Homelessness Addressed

            I have been serving as an AmeriCorps member for the Northwest Michigan Community Action Agency Homeless Prevention program since January 2012. Throughout my service I have been fortunate enough to serve a population that receives much attention in Traverse City. The homeless population in our community has received negative attention over the last few months. There have been a large number of incidents related to drug and alcohol use which have involved a select number of homeless adults. The community seems to perceive any “homeless person” as a nuisance and criminal. The reality is that the majority of people experiencing homelessness keep to themselves. They live within our shelters or camp in the woods. They spend their afternoons at work, looking for work, or volunteering at local non-profits. They actively seek a permanent income so they can obtain permanent housing. 

            A recent article in the local newspaper, The Record Eagle, focused on a middle-aged couple who is currently experiencing homelessness. They are both Michigan natives and state that their primary reason for homelessness is due to chronic alcoholism. Although alcoholism is a daily struggle for these two natives, life has not always been this way and they do not plan for it to remain. They are well educated and have held respectable jobs in society. Their main focus is getting back to that part of their life. They are reaching out to various community resources to assist them in employment, housing, and continuous substance abuse treatment.

            I am so fortunate to have met people who are suffering from situational homelessness. I have spent the last 9 months being able to assist people overcome their barriers and live their life the way they want to. I have learned how resilient people are and I am proud to be a part of a community that is pro-active in acknowledging that. There are various agencies in Traverse City that work together to support people in maintaining self-sufficiency. Through my AmeriCorps service I have been able to be a part of this community and make a difference on a daily basis.

If you’re interested in the article that I referenced in the blog, check out the link below!

http://record-eagle.com/local/x1684126605/GT-region-plays-host-to-about-330-people-who-have-no-homes

Thinking about tomorrow...

“If you never take a step in a different direction, you'll always be headed to the same place.”

                – Anonymous

Wow! It’s hard to believe that today is the last day of a year of service for many of us. My year has had both high points and low points, but overall it has been an amazing experience. And, although I have decided to stay on for a second year, there are many people who are moving on. That being the case, I have a few thoughts related to my service so far that I think we should all keep in mind no matter what steps we take next.

In general, in my daily life away from my host site, I have heard people make some disturbing comments about homelessness, and I am sometimes shocked at how narrow-minded they seem. For instance, there is the assumption that people who are homeless are too lazy to work, that they just want to be given a free ride in life. I have never been the type to share these judgments; I realize that in many cases, the circumstances that lead to homelessness can often be beyond a person’s immediate control.  Take my direct service for example: the primary people I provide assistance to are women who are escaping an abusive relationship. Many of them do not have support systems that they can rely on during their transition.  They have had to make a tough choice between living with violence and other forms of abuse, or starting completely over. I applaud them for their bravery because as scary as their relationship might be, leaving is often more frightening, especially when there is nowhere to go.

Other comments I sometimes hear are complaints about younger generations. These are the remarks that they are too lazy or coddled, too disrespectful or dependent on technology. Again, as my host site serves youths, I know this is not always the case. Many of them have experienced challenges that few people can truly understand. Additionally, there are those of them who are happy to help others if we would only give them a chance. I learned this lesson working with the Youth Advisory Board. At the beginning of my service, these teenagers were just beginning to get to know one another. Now, they are making a real difference in the community, getting involved, planning events, and reaching out to their peers. As their facilitator, my role is to provide them with guidance, but the truth is their enthusiasm is contagious. The more they understand, the more they want to help.  They inspire me to keep trying, and to think outside of the box. They are the reason I chose to serve for a second year.

So, why is this relevant? The answer is because we have just spent an entire year doing more than just providing direct service. Our secondary requirements have been to become active in our communities through civic engagement, and to recruit other people to get involved with our cause. We were asked to go beyond solving the immediate problem, to educate ourselves and other people about homelessness, and about AmeriCorps. And while at times it may have seemed overwhelming, I think that these aspects of being an AmeriCorps member are just as important as our direct service. These aspects are what help get rid of the stereotypes and assumptions I hear so often. Therefore, whatever cause we go on to support tomorrow, we need to take that extra step and connect with our communities as well as our clients. Because without that piece, without the education that can be shared through our extended involvement, it will be difficult to truly end problems such as homelessness and domestic violence.

My term... What a great year!

The year is quickly wrapping itself up.  I find myself tying up loose ends, saying goodbye to clients and coworkers and organizing computer files for the Americorps member who will take my spot for the 2012-2013 term at Goodwill.  This blog has given me the opportunity to look back and reflect on just how beneficial the last year of my life as an Americorps member with the Campaign to End Homelessness has been.

                My term began with training.  I thought the training would never end.  HMIS, member reporting, webinars, OnCorps, internal training, shadowing on client visits… On and on.  However, looking back this training was an absolutely essential part of the term and without it I would not have been able to integrate into the successful case management system that Goodwill Housing Support has created over the years. 

                I soon found myself diving right in to working one-on-one with clients.  My role with clients was to provide follow up support with time consuming issues and intensive care that case managers did not have the time or flexibility to commit to.  In this regard I was made to instantly feel that my role was important.  The flexibility of being able to work with clients who are actively seeking help on their time frame is what makes the Americorps member at my agency such a valuable asset.  By mixing administrative duties with life skills support I was able to drop what I was doing in the office and provide assistance to clients when they needed it in the field. 

Regular paid employees at our agencies are often bogged down with heavy case loads and documentation, Americorps members are the ace in hand that allow clients to receive the care they need and are asking for.  Often, I would receive a call from a case manager in the field who was with a client experiencing some sort of crisis.  Due to pending appointments the case manager was unable to provide support to ensure the issue at hand was addressed all the way through.  Because my daily tasks were a mix of administrative and on-call client assistance I was able to provide that extra level of support that our clients needed to be successful in maintaining their housing.  The trials and tribulations, successes and failures of working with clients are many, yet I feel that my experience as an Americorps member serving with Goodwill Housing Support Services has helped to move me on to the next level in my career and personal development.  It is an experience I will look back on with pride and good memories.

INFORMATION, MOTIVATION, ACCESS, EMPOWERMENT!

As I approach the end of my service and look back at the variety of experiences that I have had, I have to say that the greatest aspect of my service has been the ability to network and learn about programs, services and resources available to assist others. I have learned that many of those that we serve that are homeless, are lacking information about resources and the support to help motivate them to get to the next step.

 Information equals access. I will use this example. I happen to love shoes; when I see a person with a great pair of shoes, I usually ask the person about the shoes, where they purchased them,  etc. This information now give me access to the same opportunity that the person with the great shoes has, which empowers me to go get a pair! I recall working with homeless individuals who find themselves recently unemployed, with no healthcare, money, food, etc. For some, I provided information about State Disability Assistance, which enabled them to get monthly financial assistance because they were unable to work. All I did was provide the information and encouragement to take the next step in making the phone call. Those who were motivated now had access and were empowered to change their living situation.

 While each and every program participant, client and individual we meet are at different stages, we must never work harder than the individuals we serve. Some may need more encouragement, while some may need more education and information. I believe this goes along with restoring dignity to an individual, enabling them to have confidence in their own abilities, which will ultimately and hopefully result in our clients becoming tax paying, contributing citizens! Our compassion must be guided with the motivation of empowering an individual; not enabling them to continue on in crippling behaviors the often times result in individuals becoming dependent upon a lifetime of public assistance.

 It’s been a great year of learning for me. Thanks Americorp!

 

Over the last ten months, I have been serving at NMCAA in Petoskey. I was born and raised in a small community that I thought I was very familiar with; however, there are more problems than I realized. There are individuals, children and families that are literally homeless or some living in un-safe housing.

We have a shelter but it is much smaller than most and people are very hesitant to stay there. I have always thought that if you were truly homeless you would stay in the shelter. I was wrong. Many individuals believe that there are people that are suffering more than they are. I have also noticed that many homeless veterans would rather live on the streets or in the woods than stay in the shelter.

During the last few months, I have seen many working poor families that are facing eviction; they cannot afford rent, utilities, and take care of their families. They work full time but only make minimum wage, which is barely enough to pay rent. There are some affordable housing and housing programs in the community but not enough.   Many clients are being turned down because of past evictions, credit history, or criminal history. Clients feel as though there is never a way out because of their past even if they have done their time. People end up living in housing that either is not affordable or unsafe; therefore, only temporarily fixing the problem.

During my service, I have learned a lot about the causes of homelessness and many of the challenges people face. I have also learned the importance of volunteering and giving back to my community.

Learning and Awareness

As I have completed over half my service there has been many questions, issues and answers that I have come upon. While I have walked, more like ran, through my service I have learned that homelessness effects much more than the person, or family, going through it, but an entire community.

Before I began my term, I had no clue the amount of struggling people there are in this area. It seems that everyday presents its new hills to climb. My phone is full of messages, my mailbox is full of empty hands, and my emails are full of questions. I begin with how to solve these issues. For it is my service to provide housing help to all that need it, whether their credit is shot, they have more felonies than 10 people I know together, and whether they have any money. These are the questions and issues that have become a part of my life, as I dig further into answers.

Being a part of AmeriCorps, Michigan Coalition Against Homelessness, I’ve been taught to find answers. I have had to become more outgoing and persistent to find the necessary resources to help folks in crisis using good case management. That meant becoming more of a part of the community with the C.O.C., doing outreach at the shelters, and getting my hands dirty. That I need to influence people of the community, that everyday there are struggles beyond what we usually see; trying to build a connection of people to go to when I need an extra hand or a thought. My goal has been to make more eyes open to the reality of the homeless situation going on right now in my community.  

My hope is that by the end of my service that this small community will really understand the devastating toll homelessness takes on members of “us”. It is important to think further than ourselves, to think of everyone, and turn that awareness into action.

The importance of being involved

My name is Brendan Ehrlich and I am an Americorps member currently serving Midland Area Homes in the city of Midland. It has been roughly eight months since I began my service here and the experience so far has been rather eye-opening.  I grew up in Midland and I’ve been a resident for nineteen years. Before my experience with Americorps, I actually never liked this town. In fact, I had a strong urge to leave as soon as possible. However, this urge began to fade once I started serving almost eight months ago. Americorps really forced me to be involved with this community in a way that I had never been before. In a short amount of time, my service was showing me many new aspects of the town I had lived in my entire life. 

My first eye-opening moment of my service occurred at Midland County’s 2011 “Housing Connect” event. I was amazed by the number of people from the Midland area that had shown up for help. The lines of people stretched far outside and wrapped around the building. This made me realize how out of touch I was with the community. My previous notions of homelessness in Midland were inaccurate to say the least. As I watched the faces of people light up after receiving a winter coat or a small bag of toiletries I wondered why I never knew that this much help was needed. I soon realized that many residents in Midland were just as out of touch with the community as I was. This realization really motivated me to help spread awareness of these issues in Midland where ever I could. Following the “Housing Connect” event, I began to partake in numerous local events and fairs to help bring awareness to my agency and the issues of homelessness in Midland.

Shortly after I was introduced to some of my community’s toughest issues, I met many of the great people trying to tackle these issues. I started attending Midland county’s C.O.C. meetings on a monthly basis and listened in as different local agencies worked out plans in cooperation to better serve the community’s needs. Each agency would bring up the problems they were facing when serving clients and together, the C.O.C. would try to address those problems. I came to admire many people from those meetings and made connections that I never would have without Americorps.

 

My Americorps service has taught me so many things, but I think the most important lesson I’ve taken from this is that I have to be involved. I realized that my dislike for my community when I was younger was simply a result of me not trying. I will take this lesson with me for the rest of my life and use it to work with others to make my community a better place.