HS Dropout/Homeless One More Review PLZ!!!!
Posted: Tue Jan 25, 2011 2:41 am
<> I can only describe the feelings from the meeting that Monday morning as powerful. I was on staff at the St. Vincent Homeless Family Shelter in downtown Omaha. This particular weekend I was assigned the evening and overnight shifts. The Saturday night before, a man called and described how he and his sons had previously lived with a relative who they could no longer stay with, and needed shelter.
When they arrived, I noticed they were a rather stocky family consisting of a father with three sons, two were in high school and the other was around the age of ten.
<> We had rooms available, so I completed the initial intake process and made sure the rooms were prepped. I contacted the director and together we determined that it was okay to allow them to temporarily take two small rooms as long as I informed them that they may all have to move to one large room after the weekend. Being on staff at the time I could attest that the large room would have been uncomfortable for this family; it was typically used for multiple small children, containing bunk beds, a crib, and a toy bin. Therefore, the two small rooms were split with the older sons in one and the father and youngest son in the other.
<> We always opened the weekly staff meetings on Monday by detailing the events over the weekend for the professional case workers. The topic eventually settled on the occupancy situation of the family I received that Saturday. The staff became divided around one question: could we justify allowing the family to live more comfortably in two rooms if it means turning people away? As my turn to speak grew near, emotions of appreciation and remorse befell me. When my turn came, I was void of the usual nervousness and anxiety that accompanies public speaking, instead I felt an over-whelming confidence that was supported by feelings of purposeness, dignity, and appreciation. I then delivered a very effective and sound argument as to how allowing them to stay in two rooms would help maintain the family's morale, especially amongst the older ones whose age puts them at a greater risk of becoming individual homeless youths. I admit that I had a unique familiarity with the situation that fueled my advocacy.
<> No more than six years earlier, I along with my mother and little brother were forced to stay in the Salvation Army's emergency shelter. They let me have my own room, however, at fourteen I found it hard to muster any gratitude for the hospitality. Honestly, the staff there was exceptional. Unfortunately, I didn't realize how exceptional they were until moments before my turn to give my input for the meeting at hand. Why was I allowed a room of my own, while other families were left in strange situations: sleeping in their car or staying in abusive relationships? I realized that the staff that took care of my family did so by making us feel as welcome and comfortable as they could. I became aware of the humanity I was treated with before and I understood that my time in a homeless shelter was not something to look back on and feel responsible for, regret, or feel ashamed of. Rather, I was given the learning experience of a lifetime. Upon reflection, the staff at the Salvation Army made great steps to make me feel as autonomous and respected as possible. This allowed me to be a stronger person for my family, and I felt a duty to treat our new residents with the same dignity that was bestowed on me.
<> My position within the shelter compelled me to recall many of my personal experiences with poverty to help see things through the eyes of our residents, but more importantly I was granted an opportunity to see how I could tackle social issues on a larger scale. While working at the shelter I met Pat Ford, an attorney for the Legal Aid Society of Nebraska in Omaha. He would visit our shelter often, helping clients with a broad range of legal issues. Although I had little more then a GED at the time, I derived, partially from his work, that an education was my best chance to hurdle the various challenges of poverty that was experienced by myself and countless others.
<> I will enjoy celebrating my graduation from the University of Nebraska at Omaha this spring. It is exciting to know that I will have the opportunity to start the family, and be the father that I never had as I am getting married in May as well. I am proud of the formidable road I traveled to get here and I see no reason to slow my pace. I just hope that the next chapter of my story can begin at XXX University School of Law, where I can learn a skill set that I can return to the society that took care of me years before.
When they arrived, I noticed they were a rather stocky family consisting of a father with three sons, two were in high school and the other was around the age of ten.
<> We had rooms available, so I completed the initial intake process and made sure the rooms were prepped. I contacted the director and together we determined that it was okay to allow them to temporarily take two small rooms as long as I informed them that they may all have to move to one large room after the weekend. Being on staff at the time I could attest that the large room would have been uncomfortable for this family; it was typically used for multiple small children, containing bunk beds, a crib, and a toy bin. Therefore, the two small rooms were split with the older sons in one and the father and youngest son in the other.
<> We always opened the weekly staff meetings on Monday by detailing the events over the weekend for the professional case workers. The topic eventually settled on the occupancy situation of the family I received that Saturday. The staff became divided around one question: could we justify allowing the family to live more comfortably in two rooms if it means turning people away? As my turn to speak grew near, emotions of appreciation and remorse befell me. When my turn came, I was void of the usual nervousness and anxiety that accompanies public speaking, instead I felt an over-whelming confidence that was supported by feelings of purposeness, dignity, and appreciation. I then delivered a very effective and sound argument as to how allowing them to stay in two rooms would help maintain the family's morale, especially amongst the older ones whose age puts them at a greater risk of becoming individual homeless youths. I admit that I had a unique familiarity with the situation that fueled my advocacy.
<> No more than six years earlier, I along with my mother and little brother were forced to stay in the Salvation Army's emergency shelter. They let me have my own room, however, at fourteen I found it hard to muster any gratitude for the hospitality. Honestly, the staff there was exceptional. Unfortunately, I didn't realize how exceptional they were until moments before my turn to give my input for the meeting at hand. Why was I allowed a room of my own, while other families were left in strange situations: sleeping in their car or staying in abusive relationships? I realized that the staff that took care of my family did so by making us feel as welcome and comfortable as they could. I became aware of the humanity I was treated with before and I understood that my time in a homeless shelter was not something to look back on and feel responsible for, regret, or feel ashamed of. Rather, I was given the learning experience of a lifetime. Upon reflection, the staff at the Salvation Army made great steps to make me feel as autonomous and respected as possible. This allowed me to be a stronger person for my family, and I felt a duty to treat our new residents with the same dignity that was bestowed on me.
<> My position within the shelter compelled me to recall many of my personal experiences with poverty to help see things through the eyes of our residents, but more importantly I was granted an opportunity to see how I could tackle social issues on a larger scale. While working at the shelter I met Pat Ford, an attorney for the Legal Aid Society of Nebraska in Omaha. He would visit our shelter often, helping clients with a broad range of legal issues. Although I had little more then a GED at the time, I derived, partially from his work, that an education was my best chance to hurdle the various challenges of poverty that was experienced by myself and countless others.
<> I will enjoy celebrating my graduation from the University of Nebraska at Omaha this spring. It is exciting to know that I will have the opportunity to start the family, and be the father that I never had as I am getting married in May as well. I am proud of the formidable road I traveled to get here and I see no reason to slow my pace. I just hope that the next chapter of my story can begin at XXX University School of Law, where I can learn a skill set that I can return to the society that took care of me years before.
