut and that more affordable resources need to be available. It's going to take a lot for there to be real change, but I believe that if each of us was just a little less selfish, everyone could have a roof over their heads at night.

I come from a large, tight-knit family that has always been there for one another when times have gotten tough for someone else. Because of this, I definitely know how very fortunate I am for having a support team that has the means and capabilities to help me in any way, shape, or form if need be. I grew up learning that this fact was something to be grateful for, and I have known my whole life that there are millions of people who are not so lucky. However, after hearing some of the recent, actual numbers on homelessness during this RAP session, I got, for the first time, a definite urge to finally do something about this terrible issue.

Every day we see people on the streets, but we rarely stop to think about the situations that left them there, because I have a feeling that if more of us did, we would be a lot less tolerable of the numbers of homeless people that live in this country. The fact is that for many, even if they get a job, the paycheck they get probably won't exceed the typical cost of rent, not to mention the cost of transportation to get them to work, or the cost of groceries to get them through a simple week. It's a vicious cycle that seems to have no hope of being broken, except that it really can be!

I learned from this RAP session that it takes advocacy, education, donations, and volunteering to make a difference and to end the homeless epidemic. The homeless are our neighbors, coworkers, family members, etc. and each of us who has the luxury of having a warm place to sleep at night must start giving back in some way. Whether it be with our time or money, we MUST start somewhere and we MUST start now. Most importantly, however, I realized that the government needs to hear that funding for homeless programs cannot be cut and that more affordable resources need to be available. It's going to take a lot for there to be real change, but I believe that if each of us was just a little less selfish, everyone could have a roof over their heads at night.

As I was working at a homeless shelter in Denver, our task was simply to mingle around a coffee shop and engage the homeless in conversation. As a high school student, one is very uneasy with the idea of sparking up conversation with people in such an abnormal psychological state, but hearing their stories became a fascinating awaking to my self-consciousness. It made me aware of how lucky I have always been throughout my life; I have never truly suffered like some people.
There was one man in the coffee shop that I had a particular engaging discussion with. He was known to have a long array of elaborate stories that had no particular truth or relation to each other, this I was told by the staff. I sat down with him and began hearing his stories. Allegedly, he was a graduate from M.I.T. with 5 degrees in engineering, he used to be great friends with famous musicians such as Simon and Garfunkel, he was a war veteran, and has a family. There were so many other things that he told me, my memory fails me in elaborating further. Most of the conversation was fairly jovial and light, but there was a point where things got serious.
He began telling me how he thought he was going to freeze to death the other night, because he was sleeping outside under the bridge. Again, I felt like he was dramatizing his story like the others(as he lived in a fairly warm climate). Then he began talking about his family; longingly he kept saying "I need to get them back." This was the first time I had been exposed to a conversation like this, in which very serious matters were being confided in me. Thoughts and ideas were racing through my head but I didn't know how to verbalize them, or if I should verbalize them, or if I should just be a good listener. I don't know if he caught the expression on my face, or my feeling was a higher power had called me out, but the man said to me, "Do you have something to say?" in a quizzical manner. I looked him square in the eyes, and spewed out the thoughts that were going through my head. In a nutshell, I told him to focus on the important things in life and confide in God to help him (at one point he had brought out his bible), and hopefully he will get his family back together.
I don't if the way I said was matter-of-factly or if he thought I was lecturing him, but his response was, "You don't know what the f*** I have been through!"  I remember seeing the passion and pain looking me dead in the eyes when he made that statement. I was terrified! My intentions were not to offend him, but still somehow I had the strength to keep locked into his gaze. After a second or two had passed, he concluded with, "But you're absolutely right." This experience has been one the most profound in my community engagement. It has put me in my place; I'll always interpret the homeless man's statement as what the f*** do I know about the extent to which people have suffered. I haven't really experienced anything too rattling in my life. It's amazing how many things I take for granted, almost everything.
I am happy with how much my perceptions and feelings towards homelessness have deepened and changed over college. This rap session definitely helped in this change while renewing my long standing interest in housing and homelessness. It was particularly interesting to hear about the facts of homeless in Minnesota, something I'm not very familiar with. My next interest would be to deepen my understanding of the role of design in homelessness, whether its urban planning or affordable housing, that is something I hope to pursue in the future.