This past weekend I was one of the chaperones on an urban plunge retreat where the students do work throughout Skid Row and other centers of the homeless population. The first night, we served a spaghetti dinner to 80 homeless men and then conversed at the tables as we ate. It was grateful for my Spanish as I was able to talk with them about their lives and learn about thier daily struggles.
The following morning, we served breakfast at another homeless shelter, and then took a tour of Skid Row. For those who don't know, Skid Row is an area next to downtown Los Angeles where many homeless live. Tents on the sidewalks, cardboard shantys, and shopping carts full of their life's possessions are some of the most common sites. After the tour, we served dinner at the Midnight Mission, a shelter that serves over 800 people a meal. At this site, we met Jim, a well-mannered and professional tour guide. He also is a recovering alcholic and was homeless for the past 10 years before turning his life around.
Perhaps the most important thing I learned from his story is that to be chronically homeless does not mean that the person is lazy. I always knew this, but it's so easy to think- why don't they just go get a job? The majority of this population suffers from extreme mental illness, drug and alchol addiction, and lack of friend and familial support. Another huge obstacle is the availability of affordable housing, which is definied as costing 30% of one's income. Many of the homeless actually do have jobs or some source of income, but in Los Angeles, as with other major cities, housing costs much more than this 30%, so savings are not feasable.
In spite of these obstacels, it was so impressive to see how Jim was able to escape the viscious cycle of his addiction and condition. The Midnight Mission offers affordable houseing, dorm style, for men who are willing to get clean from drugs and alcohol. Additionally, they are given jobs throughout the organization or in the city, and this helps subsidize their rent. Lastly, it is a requirement that they save 70% of their earnings so that when they leave the program, they have saved enough money to make a down-payment. The skills they learned working at the organization also translate into earning jobs outside Skid Row. The model of Midnight Mission teaches self sufficiency and responsibility. The men take pride that they can earn money to pay for their dorm style housing. Jim spoke of maintaing dignity while on Skid Row - these men need to give something back to the charity received in order to discover the value in themselves.
I realized that for the chronically homeless, some will never walk through the doors to recieve the same help that Jim did. They simply have been homeless for too long that their mental state makes it impossible for a life beyond Skid Row. However, many others who have found themselves tired of being at the 'rock - bottom' can find hope in these organizations. Those people at non-profits tirelessly work to provide the resources and opportunities for people to learn to help themselves.
