Reflections from the Greensboro Point-in-Time Count

Photo by Jerry Wolford

Never had I ever ridden in a police car (thankfully) before today when I had the privilege to participate in the Partners Ending Homelessness (PEH) Point-in-Time Count. The Point-in-Time Count is a 24 hour count of the homeless, and at risk of becoming homeless, population in Guilford County. Despite the snow, volunteers from different organizations around the county participated in making sure as many homeless people were counted for as possible. The count goes over night into the shelters to account for those people as well.  The count is held every year in Guilford County (bi-yearly in other states) and uses a survey to get demographics, a small amount of history about the person, the reason they became homeless, what resources they use and/or need around our community and if they don’t access shelter, why not?

     At 10:00am volunteers, PEH employees, and community resource policemen and women met at the United Way on Yanceyville Street.  We were paired off and sent to our district to search for any and everyone we can find on the streets panhandling. This was my, and my officer’s, first time participating in the event so we talked about that majority of the time on our search (in between me trying to convince him to pull somebody over, or take me to the scene of a crime). We were assigned to “district two,” the Randleman Road area- there we were driving slowly by bridges, making u-turns to do double takes, and going around the back of buildings to find ANYBODY known to the area panhandling. Unfortunately for me, majority of the regulars were inside somewhere keeping warm in the winter weather and not on their corner or parking lot trying to make money. On our entire journey, we found one well-known panhandling citizen, Mr. W. Being my first and only experience thus far the officer got out of the vehicle and asked if he wouldn’t mind answering a few questions from me, he agreed.

     While talking to Mr. W I learned that he hasn’t been stably housed since 1995 when he was living in Virginia and married to his ex-wife. He joked that it was a “good-call on her part because she probably would have been sitting with him on that curb if she hadn’t left him.”  Despite Mr. W’s situation he was nothing but positive, he smiled the entire time we talked, he said God gives him everything he could ever pray for and pointed to the snow making a comment of how beautiful it was. This Vietnam veteran does frequently rent a room from a nearby hotel in order to stay warm and made clear that that is where his money goes, not to drugs or alcohol like some of the other panhandlers he knows. He also said “panhandling isn’t about the money” for him- if he wanted to make money, he’d move from his spot that he is at every day to the intersection or the by-pass because that’s where the moneys at! He enjoys his spot and likes to meet the people that are kind enough to share what they have with him. He says “if people see I’m not here, they worry.” I was happily invited back anytime and told “things aren’t that bad if you really think about them.” All that has happened in Mr. W’s life has made him who he is today, a positive, friendly man just living day-by-day making as many friends as he can.

     One of the main goals with the Point-in-Time count was to help those who are “chronically homeless,” by their definition is anyone who has been homeless for a year/has experienced homelessness 4 times in the past 3 years and has a disease or disorder. Although Mr. W may fall into that category, I would be interested in seeing when/if PEH contacts him how he will react. If doors are opened for a person, could trust issues get in the way of them helping themselves? The next time I run into Mr. W I plan on stopping to chat and see if anyone from Partners Ending Homelessness has contacted him and if his already high spirit has gotten any higher. Being part of this count is bigger than me, Americorps, Guilford county, and North Carolina... It is nation-wide. It is hard to wrap your head around something so large and even though someone cant help everyone, everyone can help someone. Putting an end to homelessness is the ultimate goal, that isn’t going to happen within 24 hours but every effort counts and does not go unnoticed by the community.

-Amber

Tent City: How 4 "Professional Outdoors Dwelling" Residents Changed my Life

This is a tent city.

As explained in a wonderful documentary Tent City USA, such an establishment serves as not only as "permanent" a place as homeless individuals can call home, but also as a community, a support network for those who desperately need one to re-gain control of their life and get back on their feet, but whom, unfortunately, society tends to cast out and deprive of that fundamental human right.

Tonight, the AmeriCorps Partnership to End Homelessness organized a truly perspective altering event. What started out as a simple movie screening of Tent City USA with a panel discussion following, became something so much bigger than we ever anticipated. The event was held at a local "gold mine" of resources for Greensboro's homeless population, the IRC (interactive resources center). Our panel consisted of four current tent city residents, who, by the way, do not like being described as homeless, because of the negative connotation it has regretfully come to carry in our society, and prefer creative names for themselves, such as "long-term campers," and "professional outdoors-men."  

Why does homelessness carry such a stigma in our society today? As the documentary and several of our panel members point out, most people just assume that all those without permanent homes and steady incomes are "dirty, uneducated, drug addicts, and alcoholics just wanting a government handout." This is perpetuated myth, very distant from reality, as this study in San Francisco shows. 

Most of us wouldn't expect four smart, funny, frank, humble, hardworking, resourceful individuals. But that, and so much more, is exactly what these people are. 

I certainly wasn't expecting to be moved to tears with their stories, experiences, and the injustice they face from the society I am part of. While I have never been one of those people who would tell a homeless individual to "get a job" (FYI if you are one of those people, you try that in this economy while NOT having a permanent address, and let me know how it works for you!), I would walk by someone asking for a dollar to buy food (which as the study above shows IS where your dollar is actually going)  with my head bent low, mumbling something about not having cash on me. 

AND I AM ASHAMED!

As we all should be. 

What I learned from these individuals tonight is that they come from life situations that make up our worst nightmares. They have been abused, molested, beaten, left on the street as children and teenagers. They have been stripped of every ounce of their dignity. Who am I, or you, or anyone to say they CHOSE this lifestyle? While all of our discussion members take full personal responsibility for their choices that may have contributed to their downward spiral, leading them to their current living situation, we have to realize that these people are just as much, and I would even argue more so, a product of their circumstances. Particularly in this economy, we all know "the system" is not only imperfect, it is severely deficient. What little aid non-profit agencies scrape by, fighting tooth and nail, advocating for their clients is simply not enough!

As one of our panel members pointed out, "who would choose to live like this? I'm not happy with this. None of us are." He has 3 blankets to cover up with in the cold temperatures we are experiencing right now. In the morning, there is dew, which means he and his shelter are wet, and there is absolutely nothing he can do about it. 

As one of our sagacious panel members pointed out, temporary aid is greatly appreciated, but it doesn't solve the problem. With the continuous rise of the homeless population in the United States, something is simply not working, and these men and women, who have the actual experience of living on the streets, are more than ready to ponder these problems and offer solutions! However, as we see in Tent City USA, as well as from our panel's discussion, their voices are silenced by our prejudices. Temporary housing vouchers only last for a year, hardly enough time for even those qualified for jobs to find employment in our economy, let alone someone who may have been incarcerated, for often very MINOR offenses such as DUIs, or someone having a learning, physical, or other disability, or suffering a mental health issue.(I will save the prejudices our society has against mental health care for another blog rant). Yet, the system is deficient in providing resources to remedy these hindrances to steady, full-time employment.  As one of our panel member mentioned, he is "willing to do anything." He will "work his tail off, if only someone, anyone, will give him a chance!" Yet corporate America turns its cheek the other way and ignores the problem. 

Why? Because we are embarrassed, hindered by our misconceptions, unsure of how to act. After even only an hour of getting to know these individuals, I would confidently hire any one of them, knowing they would provide their best work and want to be at the job 100 percent. Our panel members expressed the desire to work without pay even, or to have a probationary period so they may impress their employer with their work ethic in hopes of eventually obtaining paying employment! However they are discriminated against based on their status, their appearance, their living situation. As one of our panel members pointed out, he seeks employment every single day. Yet every door is slammed in his face. Another member added that someone at an employment agency once told her she "doesn't look homeless."  

I'm sorry. I wasn't aware HOMELESS had a certain look to it! 

The Tent City USA documentary mentions the benefit of such an establishment as fostering a sense of community. These men and women truly becoming the family they never had to each other, and love and care for each other in a way I have not never experienced in our bigger communities. Yet, as seen in the film, and based on our panel's experience, we shun them. We just don't want to be reminded to the fact that our "American dream" may have failed. 

They, in turn, welcome us and each other with open arms. One gentlemen recited an anecdote I would like to share. One night, in colder weather than we are currently experiencing, he was settling in for the night under the bridge. Another individual lacking housing, having just gotten off from a graveyard shift, approached him and offered to give him $10 for one of his blankets. This gentleman gave it to him for $5. These two blankets are the only possessions he had to keep himself warm, and he chose to share with someone in need. 

After getting to know these people, I realized they have so much heart and love to give, and they, like all human beings, just want the same simple things we ALL want and need: acceptance, a place they feel they belong, a sense of purpose and accomplishment, however minuscule form work, and love.  Our lady panel speaker was funny as hell! (excuse my French). One of the younger gentlemen of the panel and I bonded over our failed romantic relationships! These people are real, and they are human. For people in their situation, some of them being homeless for years, they have a remarkable spirit and resilience. They maintain a hope beyond all hopes that with enough effort and patience, eventually good things will come to them, so they go on. They apply for jobs they know they will be turned away from. They attend GED classes offered at the IRC. Most importantly, they help each other in any way they can. 

Most basically, and most importantly, they are JUST PEOPLE. They are not "the homeless." They are not a statistic. They are not "something" deserving of de-humanization and ridicule. The are just people. Like YOU and ME. With stories. With hopes and dreams. They are smart. They are eloquent. They are funny. 

Oftentimes, we find ourselves judging those whose stories we simply have no conception of so easily. However, one of our panel members has not been in a steady, permanent home since he was thirteen years old! He has struggled, as any of us would under such circumstances, as psychology teaches us that a stable home environment is one of the single most important factors contributing to a successful transition of a youth into an independent adult, and he has been overlooked and denied opportunities his whole life. His story really hit close to home as I am the same age. Having graduated from a university with not one, but TWO, diplomas, I was unable to obtain employment for months after graduation. Despite having a full scholarship, my savings were drained by the expenses of college, and I found myself jobless, with only $100 to my name. I was lucky. AmeriCorps became my opportunity and salvation. If I hadn't, I would be sitting right there in a tent next to him, utilizing only blankets and body heat in order to keep from freezing in the chilly Carolina fall, and I have had the opportunity to obtain an education, unlike him! The reason for my personal over-share is that I want to drive the point across that homelessness is something that can happen to each and every one of us. Medical bills, rent increases, elevated cost of living, a flailing economy are all factors working against us constantly. Some of us win the battle against our circumstances. Some of us don't. By the way, out of the over 633,782 people currently identifying as homeless (this number is actually lower than the over-all number of the homeless population because it represents only those who were able to be counted during the 2012 point in time count), roughly 40 percent have a disability, 1 in every 3 are veterans, and about 20 - 25 percent suffer some form of mental illness. Of these individuals, 2/3 are un-sheltered! 

Before I left, one of the gentlemen told me I was going to change lives. 

I really hope he is right. I and our wonderful AmeriCorps team will do everything in our power to help them and other homeless individuals in the Greensboro area. We will continue spreading awareness about their cause and fighting for their rights. 

However, little did these three men and one lovely lady know that with their candidness, their stories, and their amazing personalities they would touch my heart so much, and change MINE, and I just want to say THANK YOU to them. I will never be the same, and I am forever grateful to you guys. 

I challenge you, dear readers, next time you encounter a homeless individual, to not avert your gaze, but to approach them, shake their hand, and listen to their story. Volunteer at your local shelter. Attend your local legislation meetings and let your voice sound for those that are kept silenced.  Help spread awareness with others in your life by sharing this post with them. And, most importantly, keep an open mind and open heart. You might just find it stolen, and you will definitely not be the same afterwards. You will experience one of the most humbling  enlightening, and most importantly, HUMAN, moments of your life.  

Homelessness is a serious, devastating crisis in this country as well as the world.  However, a solution does not have to be out of reach. Imagine if each one of us applied only just a little bit of our strengths and efforts; we could move mountains! Or rather, tent cities and other residents lacking shelter into permanent housing. 

Post by Lana

CROP Walk: Fighting Hunger One Step at a Time!

Hunger: a Problem in YOUR Backyard!

We've all see "THOSE" ads on TV. The ones where the pretty actress is holding emaciated,with their hunger distended bellies, but yet still somehow smiling, children, and pleading for YOUR help of just "a dollar a day" in order to provide these children in the developing nation of focus with food and hope. 

At that point you usually leave the room to grab a tissue in order to dab at your leaking mascara, and ask yourself, "How can I help? I'm just one person! Those children in sub-Saharan Africa, or in Haiti, or India don't need me! They need a miracle!"

Well, honey, those children, AND the children on the home turf need YOU!

Not many know that Greensboro, North Carolina is FOURTH, let me repeat that, FOURTH in the NATION for people reporting food insecurity. 1 in 6 Americans won't get enough food today, and 1 in 4 children in Guilford County will go to bed hungry tonight. 

Hunger is very much a real issue happening right here in the United States of America, and, may I add, the most affluent nation in the world! The good news is, there IS something YOU can do about it! And WE did!

The AmeriCorps Partnership to End Homelessness Team at Greensboro Urban Ministry's Annual CROP Walk for Hunger

The AmeriCorps Partnership to End Homelessness Team, with the help of some very awesome volunteers and donors, raised $857 to be donated to Greensboro Urban Ministry, to fight domestic hunger as well as to send internationally and provide aid to those who need it world-wide! Our team, and volunteers recruited by team members, also walked in Greensboro Urban Ministry's 5k CROP Walk for hunger to show our support and dedication to this amazing cause.  

Overall, we had a wonderful day! The weather was gorgeous, and we found some ways to have fun at the walk!

An AmeriCorps member, Jessica, and her volunteer signing in

Hanging out before the walk

Just a few of our AmeriCorps and their volunteers, big and small!

Our team and volunteers getting ready to walk

Off We GO!!!!

Marching proudly with our banner

We made it to the end!!! Sweaty group pic is a must!

Post by AmeriCorps member Lana 

The Butler: the "little" movie with a BIG message.

We laughed, we cried, we thoroughly irritated the people in front of us....

  

I will be honest, when The Butler premiered in movie theaters, it was not on my "must-see" agenda. A movie about a butler in the white house was cool and all, I figured, but if it didn't involve a shirtless Channing Tatum (my one weakness in this life) then I wasn't paying the ridiculous price tag that comes with seeing a movie these days. That was until I learned that we could count it towards our Americorps race relations training. "Sweet," I thought, "I get to watch a movie for a few hours and count it on my time sheet. Oh and it's discounted? Ok sign me up!" I wanted to bond with my new people, and, in my experience, movies tend to do that. 

So here I am. About to tell you about how this film changed my life! Ok, maybe not my life, but certainly my perspective on race issues, something I haven't really ever experienced, but that which many people do. It also left me with warm and fuzzy insides and raccoon eyes from mascara leakage from crying my eyes out. I can now safely add it to my collection of favorite movies. 

The Butler turned out to be so much more than just a story of one man's journey in ascending in life. The film depicts a very real and somber part of American history: the fight for civil rights. The fact that it is based on a true story made the depictions of violence and violation of human rights that much more moving.  The plot follows Cecil Gaines's journey from his childhood working in the cotton fields, to serving the owners of the cotton plantation inside their home, to becoming a butler in a hotel, and eventually moving up to serve eight presidents in the white house. Gaines is there through it all: Vietnam, the Kennedy assassination, and the major civil rights movements. He becomes an integral player in the presidents' lives, someone they trust and depend on, and someone they eventually turn to for advice.  While his son fights for freedom in more radical ways, Cecil does so quietly, agreeably, and pleasantly, but by doing so he shows us how powerful an internal, quiet strength can be. Because the audience witnesses Cecil's whole life, they also get a view of a wide scope of history, particularly that of the civil rights movements. We get to see the oppression, the fight for rights, and eventually the strides society has taken in the direction of equality. As a fellow Americrops member Jessica explains, "The movie showed how generations change America and how children directly impact the future. It went from the first generation of slavery, to the generation of fighting for equal rights, to the final one electing a president of a different race (Obama) into office. Truly a moving film making me proud to be an American."

While The Butler does address some heavy and emotional topics such as race relations and racial injustice, the film is anything but dull or boring, and it's not even all sad! There are frequent moments of hilarity and well-made puns. A lot of the wonderful aspects of black culture and family traditions are also shown. Oh, and did I mention the cast includes Lenny Kravitz and Oprah? (Which I spent half the movie trying to identify as them). 

Over all, The Butler is an amazing educational tool, and, I believe, one that should be utilized by everyone. The topic of race is a sensitive, but one we NEED to talk about and address in order to progress towards a more united and equal society. We need to be mindful of our history, not just from the side we are used to experiencing it from, but also from the side we don't have much experience with. A great film opens up minds and broadens horizons, and The Butler accomplishes just that... while also leaving a whole row of sniffling, red-eyed people who have now bonded on a whole new level :) 

By: Lana

Agorafabulous!

"Agorafabulous" is the title of comedian Sara Benincasa's book and also a very silly word. It is a play on the diagnosis "Agoraphobia." According to the American Psychiatric Association (DSM IV-TR, 2000), Agoraphobia is the fear of situations you cannot easily escape. It is often diagnosed in people who also have panic attacks--sudden rushes of fear and discomfort. Many people suffering from Agoraphobia will experience panic attacks in planes, shopping malls, or movie theaters. A small proportion of people with Agoraphobia become unable to leave their home for fear of experiencing feelings of panic in any other location. This was the case for Sara Benincasa in her college years before she became a successful comedian and author.

On Tuesday evening, September 17th at the University of North Carolina-Greensboro, Sara spoke about her experiences and mental health in college students. As she spoke hilariously about serious psychological issues, Sara evoked tears and laughs in audience members, sometimes in the same sentence. She was candid about her personal struggles with anxiety and depression, recounting her decreased ability to go to class, eat, or bathe. Sara also discussed how the concern of her parents led her seek therapy and medication. A strong message that emerged from her story was the importance of this support system. Sara indicated that she might have died confined in her apartment if she had not had such caring friends. She urged the college students in attendance to reach out for help in times of psychological struggle or even mild stress.

Sara went on to serve in Americorps as a teacher. She described this job as very difficult but also rewarding. Since then, she has translated her personal experiences into standup comedy. Sara continues to do standup on tour and for television as well as writing and speaking publicly about mental health and feminist issues. You can check her out at www.sarabenincasa.com.

By Frances Morris, APtEH Member at the Interactive Resource Center

The Language of Misery

As if not knowing what you are doing with your life is not bad enough, the recognition is only the first step. The action of admitting those overbearingly salty words “What am I doing?” pains us. I sympathize with that frustration; those feelings are way too close to home for comfort; however, I find myself speaking the love language of misery far too often. Embracing the very curves of her soft tears as they fall into that delicate space between the nose and cheek, and I wonder if this love/hate relationship is so intolerable, why do I stay? Why do I continue to entertain it by regurgitating its’ anthem of phrases like “I will never find the right job”, “I hate my life”, or worse “I have nothing to offer anyone anyway so why bother?” The language of misery is not only a tempting siren singing lullabies of fraudulent comfort for ones’ hurt, but it is also precarious. Negative self-talk is one of the more enslaving addictions people become consumed in and not because it is packaged beautifully; it is because it appears to be truth. It appears to be words one would speak if they were trying to cope with reality and grow beyond it. Heed these words of advice from someone who has traveled this road for the last few years, do not be fooled. You are worth more than a box of Kleenex tissue and a bucket of Rocky Road ice cream.

The words we speak about ourselves have the power to influence the very truth of our realities. If greatness is something you want, or if purpose is something you beseech take the biggest step first and define yourself with your words. Sometimes things are just that simple and sometimes the simplest of things is truly the hardest to overcome; however, nothing is impossible unless you believe it is. Everyone’s power begins with their thinking and our words are merely an example of those thoughts; so it is rational to presume that if ones thinking changes so does their reality. We attract the energy we emit and sometimes we do not realize what we are putting into the world until it returns the favor. Challenge yourself to be not only a more positive thinker with respect to your self-talk, but also challenge yourself to take responsibility for where you are in your life and take the necessary steps to changing it. You have more power than you think you do, more gumption, more resources and more abilities then you give yourself credit. Do not be your own bully; the world does not need another self-loathing individual. It needs thinkers, dreamers, go getters, and givers! Know that the questions you have about who you are in this world are relative to everyone, you are not alone. However playing small or depriving yourself of the time to figure it out does not serve the world. I dare you to take a chance on yourself.

Congratulations AmeriCorps members of 2012-2013!  I will see you at graduation! 

Homelessness Poem

Hypothetically speaking, if

Poverty is an institution  

Created to perpetuate the illusion that equality is fair game

And everyone has identical exposure to opportunities but

Its circumstance and motivation that aren't the same

Would you change your mind about what you deserve?

Let public opinion deceive you into believing that you’re a degenerate statistic and only want people to hand you a second chance without so much as a broken back to prove you’re willing to work for it

How much would it take to convince you?

That you aren’t worth the ground you sleep on, that others will not go out of their way

And that any government assistance that is available is locked away, waiting for someone who isn't a felon

But your caseworker never bothered to ask you,

because if he had,

you would have told him that you only did it because you had too,

Palms covered in Band-Aids from attempting to pull yourself out of the hole you dug yourself into, and you’ll admit to it, because you’re not exempt from making mistakes but sometimes all it takes is someone considerate,

With a listening ear

Look at him without fear, like a person and not a liability, he is not your property used to accrue the wealth that you’ll only share for tax write offs in late May

he is your

Local Neighborhood Street wanderer

That man your daughter stares at as you clinch her hand tighter when you walk by without eye contact because your guilt would compel you to do something because we are built that way, ignoring it allows our hearts to decay

Because it is in all of us to make our arms parallel to the ground and reach out when we see tears fall from wounded eyes

But the media has left us deprived of perspective. It’s merely a hypothetical of course

Just some thoughts my mind wondered by when I bought a guy a subway sandwich and he told me he couldn’t work because no one would hire him because he had an enlarged heart and 1 lung

That he served in Vietnam twice and that he had been waiting on his disability for the last 3 years, subjected to the life of a caveman living in the woods while sleeping in a hut built of what he could find behind the rest of us, his dreams have been repressed to simply wanting clean water

I’m just saying ya’ll, I realized

Every conclusion I drew, was based on an invalid presumption about something someone else didn’t understand

And I didn’t bother to ask any questions and like you, never reach out my hand

Left me to believe that this generalized group of people all thought the same way when in fact none of us are all the same, everyone is an individual and everyone has a different story, what we all have in common is pain

And I guess that’s why this is just a hypothetically, because I know if this was true we would do so much better than allow ourselves to slowly un-glue the intimate fibers that keep us humble because of something insipid like social status

The simplicity of love can be overwhelming sometimes and I know

That we are not that indifferent to each other’s struggle, we are not so cold that giving the scarf off our neck would cause frost bite to warmness of our hearts that shout I care about you, we can’t be because if we were, this poem wouldn't be a hypothetical

It would be the truth, and it’s ugly

By Renay