I Volunteered At The Pine Street Inn Essay

“One diverse population that has continued to increase over the quarter of a century is composed of people who are homeless” (Baggerly & Zalaquett, 2006, p.155). Homelessness has become a growing problem in society because more and more people are finding themselves to be homeless and not knowing where to turn. Many people do not

American people want to be greater, richer, and more powerful than everyone else. When one sees a homeless person sitting on the street, he may ask you for money to buy food. As ignorant as most Americans are today, we question will they really spend that money on food, but some of us are generous enough to give a donation anyway. Others would tell them to get a job. As I walk down Grace Street to get to class some days, I get asked by multiple homeless people if I could “help them out.” In Richmond, VA, Phil Riggan, did an interview with several of homeless people. He found out that they are just like the rest of us. Homeless people aren’t usually viewed as people; they’re commonly just known as “homeless”. They are viewed as “worthless, nuisances, waste of space, crazy, drug addicts, drunkards, criminals, liars, bums, and burdens of society” (Riggan 6). Phil’s study was to “prevent, reduce and end homelessness by facilitating creative solutions through the collaboration, coordination and cooperation of regional resources and services” (Riggan 8). Homeless people are still human. As we all need shelter, food, and emotional support, so do they. The Homeless Homes Project was started by Gregory Kloehn, an artist, that turned trash into mobile homes. The Homeless Homes Project was to diminish money’s use in building homes for the homeless population. The

The issue of homelessness has been called as one that is "highly ambiguous and intangible" (Neale, 1997, p.7). Wright defines the homeless a "diverse, heterogeneous lot. No single catch phrase or easy myth can possibly describe them all" (p.46)

Although people tend to pass homeless people on street corners every day without batting an eye, it must be realized that the homeless are our neighbors and deserve someone who will show them compassion to ease the suffering they face on a daily basis. It seems as though we have become desensitized to what it really means to be homeless. Although it is common to see multiple homeless people in Denver on any given day, the general public doesn’t often think about what it would feel like to be cold and hungry, with nowhere to go and no one to turn to. Many

One evening, my family and I were approached by a homeless man asking for money as we were about to enter a restaurant. My siblings jolted behind my father; however, his eyes caught my attention. He was starving; not only for food but for clothes, warmth, a home, and a family. All of which are aspects of our lives that we take for granted. My father offered to pay for any meal of his choice. Up to this point in my life, I had never realized how privileged I am to be able to walk into any restaurant and complain about how full I was; while others are out in the cold, starving. The most prominent memory of this night was when I saw the

When I first arrived to this homeless mission, there were probably around two-dozen homeless men, women, and children sitting down eating breakfast. I never imagined that young children and infants were a victim to this type of lifestyle. These children knew nothing other than what they had be brought up on. This was their lifestyle and it was heartbreaking to see so innocent children being put in this situation by no fault of their own. As I continued to help out, I talked

This case study examines homelessness and some of the difficulties encountered when trying to solve this problem. The woman in the story, Tracy, works for Fairmont Christian Housing Alliance. Tracy does not support the new panhandling legislation, which allows police the power to give citations for intimidating conduct if it is accompanied by an act of solicitation (Pg. 93). She does not feel that further criminalization of homeless will stop their panhandling and will not promote positive change. Unfortunately, due to the possible loss of funding sources, her employer and other service providers have chosen to publicly support the new law. Tracey wishes to truly help her clients in a compassionate manner, rather than just hiding them away

Remember the struggle and pain of waiting for that lunch bell to ring so that you can satisfy the stomach that has been tormenting you throughout the class period? And remember the times you were dying in the blazing hot heat or shivering in the piercing ice cold while waiting for a ride home? Now imagine going through the pain of hunger and the repeated torment by the elements all because you do not have a home. Unfortunately that has been the reality of homeless people throughout America. Homelessness has been a struggling issue for many nations of the world and there have been very little offered to solve this growing economic and social problem. In America, many consider themselves blessed and wish to help out those in need while there are others that choose to view see such people as worthless or just hopeless people who can not make something out of themselves. Consequently people are less likely to help out because they view homeless people as those who do not deserve help keeping many homeless Americans on the streets. In the article, Homeless Demands Local Solutions states that in the United States, “The number of homeless people across the country is as high as 3.5 million in any given year” (Lee and Finley). Rising population in homelessness calls for action from the government and the people because only then, will America be able to curb the rise in homelessness. Many misguided Americans see homelessness as a state of choices and not circumstance.

The homeless are easily ignored, it is fairly simple to turn a blind eye and deaf ears to such a society. Their needs go unheeded by those of us who could afford to part with some of that which we seemingly covet so deeply, until gradually the notion of providing for these unfortunates escapes us altogether. How dare they blight our landscape and draw attention to our neglect. Who are they to paint a picture of hypocrisy by choosing such a life in this land of plenty? How many of us have passed unseeing, the hunched-over or prone bodies of the sleeping homeless in parks, on sidewalks, in alleys, or doorways with nary a thought as to their identities or well-being? After all, some tell themselves, the homeless don’t want to work like the rest of us, they are drug addicts, alcoholics, dangerous ex-cons, or wily con artists looking for an easy dollar. They brought this on themselves, right? “Not true,” says the National Student Campaign Against Hunger and Homelessness, they come from “all walks of life,” and none chose to be homeless. The organization’s statistics find that, “35% are families with children, 23% are U.S. military veterans, 25% are children under 18 years of age, 30% are victims of domestic violence, and another 20-25% suffer from mental illness.” Homelessness can happen to any one, it can affect anyone’s friends or relatives, homelessness finds members to add to its communities throughout America annually, even

There are many avenues one could choose when looking for a way to give back to the community. I decided to focus on giving back to the homeless population. For one week, a group of church members, and myself went to the state of California to serve the homeless population in Los Angeles, and San Francisco in more ways than one. We started the journey in downtown L.A.. That first morning we were given beaten-up clothing, and sent out the door of the hotel with no breakfast or money. In partners we headed toward skid row to seek out a corner for pan-handling before meeting at The Mission for lunch. Skid row is an area of L.A. that most do not venture into. The streets are filled to capacity with many different people that all have one thing in common, homelessness. The filth is outrageous, and the smell of different bodily fluids is unbearable. There are no smiles, or warm feelings; it is survival of the fittest. The experience opened everyone’s eyes to the pain, and unseen struggles of homelessness. We were better equipped to help the people we would be meeting as the trip continued. At the end of the day, the money collected as a group was donated to The Mission.

The summer prior to my senior year of high school, I volunteered at a basic needs shelter in the Pigtown neighborhood of Baltimore City named Paul’s Place. Paul’s Place provided free meals, clothes, showers, job search assistance, and public computers for the Pigtown residents who were not fortunate to have these seemingly basic necessities. While I was there, I assisted with the setting up and cleaning of dishes for the meals, picking out clothes with the residents, and other general tasks such as cleaning. Although the interactions with the people receiving the meals and clothes made me feel glad that I chose to volunteer at Paul’s Place, the most impactful parts of my experience were the weekly Monday morning meetings with the other people

In 2015, my sophomore year in high school, I was presented with an opportunity. Two of my friends and I had the ability to design our own community service project. I particularly was drawn to the issue of poverty in my hometown. I had always had an idea of what I thought homelessness was, however, as I talked to the manager of a Council Bluffs homeless shelter, The MICAH House, I realized I was completely wrong. Homelessness is not always like the stereotypical picture that the media portrays, but a mere lack of resources, resulting in complete inability for one to reground themselves. From that point on, I felt permanently attached to the matter. The largest issue that was revealed to us, among the shelter, was the lack of transportation.

The essay begins with stating a common assumption that “vast majority of the homeless were in the same state of semipermanent distress” and raising a question “what could be done to help them?”. The author represents two main arguments, understanding the types of homeless population and how do we assist them, to the readers, so that they can easily follow along. Later in the first paragraph, the author brings the readers into a real situation where a researcher—student Dennis Culhane graduated from Boston College—tells his story inside a shelter. Instead of believing that Culhane speaks eloquently without firm evidence, readers tend to give Dennis Culhane’s story credibility because his experience makes him closer to the truth and the readers. Quoting words from the one who experienced living in the shelter himself adds reliability of the essay.

“Stories from the shadows” are a collection of stories told by Dr. James O’Connell, physician and president of Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program. The book is a snapshot of the encounters and people Dr. O’Connell has engaged in while treating the homeless population in Boston. The stories illustrate the complex task of caring for the homeless but also display the strength of these patients and the people who care for them. “Homelessness poses daunting challenges to health, including poor nutrition and hygiene; exposure to extreme weather, injury, violence, and communicable diseases; and the constant stress of being on the move. Homeless individuals, often suffering from multiple diseases, live sicker and die younger than the general

When I first arrived in Downtown Chicago, I noticed an abundance of homeless individuals, but what struck me was the major separation in class when a nicely suited businessman would stand nearby the homeless person waiting for the light to change to walk across the street. The difference was extremely noticeable the homeless were very dirty and were constantly asking for help, while the freshly dressed businessman talked carefree handling a business call. To emphasize on the extreme difference in social class from poor to working upper class, I witnessed a homeless gentleman in the bathroom fully stripping down to wash up in the public bathroom sink in Macy’s. When I seen the man full on taking a bath in the sink using hand soap to clean his body, I realized the extremities that come with being less fortunate.I also recognized the bizarre paradox of how homeless people would lay on the ground and how people with more stability would lay. Homeless people would lay on the ground distressed, hopeless