Homeless Cafes

790 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Homelessness effects on society

Homeless Cafes

There seems to be a welcome trend unfolding in social services for the homeless. In place of large, impersonal soup kitchens, small cafes are springing up with a philosophy that is all too rare-treat the homeless with respect and dignity, and maybe they'll respond to available services.

It began with Cafe 458 in Atlanta in 1988, which since has served as a model for similar cafes across the country. Cafe 458 was founded to serve good meals to small groups of homeless individuals, offer a comprehensive array of services, and empower those who eat at the Cafe. Part of its strategy to empower homeless persons is to treat them with dignity-the staff refer to those who eat there as guests, not clients, food is served on real dishes, artwork adorns the walls, and fresh flowers brighten each table. The Cafe serves only 28 guests at a time, all of whom are referred by area social service agencies. To be referred to the Cafe, clients must not be actively using drugs, have no recent history of violence, and have a strong desire to improve their lives. On the average, guests regularly eat at the Cafe for six months before they are able to find employment and/or housing.

Since 1988, Cafe 458 has served only 1,000 people, but the staff considers its small numbers its strength. As Nancy Palchanis, executive director, explains, "It is not a feeding program. It is about empowerment. Soup kitchens feed too many people. Our advantage is in the small size." The small size of Cafe 458, and others like it, is translating into success in the lives of their guests . For example, The Bread and Roses Cafe, run by a social service agency in Venice, California, enrolls some of its clients in a six-week intensive course in restaurant work and 20 hours of on-thejob training. Sixty-seven of the 112 people who have completed the program are now employed by restaurants in the Los Angeles area.

Fortunately for some of Chicago's homeless, they too have a similar place to turn-Inspiration Cafe, located in the Uptown community. Since 1991, Inspiration Cafe has served good-tasting and healthy meals to homeless individuals in Uptown and has provided them with a variety of comprehensive services.

The Cafe was founded by Lisa Nigro, a former homeless in her community. Nigro began feeding the homeless in Uptown by carting around a red wagon filled with bagels and juice that she would serve to people waiting in lines at local shelters and soup kitchens.

Show More
Related

  • The Calvary Chapel Cornerstone Church: A Case Study

    1432 Words  | 3 Pages

    Most individuals would suggest creating a homeless shelter, but that solution is unrealistic due to budgets, and the lack of funds from the community and Calvary Chapel. The cost of these solutions is reasonable and within reach. The solution will provide jobs and offer a sense of self-esteem most homeless have lost. The homeless as well as the community will thrive from this program and lives will be changed. Individuals, who were stuck on the street cold and alone, will be given the opportunity to go out and make a change in their lives. Although, many might suggest that many homeless are ex drug addicts or alcoholics, there are many who do not have the financial stability to survive and live a life of normality but will do what it takes to change their situation. Hess suggests that, “What many people need is an opportunity to get back on their feet and develop their own income” (Feuer, 2012, para.15). My solution offers this opportunity and by implementing it, homeless will have the power to change their

    Read More

  • Analysis Of On Compassion

    887 Words  | 2 Pages

    Statistically, over 670,000 Americans are homeless with a growing number. 48 million people go to bed hungry every night. Although we do provide shelters and opportunities in America, millions of people are homeless worldwide. Even on a more minor level there are still hundreds homeless within hometowns. Everyday we encounter the homeless whether by seeing them holding their personal signs at stoplights, confronts with beggars, or viewing them from afar under bridges. In her essay titled “On Compassion”, writer Barbara Ascher uses rhetorical techniques detailing some of her personal homeless experiences within the city life, Asher does effectively use logos, pathos,

    Read More

  • A Day at The Beacon in Houston

    1152 Words  | 3 Pages

    ...on the homeless community. I previously held preconceived notions that the homeless consisted of people who were either unable to connect and form relationships with others or didn’t desire to do so. Yet, I observed most everyone greeting one another and reminiscing with those who have been absent from the community for a while, as well as, expressing concern for those missing. I recognized that the homeless may live in a non-traditional way, but they have established their own communities and are successful in forming and maintaining cohesive relationships.

    Read More

  • Essay On Titanic Blame

    469 Words  | 1 Pages

    The ship, R.M.S Titanic, has been popular several different times in a little over 100 years. The first time in April 1912 when it first sailed for North America. This great ship was said to be unsinkable. Many errors led to the major tragedy of the Titanic, including the life boats were not all there or filled as much as they should have been, the ship tried to go full speed to break the iceberg, and the Californian ship did not respond the Carpathia had saved the rest.

    Read More

  • Essay On Affordable Housing

    661 Words  | 2 Pages

    Have you ever noticed that while you’re driving around Austin that the homeless have become a common casualty to exhibit. I know the first thing that comes to mind is, “How ridiculous, why don’t they just get a job!”It perfectly acceptable to wonder, whether your money would go towards feeding a starving stomach or a drug addiction, therefore your generosity would be put to better use through a charity foundation or simply by offering a meal. The reality is that the majority of people who are homeless are unable to work due to certain disabilities. In other words, the best response is compassion. There is only so far we can do as a community, the major change has to come from a superior source, which is why I propose that the City of Austin ought to step up and diminish this problem. The City of Austin should build more affordable housing and assistance programs because it will help reduce homelessness.

    Read More

  • Cruising on the Titanic

    964 Words  | 2 Pages

    Then on the fifth day of its journey, Titanic was progressing across the Atlantic. Captain Edward Smith had plotted a new course upon hearing earlier reports of ice from other liners, there were many more communications that day of ice in Titanic's path. On that very night of Sunday 14 April 1912. The sea was calm, the sky dark and clear, and the temperature was getting colder by the minute. With conditions like this an ice berg is very hard to spot. Then, at 11.40pm the lookout rang the alarm and telephoned the bridge saying "Iceberg, right ahead.” It was already too late to avoid the iceberg and Titanic began to start sinking within less than 40 seconds later, a series of holes appeared on the hull. It also took 3 ho...

    Read More

  • The Titanic: The Tragedy Of The Titanic

    838 Words  | 2 Pages

    The titanic was a gigantic ship. It was the biggest, newest, and advanced ship during its time. The titanic was built in Belfast with the newest and best technology. Then after its completion it would travel to New York. During the tragedy of the Titanic the engineers had a key role on saving people. Although the tragedy of the titanic was sad it taught us many lessons on preventing such a thing again. Although the titanic has sunk to the bottom of the ocean it will never be forgotten.

    Read More

  • Homeless In America Essay

    1583 Words  | 4 Pages

    Many people debate on weather homeless people should receive guidance or just be abandoned. Do homeless people deserve our service and to be supported, or are they just lazy individuals trying to take advantage of people? Homelessness is a growing dispute in cities. It has became an extensive problem for the community. Homelessness can not and should not be ignored. The number of homeless people in the United States is quickly growing. It seems like no one cares to help them. Even our heroes like police officers show no sympathy towards the homeless. “Homeless people appeared on the streets of Bucharest in 1990. Since then, their number and the problems created by this phenomenon have steadily increased in all major

    Read More

  • The Issue Of Homelessness

    1165 Words  | 3 Pages

    Homelessness is a major issue in our world today. There is an abundant amount of people who live on the street and barely have anything they can call their own. These people probably lived great lives at some point, they probably never thought of the concept of becoming homeless until it happened. Luckily there is help being brought to them from different kinds of sources in order to help get them back on the road to a happy and fulfilled life. Certain people in society have a desire to get homeless people off the streets, to get them food, clothing, and most importantly love. These people are volunteers who enjoy spending their free time helping the ones in need because they love to give back to their community . There is major volunteer groups out there like StandUp For Kids, this organization helps to improve lives of the homeless and street kids. Volunteers have a desire to get people off the streets because they know that no should feel as if they are worth nothing in this world. Besides the goodness of helping others, aiding to help the homeless people get back up in life, it can help make the economy better. Usually there is money

    Read More

  • Mental Health And Illness Essay

    898 Words  | 2 Pages

    The risk of suicide rises sharply as people grow older (Suicide). Globally, there is an estimated 25 suicide attempts for each completed suicide (Suicide). These statistics are too staggering and to drastic to ignore.

    Read More

  • Titanic Ocean Nightmare Essay

    1668 Words  | 4 Pages

    Millions of people have heard about the massive ship that claimed to be ¨unsinkable¨ (Callery 14). The ship exploded with excitement and hope for the passengers. Travelers from various different lifestyles and incomes came together for one purpose, to glide across the ocean one wave at a time. Passengers onboard the Titanic had no idea what they would encounter or the fame that would come out of this already famous ship. No one expected the tragedy that would take place in the middle of the ocean. The structure, passengers, and the sinking of the Titanic made it one of the most famous ships of the twentieth century.

    Read More

  • The Titanic: The Titaking Of The Titanic

    1034 Words  | 3 Pages

    “It took two hours and forty minutes for the titanic to sink, just long enough for 2,208 tragic performances to unfold, with the ships lights blazing” (Sides 2). April 1912 the white star line’s pride, the titanic, left for its voyage that would change history forever. While traveling through the Atlantic Ocean they collided with an ice berg causing fractures throughout the boat. The ice water filled the compartments causing the front of the boat to weigh down the back, separating the boat in two. Research shows that the cause of the Titanic’s sinking was due to a dramatic increase in the probability of running into an iceberg and its high speed while traveling through the North Atlantic Shipping Lanes in 1912. As a consequence of the sinking, the U.S. Coast Guard now runs the international ice patrol and monitors the ice bergs by radar and satellite. Also it is now required to carry binoculars and radio connector all times on a ship.

    Read More

  • Essay On Titanic The Unsinkable

    1239 Words  | 3 Pages

    The story of the Titanic was told long before the ocean liner was even a thought. Fourteen years prior to the sinking of the Titanic, Morgan Robertson wrote a book called The Wreck of the Titan. In his book, a passenger ship called Titan set sail from England and was headed to New York loaded with first class passengers and luxurious items. The Titan hits an iceberg in the North Atlantic, causing the ship to sink and the passengers to panic. The lack of lifeboats and life jackets on the Titan lead to the loss of many lives. Morgan Robertson’s book would predict the fate of the great ocean liner, the Titanic, fourteen years after.

    Read More

  • Solutions To Homelessness

    1837 Words  | 4 Pages

    This great nation of awesome power and abundant resources is losing the battle against homelessness. The casualties can be seen on the street corners of every city in American holding an ?I will work for food? sign. Homeless shelters and rescue missions are at full capacity. There is no room at the inn for the nation?s indigent. Anyone who has studied this issue understands that homelessness is a complex problem. Communities continue to struggle with this socio-economic problem while attempting to understand its causes and implement solutions. The public and private sectors of this country are making a difference in the lives of the homeless by addressing the issues of housing, poverty and education.

    Read More

  • Suicide Essay

    638 Words  | 2 Pages

    Suicide is a preventable, yet a very serious public health problem. In 2009, more deaths resulted from suicide than from car accidents in the United States. Citation here! In the past, suicide prevention has been more geared towards youths and adolescents. However, recent research has shown an increase in suicide of middle-aged adults and this increase places suicide at the fourth leading cause of death among this age group. Citation here Little is known about midlife suicides, so with that in mind, direct practice workers need an understanding in how to address the needs and concerns of the middle-age group, so that suicide can be prevented.

    Read More

More about Homeless Cafes

Open Document