We Need A New Backpack

School lunches are often unsung heroes of many modern American households. Frequently overlooked and disregarded because of their stigma, school lunches are a key ingredient that may help make the world a better place. Unknowingly, great numbers of individuals in our communities deal with food insecurities every day of their lives. It baffles me that in an advanced society many people do not have the resources to provide food for themselves or their families. Until it affected me personally, I was unaware nor passionate about the struggles of food insecurity. My passion for solving food insecurity in my local community has led me to gain both experience and leadership through understanding and advocating for those around me.

Youth Homeless is a significant social issue that impacts a multitude of youth from all over the United States. There is a multitude of factors that can contribute to youth homelessness. Fortunately, the Covenant House in Michigan is committed to servicing homeless youth in Detroit. One of the core values of the agency, is immediacy therefore, the agency offers necessities such as shelter, safety, food and clothing rapidly to those in need. The Covenant House will not turn anyone away if they fall into the age range of 18-24 years old.

According to Volunteers of America, over 670,000 Americans are homeless, 48 million people go hungry every night, and 46.2 million Americans live in poverty. In 2013, Volunteers of America helped hover 83,000 homeless individuals. This organization works to prevent and end homelessness through a range of support services including eviction prevention, emergency services, transitional housing and permanent affordable housing. By doing so they engage homeless individuals, including youth and families with children, and stay with them for as long as it takes to return them to self-sufficiency. This organization reach out to homeless individuals through street outreach and mobile outreach services and engage with homeless individuals, youth and families with children. Moreover, they provide assistance that ranges from paying a first month’s rent to offering permanent supportive housing so that people with disabilities can become stable and productive members of their communities.

High school seniors could also be sponsored for graduation in which they have their cap and gown paid for and may receive tickets for senior activities. There are also opportunities for students to receive materials to wear for prom. These are just a few examples of how the community can help contribute to homeless students face barriers that are affecting them. Opportunities like this allow for the school to receive outside help to help support individual students. It is an extra help that only benefits those in need, and it only requires someone to plan and fill out applications for those in need. The LAUSD website also allows for individuals to make donations to the program. A homeless liaison would be able to oversee events such as these, and would also be able to work with the school’s budget and donations to make such things happen.

Being able to stay rent free and being provided home cooked meals will give them the opportunity to work and build their finance. The community could even give them jobs to work that way they can spend time with their families and work on themselves. By building the schools, the youth not only will have places to live and food to eat, but easy access to the classroom close to home. The Plos medicine editors states " But charities such as Crisis and Shelter are already warning that the risk of homelessness for many people is closer than we have previously assumed and now more than ever, homeless people can no longer be considered outside of society. Political will at the highest level is needed to put them back into the mainstream political and therefore health and social agenda." (Plos medicine, 5) Ignoring the fact that people need help is unebenfital for society because this allows ofr people who are homeless but have a lot of potiential to be left on the backburner and forgotten. There are many homeless youth roaming through the united states , and to deny them of the same support other finaicla youth receive, is to completely attempt to stop someones life before it even

Homelessness is a major problem in the United States. An incredibly vulnerable group is the homeless youth due to their young age and lack of education. According to Edidin, Ganim, Hunter, & Karnik (2012) on any particular night in the United States there are ~2 million homeless youth living on the streets, in shelters, or in other temporary accommodation. Youth become homeless for multiple reasons whether it be because they have aged out of foster care, ran from home, were kicked out of their home, or because they have become homeless along with their family members. Within the umbrella categorization of homeless youth there are high at risk subgroups, common misconceptions, and a serious concern of lack of support and medical services.

Homelessness is a pressing issue that affects everyone all over the world, of all ages, all race and all sexes. There is an inexcusable amount of young people who are homeless. 17% of all homeless people are under the age of twelve. That could be the age of a younger sibling. Imagine if they were homeless, living on the streets. This is the reality that some have to face

I have decided to create a social program that identifies the social problem of Homelessness. The new human services, social program will target helping homeless individuals and families to get off the streets. In order to have a successful program I have to come up with an outline and cover all of the basics. This program will have many different resources available to homeless or about to be homeless individuals and families. There are so many homeless people out there and her in the state of Florida there are not many places for homeless people to turn to for comfort and safety. So I am truly excited to be creating this new program that will help many people to go forward and live wonderful and successful lives, no matter what they have been through. Throughout this paper I will be discussing some of the things that are needed in order to start an organization. This paper will serve as an outline or an information source on how to create a social program as well as the social program that I am creating.

During the time I spent volunteering at John C. Lincoln’s Food Bank, I was able to provide food, individual hygiene items, and infant supplies to families struggling to obtain these critical items for their families. When I first arrived at the food bank, I spent time constructing care packages with soap, toothbrushes, personal wipes, and other essential items for health care. Later in the day, I had the unique opportunity to assist with the simulated grocery store within the food bank. The structure of the store allowed individuals receiving food to feel as though they were actively participating instead of passively accepting food and feeling helpless. Overall, I was able to instill a sense of self-efficiency in individuals who were struggling to provide for their families while personally interacting and sharing my time in a meaningful way.

Throughout the United States, there are a large number of individuals that goes unnoticed. Hidden in right plain sight, but are overlooked. They can be our friends, family, classmates, or the person standing right next you to at this moment. There are young individuals who are facing the tremendous challenge of being homeless. They are overlooked by many in society. However, there have been countless individuals, groups, organizations dedicated to ending youth homelessness. However, they are confronted with challenges due to the lack of interest. The lack of interest found within society can contribute to barriers to ending youth homelessness.

Homeless people in Allegheny County, PA are a vulnerable population that needs addressed. Homeless populations consist of individuals, families and veterans who struggle with obtaining the basic needs of life, that many take for granted. A shortage of affordable housing, not enough income to meet basic needs and inefficient support services all contribute to homelessness in the communities (In Nies & In McEwen, 2015, p. 433). Services, help, and resources are available in this county, but getting this vulnerable subset of the population to seek this help, are difficult.

The Higher Education Access & Success for Homeless and Foster Care youth task force is an organization founded in Buffalo, NY in September 2017. This task force will include several individuals from the community such as local agencies, stakeholders, legislators, and active members. The members of the task force aim to improve the social and economic injustice of a population that has been excluded from access to services needed for higher education. Each individual of the task force will play a vital role in rectifying the injustice of the population by addressing three different levels of social work practice which includes micro, mezzo, and macro practice to create social change. The role and responsibilities of each member are based on

After reading "A Child Called 'It,'" a true story about a severely abused boy, students are inspired to participate in "Backpacks for Foster Kids." Many times when children/teens are removed from a home, the environment is chaotic and stressful. Unfortunately, these kids do not have time to pack their personal belongings. The backpacks are specifically for abused children transitioning between their abusive homes and their foster families. Classes write personal letters to the student body asking for donations of gently-used backpacks. Also, students write business letters to local businesses soliciting donations of personal hygiene products and school supplies. Using persuasive techniques, students create signs and

Through our Youth Mission Team, we have begun to reach youth and connect them to our youth group programs. We have been successful reaching the Jr. High age group, but do not have many High School students attending. My goal for the next year is to begin creating a program that retains our 8th grade students as they enter High School.

It has always been close to my heart to help others who are in need; therefore, I chose to volunteer my time toward helping to make Project Backpack a success. Some time ago I chose to join the Project Backpack team in order to help under privileged school kids. Project Backpack is a project where members go out and buy items that children need in order to make it through school. Some items that were purchased to fill backpacks were school supplies, such as notebooks, pencils and pens, crayons, and other school essentials. We also would get personal items for the children, such as toothpaste and toothbrushes, shampoo, body wash, and deodorant. Then we might even get a few toys, such as cards, football, or another small toy. We chose to do that because we realized that we were giving these backpacks to children who are under privileged and they may not have many toys, and it is just a way to make the backpack more comforting to the children.