While I have been amazed at the energy, commitment and learnings of the students in this class, I too have learned from them. For over thirty years I have worked with the people these young students are encountering each day. As I watch and listen to them I have greater hope for the future. We are in a difficult time of dwindling resources and greater need. The problems are very real. These young men and women are beginning to understand the complexities of the issue of homelessness. They have been changed by the people they have met. At the same time they are carefully analyzing both the problem and the services being provided. Now I undertand why this simple class originated by Dr. Sara Officer so many years ago is so transformational for so many.
After spending the better part of the month with them my hope for the future has been renewed. These students have shown me that they truly care and are willing and anxious to learn. They will return to regular classes next month. They will bring with them new perspectives on life and service.
While we haven't quite crossed the finish line of our class together, it is my joy to say to Teams 1,2,3 & 4, "Well done."
Rev. David T. Alger, MSW
Instructor
More than just painting a garage
When reflecting back on the past three weeks of my time on the Hilltop of Tacoma, this past week has given me the widest breadth of experience in different agencies. My group started off the week painting the garage at Associated Ministries (AM), we spent Thursday at the Tacoma Community House (TCH), and finished off the week at the Hospitality Kitchen and Nativity House. At first I was a bit disappointed by the task of painting the garage at AM because I didn’t think that it would teach me anything about social service or about the Hilltop community. By the time we completed the garage at AM, my perspective had changed completely.
When we entered the garage at AM on Tuesday morning it was painted a deep purple color with light pink ceilings. There was construction equipment strewn across the garage, making it barely possible to navigate our way along the walls. As we began to clean up the area so that we could start painting, we came across a few mousetraps, which really pushed the comfort zone of many of our group members, including myself. When we entered this messy garage that was painted a most unattractive shade of purple, I asked myself, “Why are we doing this? This is just some old garage where they store things. Why does it matter if it’s brown instead of purple?” The man who does maintenance work for AM even questioned our task of painting, “It’s just a garage he said. I really don’t think it matters what color we paint it.” It wasn’t that I didn’t enjoy painting the garage; I just didn’t see how we were serving the community of the Hilltop by doing so.
After two and a half days we completed the garage—instead of being overwhelmingly purple, the garage was now a calming shade of brown. Along with the garage changing color, my perspective on the service that we had accomplished over the course of those few days had also changed completely. I had come to realize that although painting the garage didn’t directly affect the citizens of the Hilltop who we had been serving earlier at the Food Connection and TCH, it was making a difference in the lives of the people who worked at AM. What may seem to us like a pointless change in the color of an old garage, really meant a lot to the employees of AM who work day in a day out to improve the lives of those in need on the Hilltop. It was amazing to see their reactions through out the day as they came in and looked in awe at what we had accomplished. “I can’t believe how much better it looks in here,” many of them said. “Thank you so much for doing this!”
Painting the garage at AM taught me that sometimes we have an idea of who needs to be served and how exactly we need to serve them—that idea can often be completely incorrect. I went into this month of serving at different agencies on the Hilltop thinking that I would be serving people “in need” on the Hilltop. When I thought about people in need I thought of the single mother who is struggling to feed her children and the homeless man who makes his home on the street corner. I didn’t think about serving the people who are running the agecies. This experience has taught me that we are all in need of an act of service in some way or another. I have learned that serving others doesn’t just mean helping those who are less fortunate than us. Serving others means reaching out to another person and showing them kindness, of which we may never fully know the impact that we have. Painting the garage at AM was something that the employees would never have the time to do. By reaching out and serving them in this way we were able to thank them for all the work that they do for the Hilltop community and people in need all across Pierce County.
The Face of Homelessness
While other PLU students have been venturing across the globe or fulfilling those darn GURs on campus, I have spent the last few weeks of J-term volunteering in the Hilltop neighborhood of Tacoma. During this eye-opening and unique experience, I have worked at a number of different agencies in the area, and with a vast number of individuals who are either currently homeless or living on the verge of homelessness. Most importantly, this experience has put a face to homelessness in my mind and surmounted previous stereotypes I held about this population.
I have spent time volunteering at four agencies during the month. My experience began at the Hospitality Kitchen and the Nativity House. These agencies serve as places for homeless or low-income individuals (and really anyone who wants to) to come spend time during the day and eat a meal or two. The majority of individuals at these agencies were middle-aged men; however, I was very surprised by the number of elderly individuals utilizing these services. This saddened me, as I imagined my grandparents being in that same situation.
The second agency I worked at was the Adams Street Family Campus, a branch of the Rescue Mission. The Adams Street Family Campus provides temporary (90 day) housing for families at risk of homelessness and also families who are going through a drug/alcohol rehabilitation program (for 2 years). At this agency, I worked at an after-school program for youth ranging from kindergarten to high school. When I had previously envisioned "the homeless" of Tacoma, I never thought about the children. Although these kids have experienced hardships and sometimes devastating events already in their lives, I see an incredible amount of resilience in them-I know that they will succeed and overcome adversity.
Finally, I worked at the Food Connection, the largest food bank in Pierce County. The Food Connection runs multiple programs in the county, including the St. Leo's Food Bank (which I worked at) and the Springbrook Mobile Food Bank, which provides food to families in the impoverished Springbrook neighborhood of Lakewood. While distributing food at the bank, again many of the individuals who received food were elderly, carrying their bags while walking with walkers. Also, close to half the individuals who came through did not speak English very well because they were Eastern European or Asian immigrants. I was aware of Tacoma's population of both these groups, but I had no idea as to the extent (not to mention the number utilizing food services).
This experience showed me the face of homelessness and illustrated the diversity within this population. Whenever I thought of "homelessness" before this experience, I imagined a middle aged man with wild hair and dirty clothes standing on a street corner with a sign. At least, that's what homelessness is like in my town of Longview, Washington. However, in the last few weeks I have learned that homelessness is much more than just that. Homelessness may be children you see running around in a playground while at school or an elderly couple walking down the street. Homelessness may be the family at the grocery store buying only items that are on sale or that they have a coupon for. Most importantly, homelessness involves people. Human beings. No matter their story, their age, their gender, or their ethnicity, a homeless individual is a human being and should be treated as one. In the end, they are not very different from you and I. This is by far the most important lesson I learned during my time on the Hilltop.
The Life of a Statistic
This month has opened my eyes in so many ways. Before I started the class, I had a limited idea of what the Hilltop was. In my mind, it was a dirty, dark place - almost like Gotham City! - that was dangerous and scary. In a phrase, I pictured a dark alley on top of a hill. In a conversation I recently had with some friends, I came to realize how little I knew about the Hilltop, Tacoma and the people in the area before this month. While discussing the Tunnel of Oppression (an event on campus), I started talking about the cultural makeup of the people at the agencies, the needs of the agencies, and the realities of the Hilltop in itself. My friends were shocked. They had no idea all of this was happening just down the street. Noticing their shock, I realized that was too my reaction when I learned these things.
Further discussion with my friends, and I noticed what was shocking to them wasn’t even scratching the surface of reality. We were talking about kids, particularly kids on the East Side. We were talking about students on free and reduced lunches, and how nearly 100% of students at a particular junior high school were dependent on these lunches. We discussed how there are organizations in the community to provide these students with food for the weekends. Somehow, in a short moment of silence, my mind wandered to their lives at home. You see, we were talking numbers, percentages, statistics that without a unit meant nothing. I started thinking about children. Their faces, I could see clearly in my mind. Then I started thinking about their lives. Some had no father, some no mother, others had a mother and a father but the children had never known their parents sober or clean. I thought about their siblings. Some of their siblings were involved in gangs or high on drugs, others were younger than them and they were the primary caregivers. Some of the younger ones didn’t go to school yet, and therefore were not eligible for free and reduced lunches. I thought about bruised and battered mothers, I thought about drunk and angry fathers.
These are the lives of a large majority of children in Pierce County. Children. Thinking back on our tour through the East Side, I remember what I learned about these children's lives. I learned that kids join gangs and that gangs take in kids. They join gangs because the life of a gang member is better than the life they have in their homes. If you think about it, most of us consider gangs to be the worst of the worst, but for these kids, their home lives are worse than their gang lives. Let me put it a different way: Kids join gangs (gangs, like the Bloods, Crips, Vice Lords, etc.) because they feel safer than with their own family. Do you understand what I'm saying? No? The World English Dictionary defines a gang as a group of people who associate together or act as an organized body especially for criminal or illegal purposes. Wikipedia tells us that one of the main reasons gangs are formed is because of "social disorganization, and the disintegration of societal institutions like family and school." Now we see where it all starts: at home and school. So, if we keep repeating that it takes a community to raise a child, then what is our community doing? How did we allow the lives of children get this bad? What do we need to do to make our schools and our families more functional so our kids don't feel that they must form a gang just to find some stability?
You know, being in this class I've thought a lot about privilege. We've talked about white privilege, the privileges we have as college students, and what we have as primarily middle-class people. I start to wonder why we have this "caste system" that sets us apart from them. I can't help but begin to ask why. Why is it that we feel that those who don't have what we have are inferior? Why do we feel that all we have to do is give a couple bucks here and there, or drop some non-perishables in a box to wash our hands of our duties as a member of a community? Why is it so hard to respect a man who is bearded and in someone else's clothes but not a man in a suit who is freshly shaven? Why do we think there's nothing we can do about it?
These things I shared with my friends. They were inspired. They too understood how the numbers didn’t mean much. They began to see a part of the lives of Pierce County youth. Together, we saw faces behind statistics. Each face had a story, and I began to see that not only do the childrens’ faces have stories, but the adults’ do too. Every man and woman that walks through the Food Connection line, accepts a tray at the Hospitality Kitchen or an article of clothing at the Nativity House, and every student at the Tacoma Community House has a story. Each started out as babies, they progressed to toddlers and adolescents, and they have now reached adulthood. Their journey from here to there was a significant trek, and that is what makes them more than a statistic.
Now, when I look someone in the eyes, I will not see just another person. Taking this lesson to heart, I can’t not see a person with a story, a person with a journey and a future. All of a sudden, it’s impossible to see a number without seeing a face. Numbers like 1.35 million or 760 thousand mean little to me without units. However, when I read that in 2007 it was estimated that 1.35 million children experienced homelessness, and that the US Dep't of Justice estimates there are 760 thousand gang members in this country, I can’t help but think of 1.35 million faces and 760 thousand stories. It’s more than a number, it’s a person.
"You cannot change the world, but you can change the world for one." (Author Unknown)
Incredible Edible Eggs :D
Jan 4, 2011
Today our class had an orientation. We started class at PLU and talked about general safety guidelines. After that, we departed for the hilltop of Tacoma where my group and I were dropped off, and expected to find our way back to Shiloh Baptist Church, a historically important church on the hilltop. Maggie and I found our way back to the church easily and quickly, because of this, we wandered around some more in the area by the church and visited the library. After we found the church, we had lunch with the class and then departed with Ron for a tour of the east side of Tacoma. We visited an Indian cemetery by the casino and discussed the presence of several different ethnic groups in the east side Tacoma area. Ron then took us to a few Buddhist temples with different ethnic influences. We visited First Creek Jr. High school and met its principle. She talked to us about the ethnic and cultural diversity in her school and how outspoken the kids can be. She is very passionate about her work and loves her students; her positive, hopeful attitude is refreshing. Ron talked to us about the presence of gangs in the area and showed us important areas on the east side. After our tour we debriefed back at PLU in order to discuss what each of us had learned from our day in Tacoma.
While walking through Tacoma in the morning I couldn’t help feeling uneasy whenever we walked past people, especially men. I acted calmly but this uneasy feeling had me on edge. When I went into the bathroom at the library I saw a sharps disposal container. It shocked me and made the prevalence of drug abuse in the Tacoma area more real for me. I felt most connected to the community when we talked to the principal at the Jr. High. Most of the kids there have dealt with many horrible situations, situations that, up until now, have seemed foreign to me. Hearing about all of their hurts led me to feel increasing compassion for these ‘trouble’ kids.
Today I have learned that I cannot judge people by how they act. People have a whole life of experience influencing their present day actions. A lot of the people in the area that we will be working with have many awful situations that have influenced their view of people and their take on life.
Jan 5, 2011
Today we went to two locations of the Rescue Mission in Tacoma. First we started at a place where we worked in a large kitchen. We peeled apples and then moved our way over to a storage room where we organized vast amounts of canned food. The people were extremely kind and I enjoyed working there. After we were there for a couple of hours, we drove over to the other Rescue Mission location in which we were scheduled to work with the kids in an after-school program. While we were there I worked really hard on remembering as many of the kids names as I could. My group also helped the kids with their homework and played with them when they were done. I read with a kindergartener named Skyler. He was more interested in my reading quickly to him in order to get his homework done quickly instead of taking time to practice his own reading.
I felt welcomed by the staff at the Rescue Mission; the children were harder to form relationships with. A lot of the behavior from the children was unpleasant and I had to figure out how to relate to them without having them scream at me or shut themselves down. Thankfully I adapted very quickly and the children seemed more accustomed to our presence by the end of the day. I had a difficult time understanding the boundaries set in place by the program. In my previous experiences with child care programs there has been a strict no touching policy. At this after-school program, we can hug the children, give them piggy-back rides and have them sit on our laps.
Our group’s presence means a lot to the Rescue Mission. The children can have more individual attention, and we can assist the staff in any way that is helpful. Because of this, we can complete jobs that the staff would ordinarily not have adequate time to complete on top of their other responsibilities. I can tell our helpfulness is greatly appreciated because the staff are always thanking us and telling us how appreciative they are of our work. Volunteers are so instrumental to this agency. They can run without volunteers, but the volunteers bring a richness to the organization that cannot be brought otherwise.
When we were at the first Rescue Mission location it reminded me of the story about the doctor in our assigned reading. This doctor had so many medical skills to offer the sick people in the agency he had come to volunteer at. Instead of utilizing these skills, they needed him to take trash to the dump. Organizations always need help, but the service you can provide them may seem much less glorious than you had expected.
Jan 6, 2011
When we arrived at the Rescue Mission today we cleaned and organized an area so it could be used for a reading space for the kids. This led me to appreciate the staff’s resourcefulness. This is a small area in one of the staff’s office, and it would have been so easy for the staff member to use this space for himself, instead he has decided to use it for the kids so they can fully utilize the building’s space. After we finished this project, the kids arrived. Today we got to know the kids a lot better. The kids did their homework and then played until it was time for the kids to do a science experiment. They mixed water, oil, milk and food coloring. This simple experiment enthralled the girls and boys, they continued to mix and pour the liquids long after the initial experiment took place. After this, we cleaned up the mess, and the kids played until it was time to go.
Today was an enjoyable day of work. The kids are learning to trust our group more; the kids are opening up and having fun with us. There is still unpleasant behavior, but I am learning how to open up to them despite of these behaviors which would normally cause me to withdraw and become uneasy. I notice that most of the kids enjoy having us there are very willing to love us. This makes me happy because I can love them better if they are more open to me and are willing to love me. Everybody needs love in their lives and I believe that these kids, who come from many terrible home situations, need a lot of it.
Jan 7, 2011
Today is the last day at the Rescue Mission this week. We will be back on the Tuesday and Wednesday of next week. James, the youth director the Rescue Mission, says that he will give us a tour of the other Rescue Missions in the Tacoma area so we can understand more of the wide activity of the mission. When we arrived, we worked until the kids got back from school. My group member, Kyle, and I helped take down holiday decorations, and helped with general clean up because the mission is having a photo shoot on Monday. After that we rejoined our group outside and helped them rake leaves around the building. Closer to the time of the kid’s arrival we went into the youth building to label water bottles. This shows that the mission is concerned with reducing waste of materials and money. When the kids arrived they did their homework and then watched the movie “Wall-E.” It was a fairly laid back and quiet day because of the movie. While we watched the movie, a girl named Kiki sat on my lap and we ate popcorn. By the end of the movie, popcorn was all over the floor, so we vacuumed and consequently left later than we usually do. Today was a pleasant day, and relating to the children is becoming a lot easier. I am excited for our last two days and to see how our new relationships have evolved over such a short period of time.
Today our class had an orientation. We started class at PLU and talked about general safety guidelines. After that, we departed for the hilltop of Tacoma where my group and I were dropped off, and expected to find our way back to Shiloh Baptist Church, a historically important church on the hilltop. Maggie and I found our way back to the church easily and quickly, because of this, we wandered around some more in the area by the church and visited the library. After we found the church, we had lunch with the class and then departed with Ron for a tour of the east side of Tacoma. We visited an Indian cemetery by the casino and discussed the presence of several different ethnic groups in the east side Tacoma area. Ron then took us to a few Buddhist temples with different ethnic influences. We visited First Creek Jr. High school and met its principle. She talked to us about the ethnic and cultural diversity in her school and how outspoken the kids can be. She is very passionate about her work and loves her students; her positive, hopeful attitude is refreshing. Ron talked to us about the presence of gangs in the area and showed us important areas on the east side. After our tour we debriefed back at PLU in order to discuss what each of us had learned from our day in Tacoma.
While walking through Tacoma in the morning I couldn’t help feeling uneasy whenever we walked past people, especially men. I acted calmly but this uneasy feeling had me on edge. When I went into the bathroom at the library I saw a sharps disposal container. It shocked me and made the prevalence of drug abuse in the Tacoma area more real for me. I felt most connected to the community when we talked to the principal at the Jr. High. Most of the kids there have dealt with many horrible situations, situations that, up until now, have seemed foreign to me. Hearing about all of their hurts led me to feel increasing compassion for these ‘trouble’ kids.
Today I have learned that I cannot judge people by how they act. People have a whole life of experience influencing their present day actions. A lot of the people in the area that we will be working with have many awful situations that have influenced their view of people and their take on life.
Jan 5, 2011
Today we went to two locations of the Rescue Mission in Tacoma. First we started at a place where we worked in a large kitchen. We peeled apples and then moved our way over to a storage room where we organized vast amounts of canned food. The people were extremely kind and I enjoyed working there. After we were there for a couple of hours, we drove over to the other Rescue Mission location in which we were scheduled to work with the kids in an after-school program. While we were there I worked really hard on remembering as many of the kids names as I could. My group also helped the kids with their homework and played with them when they were done. I read with a kindergartener named Skyler. He was more interested in my reading quickly to him in order to get his homework done quickly instead of taking time to practice his own reading.
I felt welcomed by the staff at the Rescue Mission; the children were harder to form relationships with. A lot of the behavior from the children was unpleasant and I had to figure out how to relate to them without having them scream at me or shut themselves down. Thankfully I adapted very quickly and the children seemed more accustomed to our presence by the end of the day. I had a difficult time understanding the boundaries set in place by the program. In my previous experiences with child care programs there has been a strict no touching policy. At this after-school program, we can hug the children, give them piggy-back rides and have them sit on our laps.
Our group’s presence means a lot to the Rescue Mission. The children can have more individual attention, and we can assist the staff in any way that is helpful. Because of this, we can complete jobs that the staff would ordinarily not have adequate time to complete on top of their other responsibilities. I can tell our helpfulness is greatly appreciated because the staff are always thanking us and telling us how appreciative they are of our work. Volunteers are so instrumental to this agency. They can run without volunteers, but the volunteers bring a richness to the organization that cannot be brought otherwise.
When we were at the first Rescue Mission location it reminded me of the story about the doctor in our assigned reading. This doctor had so many medical skills to offer the sick people in the agency he had come to volunteer at. Instead of utilizing these skills, they needed him to take trash to the dump. Organizations always need help, but the service you can provide them may seem much less glorious than you had expected.
Jan 6, 2011
When we arrived at the Rescue Mission today we cleaned and organized an area so it could be used for a reading space for the kids. This led me to appreciate the staff’s resourcefulness. This is a small area in one of the staff’s office, and it would have been so easy for the staff member to use this space for himself, instead he has decided to use it for the kids so they can fully utilize the building’s space. After we finished this project, the kids arrived. Today we got to know the kids a lot better. The kids did their homework and then played until it was time for the kids to do a science experiment. They mixed water, oil, milk and food coloring. This simple experiment enthralled the girls and boys, they continued to mix and pour the liquids long after the initial experiment took place. After this, we cleaned up the mess, and the kids played until it was time to go.
Today was an enjoyable day of work. The kids are learning to trust our group more; the kids are opening up and having fun with us. There is still unpleasant behavior, but I am learning how to open up to them despite of these behaviors which would normally cause me to withdraw and become uneasy. I notice that most of the kids enjoy having us there are very willing to love us. This makes me happy because I can love them better if they are more open to me and are willing to love me. Everybody needs love in their lives and I believe that these kids, who come from many terrible home situations, need a lot of it.
Jan 7, 2011
Today is the last day at the Rescue Mission this week. We will be back on the Tuesday and Wednesday of next week. James, the youth director the Rescue Mission, says that he will give us a tour of the other Rescue Missions in the Tacoma area so we can understand more of the wide activity of the mission. When we arrived, we worked until the kids got back from school. My group member, Kyle, and I helped take down holiday decorations, and helped with general clean up because the mission is having a photo shoot on Monday. After that we rejoined our group outside and helped them rake leaves around the building. Closer to the time of the kid’s arrival we went into the youth building to label water bottles. This shows that the mission is concerned with reducing waste of materials and money. When the kids arrived they did their homework and then watched the movie “Wall-E.” It was a fairly laid back and quiet day because of the movie. While we watched the movie, a girl named Kiki sat on my lap and we ate popcorn. By the end of the movie, popcorn was all over the floor, so we vacuumed and consequently left later than we usually do. Today was a pleasant day, and relating to the children is becoming a lot easier. I am excited for our last two days and to see how our new relationships have evolved over such a short period of time.