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.