My First Night Homeless

Written by Mark Horvath for the End Homelessness Blog on Change.org.

There are first times for everything. The first time I drove a car, first time I broke my leg, first time I ate sushi, the first time I went to work, the first time I was fired, and I'll never forget my first kiss. 'Firsts' are memorable parts of life and growing up.

Well, the same goes for that first night spent on the streets or in a homeless shelter. The first time you're homeless, the intense feelings of fear and uncertainty are impossible to forget.

I recently started working for a seasonal homeless shelter in Glendale, California. My job is to monitor a bus pickup five nights a week. On New Year's Day, a girl in her early 30s showed up and it was clear that it was her first night homeless. She looked so alone and scared. She told me she lost her job a few months back and was living with friends, bouncing from couch to couch, until all welcomes had run out. She called 2-1-1 (a phone number for social services) and the operator told her about the winter emergency shelter.

If you've never been homeless, it's tough to describe that first night sleeping on the street. The fear and disillusionment is almost paralyzing. You just go through the motions, but at the same time you're beating yourself up for being in this situation. It is very surreal because no one ever thinks they will become homeless. No one.

Change Your Government

Change.org has responded to President-elect Obama's call for more citizen involvement in government by asking people to submit ideas about what they would like to see changed about America in the upcoming years. You have been able to vote for these ideas, and the second round of voting has begun! The top 10 ideas will be presented to the new Administration on January 19th at the National Press Club. Voting ends on the 15th! Tell your new government what you want.

Mentoring

January is Mentor Month! Mentoring can involve all manner of relationships; business help, career coaching, friendly assurance. But perhaps the most important mentoring relationship is that involving an adult sharing time with a kid who has no one to listen to her to or who's family situation leaves little opportunity for him just to be a kid.
Mentor, an organization committed to "expanding quality mentoring, with the hope that with the guidance of an adult mentor, each child can discover how to unlock and achieve his or her potential," says that over 17 million young people in the US want or need mentoring. Many kids from low income families don't have the support that they should be getting or have unstable family situations. This can lead to poor school attendance, low grades, high dropout rate and greater risk for getting involved in all those other negative things that happen when nobody believes in you. Mentoring has proven benefits for everyone involved; the kids' GPAs rise, attendance and self esteem improves, you make a friend.
What do you have to do as a mentor? What do you have to do to change a life like this? Big Brother/Big Sister, one of the largest and oldest mentor matching organizations in the US says that really all these kids need is someone to hang out with. They suggest taking your ment-ee along to do what you normally do. Going to the Met, volunteering, playing basketball, watching a movie, whatever, these kids will appreciate anything you do together, and doing something even that simple can make a world of difference. Even though I grew up in a nice urban neighborhood with a relatively stable family, this sounds about right, when I was 14 all I wanted was someone to pay attention to me.
Mentor will help you find an organization in your area that can match you up with a ment-ee.

Did you ever have a mentor? Have you ever mentored? What kind of impact did your relationship have on your life?

New Bloggers

Change.org has taken on new causes. I have been following their blog about ending homlessless, written by Shannon Moriarty, which I really like. I think their new Poverty in America and Sustainable Food blogs would also be important and/or interesting to read. Check out all their old and new blogs at Change.org.

Do you read any blogs that help you do your job? Do you read blogs about causes that you find important?

Take Action Round up: January 5

Volunteering is the best way to start the New Year!

• Martin Luther King Jr Day is coming up fast. In 1994 Congress initiated the King Day of Service, encouraging people to "Make it a day on, not a day off." Find a near you to celebrate Dr. King.
  
  
• FeedaNeed.org doesn't want money, they want you to volunteer a couple hours of your time. Your skills will be matched with a charity, and if you volunteer 2 hours before February 14th you will be entered to win awesome prizes!
  
  
• Architecture for Humanity involves architects and designers in creating designs for struggling communities all over the world. Have an idea for a sustainable structure? Know how to lay a foundation? Interested in going to Mali?
  
  
• Kaboom recognizes the importance of unstructured play in child development. They aim to help motivated communities build play ground in their neighborhoods. If you're not ready to spearhead the whole playground building thing yourself, find a group who is and volunteer with them, or volunteer to spruce up an existing playground.
  

Oh Yeah...Happy New Year!

Here I am being all business before I wish everyone a Happy 2009! Yay! What did you do to celebrate? Do you have any special plans for this vast year that lies ahead of us?

HOPE Homeless Count

The Department of Homeless Services (DHS) needs 2,500 volunteers across New York City to assist with the 2009 Homeless Outreach Population Estimate (HOPE) on Monday night, January 26th. This will enable the DHS to obtain an accurate assessment of the city’s street homeless population. Volunteers are needed in every borough from 10:30PM to 4AM to conduct this survey. Volunteers will receive training before the count.

For more information or to participate please contact Stefanie Greenberg at sgreenberg@metcouncil.org or 212.453.9619.