Our community immersion took us to Hope School, a school for homeless children located in Orange, CA. The original school was located in a chuch near the heart of Old Town Orange, and just a block away from Chapman University. The learning settings were located in spacieous rooms that were decorated with bright primary colors. Hope school was located adjacent to a YMCA that closed down but allowed them to use their gym and grounds.
Yet, everything changed when Hope School had to relocate about three miles North of its location when thei school did not pass an earthquake inspection. Now the school is located within a shopping center off of a busy street. Their vicinity contains a park and a food restaurant. The classroom boundaries are less defined because of the tight space and setting. I imagine the students' transition from the original school to its current location must have been quite a shock because of is austere setting. A school is usually meant to emit warmth and friendly surroundings, not the money-making look of a shopping center. However, the physical boundaries defined by this setting are minor. School allows us to break barriers, open the boundaries of our mind and fly away into a different world of books and knowledge. In this sense, Hope school has no boundaries. It has no boundaries because it gives the disenfranchised children of Orange County the opportunity to learn in a safe and stable environment, when everything else in their life is less than stable.
Monday, September 1, 2008
Neighborhood Boundaries: Costa Mesa
One of my most memorable moments of the community immersion was the visit to The Costa Mesa Motor Inn. It made me realize how much I take for granted within my community, especially the freedom to roam in and around my immediate community. The inn is located off a very busy street (Harbor Blvd.), which serves as a clear boundary for families with small children. The families living in the inn must have children in order to become tenants of the community, which by definition means they are placing their family unit within the vicinity of a busy street, full of fast passing cars and businesses. This is an environmental disadvantage and advantage because they have access to many businesses, but are not located in a child friendly (safe) neighborhood.
However, the boundaries of this site are much more complex than those I have ever had to experience. These families have transitioned from living on the streets, cars, and shelters to living on a stable setting that has a nice pool, nice yard and friendly staff to help them deal with the tough transition. Therefore, although the larger boundaries of the Motor Inn are not placed in an ideal community, the community within the community have provided safe boundaries for many of these families. A perfect example of this was given to us by Paul when he spoke of a family who did not venture out of their apartment for weeks. His story was beautiful because it reminded us that many of us take our four walls, our many rooms, and our safety for granted. All one had to remember in this story was that this family had transitioned from living outside, where they didn't have privacy or a place to call their own. Now they had a home, and this made all the difference.
The boundaries of this neighborhood are complex and unusual because the creators of the program have created a model that provides most resources from within the compound. Their physical boundaries may be well defined by the size of the inn; but the freedom, supplies, and peace they receive from the many resources (e.g. counseling, afterschool programming...) within the Costa Mesa Motor Inn, removes the greater boundaries of life.
However, the boundaries of this site are much more complex than those I have ever had to experience. These families have transitioned from living on the streets, cars, and shelters to living on a stable setting that has a nice pool, nice yard and friendly staff to help them deal with the tough transition. Therefore, although the larger boundaries of the Motor Inn are not placed in an ideal community, the community within the community have provided safe boundaries for many of these families. A perfect example of this was given to us by Paul when he spoke of a family who did not venture out of their apartment for weeks. His story was beautiful because it reminded us that many of us take our four walls, our many rooms, and our safety for granted. All one had to remember in this story was that this family had transitioned from living outside, where they didn't have privacy or a place to call their own. Now they had a home, and this made all the difference.
The boundaries of this neighborhood are complex and unusual because the creators of the program have created a model that provides most resources from within the compound. Their physical boundaries may be well defined by the size of the inn; but the freedom, supplies, and peace they receive from the many resources (e.g. counseling, afterschool programming...) within the Costa Mesa Motor Inn, removes the greater boundaries of life.
Sunday, August 31, 2008
Neighborhood Boundaries: Santa Ana - Civic Center and Isaiah's House
Civic Center is a known area where the homeless go to received a free meal. The Civic Center is located across the street from the Santa Ana Library off of Ross Street. This area consists of Government, City and private businesses. Most people who work in this area, do not live in the City. Those non-residents tend to drive nice cars, and wear expensive suits, while the homeless stair and watch them go by. Employees that work around the Civic Center tend to quickly walk by ignoring the area where meals are being provided for the homeless. Catholic-worker a privately funded not for-profit organization are the ones providing this service.Dwight and Leia Smith direct Isaiah's house and are members of Catholic Worker, a religious movement that believes Christians are called to serve the poor. They earn no salary, eat with the homeless they serve and rely on volunteers from parishes, mosques, churches and schools. Dwight and Leia are strong advocates for the homeless. Isaiah's House received criticism in the past for housing people that are drug and alcohol users along with families and children. Isaiah's house never said no to anyone as long as they did not use drugs or alcohol on the premises. Now, they are only able to serve women and children. Dwight and Leia's efforts to help the homeless have been tested numerous times. For example, in 2003 a city code enforcement administrator ruled that Isaiah House, which serves 3,000 meals a day and provides beds for up to 150 homeless people, violates zoning laws by operating in a residential neighborhood. (http://la.indymedia.org/news/2003/11/95746_comment.php)
During my experience walking the streets of Santa Ana and seeing it through the eyes of a homeless person, it made me very sad to know that there are not very many services offered to the homeless population. Not to mention, most shelters cater to women and children only. For a homeless man to find a shelter at night, his only option is the Salvation Army, which does not house enough to shelter everyone. Other shelters that might be able to house them have requirements such as a credit check or one has to be drug free, or enter a worship program. The homeless population struggles to get resources that help them get by. It seems that the resources that are available to them are almost unreachable for them because there are too many requirements involved.
There are no parameters or boundaries for the homeless. If they get lucky to get into a shelter, they have to get up early in the morning and roam the streets again to find food and shelter for the next day. It is there routine of life. Many of them look for work and try to look for affordable housing. With high rents and strict credit report checks, it is almost impossible for a person to get by on their own. The system makes it hard for anyone that comes from a low socioeconomic status to get ahead in life. Like the saying goes the rich get richer, and the poorer get poorer.
People tend to ignore the homeless population, they have a misconception that they are lazy and do not want to work, therefore do not deserve help. When people see a homeless person, they turn the other way. As one homeless man stated "there is a war against homelessness." After speaking to some homeless citizens, I realized that they are an ignored and oppressed group. Consequently, it is hard for them to get ahead in life. The City of Santa Ana has not come up with ways to solve homelessness. Citizens like Dwight and Leia advocate strongly for the homeless, but some how their kindness gets interrupted. In order to end homelessness, cities, counties, governments and citizens need to come together in order to find a solution.
If you would like to volunteer or donate to Isaiah's house please visit their website at http://occatholicworker.org/index.php for more information.
*Picture taken from JOSHUA SUDOCK, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER*
Social Networks
When you think of social networks what comes to mind? For the average person, specific clubs, group, organizations and friends are immediate things that come to mind. What about within th homeless community? Social networks takes on a completely different face when you are homeless. For the homeless population in Orange County, social networks are scarce. There are several programs, full of dedicated and hard working volunteers in Orange County that are working to change this. CHAT-H, Project Hope, and Isaiah House are three programs that seem to be making a tangible difference within differnt cities in Orange County.
These programs have done something that many have failed to do and that is to make resources accessible and improve the ability of the homeless to expand their own sphere of networks. How have they done this? They have brought social services, mental health services, and wrap around services together in one place to assist the homeless. These programs have formed a solid collaboration within the community and have worked to increase their accessibility and exposure to the homeless.
Attending college opened up a world for me that I would not have otherwise been exposed to. I was able to meet new people, foster relationships, join professional organizations and learn about financial resources and assistance for school. My "reach" and ability to obtain resources greatly improved due to my exposure to differnt social networks. In essence, this is what CHAT-H, Isaiah House and Project Hope have done for the homeless. Through collaboration and gathering of services, these programs have effectively expanded the "reach" of the homeless and are dogmatically tackling this issue in Orange County.
These programs have done something that many have failed to do and that is to make resources accessible and improve the ability of the homeless to expand their own sphere of networks. How have they done this? They have brought social services, mental health services, and wrap around services together in one place to assist the homeless. These programs have formed a solid collaboration within the community and have worked to increase their accessibility and exposure to the homeless.
Attending college opened up a world for me that I would not have otherwise been exposed to. I was able to meet new people, foster relationships, join professional organizations and learn about financial resources and assistance for school. My "reach" and ability to obtain resources greatly improved due to my exposure to differnt social networks. In essence, this is what CHAT-H, Isaiah House and Project Hope have done for the homeless. Through collaboration and gathering of services, these programs have effectively expanded the "reach" of the homeless and are dogmatically tackling this issue in Orange County.
Community Assets and Risks
What holds the community together when it seems like it’s all crumbling around? In our Neighborhood Visit to Santa Ana we had a chance to explore this question and see where the city and its people’s assets and risks stand.
We arrived in Santa Ana and walked up the street to Civic Center to begin our service by feeding the homeless. In the short walk the city was clean and had lot’s of trees with a new business being built. There were many nice restaurants to serve the businesses surround the area. There were no churches, schools or social service agencies. Overall it seemed like the average down town in any other city.
However, as we approached the park to feed the homeless the lunch line came into focus and you could see folding tables with people serving lunch. These efforts were being led by Dwight from the Isaiah House a shelter for woman and children in Santa Ana and one of the city’s biggest assets.
The biggest risk in the City of Santa Ana comes from the city legislation working towards homelessness in a less than humanitarian way. Through city ordnances it was became a crime to be homeless more so than a social and community issue. Santa Ana is a resilient city and with new innovative programs like CHAT-H, this community will work towards eradicating homelessness.
~ Judy Valenzuela
We arrived in Santa Ana and walked up the street to Civic Center to begin our service by feeding the homeless. In the short walk the city was clean and had lot’s of trees with a new business being built. There were many nice restaurants to serve the businesses surround the area. There were no churches, schools or social service agencies. Overall it seemed like the average down town in any other city.
However, as we approached the park to feed the homeless the lunch line came into focus and you could see folding tables with people serving lunch. These efforts were being led by Dwight from the Isaiah House a shelter for woman and children in Santa Ana and one of the city’s biggest assets.
The biggest risk in the City of Santa Ana comes from the city legislation working towards homelessness in a less than humanitarian way. Through city ordnances it was became a crime to be homeless more so than a social and community issue. Santa Ana is a resilient city and with new innovative programs like CHAT-H, this community will work towards eradicating homelessness.
~ Judy Valenzuela
Local Facilities
Costa Mesa Motor Inn: The Costa Mesa Motor Inn is an emergency shelter that can house up to seventy-seven families. The Inn specifically assists families with children that are Orange County residents, and presently there are no specific requirements for families to qualify for this emergency resource. The goal at Costa Mesa Motor Inn is to provide emergency shelter for needy families, and to assist those individuals with available support and services. Through this service, Community Health Assessment Team-Homeless' (CHAT-H) goal is to make families self-reliant.
Upon arrival, families are interviewed to assess their specific needs. After this process, the family is given two weeks of free housing so that they have the opportunity to rehabilitate. Later, it is determined just how much a family has to contribute for renting costs according to how much they are able to afford; this is determined by using a sliding scale. Some families may pay up to $700 in housing costs, needing only a $100 donation in order to fulfill the $800 renting cost, while others may need a much higher contribution in order to fulfill the requirement at the Inn.
The average family at the Inn needs about $450 in donations to assist them in their renting costs. This is equivalent to $24 a night, per family. The families have about a year or two in the program while they become independent and self-reliant. In addition to these rent subsidies, the Inn also offers the individuals an array of programs and services to help them move forward and set them on the path to independence. Interns and students from nearby schools are dedicated in providing private tutoring for children as well as counseling services creating business opportunities for more funding.
The local church also comes in to do crafts with the children. Although the Inn is not faith-based and does not require families to participate in faith-based programs, they work with all denominations.
A Head Start program is located nearby from the Inn which gives an opportunity for the parents of these children to participate in parenting classes in order to address the needs of their family in time of crisis. Mobile health buses also make routine visits to the Inn offering health services that address concerns families might have.
The wonderful aspect of this Inn is that it provides what a particular needy family needs most in a time of crisis: temporary housing. Many organizations, public and private, may donate clothing, food, even money, but very very of these donate temporary housing. With 35,000 homeless individuals in Orange County, most of them being women and children, have access to only emergency shelters and 1,500 beds, some of them placing restrictions on families.
The Costa Mesa Motor Inn, with funding from the Illumination Foundation, provides families and children a place to call home, needed stability and support to help them on their way back to success.
Upon arrival, families are interviewed to assess their specific needs. After this process, the family is given two weeks of free housing so that they have the opportunity to rehabilitate. Later, it is determined just how much a family has to contribute for renting costs according to how much they are able to afford; this is determined by using a sliding scale. Some families may pay up to $700 in housing costs, needing only a $100 donation in order to fulfill the $800 renting cost, while others may need a much higher contribution in order to fulfill the requirement at the Inn.
The average family at the Inn needs about $450 in donations to assist them in their renting costs. This is equivalent to $24 a night, per family. The families have about a year or two in the program while they become independent and self-reliant. In addition to these rent subsidies, the Inn also offers the individuals an array of programs and services to help them move forward and set them on the path to independence. Interns and students from nearby schools are dedicated in providing private tutoring for children as well as counseling services creating business opportunities for more funding.
The local church also comes in to do crafts with the children. Although the Inn is not faith-based and does not require families to participate in faith-based programs, they work with all denominations.
A Head Start program is located nearby from the Inn which gives an opportunity for the parents of these children to participate in parenting classes in order to address the needs of their family in time of crisis. Mobile health buses also make routine visits to the Inn offering health services that address concerns families might have.
The wonderful aspect of this Inn is that it provides what a particular needy family needs most in a time of crisis: temporary housing. Many organizations, public and private, may donate clothing, food, even money, but very very of these donate temporary housing. With 35,000 homeless individuals in Orange County, most of them being women and children, have access to only emergency shelters and 1,500 beds, some of them placing restrictions on families.
The Costa Mesa Motor Inn, with funding from the Illumination Foundation, provides families and children a place to call home, needed stability and support to help them on their way back to success.
Outside Perspective
THE OUTSIDE PERSPECTIVE
In understanding the homeless population, many people who have had only an outside perspective lack the ability to fully understand the overwhelming difficulties this population faces. Many people who have had an inside perspective have come closer to tightening the gap in understanding the hardships and seeing individuals in a broader socio-economic and situational context. If an outside person has not visited such facilities such as the Costa Mesa Motor Inn and Isaiah’s house, the outside perspective can only limit the intelligence one will possess about these average everyday individuals and their families who really just need some “real assistance.” Many people have a bias opinion about the homeless population without really knowing what may go on at other “complicated” assistance facilities.
There are facilities available to the population, yet all their rules and regulations deter the target population from utilizing the services. In some eyes, this is seen as the homeless’ fault, yet those who believe that are the people who have had limited contact with these individuals and their families and do not understand the difficulties that some of these facilities put on their clients. The outside perspective questions why the homeless would deny themselves shelter and a meal, but do not see at times they are compromising their own personal freedom by entering the shelter. Some assistance shelters have a minimum stay and population standard such as males only or mothers and children. What will happen if there is a whole family wishing to stay together? No smoking, alcoholics, and drug user policies have also deterred individuals in pursuing assistance because the assistance only applies to people who are “fully” clean.
Though many individuals express concern for the troubles of the homeless, some outsiders express concern about successful programs bringing in numerous outsiders with numerous social problems. What needs to be seen is that the advantage of having more facilities offered with more funding would assist the homeless receive more concentrated services from social services. This in turn will get more of the population off the streets and receiving the proper assistance they need.
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