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Reflection on volunteering
Reflection on volunteering
Homelessness eassay
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Dickens said it “it was the best of time, it was the worst of time,” in one of his best known novels. I always think of that specific quote when I remember my worst and best job, both jammed together at the same time; a rough time in my life. In 213 just before my daughter was born I decided to volunteer helping with the homeless and the blind. I was determined to make a change and devote some of my time and money since I was a recipient of a small inheritance.
I did not make any money and even if was wanting to make dollar the amount was not enough to live on in Miami; so I went to work for free. Since I was rent free thanks to my small cash inheritance from my grandmother, I was able to pay off my house and the two rental apartments units
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I once met a young boy, a hole on the sole of his wasted shoes kind of boy, a boy with that had a look on his countenance that no hope was alive within him; a flameless soul. He had a dirty appearance, long blond hair with a patchy beard, as if puberty had not kicked in fully; latter on I found out he was just four days shy of his of his nineteenth birthday. He was sitting outside a supermarket holding up a sign “I will work for food.” I vividly recall the fact that he was not asking for money, he just wanted to work, and he was willing to take food as a payment. I decided at the specific moment in my life that I would be what everybody calls “financially …show more content…
When I said it was the best of time, and the worst of time I actually being nice to describe my volunteer job, I was actually sugarcoating it with a sweet red cherry on top. The homeless shelter had thirty two beds at the time, and every night it had to turn away over twenty kids, and today is no different. There are many shelters throughout the Miami downtown area, but not enough to accommodate all the less fortunate kids, young adults, and the elderly that seek refuge during the night; I was sickened by the system. I’m still sicken by the system today.
I tried and I still try today to gather support for the homeless, and the response has been heartening. I truly hope to create awareness that will stretch beyond Miami since this is an ongoing crisis in the city and our Mayor has been unwilling to increase the funding for our local shelters. It is appalling that we cannot provide more shelter beds, and tolerable living arrangements for the homeless. It is revolting that we as a society cannot provide safety for young gay and lesbian homeless even within our shelter; what kind of society are we to
While they may not be somebody you immediately know, they are still humans that deserve respect and compassion from others. The homeless problem present in Anaheim is something that simply can not be ignored any longer and demands the attention of the higher ups. Firstly, a proper branch of our main city government should be allocated to the cause. This branch will focus on all homeless related incidents and stirrups in the community with certain agents and correspondents to help sort out dangerous situations. They with have a moderate budget at their disposal, which can be raised mainly through donations and fundraisers, but hopefully with some generous donations from our esteemed members of Anaheim. The budget provided to the branch can be used whenever seen fit to benefit the homeless the most such as different types of food drives or medical resources. These will be open to the homeless 24/7 because emergency has no dedicated time and can strike at any moment. Once a project like this is completed we believe more advertisement displaying all the different forms of aid available to the homeless can be extremely useful as many simply do not know where and how to find theses types of help. These can range from pamphlets to billboard placements or different types
The lunch bell rung at full volume as the main doors flung open. I predicted that a herd of people will rush in like the water from a spill gate. But instead every person was a line; in fact it was a neat single filed line. Another thing I was astonished to see was to the fact that every single person I served to was superbly well mannered. It was the magical word of thank-you which left great remarks in my life and made my volunteering experience an enjoyable one. After the shift, I have come to realize that everything my family and friends have said about impoverished people was nothing but just a stereotype. In addition, I have self-discovered that volunteering is what I want to do on my spare time. The joy from making new friends, appreciated and making a difference in society was too meaningful to put in words. From then on, volunteering had become one of my most highly valued priorities. Whenever I have time to spare, I will go
The National Coalition for the Homeless (2006) is the most effective strategy as it seeks to address the problem of homelessness through various means, including volunteer work, advocacy efforts, and contributions. Firstly, the strategy requires people to volunteer their time to work directly with the victims of homelessness in the city to help them meet their immediate needs. People can volunteer their time to work with children in various programs, share hobbies, and help build houses and shelters among others (Miller, Hess, & Orthmann, 2011). This is extremely important and can help victims of homelessness to acquire some of the basic needs they lack.
Seeing people that is homeless in Houston is a heart breaking situation to see so many people that are homeless. I make several trips to Houston off of 288 to the medical center I see homeless men that holds up signs asking for help out themselves or their family. On several different occasion that I have went into a fast food place and bought food and went and give it to them instead of giving them money. I am wrong for doing that instead of giving the money. I just have thought about if I give them money will they go get food or drugs with it; I asked myself should I be like that or not. As you drive under the under passes you can see people stuff under the bridge and that’s where the homeless live trying to get cool during the summer and keep warm in the winter. “Authorities estimate that Houston ranks fourth in the country in terms of homeless number, with more than 40,000 people per year
There are over 3.5 million homeless people in the US now. Also, a quarter of people living on the streets are severely mentally ill, and must be admitted to institutions, and have the capability to if they were given or knew they had a chance. The poverty level is constantly rising, and is forcing more and more people onto the streets. We can just sit around and hope someone else does it, or we can take action. Next time you walk by a homeless man or family, and before you make a judgement about them, just take a minute and think about how easy it could be for you.
.... The homeless community is a growing problem that only worsens with time. If we don’t make an effort now, to help the most vulnerable among us, then we are only contributing to this problem. With our unsure economy, nothing is guaranteed, so just be considerate for others who are in an inferior situation, because who knows when you might need a hand.
do menial tasks to be able to buy some food and then somehow pay off
Homelessness in the United States has been an important subject that the government needs to turn its attention to. There has been announced in the news that the number of the homeless people in many major cities in the United States has been increasing enormously. According to United States Interagency Council on Homelessness reported that there was an estimation of 83,170 individuals have experienced chronic homelessness on the streets of the United States’ streets and shelters on only a single night of January 2015, which is a small decrease of only 1% from the previous year (People Experiencing Chronic Homelessness, n.d.). The United States must consider this subject that most of the people underestimate it and not pay attention
In his book, “The Worst Hard Time”, writer Timothy Egan writes about the horrible days known as the Dust Bowl and the suffering of the people during the Great Depression. Egan does so by telling the stories of survivors that witnessed it which most of them were children at the time or farmers.
It was the summer of 2013 when I was living with my grandparents and they told me about volunteering at the church. I didn’t know what they were talking about, so I took the initiative to go find out for myself that following Sunday. I was in the balcony on Sunday, when I heard the announcements saying we can volunteer for their hope food pantry. I was excited because it was going to be a chance where I can help other and get community service hours. Volunteering I began to think positive thoughts and telling myself “ I am doing a good deed”.
Countless throughout the streets of Jackson, MS there are homeless people asking for food, money, etc. and some people aid them and others walk away. However, does anyone ever see the other side of the equation? Driving down Gallatin St. one night I saw firsthand the “other side”. Because of this, the issue that my research will cover is homelessness. Homelessness is defined as a state in which individuals lack a fixed, regular, and adequate night-time residence. Poverty, lack of affordable housing, declining wages, lost jobs, the economy, foreclosure, decreased assistance programs, domestic violence, substance abuse, mental illness, single parenthood, etc. are some of the causes of homelessness in America. Some of the proposed solutions are: affordable housing and homeless prevention programs. However, there needs to be less energy focused on providing temporary housing for those who are homeless, and more focus on providing permanent, affordable housing. Homelessness is an issue that should concern all of us. With a decrease in this situation it would clear up the amount of people walking around on the streets and everyone would feel more comfortable traveling at night. If someone is homeless, it is a common belief that they are more inclined to criminal activity; therefore less homelessness could equal less crime. Homelessness is not discriminatory and can happen to anyone at any time.
I myself, a concerned citizen have seen and have had experience with homelessness. Unlike many I stopped and I will remember the day forever. It changed my outlook on the issue of homelessness. It was late at night, I was working at Dairy Queen at the time and I went out for a smoke break, out of nowhere an older woman came across the parking lot and asked me for a cigarette. I lit another cigarette and gave it to her. As she sat? down beside me in silence and the feeling I had sitting there beside her tugged at my heart. She wore clothes that were more rags
Undoubtedly, the above scene has been witnessed by everyone at some point in his or her life, but sadly, most just pass by. Having a home is something that most people take for granted, yet each year hundreds of thousands of people have no place to call home. A warm bed, heating and air-conditioning, plenty of food, or even just a blanket, are a few of the items that individuals who are homeless would love to have. Homelessness knows no demographics; it affects single people, families, children, military veterans, young and old, and all
I went to the grocery store and got cases of water, bags of bread, and stuff to make the sandwiches. I had finished preparing the bags and each had granola bars, fruit, ham and cheese sandwiches, water, toothpaste, and other hygiene products. My dad and I had arrived outside the homeless shelter and were ready to pass the bags out as we saw the swarm of people. Hundreds maybe even thousands of people gathered sitting in what little shade there was. I knew we had a homeless problem, but not to this extent and the bags I had made were going to make little to no difference on the vast amount of people that had been sitting outside. I was a little disappointed at first to be completely honest because I was not prepared for that many people. If I would have known there would have been so many people I would have made more bags. We drove around the block planning on what we were going to do and saw some tents set up. My dad and I were curious as to what they were, so we got out the car and saw that these people had been giving people food and I walked up to them and asked if there was any way I could help them. These people in the tents were actually an organization called Open Arms Outreach and a few girls scouts. They gladly let us help and we brought a few cases of water and the bags I had made and helped pass them out. The organization Open Arms Outreach
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.