My name is Michele Robinson and I am an Americorps member serving in Macomb County. I have enjoyed my time serving at the organization and I have witnessed a lot of incredible things take place during my service. I have seen clients come from a place where they feel that they have no hope to being proud of themselves and their accomplishments. I have been able to go out and be one on one with many of the people and families that we serve and I have been amazed at how resilient and hopeful they are. It has been a joy to serve not only our shelter clients but the community at large.
Our organization has taken part in quite a few activities in addition to our normal day to day activities. We have assisted families in need on both the Thanksgiving and Christmas holiday. Our first annual Joy of a Toy assisted over 100 children who would not have received Christmas gifts otherwise. It was a pleasure to see the parents come in and shop for toys for their children and also be able to gift wrap the toys. Myself and many of the volunteers even assisted in some of the gift wrapping for the kids. I even had the opportunity to make up gift boxes for families who have moved into housing and in these boxes were toys for their children if they had any and other household items. I was renamed "the spirit of Christmas" for the Christmas season and I had a lot of fun being Santa.
My experience overall has been a fulfilling one and I have learned a lot about myself in addition to learning even more from the people that we serve daily. It has been a pleasure being at my agency and knowing that we are helping others and making a difference. Even on a day when I am not feeling the greatest, I have been thankful to have clients call just to say thank you. I have even had a client come into our agency and let us know that she has gone back to school full time and would like to become a social worker because she felt that our agency has influenced her so much and has been of great assistance. I am thankful for the people that we serve because they are a reminder of why we come to work each and every day.
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Where is the time to make a difference?
My name is Michael Shank. For the last year and three months, I have been an AmeriCorps member with Michigan’s Campaign to End Homelessness AmeriCorps’ Program. During this time, I have served as a Homeless Prevention Assistant with the Northwest Michigan Community Action Agency. Here are my reflections…
(1) There is an overwhelming amount of need presenting to agencies and organizations with limited resources. Everyday, my voicemail fills up. I answer a call, only to hang-up and find that I have received three new calls. Always the calls are from people facing eviction and homelessness. Daily, I attempt to give I&R and to develop Crisis Plans for people facings dire situations. Daily, I process files and transfer them to already overloaded case managers, who are working with limited program openings and limited funds. There are never enough hours in the day, and always someone’s need goes unmet. The voicemail indicator light on my voicemail is flashing when I leave the office at night and when I return in the morning.
It is not only the agency I serve with that is experiencing such overwhelming amounts of need, but also many of the agencies that we are partnered with. What then can we do when the system is seemingly so overwhelmed? We need to coordinate better with the faith community. We need volunteers, though we do not have the space for them. We need better community awareness of the state of poverty and homelessness in our own community. We need more community members/organizations to step up and take responsibility for the needs of our own community and our own neighbors.
(2) While clients coming to my agency often present as homeless, at risk for homelessness, or facing eviction, generally these presenting needs are associated with more foundational needs such as lack of employment, lack of transportation, lack of affordable housing, and more often than not, the lack of community. While we have financial and case management services for homelessness and eviction needs, we are not able to provide employment, transportation, or community. Yet these needs are fundamental and interconnected. Without employment, there is usually no income to purchase or sustain transportation. Without transportation it is difficult to find and sustain employment. Similarly, without transportation it is difficult to find and sustain community, and without community, it is difficult to have a support network and safety net in order to pursue and sustain either transportation or employment. Without affordable housing, a person is in a continued state of crisis, whether acute, or chronic, when transportation, employment, and community will be in a continued state of jeopardy.
What are possible solutions? Possible solutions for the lack of transportation might be vehicle donations, public transportation, car pool initiatives, and more financial services for transportation needs. Possible solutions for lack of community might be the development of a community center(s), or better awareness of community centers already present, such as the Friendship Center for seniors and the Petoskey Club for special needs. Possible solutions for the lack of income and employment might be the development of a farmer’s markets, craft markets, small business entrepreneurship classes, living on less classes, and etc. What of the possible solutions for affordable housing? Do we need more income based housing, more housing vouchers, and etc? Yes, but how will we pay for these? Who will pay for them? Can the faith community, individuals, and organizations purchase housing to be used as low-income housing? Can people start opening up their spare bedrooms, basements, garage apartments, as low-income options? What of utilizing larger homes as shared homes or boarding houses? Have we explored all these options?
What is so overwhelming is knowing that there are possible solutions to fighting homelessness and poverty, and then looking at the stack of files on my desk, the number of calls that need returned, or the length of my to do list, and I ask in desperation, “Where is the time to make a difference?”
(1) There is an overwhelming amount of need presenting to agencies and organizations with limited resources. Everyday, my voicemail fills up. I answer a call, only to hang-up and find that I have received three new calls. Always the calls are from people facing eviction and homelessness. Daily, I attempt to give I&R and to develop Crisis Plans for people facings dire situations. Daily, I process files and transfer them to already overloaded case managers, who are working with limited program openings and limited funds. There are never enough hours in the day, and always someone’s need goes unmet. The voicemail indicator light on my voicemail is flashing when I leave the office at night and when I return in the morning.
It is not only the agency I serve with that is experiencing such overwhelming amounts of need, but also many of the agencies that we are partnered with. What then can we do when the system is seemingly so overwhelmed? We need to coordinate better with the faith community. We need volunteers, though we do not have the space for them. We need better community awareness of the state of poverty and homelessness in our own community. We need more community members/organizations to step up and take responsibility for the needs of our own community and our own neighbors.
(2) While clients coming to my agency often present as homeless, at risk for homelessness, or facing eviction, generally these presenting needs are associated with more foundational needs such as lack of employment, lack of transportation, lack of affordable housing, and more often than not, the lack of community. While we have financial and case management services for homelessness and eviction needs, we are not able to provide employment, transportation, or community. Yet these needs are fundamental and interconnected. Without employment, there is usually no income to purchase or sustain transportation. Without transportation it is difficult to find and sustain employment. Similarly, without transportation it is difficult to find and sustain community, and without community, it is difficult to have a support network and safety net in order to pursue and sustain either transportation or employment. Without affordable housing, a person is in a continued state of crisis, whether acute, or chronic, when transportation, employment, and community will be in a continued state of jeopardy.
What are possible solutions? Possible solutions for the lack of transportation might be vehicle donations, public transportation, car pool initiatives, and more financial services for transportation needs. Possible solutions for lack of community might be the development of a community center(s), or better awareness of community centers already present, such as the Friendship Center for seniors and the Petoskey Club for special needs. Possible solutions for the lack of income and employment might be the development of a farmer’s markets, craft markets, small business entrepreneurship classes, living on less classes, and etc. What of the possible solutions for affordable housing? Do we need more income based housing, more housing vouchers, and etc? Yes, but how will we pay for these? Who will pay for them? Can the faith community, individuals, and organizations purchase housing to be used as low-income housing? Can people start opening up their spare bedrooms, basements, garage apartments, as low-income options? What of utilizing larger homes as shared homes or boarding houses? Have we explored all these options?
What is so overwhelming is knowing that there are possible solutions to fighting homelessness and poverty, and then looking at the stack of files on my desk, the number of calls that need returned, or the length of my to do list, and I ask in desperation, “Where is the time to make a difference?”
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Homelessness in Detroit- My experience so far...
My time spent at Neighborhood Service Organization (NSO) in Detroit, has been interesting to say the least. I never know exactly what to except when I come in for a day at the office, and I think I like it that way.
I am a member of the AmeriCorps program Michigan Campaign to End Homelessness, and was placed in Detroit, the city that is without a doubt ground zero for the quest to end homelessness in the United States. While Detroit is in the process of revitalizing, it is also consumed by more problems than I can comprehend. Sometimes, hope is hard to find. When I have a bad day, it’s difficult to shake my mood. Driving through the streets of Detroit on your way home does very little to lift your spirits.
I was told when I started at my placement that there are 1,500 shelter beds for about 20,000 homeless in Detroit. That statistic still haunts me. At home, when I go outside to get the mail, or bring out of the trash, I can’t help but think of the tens of thousands of individuals that are enduring the bitter cold of a Michigan winter. I quickly go back into the warmth of my house. But many cannot.
I keep my sanity in this city and this placement, by interacting with people. My clients, my co-workers, my co-worker’s clients, my friends, the landlords that I keep in touch with- these people are what keep me sane.
I have learned over and over again while being here, that I am not here to save people. I am here to listen, to learn, and to give help. But the help that I give can only go so far. I give clients informed options about how to live their lives- I provide suggestions- I help them apply for health insurance- I listen to what stresses them- I help find places for them to live- but I do not save them. Ultimately, it is on them. It is their life to live, not mine.
I am learning how simultaneously frustrating, and rewarding, the field of social work can be. I’m learning that when I want something done, I need to stand up for myself and ask the question- go directly to the source, not hope someone will provide it for me. I’m learning to be more autonomous. Which I hope is a good thing.
I think for any human service field you work in, you are greeted by the same universal truth. People are people. Yes, the people that I work with are different than I am. Most have severe mental illnesses and disabilities. In some ways, there is an "us" and "them" mentality. But, they are people. And so they are also the same as me.
They don’t want to live on the streets anymore. They’re tired of being tired. They want a place to sleep and an apartment on their own. Most of them want to kick their habits. They don’t want to get hustled or mistreated by friends. They don’t want to hurt anymore. People, are people.
I often struggle with the difference that I am making here. I moved to Detroit with an incredibly idealistic mindset. I was here to change the world. Now I realize that changing the world takes time. And that it's less about the big things, and more about the smalll.
There are certain skills that I can offer that can help certain clients out, if only a little bit, or for a short amount of time. I can fill out health insurance benefit waivers for people who might have otherwise gone without. I can collect and sort donations from churches and soup kitchens. I can lead support groups that help clients transition from homelessness to housed live. I can get paperwork together so that clients can apply for furniture vouchers. I can call landlords and check out properties and expand the housing base that our organization has. I can capacity build, and create a binder of housing options, so that people can get into safe, decent housing more efficiently.
I find myself filling in the gaps of the organization that I work at. Sometimes that means grunt work. Recently I attended a Continuum of Care meeting and asked the program director where I could be of use. I spent the next five days making maps, so that thousands of volunteers could more effectively count the number of homeless individuals within Detroit city limits. This was not the most fun thing to do. But it was necessary. If I hadn’t done it, there would not have been decent maps for the volunteers to use when they went out to count. And without an accurate head count, our funding would not be reinstated. It’s the little things that count.
That is what I have learned about the social work field since being at my position. A lot of peole fall through the cracks, if there aren’t other people in place to catch them. Everything that you do is important to at least one person, which makes it important. Like I said, people are people.
I am a member of the AmeriCorps program Michigan Campaign to End Homelessness, and was placed in Detroit, the city that is without a doubt ground zero for the quest to end homelessness in the United States. While Detroit is in the process of revitalizing, it is also consumed by more problems than I can comprehend. Sometimes, hope is hard to find. When I have a bad day, it’s difficult to shake my mood. Driving through the streets of Detroit on your way home does very little to lift your spirits.
I was told when I started at my placement that there are 1,500 shelter beds for about 20,000 homeless in Detroit. That statistic still haunts me. At home, when I go outside to get the mail, or bring out of the trash, I can’t help but think of the tens of thousands of individuals that are enduring the bitter cold of a Michigan winter. I quickly go back into the warmth of my house. But many cannot.
I keep my sanity in this city and this placement, by interacting with people. My clients, my co-workers, my co-worker’s clients, my friends, the landlords that I keep in touch with- these people are what keep me sane.
I have learned over and over again while being here, that I am not here to save people. I am here to listen, to learn, and to give help. But the help that I give can only go so far. I give clients informed options about how to live their lives- I provide suggestions- I help them apply for health insurance- I listen to what stresses them- I help find places for them to live- but I do not save them. Ultimately, it is on them. It is their life to live, not mine.
I am learning how simultaneously frustrating, and rewarding, the field of social work can be. I’m learning that when I want something done, I need to stand up for myself and ask the question- go directly to the source, not hope someone will provide it for me. I’m learning to be more autonomous. Which I hope is a good thing.
I think for any human service field you work in, you are greeted by the same universal truth. People are people. Yes, the people that I work with are different than I am. Most have severe mental illnesses and disabilities. In some ways, there is an "us" and "them" mentality. But, they are people. And so they are also the same as me.
They don’t want to live on the streets anymore. They’re tired of being tired. They want a place to sleep and an apartment on their own. Most of them want to kick their habits. They don’t want to get hustled or mistreated by friends. They don’t want to hurt anymore. People, are people.
I often struggle with the difference that I am making here. I moved to Detroit with an incredibly idealistic mindset. I was here to change the world. Now I realize that changing the world takes time. And that it's less about the big things, and more about the smalll.
There are certain skills that I can offer that can help certain clients out, if only a little bit, or for a short amount of time. I can fill out health insurance benefit waivers for people who might have otherwise gone without. I can collect and sort donations from churches and soup kitchens. I can lead support groups that help clients transition from homelessness to housed live. I can get paperwork together so that clients can apply for furniture vouchers. I can call landlords and check out properties and expand the housing base that our organization has. I can capacity build, and create a binder of housing options, so that people can get into safe, decent housing more efficiently.
I find myself filling in the gaps of the organization that I work at. Sometimes that means grunt work. Recently I attended a Continuum of Care meeting and asked the program director where I could be of use. I spent the next five days making maps, so that thousands of volunteers could more effectively count the number of homeless individuals within Detroit city limits. This was not the most fun thing to do. But it was necessary. If I hadn’t done it, there would not have been decent maps for the volunteers to use when they went out to count. And without an accurate head count, our funding would not be reinstated. It’s the little things that count.
That is what I have learned about the social work field since being at my position. A lot of peole fall through the cracks, if there aren’t other people in place to catch them. Everything that you do is important to at least one person, which makes it important. Like I said, people are people.
Thursday, January 6, 2011
Hope for the Holidays
My name is Erin Frey, and I am a first year AmeriCorps member at South Oakland Shelter in
The goal of Hope for the Holidays is to provide new unopened gifts to approximately 500 needy children (ages 2 – 17) in the area during the holidays. This event is open to current and former shelter guests and the general public.
For the event we received an abundance of donations that were distributed to all of the families that participated in the event. South Oakland Shelter recruits volunteers to sort donations according to toy type and age, and work during the “shopping” week. Shopping week was held from Monday December 13th – Friday December 17th. We scheduled each family a day and time where they could come and shop for each of their children. After they selected their children’s gifts, we offered to wrap the presents for them.
I helped to bring donations over to the venue where the shopping week was held, and helped numerous families during the shopping week. It was extremely rewarding to be apart of the event. Everyone was so grateful and appreciative. Some parents cried because they had no other means to provide presents for their children. It was a wonderful and successful event that helped many families during a difficult time.
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Project Homeless Connect- Midland
This is the start of my second year of service at Midland Area Homes and this month I assisted in the organization of Midland County’s Project Homeless Connect that occurred on November 17th. This was my second Project Homeless Connect that I have been involved with and really enjoyed it. This community wide event allows different agencies and organizations that assist with those at risk of losing their housing to gather in one building and help those in need. We were able to help 179 households this year which is an increase of 59 households over last year.
I was responsible for the registration room this year and was able to add a scavenger hunt to it. This helped people to see what all is available at the event and helped us track the services that were used. Tracking services will allow us to see what we need to focus on in the future and make sure that those services continue to be provided in the future. Star stickers were given to all the agencies there to encourage everyone to complete the scavenger hunt. If people got five stickers, they were able to go into the giveaway room where they were able to get a variety of stuff including winter coats, laundry detergent, personal hygiene packs, hats and gloves.
It was excited to see an increase in participation from the people that came to this year’s Project Homeless Connect. We had more people coming to different booths and inquiring about a variety of services. New this year was Hidden Harvest distributing boxes of food to the families that attended as well as a local church registering families for a Thanksgiving Dinner. This was a great opportunity to see different agencies in the community get together to serve our county and I can’t wait until the next one.
Monday, November 29, 2010
Living on Less and Serving with Less
It is already the second month into my second year of service. Where has the time gone? Where has the funding gone?
My name is Michael Shank, and I am an AmeriCorps member serving as a Homeless Prevention Assistant with the Northwest Michigan Community Action Agency. Recently, it would seem, the agency I serve with seems to have committed out the short/medium term housing assistance funding we have for 10/11. This has not yet been confirmed, but in any case we are facing what seems to be an ever increasing amount of need (in part due to the time of year, but also in part to the general state of the economy perhaps) while at the same time experiencing a minimum of funding. So, how could/should an AmeriCorps member, service worker, or agency respond?
So far my agency partners and I have discussed how to tailor our initial triage information and referral to the current state of things. Yet, how often do we have clients return after pursuing many of the avenues we have suggested (DHS, Salvation Army, faith community, etc), only to explain that there was not funding available.
In addition, we have also discussed how to adapt our case management services to the present situation, the focus often being how to gain or increase income to support housing. Yet what we continue to find (as you may also, is that there is often many underlying barriers to obtaining employment or increasing income, both intrinsic and extrinsic, whether due to the economy or due to choice or circumstance). Three areas have stood out to us as potential areas to focus our energies, especially when we are unable to provide any financial forms housing of assistance: (1) How can we address the life skills needs of those in need in a short or medium term fashion? Is there any other agency/organizations that are doing this in our own area? What are the gaps? Are there any model agencies or organizations that are already doing this that we can learn from? (2) What are some innovative ways that our clients can earn income or supplemental income (cutting wood, selling their own produce, etc)? (3) What are some common sense and innovative ideas for downsizing and living on less?
In times of economic stagnation we not only have to live on less money, but we also have less money to serve with. Any, ideas, thoughts, suggestions, or related discussion would be greatly appreciated on how we can live and serve on less effectively!
My name is Michael Shank, and I am an AmeriCorps member serving as a Homeless Prevention Assistant with the Northwest Michigan Community Action Agency. Recently, it would seem, the agency I serve with seems to have committed out the short/medium term housing assistance funding we have for 10/11. This has not yet been confirmed, but in any case we are facing what seems to be an ever increasing amount of need (in part due to the time of year, but also in part to the general state of the economy perhaps) while at the same time experiencing a minimum of funding. So, how could/should an AmeriCorps member, service worker, or agency respond?
So far my agency partners and I have discussed how to tailor our initial triage information and referral to the current state of things. Yet, how often do we have clients return after pursuing many of the avenues we have suggested (DHS, Salvation Army, faith community, etc), only to explain that there was not funding available.
In addition, we have also discussed how to adapt our case management services to the present situation, the focus often being how to gain or increase income to support housing. Yet what we continue to find (as you may also, is that there is often many underlying barriers to obtaining employment or increasing income, both intrinsic and extrinsic, whether due to the economy or due to choice or circumstance). Three areas have stood out to us as potential areas to focus our energies, especially when we are unable to provide any financial forms housing of assistance: (1) How can we address the life skills needs of those in need in a short or medium term fashion? Is there any other agency/organizations that are doing this in our own area? What are the gaps? Are there any model agencies or organizations that are already doing this that we can learn from? (2) What are some innovative ways that our clients can earn income or supplemental income (cutting wood, selling their own produce, etc)? (3) What are some common sense and innovative ideas for downsizing and living on less?
In times of economic stagnation we not only have to live on less money, but we also have less money to serve with. Any, ideas, thoughts, suggestions, or related discussion would be greatly appreciated on how we can live and serve on less effectively!
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