Why I Volunteer and Work with the Homeless

The reactions I receive vary when someone asks what I do.

Responses range from blank stares to quizzical looks. The comments vary from “That’s nice”, “Ok”, “That sounds like hard work”.

The truth be told, why I volunteer and work with the homeless comes down to the community where I grew up. I grew up knowing poverty where you helped someone when they were down. You didn’t make assumptions that they were a bad person or they should have known better. I am sure you have heard some of those comments and are thinking of some right now.

I grew up learning you do something about a problem, no questions asked. If a family was short on money for food, you made a nice dinner or pie (or cookies for the kids) and bring it over. You did not ask why the family was short on money and belittle them. You help by doing something, by taking action.

Being in a community that cares, such as the one where I grew up, is important. It touches your life without you realizing it. Yes, I have a degree in Economics and one in Business Administration. Why is it far fetched to be working in this field and volunteering my time? It should not be.

Growing up around poverty and caring individuals made an impact that has forever shaped my life. I volunteer and work with the homeless because I care and can do something.

~ Edward Everett Hale~

I am only one, but still I am one. I cannot do everything, but still I can do something; and because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do something that I can do.

advocacy all-staff

i must say, i really enjoyed the opportunity to discuss such important issues with almost the entire staff yesterday! thanks again for all the great participation, it would have been a flop without it :-)

i wanted to share the great suggestions we got yesterday and also, to encourage people with other suggestions to add their comments here. we're looking forward to hearing from you.

advocacy suggestions:

1) look into the differences between our housing programs and whether or not they accept people on methadone

2) look into recycling programs

3) have potluck all-staff meetings from 11am - 3pm

4) TANF (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) has not changed the amount of assistance they provide for families in 11 years. can we look into it?

5) start a loan program that will fund loans at no interest with a low payment plan. we could use some of the lottery money for this cause! :-)

6) can the advocacy team send out emails to staff or post info on the blog about issues that we can call our legislators about? i.e. issues that pertain to our mission, homelessness, etc.

7) we need more women's shelters in tucson.

8) at each all-staff, let one or two programs talk about what we do and have time open for questions.

9) i would like to send emails to legislators, but i don't know what to say. if a pre-formatted letter was sent to our staff, to me, i can review it and send it in if i support it! i could also send it to friends , contacts, and family.

10) i would like to see more all-staff meetings, this was great!

11)veterans are in need of more advocacy. the current war has created a back log with V.A. a large percentage of primavera clients are veterans in need!

aren't these great? i am so glad to have heard from so many people after our meeting and i hope that we can keep up this type of communication! remember, if you want to join the advocacy team, just let me know :-)

Jena 6

http://youtube.com/watch?v=YuoiZnr4jLY

Distractions

In my 6 years with Primavera I have learned from my supervisors and co-workers that we have to have some distractions at work. When I first started, this was a bit of an alien concept. At my last job the boss would peek over the cubicles and yell at you if you were playing solitaire or surfing the net. When I started here, every time I needed a break and played a game, I would look over my shoulder and keep an eye out for the boss, worried that I would get in trouble for "messing around". I was happy to hear that they encouraged taking a break now and then.

We certainly don't want to spend our whole day distracted, but the thing to remember is that while most of us (unless you are in maintenance or do the yard work crews) sit at desks most of the day, talk to clients, get wrapped up in their issues and their successes and failures. In a way, we take them under our wings and treat them to a degree like family. When they succeed, we are very happy, when they fail, we take it personally to a degree and it hurts. We have to remember that this job is stressful and that some days you just need a break.

I always encourage my staff to take some time during the day to goof off if they are having a particularly stressful day, talk to your co-workers, surf the net, read a book, play some solitaire, go for a walk, or in the case of 5 Points, break out the ping pong table!

As stressful as the job can be sometimes, especially when you are new and tend to take things more personally before you develop that hard exterior emotional shell, it can be very rewarding. For those of you reading this that might be newer staff, remember wise words that were once told to me when I first started, you have to let this sh%& go, like water off a duck's back. If you get too wrapped up in people's stuff, the job will chew you up and spit you out.

Anyone who has good feedback on what you do to de-stress from work while at work or at home should feel free to share!

thoughts to ponder

We engage the world through our attitudes toward life.

Do we learn a certain type of attitude while growing up? Do we learn at a young age how to perceive and engage the world around us?

Observation: In general, people laugh at thing we don't understand or laugh when we are uncomfortable. So, when something is not quite right or not what it should be, then it may be perceived as something wrong with it.

When taking this into consideration (please remember this is only one side), is this why some people see homelessness as being wrong and why people make fun of the homeless? Or why some people make fun of individuals who poor?

Do we learn to see the world in a negative persective; where when something does not match the norm, it is wrong?

Does anyone else have any other thoughts on this?

Iraq Veterans and Homelessness

I wanted to point out the following article that appeared in today's Arizona Daily Star "Returning Veterans Ending Up on Streets". It is noted in this article that new veterans are seeking housing services months after their return from Iraq--much sooner than Vietnam veterans. Also highlighted in this article is a recent study in The New England Journal of Medicine that found that nearly 20% of Iraq veterans demonstrate signs of major depression and post-traumatic stress disorder, which increases their struggle to reintegrate into civilian life.


This is the link to the article http://www.azstarnet.com/news/196134.php. If you have time, I would suggest reading through the online comments thread as well as there is quite a debate heating up there. Putting politics aside (although political ideologies are surely a valid part of the discussion to an extent) I am curious what those of us who work with/for the homeless population think about this phenomenon. Further, what can we do, or what do we already do, as a facility that veterans may turn to for help? Where does Primavera fit into all of this? Where do we as homeless advocates fit in? Beyond liberal vs. conservative and pro-war vs. anti-war, what do we do about this complex issue?

Impeach Bush - Cheney

There has been a tremendous grass roots effort to impeach Bush and Cheney. This a great deal of buzz on the internet and you can sample some of it right here:

http://www.impeachbush.org/site/PageServer
http://www.impeachbush.tv/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Movement_to_impeach_George_W._Bush

There is even a little known, rarely used procedure for the individual citizen to start the impeachment process (Jefferson's Manual). Go here to see it:

http://impeachforpeace.org/ImpeachNow.html

Do you believe that Bush/Cheney should be impeached before they walk out of office? In giving your answer please give your reasons for being for or against.