Why You Can't "Experience" Homelessness in One Night
Published October 25, 2009 @ 05:19AM PT
In the coming months, thousands of people across the country will participate in 'Sleep-Outs for the Homeless.' Participants should be congratulated for raising money and learning a bit about this critical issue. But check yourself: don't think for a second that after participating in this event you have "experienced" homeless. Far from it.
Some of my colleagues have argued that Sleep-Outs for the Homeless can be the worst fundraiser ever, that they are simply "glorified slumber parties." This may be true in some cases. But I like to believe that, done correctly, these type of events serve an important purpose. All it takes a little bit of careful messaging and a lot of reflection.
Rather than framing a Camp-Out for the Homeless event as a "homeless simulation" with movies, pizza, and a festive atmosphere, these events are best done as a somber showing of solidarity. Rather than playing dress-up in tattered clothes, focus on hearing the stories of formerly homeless people who actually survived life on the streets. Remember those whose lives ended on the streets. Forget the pizza and donuts.
Openly acknowledge that one night camping out in a monitored group environment is a completely different experience than losing everything and ending up on the streets. A one-night camping experience can never replicate the stress, fear, pain, loss of pride, and loss of hope that often coincides with being homeless.
Sleep-Outs for the Homeless can be a powerful tool for building awareness and stimulating activism. This fall, don't be afraid to pass on the pizza and turn your even into a meaningful opportunity to take a deeper look at homelessness issues.
Image: freakychic1978
Share this Post
Facebook
Twitter
Digg
StumbleUpon
Delicious
EmailRelated Posts
-
Meet the Homelessness Experts
-
Act Now: Stop Hate Crimes Against the Homeless
-
Calling All Winter Coats!
Comments (59)
Comments on Change.org are meant for further exploration and evaluation of the ideas covered in the posts. To that end, we welcome constructive comments. However, we reserve the right to delete comments that are offensive, abusive, or off-topic; that contain ad hominem attacks; or that are designed to subvert or hijack comment threads rather than contribute to them. Repeat offenders may be permanently removed from the site at our discretion.
Author
-
Shannon has worked in homeless shelters and service organizations in San Francisco, the Triangle region of North Carolina, and currently in the greater Boston area. She is a graduate student studying housing and urban policy at Tufts University.
Featured Homelessness Actions
-
-
Tell Seattle Officials to Stop the Sweeps!
352 People
-
Tell Seattle Officials to Stop the Sweeps!
-
Although it is a good way to make people with homes aware of the situation using pizza parties is definitely NOT the way. It's akin to going camping in an RV only worse. What the organizers of these events need to do is hand out blankets and have a soup kitchen set up and then have the pretend homeless people sleep on the ground or in makeshift tents after having a filling meal of watery soup. No soda allowed. No junk food allowed. No luxuries allowed. Have one portajohn for 50 people. Have people sleep in their cars and see how wonderful sleeping in a car can be. Have some reality to these slumber parties - not pizza parties!! Homelessness is not fun. Why glamorize it in ways that are totally unrealistic? It's not a fun adventure for one night. Far from it. It's a dreaded trip into the dark regions of scaryness of wondering when someone is going to come along and hurt or kill you in your sleep. Now that's reality. Even sleeping in a locked car with the windows rolled up is not 100% safe either. It's time some of these organizers actually take the time and live for at least a week like homeless person does around real homeless folks BEFORE they organize a slumber party doling out pizza. They need to bring the reality of just what homeless folks go thru every day and night - not some fantasy world of pizza and donuts.
Posted by L P on 10/25/2009 @ 11:49AM PT
You must be signed in to report content.
I agree...
If more folks were able to even come close to truly understanding what it feels like to lose everything and never know when or even if your gonna be able to rise up again...I think their whole attitude for the most part would change.
Posted by Thomas McHugh on 10/25/2009 @ 12:47PM PT
You must be signed in to report content.
^^Truth~
Having been homeless (for a brief period ten years ago) there is a foreboding in not being able to make plans. Having to roll with whatever comes your way.
Having a place to go home to after an event like the one in the article robs the partcipant of the true knowledge of homelessness, That warm fuzzy comfortable feeling that 'this is only temporary.
Of course, even someone without a home should remember that 'This too shall pass'.
That's the only thing that got me out of it, working toward the purpose of putting an end to that situation.
I never called myself a 'homeless person', instead I said "I don't have a place to live right now.
Assigning the condition to that period of time, rather than to 'who I am/was'.
Posted by Steve Anderson on 10/25/2009 @ 07:56PM PT
You must be signed in to report content.
This is the quote I was replying to, but Thomas, yours is just as true...
Posted by Steve Anderson on 10/25/2009 @ 07:57PM PT
You must be signed in to report content.
Having experienced being homeless with my 3 children as recently as less than a year ago...we ended up in a shed with no running water and being VERY cold at night...
Someone at the school knows someone, possibly one of their friends, who is homeless. Maybe it would be nice to raise money for one or a few families or help them find a place to stay? I know my oldest daughters school gave us a few hundred during that time and a list of shelters (that were all full but they tried). We even had an offer from an aid at the school to live with them because they had been through it themselves at some point. Personalizing it may help get the point across more than sleeping outside with pizza/drink/and music. Or give them a frozen pizza and let them figure out how to cook it while being homeless.
Don't get me wrong, the idea of getting some kind of awareness out there is a wonderful thing. Maybe I'm bitter after spending 6 months in a shed with 3 children, one of them special needs, while every day calling local shelters to find them all full, but making a good time out of the situation doesn't get the real point across.
Posted by Heather Hetrick on 11/05/2009 @ 07:25AM PT
You must be signed in to report content.
It aint just being homeless out on the street thats rough, although Im willing to bet that its rougher than being in a shelter...
Even so...Please dont underestimate the feeling of helplessness and hopelessness that also exists for the homeless lucky enough to be able to stay in a shelter...
Thank you.
Posted by Thomas McHugh on 10/25/2009 @ 12:44PM PT
You must be signed in to report content.
BEING A HOMELESS VET i AM SORRY BUT THE PIZZA WOULD DO BETTER IF YOU WOULD HAND IT OUT ON THE STREET. tHE HIGH SCHOOL HAD A SLEEP OUT IN MY HOME TOWN, THE KIDS EAT PIZZA AND DRINK SODA ALL NIGHT WITH THE MUSIC PLAYING. WHERE DID ANY ONE GET THAT IDEA HELPED THE HOMELESS? SOME PLEASE INFORM ME WHERE THIS CAME FROM.
Posted by James Brouillette on 10/25/2009 @ 02:27PM PT
You must be signed in to report content.
Hey, got your message. No offense taken. I totally understand.
Posted by Debbie Geno on 11/02/2009 @ 06:27PM PT
You must be signed in to report content.
What you are saying is exactly like the other story I read.The woman who was leading that particular event asked a man to keep the homeless people away from their sleepout as not to scare them and they kept their pizza party for themselves.Now shouldn't the Sleepout for the Homeless welcome the Homeless with open arms and share their pizza and everything else they have for that matter.Like resources?Love/ Understanding?Help?Did you get any of their pizza,or did they look at you like you were a freak?(Sorry)
Posted by Wendy marsaln on 11/04/2009 @ 10:25PM PT
You must be signed in to report content.
there are good intentions probably, but in only 1 day you don't really understone the whole problem, the discrimination that those people suffer, and in he case that you have everything, but you say i can eat with them like Jesus did in the Last suppper and wash their feet, with humility, and not in the case that "volunteers", that they help of course, but later if you see them they coment or spread the gossip that you are homeless maliciously, are these persons really christians, and for end this issue, o course you can prefer to eat with the evil too, whoever in this case powerful guy like the dead Mr Rockefeller, DonalTruump, or whoever, i am suppousing, there is a real institutional racism to these people, because with any reason people harassement them, if somebody don't do nothing to me i don't have the right to distrub them, at least i feel superiority about somebody, that in fact is racism.
Posted by jose ibarra on 11/17/2009 @ 03:19AM PT
You must be signed in to report content.
One good way to inject a little reality into these well-intentioned events is to show My Own Four Walls, the HEAR US documentary featuring kids who experience homelessness. What these courageous kids have to say will touch hearts, raise awareness, and perhaps move people to work to change the system.
http://www.hearus.us/projects/my-own-four-walls-video.html
Posted by HEAR US on 10/26/2009 @ 04:55AM PT
You must be signed in to report content.
cool website..link and stuffs :)
Posted by Justina Marku on 10/29/2009 @ 05:50PM PT
You must be signed in to report content.
Homelessness doesn't have to be!!!!
http://homelessness.change.org/actions/view/
homelessness_doesnt_have_to_be
Posted by Ben Oscarsito on 10/26/2009 @ 08:49AM PT
You must be signed in to report content.
I think James Brouillette makes a lot of sense. I agree that a bunch of High School students eating pizza, listening to musich, and drinking soda one night (versus what the do other nights?) may not be the most effective means to actuallly help someone who is homeless.
One alternative may be for these students to pool their pizza money for one night and find one homeless person in their community and actually work with him or her until that person has been helped.
If each high school would find one person each year and help that person...it may be the most effective way to address this challenging issue.
Posted by Richard Forrest on 10/26/2009 @ 09:37AM PT
You must be signed in to report content.
While everyone here makes someone very valid points, you're also missing a very big point. I have been both a participant and organizer of Sleepout for the Homeless events. I wholly agree that they should be more than a glorified camping trip and that the event needs to maintain a focus on education and raising awareness. And I am quite aware that sleeping on concrete for a night does not mean I have experienced homelessness.
However...
The point of these events is not to preach to the choir. You want to engage people who aren't very familiar with the issue of homelessness, its causes, etc. and open their eyes. These people aren't going to jump in headfirst and make huge commitments without really having much knowledge or understanding of the cause. Why would they? How many people want to "Go Learn About Homelessness"? Making the event seem fun/interesting/different is one way to get people who wouldn't normally come to these things (and hopefully they will convince their friends to do it with them) - to reach out, make that connection, and open their eyes.
Think about when you're out and trying to get somebody's number. You try to make a connection, find something in common, make them laugh/get them interested in you by acting interested in them. If you go up to a stranger and ask for their number and say that it's because you're kind of a big deal and they need to go out with you....I can't say that I've tried it, but I'm going to guess it won't you terribly far.
So yes, there needs to be an educational component and you need to get people to actively think about what it means to be homeless. But I don't think banning fun from such events is going to make them more effective, and honestly, probably less so because the only people attending would already be in the choir.
I also used to organize a poetry reading with homeless poets. Sometimes their poems were about being homeless, sometimes they were just about life or anything else poetry is about. But each poet shares a bit of how they came to be homeless.
The day after one of those readings, a student came up to me and told me that she used to think homeless people were just lazy or addicts. Then she heard from one of the poets who had a Master's degree in education and used to be a teacher and was unable to hold a job as she struggled with mental illness. The student, an eduation major, couldn't get this woman out of her mind. She told me it made her realize that homelessness could happen to any one of us.
And that to me is the first priority/step of ANY social change effort. Until we stop seeing the [insert marginalized group here] as "those people," nothing is ever going to truly change.
Posted by Janice Chan on 10/26/2009 @ 11:44AM PT
You must be signed in to report content.
You've highlighted a very important point -- the purpose to reach and involve more people, and people new to the issue -- and not just get-togethers "preaching to the choir".
But let me add:
I also have a background in marketing/sales. One of the biggest mistakes made is to keep trying to attract/sell to the wrong kinds of folks. Instead, it makes all the difference to identify who the likeliest people are, then design all efforts to reach those, specifically.
Just so, I have to wonder if these events are at all best for reaching the people most prepared to actually help or if such relatively frivolous things is what they'd do instead of more substantive helping, but feeling as though they had.
This is too often the pitfall.
Posted by SlumJack Homeless on 10/27/2009 @ 08:00AM PT
You must be signed in to report content.
True. In my experience, most of the people who participate are people who have at least done some low commitment things like donating cans to a canned food drive or volunteering for a day at a soup kitchen or are somewhat civic minded. But this is all anecdotal....
Aside from education, the other key part of the event is FOLLOW UP. You need to follow up with each one of the participants in the next couple of days both for feedback and to ask them to say, sign up to volunteer on a weekly basis or help plan a canned food drive or sign a petition, etc. You can even ask them to help call another participant and ask them to sign up, give feedback, etc. Not everyone is going to - and you're right, those are the people you won't want to bother with anyway, but you need to build that relationship with the people who want to do more. You wouldn't only call your friends when you needed something from them and likewise with the people you want to join your cause as partners.
If you have a background in marketing/sales, then you know that not only is the call to action important, but so is making it easy for them to do what you want them to do. Like when Change.org e-mails you asking you to sign a petition and if you log in (or if you're permanently signed in), it will pre-fill all your information for you, provide a link after you've submitted your "signature" to forward to friends, etc. How much easier can it get?
Posted by Janice Chan on 10/27/2009 @ 08:31AM PT
You must be signed in to report content.
Janice:
I appreciate your productive thinking and constructive focus. True enough, the kind of practical action-oriented follow-through you clarify is the lifeblood for results... in whatever effort is pursued.
My wondering was more about just which type of effort, meant for which "market segment" and as compared to an array of options/audiences, though.
In my experience, one of the more difficult aspects of NPO activities is that resources are generally too scarce to be able to much check on measuring and testing and the kinds of guides that commercial enterprises can afford to rely upon in order to make these selections and go after the confirmed optimal results.
That's why info sharing is so valuable.
Posted by SlumJack Homeless on 10/27/2009 @ 08:52AM PT
You must be signed in to report content.
At least these kids are doing SOMETHING and raising MONEY! None of you surveyed any of the kids to see what they did after the event, to see how it affected them. Maybe some were impacted by it and got involved in their community, fundraising, etc.
One does not necessarily have to empathize with someone or some cause in order to make a difference. How many of those kids would have showed up to the "Sleep Out" if they were told it was going to be the toughest, most depressing weekend/night of their life. I know some of the kids have to participate whether they like it or not, and those are the ones, who are forced into it, that treat it as a joke. The sleepout itself is just a visual way to raise money - like a walk or charity run. The real value is in the speakers and documentaries the students watch weeks up until the grand finale.
Plus, if pizza parties bring in more kids, and more kids bring in more money, then SO WHAT if they aren't simulating living on the streets or in their cars?
Ask a benefiting shelter or charity if they think schools should stop doing these events and see what they say. Soup kitchens always need volunteers, but all of these organizations always need MONEY, and that's what these events can bring in.
Posted by DJ K on 10/26/2009 @ 11:47AM PT
You must be signed in to report content.
DJ k, so sorry I spend no less then 1 hour talking to the kids, They did get 65 dollars to give to a shelter.
However after talking to them they admitted that to them it was just another way to have a party, and they still had no idea that it was as hard as I was telling.
The teacher try-ed to get me not to talk to the kids when she found out I was a homeless vet. The kids told her they could learn more by talking to me then having a Pizza party in the school parking lot.
That is the real reason I am so set against these kind of things.
Posted by James Brouillette on 11/01/2009 @ 03:02PM PT
You must be signed in to report content.
But what are they doing with the money? Just throwing it at the homeless, or actually buying things they need? Sometimes they won't do it themselves, especially addicts or alcoholics (same thing actually) and need the basics provided.
Posted by Debbie Geno on 11/03/2009 @ 10:59AM PT
You must be signed in to report content.
Two weeks ago I was evicted from my home and began my homeless trek. As an author, I was hoping to finish my writing project and make it through the publishing process before I ran out of money. I didn't make it!
Tonight is my first night alone. My dog, Kirby, my right-hand man, is staying with a friend for a while. I miss him! I still have a car to sleep in and the sheriff's dept., put my belongings in storage for a month. Plus, the weather is fairly warm!
There are many homeless situations and many more desperate than mine. The other day I was walking through Chicago and saw a man sprawled out on a sidewalk trying to sleep. My heart went out to him for his desperate situation.
Having a homeless sleep-out may not be the best, realistic way to experience the reality of homelessness, but it's something!!! I applaud these efforts and hope they raised a lot of money.
My office is now Caribou Coffee and I'm thankful for their wi-fi. I will stay here as long as possible and then find a parking lot nearby to sleep. I don't want to push my friends away, I know they mean well, but I can't keep interrupting their lives and families.
I am at peace, serene and thankful for what I have.
Steve
Posted by Steve Trueblood on 10/26/2009 @ 07:11PM PT
You must be signed in to report content.
I admire your attitude.Homelessness can cause bitterness and that is easy to understand.I volunteer in a soup kitchen on Monday nights.So many homeless people come for that meal.The church offers Monday night and Friday morning meals.I always worry about Tuesday-Thursday.I don't think anyone can truly know what it feels like unless they live this way.In New York the shelters are somewhat dangerous .My heart goes out to anyone and my admiration goes to you.
Posted by Lynn Rosen on 11/13/2009 @ 02:39PM PT
You must be signed in to report content.
i hope you get better, but i comment that people that was your friend before the homelessness, if they notice your situaton, they will discriminate you, you are not more their friend, just a poor homeless , even if you get a place a job ,etc, use public transportation, etc without help rom the gov, imagine that u are inmigrant, there"s no help from anybody in this case , what they want you to do, to steal for food?, and alqays, there is the gossip, or remarks on the street, by supremacista form all the races.
Posted by jose ibarra on 11/17/2009 @ 03:35AM PT
You must be signed in to report content.
I was reading several articles on Homelessness. One was Sleepouts for the Homeless and one on a lady that loss her home to foreclosure it bothers me to hear of someone who has family and is homeless. Family is most important to me and if it means me making room or stretching meals to keep family off the streets I'm willing to do it. I like the suggestion in the article about skipping the pizza and fanfare, because from what I've observed being homeless is no fun. I've never been homeless but I've been close to it and it can be very scary. Thank God for family who took me in.
Posted by Barbara Thomas on 10/28/2009 @ 05:35AM PT
You must be signed in to report content.
....just going out now 2 feed my homeless Houston friends... having done for 19 years....feeding perhaps 200,000 meals from the back of my truck. I have slept out with my buds.....once notably in 1993 for an article in the 'Houston Press' newspaper.....and I ordered pizza and sodas. It WAS a lark for we 'inside people'...but I had little sense that I then understood all the ramification of living on the streets.....still do not even after 228 months of regular contact. My pal, Murphy.....who became part of the theme of the article.....sagely stated in the AM: 'you guys were all happy this morning....probably because you survived the night....' 'So what? You can go home now.....and we live here all the time.'
Understand this: NO ONE regularly lives on the streets because it is a fun, free experience.....although it IS often a choice to be there rather than seeking a 'shelter'. Homeless will also tell you about the 'costs' of staying in a shelter, though. Anyone who believes that their pizza & soda evening is a true representation.....should stay outside in the damp winter when they have a stomach virus....
The 'there-but-for-the-grace-of-god-goes-I' moment is happening all too frequently now.
Posted by Jay Hamburger on 11/01/2009 @ 11:44AM PT
You must be signed in to report content.
Okay. Pardon me, but I just gotta' ask outright:
If these are such "friends" of yours, that you so keenly want to help, why aren't you just taking them in to your own home for awhile and helping them get out of that jam, rather than just feeding them some?
I've been amazed by how many people I've run across so far that also take up this role of "friend" to me, but in a way that's just loaded with a lot of tacit assumptions, including the main one that the "friendship" is based on neither of us openly broaching this matter in these terms.
Personally, I don't want to be anyone's homeless mascot nor a perpetual charity case. That doesn't help me, other than to help me remain in this position -- albeit somewhat more comfortably and conveniently.
But I want/need help getting OUT of the situation.
Posted by SlumJack Homeless on 11/01/2009 @ 12:46PM PT
You must be signed in to report content.
SJ H.......your assumptions r rather naive for someone with so many ideas....but no real capital. Get out and DO something as I have 4 19 years. I show up and you seem 2 just talk. After you've done something 4 ur fellow humans....then u can talk with authority....otherwise you're just more hot air with no substance.
To answer ur question....everyone who knows.....knows that 35% of the homeless can never be rehabilitated. These are mainly who I help.....as they will need to be maintained for their entire life.
If I followed ur foolish suggestion.....my resources would be soon depleted and I could no longer provide the love and care I have done 4 19 years.
I would love 2 help every homeless friend out of their situation...but this is obviously not possible. Sounds like u need 2 help yourself.
Posted by Jay Hamburger on 11/01/2009 @ 06:28PM PT
You must be signed in to report content.
Wow. "Methinks thou protesteth too much!"
Okay, so your answer to a direct, yet most pertinent, question is: you only help in terms of some feeding of who you regard as hopelessly homeless. Of course, then, they ARE that because no one is "helping" by housing them (which is apparently NOT what "help" means for these people, rather than "maintain" them AS "homeless". Check the name of this blog, though.
Unfortunately, the righteous wrath of the helpful can be so quick and heavyhanded, I've found. As for me, personally, you really just don't know what - or who - you just tried to talk about. Or accuse.
I similarly "help the homeless" literally every day. Day in and day out. And, yes, in terms of feeding, clothing, bedding, companioning, counseling, and many other pragmatic aides. Before I shared the predicament (which was a result of blowing whistles on folks illegally forcing people toward or into homelessness) I did, indeed, take a number into my own home.
I've even managed to help some people back into homes, from here.
Comes a time when the most basic of questions in these matters do deserve to be asked openly. The reaction, by those presenting themselves as helpers, is telling. And crucially relevant.
It's not as important for you reactively attempt to denounce me or the question, as it is for anyone sincerely concerned about these matters to quietly personally ponder.
Posted by SlumJack Homeless on 11/02/2009 @ 11:20AM PT
You must be signed in to report content.
SlumJack I think that you hit the problem on the nose, you can tell by the answer from Jay. When the homeless speak up they don't know what they are talking about is what he said.
I as a homeless Vet have seem this before. They will always say "don't tell us what you need as we know better then you do of what you need"
Posted by James Brouillette on 11/02/2009 @ 11:55AM PT
You must be signed in to report content.
James, I'm more aware and sensitive to the issue you refer to than I ever expected to be.
But, that said, I can't fault anyone for helping to feed hungry folks, or to help feed them better than they'd be otherwise. That's all good.
What I initially responded to was the "friend" basis of doing so, or of doing things like camping out with them now and then. That designation of who is being a personal "friend" or maybe more like "friendly" is the thing. Why? Because I've also been finding just how many and how much of other issues truly are involved with this, from my own personal experience.
If you're "out here" too, then you likely know too well just how many people do have such "friendships" with "us"... but really pretty much based on neither of us even touching that squirmy basis -- that every night our "friends" are just fine with our "going to bed" on sidewalks, hiding in bushes, bracing against the seasons and dangers, etc. while they go home.
"Good night, my friend!" I'm sorry, but I have to reserve that word a bit more than that, really.
Friendly is always nice, of course. But a friend wouldn't bring me a handout, especially if not sharing the meal with me then and there. And a friend would have me over to their place for a real meal, too. And a friend wouldn't just camp out with, if they didn't have me stay over also.
The difference in all this is... well, THE difference.
Posted by SlumJack Homeless on 11/02/2009 @ 12:25PM PT
You must be signed in to report content.
I agree with you, I quess I did not make that clear. Sorry about that.
Posted by James Brouillette on 11/02/2009 @ 04:10PM PT
You must be signed in to report content.
That's RIDICULOUS! "Sleep-out for the homeless?" I was homeless for 10 years - would've loved to see something like that...me and the rest of the "real" homeless people would've been laughing our asses off and sneaking pizza when one of these "spoiled" non-homeless people were too busy "pretending"...to be in our shoes. For ONE NIGHT? You've gotta be kidding! Let these idiots be homeless for one month - NO PIZZA - with a bunch of dumpsters around to eat out of...that would really crash their "slumber party!
Posted by Candyce Rice on 11/01/2009 @ 01:38PM PT
You must be signed in to report content.
Well I will be darn. The real homeless has stood up at last.
Posted by James Brouillette on 11/01/2009 @ 03:08PM PT
You must be signed in to report content.
I too would call this the world's worst fundraiser. Not that the cause isn't a good one, It really is. But, pretending to be homeless for a night is almost an insult to those that really are homeless. Has anyone asked them? You can't really know what it feels like to not know where you are going to sleep the next night unless you've been there, and pretending for one night, when you know you are going home to bed the next night is not the way to get this message across.
Posted by Debbie Geno on 11/01/2009 @ 07:43PM PT
You must be signed in to report content.
For the last four years in Sydney we have held the CEO sleepout for Vinnies. Vinnies (the St Vincent de Paul Society) acutally do great work for homless people and preventing homelessness. Bu specifically targeting CEOs of businesses, we are creating awareness among those at the "top" of society about what goes on with those who are less fortunate. The business leaders hear stories of actual homeless people and gain a greater understanding of this human rights issue. They sleep (if they can) on cardboard (with the luxury of bringing their own sleeping bag). They get fed soup and a bread roll for dinner and porridge for breakfast. For those who participate in the event it definately changes their thinking even though they undertsand they cannot possibly know what it is like to have to do this night after night. People sponsor their boss to sleepout and hence a lot of money has been raised which goes directly to homeless services.
In 2010 the Vinnies CEO sleepout will be a national Australian event. Who would like to help it become an international event? Let's get business and community leaders to experience it just for one night of the year so they go back to their office and change policies and decisions to ensure nobody has to experience homelessness in the future.
Posted by Bernard Fehon on 11/01/2009 @ 10:56PM PT
You must be signed in to report content.
Let's hope they remember this one night and really do somethings to help.Not just work on it for a day and then forget about it until the next year comes along.This is a major moral issue.Do we love our fellow human beings?Our sisters and brothers?or not?
Posted by Wendy marsaln on 11/04/2009 @ 10:17PM PT
You must be signed in to report content.
Let's hope they remember this one night and really do somethings to help.Not just work on it for a day and then forget about it until the next year comes along.This is a major moral issue.Do we love our fellow human beings?Our sisters and brothers?or not?
Posted by Wendy marsaln on 11/04/2009 @ 10:17PM PT
You must be signed in to report content.
I have been homeless for a period of about 6 months within the last year. I currently am an intern resident in a facility that helps those that are recovering from alchololism and/or addiction. This facility is located on the Human Services Campus in Phoenix Arizona. Our campus is located in a section of the city that is commonly referred to as "The Zone" which is where a huge community of homeless people "camp" .Many of our members are homeless because of many factors. I also participated the Arizona Coalition to End Homelessness and a Walk to End Homelessness. The situation is sad on many different issues. Spending a night in one these 'Sleep-Outs for the Homeless' does not allow for a person to experience the true condition of being homeless. The waiting in line for services, if they are available, is just one issue. The lack of showers, real food on a regular basis and sleeping in clothes that a person wears for days on end is another issue among many. Many that are homeless are mentally challanged, addicts or alcholics. This being said it is safe to say that most of the homeless are incapable of making rational decisions and helping themselves. There is no easy answer and one "night out" does not do much. The homeless in lot of times have gotten to the point that they are tired of life and it is sad. The good news is that the plight of the homeless have gotten more attention and more people are becoming involved. The most important basics needs for a person has to be met before anything is else met. Adequate shelter, food and hygiene should be a priority for all people and spending one night does allow for a person to truly feel the emotions that a homeless person goes thru. Knowing that it is only for a night is a lot different than knowing that this night is just a part of a chain of nights that may not seem to have an end.
Posted by Stephen V on 11/03/2009 @ 06:07AM PT
You must be signed in to report content.
Sorry Stephen, I disagree on many points. But the biggest is "Many that are homeless are mentally challenged. This being said it is safe to that MOST homeless are incapable of making rational decisions and helping themselves.
I believe you need to get out of the office more often and/or get a different job with some one that is up to date what is happening with in the homeless. In that the IQ of the homeless has gone up in the last few years. We now have teachers, ex bosses from some jobs, and a lot of Vets that are homeless. However if you just look on skid row you are right. However even some of the teenagers that are homeless don't show up there.
The answer to the problem is for the people that are paid to help need to get out and look to see just what is going. And for the goverment to stop funding places that hire people that look down on the people they are there to help. I know this in fact happens .
Posted by James Brouillette on 11/03/2009 @ 08:46AM PT
You must be signed in to report content.
Alright, maybe not most of the homeless is incorrect, however in the community I live in, work in and spend a great deal of time in, many are incapable of making rational decisions. Again this is from my viewpoint and not a view that see the entire homeless population of the country. and yes there are many that have an education and lost their residency because of the economic situation. I do work with people everyday in various stages of homelessness. I do not have a view as a whole but I do have a view of people in this community, "The Zone" in Phoenix Arizona at 12th avenue and Madison. i am in the community doing , I help in many ways by providing solutions and resources to those that are willing to accept the help. By no means do I look down on the homeless because I am reminded on a daily basis of the fact that I too was homeless and could very well be homeless again.
Posted by Stephen V on 11/03/2009 @ 09:49AM PT
You must be signed in to report content.
Stephen.......thanks for your lucid experience sharing....hearing from those who really know the territory is what sheds light....not just heat upon the subject.
Posted by Jay Hamburger on 11/03/2009 @ 11:09AM PT
You must be signed in to report content.
OK Jay I guesshaving been homeless for over 10 years does not teacher me as much as being homeless for 6 months. Then getting a an intern job must mean they can tell people what they need without listening to people that are there.
Learning from books and such also teaches more then living it.
Sorry if this seem to come on strong, but there it is.
Posted by James Brouillette on 11/03/2009 @ 11:22AM PT
You must be signed in to report content.
If every time some one extends a helping hand it is bitten, the hand will simply stop extending.
Posted by Michelle Roufley on 11/03/2009 @ 11:29AM PT
You must be signed in to report content.
So true Michelle. On the other hand there are those that do not even extend a hand but rather provide lip service. I am not syaing that's what you are doing at all, I would rather be in the solution than the problem. We all know the problem is that homelessness exist so the next step is to identify possible solutions and act on it. There are various reasons why a person becomes homeless, are there enough resources to deal with the problem? We, as a society, can care for someone until they are able to care for themselves, the question is do we care enough to care?
Posted by Stephen V on 11/03/2009 @ 12:16PM PT
You must be signed in to report content.
I care Stephen.How do we help.I feel so helpless in all of the causes that I care about.I feel like they are all just a losing battle.It seems to me like things will never get better.look at all of the people who care.Then look at all of the people who are ignorant,who hate,who don't know,and who just don't give a damn!!Will things ever get better?How do we join hands and solve this problem?
Posted by Wendy marsaln on 11/04/2009 @ 10:37PM PT
You must be signed in to report content.
If the hand that reaches out to help is real there to help and not to make them self's feed good I will not bite it.
Posted by James Brouillette on 11/05/2009 @ 11:50AM PT
You must be signed in to report content.
HEY JAMES......my comments to Stephen had nothing to do with my attitude toward your experience on the streets!
You have certainly walked the walk.
Posted by Jay Hamburger on 11/03/2009 @ 06:25PM PT
You must be signed in to report content.
DEAR SJ........you've got way 2 many problems. Sorry, but I've said all that I can say to you. I am way too busy helping my brothers and sisters to engage in meaningless dialog.
Posted by Jay Hamburger on 11/03/2009 @ 06:29PM PT
You must be signed in to report content.
JAMES......re-read my posts.....you are making up what I supposedly said.....anyway.....good luck and good bye.
Posted by Jay Hamburger on 11/03/2009 @ 06:31PM PT
You must be signed in to report content.
I read another article about Sleepouts for the Homeless a few weeks ago and became aware that they even were happening.So I went ahead and researched a bit.I looked at videos of them and read articles about them.The videos were awful.Young adults having big partys on the streets,cursing,dancing,running around,laughing and just acting wild.I thought these demonstrations were supposed to show people what it would feel like to be homeless for a night.I know that it could never happen even if they were naked on a 30 degree night with newspaper to cover them up.Let's be serious.Knowing what it's like to be homeless in one night?Never going to happen.You will not even begin to feel hunger,dirty,lonely,depression,cold(deep in your bones cold)and scared.The whole premise is confusing to me.Yes,I guess that they do make money.I think they need to call it like it is though.It is not learning to see how it feels to be homeless by any means.Change the name,make the donations,help the homeless people.I do not really know how they are helping homeless people though.In one video a man said they raised money to buy blankets for the homeless.WHY?Why not raise money to find apartments for the homeless.Where I live,there are so many empty buildings.Why can't homeless people live in these places.They have to sneak in them at night to try to keep a little bit warm with no heat or electricity.They are empty.Many of them.I am sure that there are empty buildings in every city.Let's find a way to fill them up!!It is so disgusting and sad to me to see such waste and greed.Houses that people can't afford to live in so the people have to live behind them or underneath them?It is senseless!I will help to pay a part of someone's bill.Will you?I am a poor woman.I can barely pay my own bills but I would give what I have left to help.Now if we all try just a little bit harder and not just buy blankets,can we fill up all of these empty homes somehow?And yes,I have been homeless.I have slept under bridges,in a cardboard box,in the back of a semi,on the side of a highway,from one to another's apartment only to be booted out and I have eaten Mcdonald's out of the dumpster.I give what little bit of money I have to some charities of my choice and I do care very much for the homeless people.My last boyfriend was homeless and he was murdered September 6,2009 in Santa Fe NM.Stop pretending Sleepout for the Homeless people get a chance to know how it feels is all I am saying and let's try to do this the right way!!PLEASE?
Posted by Wendy marsaln on 11/04/2009 @ 10:11PM PT
You must be signed in to report content.
Wendy well put. If the money given to the the the people that are there to help was 100% used to help there would be a lot less homeless. However some time back 1 such place was paying the head person over 1 million (1,000,000.00) per year. Jut think of what we could have done with that money.
Posted by James Brouillette on 11/05/2009 @ 12:03PM PT
You must be signed in to report content.
The St Vincent de Paul Society in Juneau Alaska cost more to stay in then any other place by no less the 5 dollars a night.
Posted by James Brouillette on 11/05/2009 @ 11:54AM PT
You must be signed in to report content.
My faith in humankind was tested several years ago while at a basketball game for my friend's younger siblings. My friend volunteers at the local Christian Mission every weekend, and that year had opened her home to families that needed somewhere to stay. In her sister's apartment, which her parents had been renting out for the past year, they had begun to give people a place to stay while they worked to find some way of furthering themselves financially.
Standing on the sidelines at the game, the couple staying in the apartment came in. A hush fell over the crowd right around us while my friend and I exchanged hugs with the couple. Awkwardly (considering that I live in a wealthy town), the couple suffered under the scrutiny of wealthy families all around them.
After the game, several parents that I know very well walked up and began asking me, "Who were they? Why were they here?" And when I explained, they did not note the charity of my friend, nor her kind heart. No, instead they balked at the idea. "But you could make money! Why would you do this for free?"
This utter lack of respect and awareness for the plight of their numbers distressed me immeasurably. Thus, I see these overnight fundraisers as a possibly strong idea because they undoubtedly raise awareness of the widespread nature of the issue. Although the methods may seem crude and inappropriate, at least the organizers are attempting to benefit these people in some way. Hopefully, there are intelligent enough people in charge to indicate the somber nature of the event and to prompt those in attendance to share their stories. No matter what, the centerpiece of the event should not be a party, but the people for which the event is organized.
Posted by Thomas Jackson on 11/05/2009 @ 08:15PM PT
You must be signed in to report content.
Check this out...it makes me ashamed to live in St. Louis area, even though I did not instigate, approve of, or help with this.
http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stories.nsf/laworder/story/DD692C1C2355FC61862576660013E8EB?OpenDocument
Posted by Debbie Geno on 11/06/2009 @ 12:53PM PT
You must be signed in to report content.
Thank you to all of you for your posts- especially for those of you who shared your personal experience and offered suggestions. My son will be participating in a "sleep out" this coming Friday. Like many families, we lack the financial security and family support that would prevent us from facing homelessness were we to miss even a single paycheck.
I have shared your comments with the leader in charge of the event. The event will in no way begin to make a dent in conveying the hopelessness, fear and shame associated with the reality of being homeless; but, thanks to your input, guest speakers and a somber environment- void of the conveniences, warmth and security of a "camping" trip- the children will perhaps get a sense of the plight of those faced with this widespread social issue and become active in their concern.
If there were one "right way" to raise awareness among teenagers of privilege, all involved would opt for the "right way". I hope that we can first- get the attention of the busy, distracted kids. Second- get them involved in making changes- now and as future leaders. Most of them are good kids who WANT to help.. thanks to your suggestions, we can give them even more guidance in their efforts to become socially active and to identify with those whose life is a daily struggle to obtain seemingly "ordinary" things that many of us take for granted.
Posted by lacey lipe on 11/09/2009 @ 02:42PM PT
You must be signed in to report content.
Thank you to all of you for your posts- especially for those of you who shared your personal experience and offered suggestions. My son will be participating in a "sleep out" this coming Friday. Like many families, we lack the financial security and family support that would prevent us from facing homelessness were we to miss even a single paycheck.
I have shared your comments with the leader in charge of the event. The event will in no way begin to make a dent in conveying the hopelessness, fear and shame associated with the reality of being homeless; but, thanks to your input, guest speakers and a somber environment- void of the conveniences, warmth and security of a "camping" trip- the children will perhaps get a sense of the plight of those faced with this widespread social issue and become active in their concern.
If there were one "right way" to raise awareness among teenagers of privilege, all involved would opt for the "right way". I hope that we can first- get the attention of the busy, distracted kids. Second- get them involved in making changes- now and as future leaders. Most of them are good kids who WANT to help.. thanks to your suggestions, we can give them even more guidance in their efforts to become socially active and to identify with those whose life is a daily struggle to obtain seemingly "ordinary" things that many of us take for granted.
Posted by lacey lipe on 11/09/2009 @ 02:42PM PT
You must be signed in to report content.
Thank you to all of you for your posts- especially for those of you who shared your personal experience and offered suggestions. My son will be participating in a "sleep out" this coming Friday. Like many families, we lack the financial security and family support that would prevent us from facing homelessness were we to miss even a single paycheck.
I have shared your comments with the leader in charge of the event. The event will in no way begin to make a dent in conveying the hopelessness, fear and shame associated with the reality of being homeless; but, thanks to your input, guest speakers and a somber environment- void of the conveniences, warmth and security of a "camping" trip- the children will perhaps get a sense of the plight of those faced with this widespread social issue and become active in their concern.
If there were one "right way" to raise awareness among teenagers of privilege, all involved would opt for the "right way". I hope that we can first- get the attention of the busy, distracted kids. Second- get them involved in making changes- now and as future leaders. Most of them are good kids who WANT to help.. thanks to your suggestions, we can give them even more guidance in their efforts to become socially active and to identify with those whose life is a daily struggle to obtain seemingly "ordinary" things that many of us take for granted.
Posted by lacey lipe on 11/09/2009 @ 02:42PM PT
You must be signed in to report content.
Thank you to all of you for your posts- especially for those of you who shared your personal experience and offered suggestions. My son will be participating in a "sleep out" this coming Friday. Like many families, we lack the financial security and family support that would prevent us from facing homelessness were we to miss even a single paycheck.
I have shared your comments with the leader in charge of the event. The event will in no way begin to make a dent in conveying the hopelessness, fear and shame associated with the reality of being homeless; but, thanks to your input, guest speakers and a somber environment- void of the conveniences, warmth and security of a "camping" trip- the children will perhaps get a sense of the plight of those faced with this widespread social issue and become active in their concern.
If there were one "right way" to raise awareness among teenagers of privilege, all involved would opt for the "right way". I hope that we can first- get the attention of the busy, distracted kids. Second- get them involved in making changes- now and as future leaders. Most of them are good kids who WANT to help.. thanks to your suggestions, we can give them even more guidance in their efforts to become socially active and to identify with those whose life is a daily struggle to obtain seemingly "ordinary" things that many of us take for granted.
Posted by lacey lipe on 11/09/2009 @ 02:42PM PT
You must be signed in to report content.