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Homelessness: Homelessness in our own Backyard!

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Homelessness: Homelessness in our own Backyard!
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 Fight Ghettoization and Create Employment Opportunities
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 A Website to Connect Givers in our Communities with the Homeless

Plan
A Website to Connect Givers in our Communities with the Homeless

Wednesday, 17 June 2009 @ 14:55Written by Jackie


Organizations such as World Vision, Kiva, and Modest Needs have yielded tremendous success around the world by using a website to profile people in need and connect them with donors. It is time our community capitalizes on this idea by creating a website which connects donors to homeless people.

The most promising homeless population to target is the low needs homeless in the Tri Cities - those who have recently slipped into homelessness and are not addicted or hard to house. There are around 20 low needs homeless people in the Tri Cities and these are 20 people whom we can help get off the streets before they get into the cycle of poverty and addiction. What if we could connect these homeless people with those who want to help them financially? We already have outreach workers in the Tri Cities who know them personally, and with their consent we can share their story in a website, and those who want to help the homeless can read their stories on the website and choose who they feel compelled to help. Rather than simply donating to the general cause of alleviating homelessness, donors get the opportunity to know the person they are helping and therefore put a face to homelessness, helping to dispel the stigma and misconceptions around homelessness. By working with the outreach workers to track their progress towards getting housing on the website, a sense of connection between the community and the homeless can be built, and with community support there is increased motivation for the homeless person to lift themselves out of homelessness. Let’s save the lives of 20 people by providing donors with the chance to help someone who lives in their very own community, without a home and in need of love and support from the people around them.

Vote for this idea and if it wins, we can get support from SFU and inov8 to begin changing the lives of people living on the streets! I am very open to your thoughts, suggestions and comments.

Find out more by visiting my blog at: http://giveavoice.wordpress.com

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Esther      (Friday, 26 June 2009 @ 21:53)

Yes, I totally agree on this proposal. I personally have sponsored a child from Compassion -- it has made my relationship with this child very personal and I was able to check on her progress regularly. We have become the best of friends and we continue to keep in touch. The monetary contribution I have made is nothing compared to the personal and spiritual development I have seen in this child. So, I strongly believe if one person can sponsor one homeless individual, both will work towards a mutually goal to be achieved -- to be a ''real'' person that can contribute to society. I hope this solution will be effected soon!

CiCi      (Friday, 26 June 2009 @ 16:49)

I have read this and I support your view. It seems that so many people are in need of our help. It''s significant that we come together and do something useful.

Katherine      (Friday, 26 June 2009 @ 02:46)

wow the idea sounds like a good one - it seems to me that if people know who they are giving the money to they are more supportive - it basically puts a face to homelessness. it dispels some misconceptions coz some homeless people are not drug addicts - they are just people like us that have just fallen into hard times. this is a very cool concept and seems very doable. its almost the same concept as sponsoring a child that you did - u got a picture of the child and some info about the child so it makes u feel good about giving. it connects you. so def i like this idea - keep up the good work!

Skwok      (Tuesday, 23 June 2009 @ 13:41)

One of the things I enjoy about taking the bus is hearing random conversations into people lives. Not that I purposely eavesdrop but people often have very open conversations about the hardships of their life. I find these very interesting and often a huge contrast to their outer experience. What I like about this idea is the sharing of stories. I think it is invaluable to help eliminate the stigma associated to the homeless. Homelessness is a wicked hard problem and will not be solved with a solution encapsulated in a post. However I believe sharing stories is step in a direction that is very much needed. While the end result may not be people donating money to get them out of the poverty, I think gaining public understanding and empathy is entirely priceless.

DamonC      (Tuesday, 23 June 2009 @ 12:47)

I have similar concerns as Theresa. The problem with sponsorship programs is that they reinforce hierarchies of power between sponsors and those being sponsored. It reinforces that the homeless are childish and incapable of taking care of themselves and as needing to be guided and provided for. Other than conceptual concerns, this project I feel might be hard to get started. Those who are low needs homeless are, in my experience, extremely embarrassed to be in their situation and having their dirty laundry aired on a website for the public might not be something they would be willing to do.

GiveaVoice      (Monday, 22 June 2009 @ 00:26)

Hi Theresa, Thanks for your feedback. This idea is not about selling a sob story. Rather it''s about sharing stories of life with community members, in order to dispel some of the myths and stigma around homelessness, and connect people who want to help the homeless. Connecting the homeless to their community allows relationships to be built, and can help the homeless person be reintegrated into society. Neither the organizations I mentioned, nor this idea, claims to solve the problem. These ideas are not about solving this huge problem, but rather about making a difference and doing what you can. By sponsoring a child, or sponsoring a homeless person, it doesn''t mean in any way that you are solving the problem of poverty or homelessness - but what it does mean is that you are making a difference and perhaps saving a life along the way. These problems need both kinds of solutions - ones that get at the root of the problem, as well as ones that help those who need help right now, and can''t wait until we get to the root and solve this huge issue. Many of the children which get sponsored would have no other way of receiving food or education. Likewise, I don''t propose "throwing money" at homeless people, but rather giving them a helping hand when they need it. Please note that in my solution I am not targeting the DTES, but rather the Tri Cities, and I am also looking at helping the low needs homeless people first - this means those that are not addicted or hard to house. I feel that this population represents a small group whom we can more easily get off the streets before they get into a cycle of poverty and addiction. I appreciate your thoughts. -Jackie.

Theresa      (Sunday, 21 June 2009 @ 23:00)

Jackie - I am finding it difficult to conceptualize empowerment of this population within your proposal. I do not support this idea as I don''t believe selling one''s "sob story" necessarily re-frames their situation. Furthermore, many of the organizations your mentioned have been criticized of late for merely serving as band-aid solutions rather than addressing the root problem. I have personally worked in community health and the situation in the DTES is much more complex than simply people "without a home and in need of love and support". There is a community down there, as well as independence and self-governance. Throwing money at people in need for an indefinite period of time is not an effective solution.

JAMES      (Sunday, 21 June 2009 @ 18:56)

I think this an idea that is worth trying, since the usual solutions does not seem to reduce the incidence of homelessness.

Lyne      (Sunday, 21 June 2009 @ 17:59)

love your idea : sponsor a homeless, it is similar to world famine as you can see the progress of the people whom you sponsor, ans how much you help them.

Marty      (Saturday, 20 June 2009 @ 08:34)

I am 101% for this idea. 20 people may not be a BIG number, but if we begin to support even 1 homeless person, the effect can be multiplied in so many ways. The donor''s contribution to society will be felt by the community instantaneously. With a donor sponsoring a homeless person, the donor can track the homeless person''s progress and be able to help and provide support in any way. This can be easier for the homeless person to cooperate as both donor and the homeless person''s relationship become more personal as both work together.