Reflection on Homelessness [Permalink]
Thu Dec 07 10:10:56 EST 2006
Category [Homelessness/]
Throughout the course of this semester, I have been “studying” and learning about Homelessness, and how the state of Homelessness can be changed in America. So today I write to provide my reflection on what I have learned and come to realize:
While Homelessness is a problem—significantly due to the increase in poverty and decrease of affordable housing, there are many different circumstances that can also cause homelessness that none of us are immune to. Yet, what I have found out—about myself, as well as others—is that too often we look at such issues as Homelessness, any number of urban problems, as being issues that could never directly affect us. The funny thing is, just because we have homes and are not poor does not mean we’ll remain exempt from homelessness. Money cannot guarantee us stability; a job cannot guarantee home security. According to a study done by the Virginia Supportive Housing, 73% of the adults in Richmond shelters and transitional houses are employed. Where is these people’s job “security”?
On a given night, there is anywhere between 2.5-3.5 million people that find themselves homeless each year. Homelessness does not care what color you are, how much money you make, where you went to school, who you know—IT CAN AFFECT YOU…because it has so many other people who are made up of every form of diversity that you can think of.Homelessness—as well as any other urban issue—affects everyone because it could happen to anyone. And in the end, whether it is viewed locally, nationally, interpersonally, globally, it is a significant problem that warrants all of our attention.
What I come to realize more than anything else about homelessness is that I’m affected by it. It could every well happen to me.
Posted by: Dominique
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Blog end. [Permalink]
Thu Dec 07 09:01:49 EST 2006
Category [Thoughts on Urban Policies and Problems/]
It's the end for us this semester...we're showing our documentaries today, and after this, I can stop spending 10 hour-stints in the TLC every night until 12am. It was a good process and a learning experience but I'm so very done with it and I'm ready to be able to sleep again.
I'm not sure if this blog entry even counts for my requirement and I don't think I have three, but it doesn't matter to me at this point. I still would like to share. This is going to seem strange, but of all the things that I learned this semester, I feel like the evolution of transportation in urban areas has been the most frustrating to me. I think it's because it was one aspect of urban life of which I was most ignorant; and it is one aspect of urban life that transcends my frustrations with the environment, city layout, urban sprawl, socioeconomic segregation and oil dependency.
I learned from several of our authors this semester that we live in a automobile-dependent society by design, and I think that became salient to me this year because I promised myself that I would branch out and become more integrated into the city and meet people outside of our cliched bubble. Lack of comprehensive rapid transit from this university has frustrated me since day one because as an independent (or just proud and defiant) person who values my alone time, I hate asking someone to cart me everywhere. I wanted to work at Regency Mall but it takes an hour and 45 minutes on the bus, so I ended up working on weekends at Stony Point (if and when the Spider Shuttle is running, which it doesn't in the rain or in case of a breakdown).
However, as a perenially late person, asking for rides is a necessity. My college schedule has never permitted me to take a three-hour trip into the city unless I'm going at night which is unsafe. For my journalism classes, I get rides to school board meetings and court cases in eastern Henrico and downtown. Part of this is just being spoiled -- if I really needed to, I would have to sacrifice meetings and leisure time in order to travel where I need to go on public transit. But it doesn't make me any less angry. What about the people who want to travel out to the suburbs and get jobs or shop? We've created barriers -- some deliberate, some not -- that keep this region from seeing integration of social classes as a viable solution (another topic that our documentary interviews got me thinking about).
In my mind I equate lack of infrastructure with willful neglect of those who really need it. I don't need to work at the mall, but it does contribute greatly to my sense of independence, and thus my happiness and productivity. However, some people do need it. What about them?
Posted by: Megan
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one more blog [Permalink]
Thu Dec 07 00:00:33 EST 2006
Category [/]
The blog marathon continues ... I thought blogging was for those who actually had something they wanted to say, not something to be required … I just feel like the essence of a “blog” is lost when one is coerced into doing it. Putting my thoughts out into the world wide web is something I don’t really want to do. Hell I don’t even talk when there are 10 other people in a classroom that have to hear me, and now there are infinite … I guess it comes down to confidence. The reason I don’t talk in class, and the reason I am hesitant to blog for everyone in the entire world to read is because I rarely believe that what I have to say is worth hearing. The confidence that I am important and what I have to say is necessary and relevant has been beaten out of me since the days of living with my older brother, who was never impressed, and constantly letting me know … However, here it is, a new post for everyone to read … Susan Sekerke posed a very interesting question in our documentary that I would like to share with everyone in the world … “What is affordable housing to someone who is working minimum wage?” Our homelessness documentary revealed that a large majority of those who are homeless actually have a job. They sometimes have two or three jobs. The simple fact is that they just cannot find a place that is affordable for them, often working minimum wage, to live in. Even if you do not work minimum wage, I believe Mike from NCH explained that, on average, one would have to make upwards of 22 dollars an hour in Washington DC to afford a two bedroom apartment at fair market value. The current minimum wage is like 5.15 in Virginia … If you have to make 4 times this to afford the average apartment in DC, then it comes as no surprise that homelessness is a chronic urban crisis. I make around 10 dollars an hour working construction over the summer, and I see tons of grown men doing the same thing. Even if you assume that they are making more than me, you can only make so much in the manual labor business. Do these people have a home? If they do, is that the only thing they can afford? What more can one man do if he is in a housing crisis and also working one or two jobs? I know all I have time to do over the summer is go home, eat dinner and fall asleep. The current system we have in place is one that I believe is set up so that those in a housing crisis have a huge and nearly impossible task of getting out. Honestly, think of it this way … how many of us were actually able to turn a profit in the poverty simulation earlier this semester?
Posted by: Marcus
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not everyone is aware [Permalink]
Wed Dec 06 23:34:24 EST 2006
Category [/]
At the beginning of the semester, I found myself dealing with some not-so-urban “issues” in my life that threw things off track, hence the shoddy attendance and rather … how can I put this … “uninviting” appearance. It got me thinking though, if it only took two little things in my life to have brought me to the point of not being able to sleep, falling behind in work, and missing classes … then it’s no wonder that homelessness and joblessness in America have been described as chronic, persistent problems. In any other situation, I would have easily lost my job for the lack of attendance and production, and it was hard enough to keep up with everything I had going on (and this was even with someone cleaning the house, paying the bills, and cooking my meals). Life for anyone can change in an instant, and it is not as easy as one may think to get things rolling again. This is something that has become more real and reoccurring with the more research I do for my documentary group. The homeless were not simply born that way, everyone has a story, and most the time they once enjoyed a “normal” American life. I feel as if public awareness has fallen way off what it should be for issues such as the ones we tackle in class. Just the other day on facebook, two of my friends were arguing in a group about economic and social issues, and one of them had this to say … “the difference between classes in America is a huge problem, but unfortunately, the people in the lower class are so envious and lazy that they don’t even do anything to get out of the situation that they are in.” This is a well-educated college student believing, saying, and defending this view. Everyone is entitled to their own opinions, but I feel this exemplifies exactly what I see as one of the major issues when it comes to dealing with the urban crisis: difference of opinion and the almost willful ignorance of those who fail to mobilize and help those in need. I find it hard to realize that someone who has been educated for 16 of his 20 years of life could have such a skewed vision of those living below the poverty line. One of the things I have taken away from this class is the fact that there are many important and real issues currently sickening urban America. It seems so obvious to me after going through this class that 1 – these problems exists and 2 – that we as individuals can actually do something positive to help. However, those like my friend on facebook are the ones who are most important. By refusing to look deeper into these issues and simply making up one’s mind based on assumptions and ignorance, he and others like him stop America from truly mobilizing to improve the many social and economical issues which urban America has been fighting to fix for so long.
Posted by: Marcus
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Urban crisis is everywhere ... [Permalink]
Wed Dec 06 23:32:14 EST 2006
Category [Thoughts on Urban Policies and Problems/]
In reflecting on this past semester, I was drawn back to the first week of reading. I particularly remember this week because I actually and honestly read. Me reading is something that fell off as the semester wore on, yet after midterms, revitalized itself. I feel like I would be hard-pressed to find someone in the class that truly read every week. Or maybe I’m wrong … who knows. Yet this issue of reading is not the reason I am blogging nor is it the topic I am blogging about. I’m blogging because I have to, and I am blogging about the first week’s reading and its connection with the last week’s reading. Much of this is taken from a paper I wrote earlier in the year, however I feel like it is still very relevant to the subject.
In the first week of reading, we read sections of two informative and well respected looks into Urban America. I will be focusing on Sugrue’s case study of Detroit. He explores the historical catalysts and furthermore the resulting consequences of the construction of America’s urban ghettos within the 19th and 20th centuries. As he does throughout his entire book, Sugrue explores this issue maintaining a focus on the once booming industrial city of Detroit.
Sugrue opens with a look at how middle to lower class Americans, and more specifically middle to lower class African Americans, were attracted to Detroit as early as the 1920’s with the Industrial Revolution. Sugrue cites pull factors such as endless job opportunities and the hopes of racial equality not found in the southern states as what first attracted black migrants. Yet shortly after this dramatic racial expansion, Sugrue explains how blacks were essentially forced into segregated communities and ghettos. Poor pay and a dominating white presence in all aspects of life that feared the spread and mixing of African American communities with their own made it near impossible to break free from the segregated ghettos of the pre-civil rights era. Sugrue goes on to examine the effects that the middle class African American family’s movement away from the ghetto had after the civil rights movement not only on the existing white communities in Detroit, but also the most impoverished black communities left behind in places like Paradise Valley and the “Black Bottom”.
Meanwhile, in our last week of reading, Medoff and Sklar do a different case study on the rise and fall of a small, south of Boston suburb known as Dudley. They first explain the history of this suburb, and how it got to be where it is today, or atleast where it was in the mid 90’s. Back then, it was very much considered a urban ghetto. The authors describe the scene similar to one that readers would expect to find after a devastating earthquake. However, after this historical foundation, they move into the activity of the Dudley Street Neighborhood Initiative 
SNI), and how this resident-run, grassroots effort has transformed the landscape into a promising suburban neighborhood once again.
What is interesting to note is that both readings support the claim that there was not one dominating factor that contributed to the construction and longevity of Ghetto America. The roots are much deeper than one would expect. The construction of the urban ghetto has its foundations in many different social and historical concentrations. This in turn means that a simple quick fix by either the government or any other group will not solve the problem at hand. Both also highlight the effects that a mislead public can have on an entire race of people. The stereotypes and assumptions that most of America developed and stood by towards African Americans throughout history placed all blacks at a huge social disadvantage. Whereas white immigrants were able to assimilate into American culture, blacks were denied that right and had no choice but to construct a community where they would be accepted. It is often times difficult to be a critic of your own work, and white America failed to see the consequences of their actions and policies towards African Americans in many aspects of life, from owning a home to being treated as an equal in public. By documenting the many stages and mistakes which lead to the urban ghetto in America, Sugrue and Hirsch show how crucial learning from the past is when making future decisions in America.
The authors as well as the implications which their works incite raise multiple questions. First and foremost, ghettos being such a common place in American urban society, are they just simply a necessary evil? The government has attempted to put an end to them through urban renewal projects, but it seemed to only strengthen the racial and economical lines which the ghetto gives rise to. Hirsch dared to hint at a recent decline of segregation in urban areas, so are African Americans finally being accepted into American culture after years of fighting for equality? Will we soon be describing ghettos as segregated due to economic status rather than racial status? Just as Hirsch, we can as of now only speculate at the answers to these questions.
While reading these works, I found myself saying, “I’ve never thought of it that way …” just about every page I read. The points which the two authors brought up made me realize just how strong of a grip urban ghettos have on America today. They are not only more prevalent than I previously thought, but they are also more permanent.
It is interesting to note how much these two books actually overlap themselves. In the historical examination that both works provide, the causes and effects of urban blight is the same no matter where you look. Every city has a story similar to the ones of Boston and Detroit. With such a prominent and persistent problem, it seems odd that more attention is not given to solving, aiding, or preventing these things from continuing.
Posted by: Marcus
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Support [Permalink]
Wed Dec 06 00:08:02 EST 2006
Category [/]
Support has become a recurring theme, it seems, throughout the urban problems we've studied that affect individuals. Over and over again in our interviews with those involved with the homeless population in Richmond cited a lack of support as perhaps the biggest "cause" of homelessness. This makes so much sense to me personally. Life can come at you hard, and crises are often impossible to deal with alone. It is only with the support of those around you who love and care about you that you can make it through. That support can come in various forms: emotional, physical, financial, structural, etc., but it is that common link of something to fall back on in the midst of a crisis that makes the difference between a workable situation and living on the streets or becoming involved in a gang or being unable to get treatment for an illness. I think that this theme can be applied in a broader sense as well. Support is not only crucial to an individual or a family, it is crucial to America as a whole. Our country has many different types of people with many different agendas, but when we see a crisis, we should come together in support rather than turning a blind eye. By ignoring urban problems in the past and present, we have let them become crises. We have let the minimum wage stay unchanged. We have let those in public education become marginalized. We have let segregation continue. We have let people live on the streets. And it will only change when we come together to provide a support system that addresses every type of support. We don't need a million non-profits doing a million little things. We need a common chain of support that embraces public and private endeavors to assist in changing urban problems before they become crises.
Posted by: Kathryn
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Health Care Stream of Consciousness [Permalink]
Tue Dec 05 23:37:36 EST 2006
Category [Public Health/]
I was afraid that when I came to college I would find a new interest, yet so far this still seems to be my calling. Doing the documentary on this subject has taught me so much. Health clinics exist because though most people believe health care should be a right, many are uninsured. What I have found to be so interesting is that most people who need care don't even realize they can get it. Some don't know about places like Cross Over, some don't know that hospitals are not allowed to ask whether you are legal or not, and some don't know that when you (the insured) go into an emergency room, you will be charged 5 to 10 times more for your procedure because the person before or behind you in line may not have health insurance-- it's a different kind of socialized medicine. Yet as we found out while filming our documentary, preventative services are what matter most. One of the men at the Hispanic Liaison Office pulled me aside to talk about the health care system in Cuba: he said 80% of the funds go to preventative care! It is true that we are the only industrialized nation without national coverage. However, to be perfectly honest there is no where else on earth that I'd rather get sick than in America. The question of national coverage is so difficult to answer, and the paradigms are not exactly encouraging. It is clear the current system leaves out too many, yet if we were to adopt a similar system to that of other industrialized nations, we'd simply have more people treated like the poor--namely, the middle class. The perfect situation: having a system that would raise standards for everyone rather than bring the middle down to compensate. The very rich will not be affected in a socialized system.
Posted by: Kimberly
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Interview with Esther Welch [Permalink]
Tue Dec 05 08:40:15 EST 2006
Category [/]
Joyce interviewed Esther Welch, the GRIP coordinator in Richmond. GRIP (Gang Reduction Intervention Program) is funded through a grant from of the office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. GRIP came to Richmond in 2003 and the One-Stop Office on Hull Street opened in 2006. A five mile target area was determined, the Broad Rock community on the Southside of Richmond. Broad Rock was chosen because of its known gang problem and the community involvement in programs that were already in place. As the Gang Reduction Coordinator, Esther's main focus is to meet with the community and foster collaboration between organizations and individuals, as well as between federal, state and local partners. GRIP has five steps; each site caters their program to the problem at hand but follows general guidelines. The three other pilot locations are Milwaukee, WI; Los Angeles, CA; and North Miami Beach, FL. The five part strategy is as follows: Primary Prevention, Secondary Prevention, Intervention, Suppression and Re-entry. The Richmond GRIP program has 47 programs in place. These programs address gang involvement factors at the individual, family and community levels. Programs are geared towards all ages of the inhabitants in the target area and range from Health Care to ESL to after school programs. The Richmond GRIP program has applied for an extension until June30th, 2007. When the funding ends they hope that the program will be replicated in other areas of Richmond and that due to the successes of these programs other grants will follow.
Posted by: Corrie
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Marriage Reduces Poverty [Permalink]
Tue Dec 05 00:35:23 EST 2006
Category [/]
Did you know that marriage is one of the most effective factors in reducing poverty, second only to full-time work? According to the article "Expert Espouses Marriage To Reduce Poverty" it is more effective than increasing education, reducing family size and doubling cash payouts for welfare recipients. This amazed me. How could simply having a married household actually serve to reduce poverty? Then I realized that marriage directly or indirectly affects all of the urban crises we've studied this semester. For example, marriage often means that two incomes are supporting the family, and if there is still just one, then the other parent is often able to reduce the typical costs of childcare. Also, two parents are often better to keep an eye on children than just one working parent (directly related to the Education and Gangs group). Married couples have a greater chance of one adult's job providing health insurance (the public health group). Dual-parent families are better equipped to deal with issues like homelessness because there is a built-in support network. There are also two sets of extended family for help in all sorts of situations. There is greater stability, and, ultimately, the knowledge that even if disaster strikes, you will not be alone. All of these things are definitely important, but I still have trouble believing that marriage is even more effective at relieving poverty than education and other factors. Is it like a switch is flipped at the altar? You say "I do." and suddenly your whole life situation changes? Maybe so, but I think we need to focus on other factors that can promote a sense of security and stability since the government can't exactly force everyone to get married. Although, it could change and let anyone who wants to get married. The study showed that same-sex married couples are also less affected by poverty.
Posted by: Kathryn
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Dr. Rick Mayes, Political Science, University of Richmond, VA [Permalink]
Sat Dec 02 20:03:01 EST 2006
Category [Public Health/]
Dr. Rick Mayes is an assistant professor of political science at the University of Richmond in Virginia. On November 6th he discussed the major health policies in the United States and how Cross Over contributes to healthcare by helping those who cannot take advantage of those policies. Mayes explained how Medicaid was passed in 1965 alongside Medicare, under the Johnson Administration. Individuals are eligible for Medicaid if they have a certain low income, yet recently the rules for Medicaid have changed in that people now have to show proof of identification to receive the benefits, therefore excluding undocumented immigrants or even U.S. citizens who might not have all their documentation. Medicaid was originally passed in order to help poor mothers and their children. However, most of the money goes toward poor senior citizens. State Children’s Health Insurance Program (S-CHIP) was therefore created to help cover children whose parents cannot afford private insurance for them. In Richmond, the Medical College of Virginia provides much of the health and emergency care. Dr. Mayes elaborates on how Cross Over provides critical support Richmond hospitals by providing education and preventative care that reduces emergency room traffic. For more information about health policy, visit the website of the Department of Health and Human Services at http://www.hhs.gov/.
Posted by: Kimberly
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Susan Post from Esperanza Health Center, Philadelphia, PA [Permalink]
Sat Dec 02 20:01:22 EST 2006
Category [Public Health/]
On October 28th, Susan Post, Executive Director of Esperanza Health Center spoke to us in an interview about the 15 years Esperanza has served the Latino community of Philadelphia. Post argued Esperanza’s success with the Latino community rested on its requirement that every member of its staff speak both English and Spanish. Post believed the language barrier between Latinos and healthcare professionals is the main reason why Latinos in the United States suffer such a great disparity in the healthcare they receive compared to the median figures. She asserted that Latinos that cannot effectively communicate their medical needs to their doctors are more likely to be misdiagnosed, and be given incorrect treatment. Esperanza’s bilingual staff also serves to lay a foundation of trust between Latinos and the health center as the patients enter into a friendly environment that strives not only to provide free health care but also provide according to Latino cultural values. Post also offered a unique perspective from our interviews at Cross Over Ministry concerning funding and medical malpractice. She explained because Esperanza Health Center is a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) it is able to operate similar to a professional hospital. This is because being federally qualified allows Esperanza to bill Medicaid for its treatment of patients and additionally means that the Federal government will subsidize the cost of its physicians’ medical malpractice coverage. This has allowed Esperanza to hire a professional staff of doctors and be on-call 24 hours a day. This was a radically different approach from Cross Over Ministry, but one that appears equally successful and efficient in providing free healthcare. To learn more about Esperanza Health Center please visit their website at http://www.esperanzahealthcenter.org/.
Posted by: Kimberly
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Mary Moore from Cross Over Ministry, Richmond, VA [Permalink]
Sat Dec 02 20:00:47 EST 2006
Category [Public Health/]
On November 2nd, we spoke with Mary Moore. Moore is the Director of Development and Advancement at Cross Over Ministry. It is her job to supervise the Ministry’s operations and ensure that they satisfy the demands of Cross Over’s Board of Directors. Moore recounted Cross Over’s founding here in Richmond in 1983 as a response to the decreasing health care the government offered to the city’s less fortunate. Moore told us that Cross Over’s operations have expanded ever since its founding and now offers free healthcare services to about 3,000 patients each year. She said Cross Over’s greatest resource was its volunteers. By remaining a volunteer-based health clinic, Cross Over was free to provide free healthcare to the Greater Richmond Area without any of the red-tape of local, state, and federal governments. Moore also explained the goals of Cross Over to not only provide a wide array of free healthcare services, but also to improve the individual quality of each service and strive for the prevention of illness and injury through educating patients via health classes and encouraging patients to pass their newly-acquired knowledge to their families and friends. Moore explained that these goals for Cross Over intend to spark health-awareness among the less fortunate and encourage them to seek professional help should they become sick or injured. More information about Cross Over Ministry is available on their website at http://crossoverministry.org/.
Posted by: Kimberly
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Charleen Huguet from Cross Over Ministry, Richmond, VA [Permalink]
Sat Dec 02 19:56:32 EST 2006
Category [Public Health/]
On October 30th, we interviewed Charleen Huguet, the Women’s Health Coordinator at Cross Over Ministry. She has worked for the clinic for over 4 years, encouraged to learn Spanish by her experience working at the front office and now heading the OBGYN program for Latino women, the majority of whom are undocumented. This program was mainly begun to help pregnant women who could not receive care elsewhere in Richmond. Cross Over provides prenatal care and screenings but babies are delivered at the Medical College of Virginia. Since the clinic offers Spanish-speaking staff, Charleen believes this is one of Cross Over’s main strengths, yet she mentions lack of adequate public transportation in the city of Richmond as a barrier to accessing this health care. She also delves into the social relationships among the Latino communities in Richmond that may be harmful to women’s health. She discussed the population that comes to the clinic, how people hear about it, and some of the ways culture impacts health. Four prenatal classes in Spanish are also offered weekly and are taught by volunteers. She explained Cross Over not only works to help its maternity patients but also seeks to address the other aspects of their social, mental, and spiritual health. In addition, she pointed out that only about 5% of pregnant mothers who come to the clinic have a father who is involved, and even fewer of them are married. For more information, visit the website at: http://crossoverministry.org/.
Posted by: Kimberly
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Larry Bartenstein from Cross Over Ministry, Richmond, VA [Permalink]
Sat Dec 02 19:55:55 EST 2006
Category [Public Health/]
On October 26th, we interviewed Larry Bartenstein, the Faith Community Liaison of Cross Over Ministry. Bartenstein described his job as two-fold: he develops the current operations of Cross Over through fund raising and networking with the established community of churches that support Cross Over; but also advances Cross Over Ministry’s mission to unaffiliated churches and individuals. We learned Bartenstein fulfilled his “developer” role by explaining the Ministry’s needs via meeting monthly with church representatives, organizing major fund-raising events like the “Cross Over Challenge” and cultivating relationships among individuals in the Cross Over’s faith community. As an advancement officer Bartenstein advocates Cross Over Ministry’s operations to the Greater Richmond Area. Interestingly enough, Bartenstein asserted face-to-face interactions with prospective churches and individuals was the best means of advancing the Cross Over’s mission. Publishing literature and courting the local media did not seem to add to Cross Over’s membership quite as much as his personal visits with church congregations and individual volunteers, who skills range from surgery to accounting. Bartenstein recounted how his personal relationships with Cross Over Ministry’s faith community provided its clinics with anything from office supplies, facilities repairs, volunteer doctors and even the construction of a new clinic! For more information about Cross Over Ministry please visit their website at: http://crossoverministry.org/.
Posted by: Kimberly
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Karen Bunn from Cross Over Ministry, Richmond, VA [Permalink]
Sat Dec 02 19:51:36 EST 2006
Category [Public Health/]
On October 26th, we interviewed Karen Bunn, the Hispanic Health Education Coordinator at Cross Over Ministry. Karen has lived overseas all her life and is very passionate about helping immigrants and refugees. She herself understands the difficulties of growing accustomed to a new culture. For the past 10 years the clinic has been giving health classes in English. The program was begun in Spanish early this year to teach a 10-week health course for the members of the Latino community. Each health class is on a different subject and meets two times a week. It is rigorous in that it includes testing and a graduation at the end. Karen mentioned two main barriers to this health class. The first is fear of deportation for some, and the second is illiteracy. She explained that while it is difficult for her to measure the overall impact of her class on Richmond’s immigrants, she feels rewarded by helping these individuals. One of the ways the program attempts to cross some of these barriers is through word-of-mouth. Karen encourages her students to bring what they have learned to their communities and finds the students of the class themselves gather together for support during hard times. She also shares specific stories that her students have told in class about how they have educated their own friends and children. Karen explains how most people have simply not been taught how to take care of themselves, not only physically but emotionally and spiritually. Karen is also invaluable to the clinic in that she is often called to translate in the doctors’ offices during medical examinations. For more information, visit the website at: http://crossoverministry.org/.
Posted by: Kimberly
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Health care: responsibility or repercussions? [Permalink]
Fri Dec 01 22:40:01 EST 2006
Category [Public Health/]
Three rural counties in West Virginia have started implementing the state's new benefits system of Medicaid, the health care program for low-income Americans (press
release from the Department of Health and Human Services; read the Times article). Patients who sign up for a plan giving increased benefits and better care must live a "healthy" lifestyle, which means attending all required checkups, keeping appointments, going to events like smoking cessation programs, etc. Proponents say this promotes healthy behavior.
I have mixed feelings; on the one hand, I believe in promoting healthy behavior, and I think in some ways preventative care definitely needs to be enforced. However, this program of benefits is undoubtedly going to end up as punishment for those who don't have dependable transportation to effectively keep all their appointments, or who can't motivate themselves to stop smoking or manage their diet, for example. Long-term mental health care isn't offered to those who don't sign up for this program. They need help. Denying low-income people benefits for having difficulty managing their lives in the way that doctors need them to is cruel. Middle and upper class people smoke, drink, and have myriad other health management issues -- pain doesn't discriminate. However, those with substantial jobs that don't limit their number of emergency visits have an obvious advantage. Middle-class kid is coughing a bit and may not need to go to the ER, but he can get care nevertheless. Medicaid kid can't go for his cough, which is a money and time saver but still discriminatory. You limit his visits, you should limit everyone's visits. My problem is that I don't know how else the government can enforce preventative care and healthy lifestyles. Educational programs in schools and workplaces promote, but they don't enforce. Any ideas?
Posted by: Megan
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Is Higher Learning Falling Short of It's Civic Potential? [Permalink]
Fri Dec 01 21:03:53 EST 2006
Category [Education/]
Too often in examining and evaluating issues of education, the role and influence of secondary institutions in helping create social change often evades scrutiny. This is a problem that—according to a reading for my Leadership Studies class—is proposing a challenge for the nonprofit sector. In this brief article, entitled “The Nonprofit Sector in a Changing World,” author Eisenberg questions why there is a void in the discussions on community activism and civic engagement where the collective input and voice of universities and colleges should be heard. What Eisenberg was basically trying to get across in his article is that our college institutions hold a wealth of resources, talents, and intellect that has yet to become really tapped into for the behalf of immediately serving the community and public interest.
Is this a just assertion? How engaged should institutions of higher education be in helping build our communities? Does the private community that universities foster enough to qualify as substantial forums for activism and change? Or, does real, active citizenry of academia require being a visible, presence on local city issues of economic and social problems even though such issues might not directly affect the collegiate institution? What I am essentially asking is could we—as individuals engaged in the university and college setting—be playing a greater role in advocating for social change? Sure, universities and colleges are in the business of creating informed minds, molding educated and well-informed citizens (more or less), but as a very well-known, reputable, and established—nonprofits of various communities, should they be taking greater stance and role in public roundtable discussions on civic renewal, community leadership and change?Is there something to be said about the power and influence that comes with being an entity such as ours, the University of Richmond? How might a post-secondary school use its intellectual clout to bring greater awareness to such issues as transportation, public policy, etc? Should such institutions have public agendas and platforms to advocate for our policymakers to address issues that affect the communities in which we co-subsist?
What do you think?
Posted by: Dominique
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Land habits, anti-social or pro-dominant? [Permalink]
Thu Nov 30 23:41:01 EST 2006
Category [/]
A line from Sam Warner Jr.’s article Eco-Urbanism caught my eye. He said that “Americans are in the habit of using land antisocially”. When I first read that I agreed, exclusionary zoning keeps things separate, suburbs are designed to keep families isolated, and even something as simple as not caring enough to put in sidewalks prevent people from meeting others walking by. But the more I thought about the statement, the more I disagreed with it.
If you have a car, you can drive around through the different zones. If you have the time, you can spend it with people that you enjoy being with (because if you didn’t enjoy being with them, you probably wouldn’t go out of your way to do it). And if you join groups or get involved with activities, you can meet more people that way.
But cars mean you have money, time means you have leisure, groups and activities mean that you have the social connections to know about them and to be accepted in them. All of these ‘minor’ details mean that we’re in the habit of promoting a certain society. The dominant one. So an amended statement from Warner Jr. might read ‘Americans are in the habit of using land against sub-dominant social groups.
As much as I’d like to think that land practices that deliberately segregate sub-dominant groups are a thing of the past, that’s not reality. Instead, they’ve just become subtler.
Posted by: Andrea
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Social Capital and Low Income Students [Permalink]
Tue Nov 28 17:30:12 EST 2006
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The NY times this week ran an article entitled "What it takes to make a Student". It focused on education in America and discussed what needs to be done to close the achievement gap between low and high income students. Much of the article was spent discussing three charter schools (KIPP, Achievement First, and North Star) who do seem to be achieving the goal of better education for students living in poverty. These schools show that low income students do not simply need equal education to middle class students, they need better education.
The schools discussed have three principles in common:
1) Students spend far longer than normal in school. The school day is longer, additional tutoring is offered, and breaks are shorter.
2) Explicit goals are set for the curriculum – yearly, monthly, and weekly. Students are tested often to ensure that these goals are being met, and to make according adjustments.
This is the one that caught my attention:
3) Focus is given to guiding the character and social habits of the children. They are taught teamwork, having an optimistic outlook, as well as how to sit in class, and how to nod appropriately. The third focus reminded me greatly of what is discussed in In Search of Respect in regards to job retention. Many of the men living in El Barrio at some point in time had a low level job in a corporation or other type of company. The often lost those jobs, or did not obtain them in the first place, because they did not understand the corporate culture, not to mention the white middle class culture of co workers. There are common things that those of us raised in the middle class are taught from birth – rules of behavior and etiquette that we do not even think about because they are so engrained in us. We tend to look upon those who do not display the same social capital as barbaric or simply rude. I find it so interesting that these schools have taken on teaching things that are so often overlooked by middle class America. I doubt that it occurred to any of us that in order to truly be successful, these children need to be taught how to nod while someone is speaking to you, or how to make eye contact with others during presentations or conversations. I think this shows what is lacking in much of our education system. Underprivileged children cannot simply be taught academics, they need to be taught the subtle rules for social conduct that dominate our society in order to be truly successful.
Posted by: Lindsey
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Interview with Captain Shamus of the Richmond Police Depatment [Permalink]
Tue Nov 28 16:48:54 EST 2006
Category [Education/]
Corrie conducted an interview with Captain Shamus in researching the impact of gangs on the Richmond area. Captain Shamus works in gang prevention and prosecution for the police department, and has years of experience and personal contact with gang members and leaders. He pointed out several important issues:
The city, and country, is in denial about the gang problem that we have. Captain Shamus told us that until the late 1990’s, city employees were not allowed to even use the word “gang”, but rather use nuanced phrases like “youths at risk”. We must stop denying that there is a large presence of gangs in our community, and recognize that gangs have a huge impact on the youth involved as well as the city at large. Until we do, gang violence (and other related issues) will continue to perpetuate.
Youth join gangs because there is no viable alternative presented to them. Captain Shamus pointed out that most youth gang members live in a neighborhood with a strong gang presence. If these kids are getting beat up on their way to school everyday, then joining a gang seems like an easy solution to that problem. These children also notice that gang leaders in their neighborhood seem to have “the life” – women, nice clothing, friends, money. Gang leaders are possibly the only role model that youth have who is living a “better” life than the poverty these youth gang members tend to live in. Parents also play an important role in youth gangs, because many times the parents were or are involved with gangs. When children are being taught a “gang mentality” from birth, it is a natural progression for them to eventually join a gang.
Children need strong role models and positive alternatives. Captain Shamus emphasized that teachers and parents need to be educated and aware of gangs, and that they need to step in when they start to see a child involved in gangs. If youth are given role models who lead a positive lifestyle, and have been able to overcome the cycle of poverty, then kids will have a goal to strive toward. Captain Shamus also discussed the role of after school programs. He said that you cannot simply throw these kids in a gym for a few hours and then let them go. Programs need to be structured and have a curriculum. If children are involved with not only sports, but character education, art, and job skills, they then have somewhere to turn besides gangs when thinking about their future. Captain Shamus also believes that the Juvenile Justice system needs to be harder on youth involved with crime, and that key players in the system need to be better educated on youth gangs so that they can create fair and effective programs to deal with them.
Posted by: Lindsey
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Interview with Adria Scharf of Richmond Peace Education Center [Permalink]
Sun Nov 26 23:36:42 EST 2006
Category [Education/]
On November 7, 2006, Lindsey interviewed Andria Scharf, director of the Richmond Peace Education Center. The mission of the Center is to promote alternatives to youth violence. Their approach is a two-fold, one focusing on outreach to and coordination with other agencies and people and the other working directly on the ground with at-risk youth. In particular, the Center does a lot of conflict resolution training for a wide demographic range of people, and the Center puts on workshops on various topics that all have the central theme of peace. Ms. Scharf notes that the most important aspect of their organization is that the kids have input, that they come to the table with adults to create programs and work on problems. She feels that in order to have a significant effect in the lives of at-risk youth, the most important factor is sustained involvement in the youth’s life. The Richmond Peace Education Center focuses on using the arts as a means of addressing violence. Scharf believes that the arts are a good way to address the subject because they are fun and allow creative output. It allows kids to create something that they can take ownership of, and, as is the case with a theatre production they are working on right now, it often gives kids a chance for a leadership role and to carry a project through from beginning to end.
Posted by: Joyce
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Homeless isn't just about not having a home [Permalink]
Sun Nov 26 22:48:48 EST 2006
Category [Homelessness/]
Hi. My name is Kay, and I have a place to go home to where I know my belongings and my body are safe. In my mind, these are part of my fundamental rights as a human being. I had never really thought about them in conjunction with homelessness before this semester though. I had never considered the fact that living on the streets leaves you open to abuse by kids who are bored with going to the movies. I never thought about the fact that police could raid my belongings and destroy my medications, clothes, and cherished photographs or gifts. My main thoughts when I saw someone homeless were that it must be hard to not have somewhere to shower or to not have a warm place to sleep. These are hard things indeed, but I've been astonished by the lack of humanity shown to the homeless throughout the research I've done this semester. At a presentation Dominique and I attended, a portion of a 20/20 special on "Bum Fights" was shown. "Bum Fights" is a TV series in which a young, unestablished filmmaker "hired" two homeless men to star in their show. As stars, they allowed people to beat them up repeatedly and were asked to fight with one another in exchange for small amounts of cash and alcohol. They had not stunt doubles and were actually injured in the making of the documentary-style shows. As horrific as this is, the 20/20 special focused on something even more incomprehensible: teenagers copying the show in real life. Four teenagers who ran across a homeless man while they were smoking pot beat him to death. They were avid watchers of "Bum Fights" and thought it would be entertaining to copy the show. They did not consider the man they attacked to be worthy of respect or life but rather viewed him as a thing, a pinata full of blood instead of candy. This is not the only copycat case. In addition to these reprehensible actions, I was astonished by the actions of public servants, like policeman, towards the homeless as well. The City of Fresno, California was ordered on Wednesday, November 22 to stop taking and immediately destroying homeless people’s property. The judge of the trial was quoted as saying "people can not be punished because of their circumstances. They can’t be deprived of their constitutional rights.” The case brought to light a number of cases in which police had raided homeless encampments without notifying the inhabitants and taken all of their possessions. An urn with a woman's granddaughter's ashes was destroyed while she begged police to leave it alone. Others had medications, clothing, and other belongings taken or destroyed. These people have nowhere else to go. Where are they supposed to keep their belongings? Do they have money to rent a storage unit for their clothes? Should they not keep their medications close by? It is an atrocity that those meant to protect all humans would treat some worse simply because they have no place to go. In fact, these are the people that should be helped the most due to their vulnerable situations. Over and over again, I run into cases of victims being further and further victimized, and I don't understand how to send out the message that this is so horribly, awfully wrong. When did not having a home make you less than a person? And why does the lack of a home mean that your body and belongings are no longer secure?
Posted by: Kathryn
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Drug Legalization Toes the Line [Permalink]
Sun Nov 26 22:27:01 EST 2006
Category [/]
Hey Jill and Kim, I thought a lot about the idea of legalizing drugs because the argument made by Bourgois seems so logical to me but the thought of actually doing it immediately made me cringe. Reading your posts finally solidified it in my mind though. America is a democracy and as such should not have the right to control the things we watch on TV, what we eat, etc. just as Jill said. However, laws are in place for a reason. I was just having trouble coming up with exactly what that reason is. If legalizing drugs would make them less expensive, decrease poverty, and hopefully decrease drug use then isn't that a good thing? However, in my mind, the point of laws is to protect us. The problem with legalizing drugs is that they alter your mind. Many drugs can cause hallucinations, increased violence, and an inability to think clearly, so if drugs were legal how would we stop these consequences of drug intake from affecting others? I don't want anyone to harm their own bodies, but what's to keep someone that's high from attacking someone who is not? If drugs are legal then a person who took LSD 8 hours before going to work on a construction site and has a hallucination and mishandles a crane that causes several people to be injured is simply negligent. Also, drugs are involved in 80% of child abuse cases, according to a 1994 Newsweek article. What about babies born addicted to crack? How do you justify drug legalization to a friend whose boyfriend raped her while high on PCP? If drugs only affected the user then I might be all for drug legalization because a personal choice is indeed a personal choice, and I don't particularly want my tax money to pay for prisoners rather than school children. I do not think it's socially responsible though to legalize something that harms innocent bystanders. Look at the problems with drinking and driving. Do we really want to have to deal with shooting up and driving? Or how about shooting up in public and stealing? Sniffing and raping? Smoking and abusing? I understand that in many people's minds the problems caused by using drugs would decrease through the legalization of drugs due to decreased drug use. However, what legalization have we seen that has actually caused a decrease in activity? Alcohol use? Abortions? Cigarettes? All of these are still heavily in use today, so how can we say that drugs will be different? The price may go down signicantly leading to less poverty and crime, but will it really affect poverty? Is a person addicted to crack going to quit using it and go find a job just because crack is cheaper? Are they going to spend that extra money on food and clothes or on more crack? In "In Search of Respect," it didn't seem to matter how much money Cesar had in his pocket, $20 or $200, because either way the majority of it was spent on drugs and alcohol. I would like to think that legalizing drugs could have a significant effect on drug use and consequently on poverty, but I just don't think it's that simple.
Posted by: Kathryn
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Interview with Arthur West of Operation Street [Permalink]
Sun Nov 26 22:06:28 EST 2006
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On November 8, 2006, Lindsey interviewed Arthur West of Operation Street in Richmond, VA. Operation Street is an organization led by West designed to give kids in gangs alternatives and choices other than partaking in those gangs. West believes that the biggest problem with organizations and programs trying to help at-risk kids is that they give very limited options. Such programs often offer services and activities for only a few hours each day, not nearly enough to keep kids off the streets according to West. West also believes that kids need more choice in their activities and that the concentration on many programs on sports leads to unhealthy competition that can actually encourage gang involvement. He cites territorial teams opposing each other in sports games as a serious problem and suggests mixing kids from different neighborhoods on teams so that territory is not an issue. He also suggests that a wider variety of activities be offered because, as he put it, “not everyone is good at basketball.” West’s main point is that all kids need someone to care and that caring relationship is all that kids involved in gangs are seeking. He says that they are looking for simple recognition that they are worth something.
Posted by: Joyce
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Downtown Development in the U.S. [Permalink]
Sat Nov 25 01:38:46 EST 2006
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I wasn't able to be in class this past week so I wanted to write a little bit about my recent reflections on downtown development strategies. I've visited and read about many cities throughout the past year, and even more specifically within the past week. "Downtown" may be seen as a societal construct, rapidly changing in response to demands of corporations and shifting business and power trends. Though I do agree with this and have witnessed these changes, I think the idea and contruct of downtown still holds a constant feeling and meaning. For some, downtown urban areas will always be seen as dangerous places. For example, during Thanksgiving Dinner I was discussing places in Boston and D.C. that I had visited recently and she could only remember bad experiences she had had in such places, sometimes many years ago, or crime/violence she had seen on the news. She cannot disassociate the fear she has developed about downtown urban centers, the "other" place which she must travel to get to from our safe suburban neighborhoods. Being from just outside Boston, she, as well as most, are familiar with the complexity, perhaps insanity, of the Big Dig. While driving through the city last night on a very long detour from the airport, I thought a lot about this huge effort to somehow better the city. To begin to explain the Big Dig is fruitless, but to consider the effort, and billions of taxpayer dollars, which have gone into its implementation and planning, to improve highway transportation and downtown public space, gives me a headache. In this sense, downtown development in Boston has been the key budget issue statewide (and criticized at the federal level)for a few decades now. And secondly, I drove through a lot of cities on my drive home for Thanksgiving this week. Richmond, D.C., Baltimore, New York, Hartford--almost all of which I was faced with severe traffic. Whether it was considered to be rush hour or not, there was traffic. Everyone wanted to get out of these cities, in their cars, to get somewhere else, most likely home, in the huge metropolitan regions outside the urban centers in which they work. Or, that they do not even work in these urban centers, but just outside them, where so many businesses have relocated to in response to former urban dwellers now living in suburbs. Thus, creating more traffic, and less of a reason to approach the downtown regions of cities for those intimidated or not wanting to be bothered by the hassle. I personally love being right in the center of a vibrant downtown area of a city, where there is mixed use land and walkable environments suitable for all people. But I have seen and read about those disadvantaged by the commercialization of downtown development, and have seen those neighborhoods which do not benefit from projects such as Boston's Waterfront/ Faneuil Hall development or Baltimore's Inner Harbor. I recognize that despite downtown development to revitalize urban centers, bring in tourism and business and revenue and reduce crime, it will never be a full solution to the many problems cities face today, all interconnected.
Posted by: Tara
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It's time for our government to reprioritize [Permalink]
Thu Nov 16 22:20:24 EST 2006
Category [/]
Hey Kimberly, I really admire you for posting the million dollar question about drug legalization and possibly opening a can of worms. I completely agree that the US should not compare itself to any other nation because every nation is unique and the US needs to find the best policies that fit its cultural, political, economic, and social mentality and practices. We have not made significant progress in fighting drug use and drug trafficking. If we make drugs illegal because they are harmful, then what about alcohol, chocolate, McDonalds, butter, and donuts (just to name a few)? We are kidding ourselves and acting as hypocrites if we declare one substance more harmful than the next. I would like to see the statistics between heart disease and cancer related deaths compared to drug abuse related deaths. I also believe that drug use is an individual choice that the government and other social agencies should not have any control over because if they do, they are in total violation of our constitutional rights. It is a very slippery slope for the government and other groups to dictate what is good for us and what is not. Yes, I do believe in social responsibility and that the government has a duty to protect its citizens from eating cancerous toxins, but allowing the government too much power in deciding what we can and can not have is very dangerous. I personally do not want to be told what I can believe in, say, eat, or watch on TV. Most importantly, I think we need to stop with our inefficient drug policies. While our prisons are filled with drug offenders for their victimless crimes, rapists, pimps, and sex predators walk free. Last year, I read in “Mother Jones” that our government (thus, OUR tax money) spends more on prisoners than they do on students which is completely inane, unproductive, and backward in decreasing drug abuse and trafficking. Rather than wasting so much money on drug control, we could be funneling the money into public education which could help keep kids off drugs in the first place by breaking the poverty cycle. The government needs to stop getting involved in drug use and trafficking and start concerning itself with poverty, education, healthcare, Social Security, and welfare which affect millions more of Americans.
Posted by: Jill
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Legalizing Drugs [Permalink]
Wed Nov 15 01:33:16 EST 2006
Category [/]
So I've been toying with this idea of legalizing drugs in America; I mean obviously this is not a new concept-- it was debated over even when my parents were in high school. Though I see the logic behind it from an economic standpoint, I cannot help but feel a little skeptical. As I have mentioned before, I believe that comparing the United States with European countries is dangerous because of the lack of similarities; namely: the lack of racial and ethnic diversity that unfortunately leads to unequal treatment. When I was reading the book "In Search of Respect," I wondered: would making the drugs legal solve the problem for users? I realize it would help those who feel they have to resort to selling drugs to make a living (which when averaged out is not really that much) but what I couldn't help but notice was how much of a distraction drugs were to the young people. It seems almost as though for these users the legalizing of the drug is irrelevant because to them drugs are an escape from the burden of reality. I was talking to a girl today who studied abroad in Denmark. She said the Netherlands are having problems because the free influence of drugs has increased crime rates. She also said the main users tend to be low income people who use the money the government gives them to pay for their drugs. What do we think of this?
Posted by: Kimberly
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Shady Hill [Permalink]
Sun Nov 12 13:57:00 EST 2006
Category [Thoughts on Urban Policies and Problems/]
In a Richmond Times Dispatch article today entitled "Helping hands for Shady Hill", writer Hoffmeyer reports that a local church, Cornerstone Assembly of God, has plans to establish an aid office in the trailer park. While not many details are given in the article about the structure of the office, it seems quite similar to programs established by the City Coalition of Richmond, an organization of non-profits, government agencies, and faith-based organizations that have united to help the Hispanic Community in the City of Richmond. The Coalition’s first project was in the Dutch Village apartments. For various reasons, the Coalition has moved onto the Southwood Apartments, the largest complex in the City. There, they have an office open to all that has information from all participating organizations and the services that they offer: where and how to find medical help, insurance, legal aid and rights, transportation, child care, ESL classes, GED classes, etc. The office and the Coalition also partner with the Boys and Girls Club in the complex and work closely with the management. My questions are these: Is the Cornerstone Assembly of God mirroring this program? If so, will the fact that this is a faith-based organization make a difference? Does that fact give it advantages that the Coalition will never have? Can this church accomplish anything without the incredible amounts of collaboration that it has taken to do even the smallest things in Dutch Village and Southwood?
Posted by: Joyce
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Walnut Grove- a perfect example of the continual sprawl of suburbia in Richmond [Permalink]
Fri Nov 10 19:35:21 EST 2006
Category [Affordable Housing/]
Lately I have heard too many commercials on the radio advertising for this new, wonderful development in Chesterfield campus, not too far from University of Richmond,Walnut Grove. Its commercials tug at the heart strings of Richmonders, invigorating our quest for wide open spaces. Walnut Grove is described as a neighborhood that prides itself on "heavily wooded, gently rolling land that feels like country living" and at the same time "conveniently close" to the rest of civilization. Every time I hear this commercial it sounds like a Disney movie, "we have great neighbors like the Oak and Maple" and I cannot ignore the preachings of Building Suburbia. When we will realize that these "coutnrysides", these escapes from the city are on the way to the electric chair as soon as we create developments within them? We cannot have our cake and eat it too, we MUST compromise with Mother Nature or we are certain to destroy her and ourselves. After our Affordable Housing tour with the Better Housing Coalition I truly believe that new urbanism is that compromise. As depressing as it is, we no longer have the luxury of wide open spaces because of the rapid growth of our population. That is, if we wish to live where only the trees are our neighbors we need to take a class on tee-pee and bungalow building. How long will it take us to wake up from this daydream and realize that the Earth is not infinite, space is limited? If we continue to build outward, in an attempt to escape what we have already created then our awaking will be too late. I hope no one goes to live in Walnut Grove and they give it back to nature or follow the examples of the Better Housing Coalition.
Posted by: Corrie
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Affordable Housing interview with LISC [Permalink]
Thu Nov 09 11:41:11 EST 2006
Category [/]
At the end of October, Tara interviewed Vincent Edmunds from Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC). LISC is a national organization focused on community revitalization. They give loans and grants to local non-profit organizations. LISC’s national presence provides a credible track record that many local Community Development Corporations do not have. According to Edmunds, the biggest challenge LISC faces is a lack of communications needed to build relationships and encourage people to devote time and money to their neighborhoods.
Edmunds believes that affordable housing is a problem in Richmond and many other cities, especially for people who earn very low or minimum wages. He describes the housing stock as a foundation for neighborhoods, sustaining them, sheltering them, and the providing the core that the rest of the community is based upon. Additionally, Edmunds said that home ownership lets family save money for the next generation. Some of the problems specific to having a supply of affordable housing is the NIMBY (Not In My Back Yard) trend and developers focused on building luxury condominiums or houses instead of affordable housing.
Government plays a role in affordable housing and revitalization because with out it, people do not want to make philanthropic donations without it and because working with the government means groups can leverage resources with other groups. Edmunds sees the Neighborhoods in Bloom project as a successful example of how local governments can help revitalization.
The organization is located in Richmond on 100 W. Franklin St Suite 301 Richmond, VA 23220. For more information, go to LISC’s website at www.lisk.org.
Posted by: Andrea
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Affordable Housing interview with HOME [Permalink]
Thu Nov 09 09:30:55 EST 2006
Category [Affordable Housing/]
On October 30, Tara and Megan interviewed two people from Housing Opportunities Made Equal (HOME): Regina Chaney, the Coordinator for Community Relations, and Lorae Ponder, the Vice President of Programs and Operations. They talked about how affordable houses and rental spaces are in short supply. Although the gap between what people can afford and the cost of housing has increased, the money available for down payment subsidies has not changed. Homeownership and good rental properties promote stability and better neighborhoods.
Chaney spoke extensively about her connection to Church Hill. She described how the banks used to not lend money to people with good credit who lived in the North side but the banks were willing to loan money to people on the South side. Currently, many people are rehabilitating their housing so the value of the property increases but that also increases the taxes. Many people who live in Church Hill because it was an affordable neighborhood cannot keep up with these tax increases, which she says can be a hundred dollars or more a month, and are forced to leave.
The organization is located at 700 E. Franklin St., Suite 3A Richmond, Virginia 23219.For more information about HOME, check out their website, www.phonehome.org.
Posted by: Andrea
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Karen Stanley of CARITAS [Permalink]
Thu Nov 09 02:12:55 EST 2006
Category [Homelessness/]
Our group conducted yet another interview on the topic of homelessness late in October with Karen J. Stanley. Karen is the Executive Director of CARITAS (Congregations Around Richmond Involved To Assure Shelter). This organization is the largest emergency homeless shelter in the greater Richmond area, providing linens, cots, food and hope to men, women and children without a home. The CARITAS organization has around 170 congregations of all denominations working towards this common goal of helping with the issue of homelessness in Richmond. Although recognizing the homelessness problem in Richmond, Karen applauds the work of Homeward for streamlining the existing organizations throughout Richmond and therefore placing the city slightly ahead of most other localities in the effort to help those who are homeless and prevent more cases from developing. She credits issues such as the insignificant number of affordable housing options in Richmond and a person's lack of a strong support group as two main causes towards becoming homeless. Without affordable housing options, she explains that there is no "next step" in getting out of homelessness. Even if someone can find a job, it is still a struggle to find a permanent residence that they can afford in and around Richmond. When asked what the average citizen can do to help with homelessness, Karen suggested that we become educated on the issues and support the organizations that are doing something good. She also reminds us that we can volunteer anytime of the year. She expressed frustration in the great amount of people who want to do something around the holidays, however come March or May volunteers are hard to find. "Get involved, learn the issues, be an advocate" she urges in closing. You can find more about the CARITAS organization on their website at www.caritasshelter.org
Posted by: Marcus
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A Word to the Housed from Sekerke [Permalink]
Thu Nov 09 00:24:03 EST 2006
Category [Homelessness/]
As a part of our policy group’s investigation into the issue of homelessness, an interview was conducted with Susan Serkerke, the Development and Marketing Director for Freedom House. Established in 1983 by local churches and individuals, the Freedom House is a nonprofit, homeless service provider that consists—among other things—of two transitional housing programs and Richmond City’s main meal program for the homeless.
Susan, a ’97 graduate from VCU, has been working at the Freedom House for about five years now. Formerly a Public Relations major, Serkerke eventually chose to make a career change and leave the business sector in order to utilize her skills and experiences to market and promote a non-profit cause that she feels passionate about.
In her interview, Susan Serkerke conveyed how—as the gap between the rich and the poor becomes increasingly wider than it has ever been in U.S. History—homelessness is in a state of crisis. According to Serkerke, “homelessness” is really “a state of being, not a class of people--,” a state that any individual can find themselves in when they lack a sufficient support net, particularly if they are already amongst America’s working poor.One of the major factors that Serkerke noted as a contributing cause of homelessness is the lack of affordable housing. In explaining further, she expressed a critical need for this problem to be addressed and that one way of doing so would be to push for public policy that implements a living wage for America’s workers. Pertaining to this, at one point in the interview Serkerke posed a revealingly, significant question: “What is affordable housing to someone working minimum wage?”
This, Serkerke noted, is a challenge for our country in preventing homelessness. Likewise, public policy also creates challenges for those individuals and organizations that are working to reduce homelessness. From an organizational perspective, Susan Serkerke talked about the hurdle that the Freedom House has recently had to overcome in finding a new site for their meal center. Serkerke stated that after eleven years and being denied usage approval of 17 locations, the Freedom House would finally be finished building the new center in its new location by December of this year. So why the holdup? Apparently, social services have to obtain a special use permit from the city council and planning commission before locating or relocating anywhere in the city. Doesn’t sound too bad, but here’s the catch: part of the stipulation of getting approved is obtaining a written consent from the neighborhood association where the building will be located. This, Serkerke explained, was very difficult to get due to the much opposition of “Not In My Backyard” communities.This is just a sample of the type of insight that Susan Serkerke provided us on this issue, which—at least I believe—conveys the need to continue educating ourselves and others about homelessness and the state of homeless, because clearly we all really need to understand that homelessness affects America, and it affects us too.
(For further information on the Freedom House, check out the organization’s official website at http://www.hopeforhomeless.org/.)
Posted by: Dominique
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Richmond Student-John Farmer [Permalink]
Wed Nov 08 23:13:30 EST 2006
Category [Homelessness/]
In the summer of 2004, John Farmer went on a week long trip spent helping the homeless through working in soup kitchens and shelters, going to a park to talk to the homeless and pass out sandwiches, and generally seeing the issue of homelessness on the frontlines. From that point, he has made efforts to help the homeless here in Richmond. John volunteers at Home Again, a shelter for homeless women and children, as well as organizing visits to Monroe Park by students to sit and talk with the homeless people there on the weekends. Due to his work in this issue, he sees the huge divide between the rich and poor on an everyday basis and has some insight into what he has seen cause homelessness, help people to get out of homelessness, how Americans' attitudes need to change, and what some of the problems facing the homeless are. One of his main points was that if we hope to change or significantly decrease the homeless population, America has to approach the problem differently. Just as Ms. Edwards said (see previous blog entry), John stated that we approach the issue as an outsider rather than creating a relationship with someone or creating a sense of community with a commonality of purpose and effort. People have the idea that homeless persons don't put any effort into improving their situation, and the American way is to do everything for ourselves, so many of us don't want to help those who we see as not helping themselves. However, according to John, if we really want to end homelessness, that attitude has to change, and we have to come together and combine our efforts and resources. For more information: Leave a comment, and we can forward it on to John.
Posted by: Kathryn
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Homeward-Ana Edwards [Permalink]
Wed Nov 08 22:44:25 EST 2006
Category [Homelessness/]
Ana Edwards got involved in Homeward as a volunteer originally in 1999 and now serves as the Communications Director for the organization. Homeward serves as a catalyst for collaborative efforts linking resources and organizations that are interested in helping the homeless in Richmond. Our class had the pleasure of hearing how Homeward works and about the issues surrounding homelessness on October 31, 2006, and our group got to interview her further afterwards. Throughout the interview, Ms. Edwards emphasized the need for collaborative work in addressing a social issue. One of the great things about Homeward is that it has managed to get rid of some of the bureaucracy associated with non-profits serving the homeless by creating Central Intake. Central Intake is a single location that allows those who need shelter services to talk to a resource specialist about their whole story and get appropriate referrals as well as a case manager who follows your situation and helps you to navigate the intricate and often frustrating and confusing system. Instead of going from one homeless shelter to another only to find that your 8 year old son can't stay with you at one or that there are no beds at another, Central Intake arranges things where you go straight to the place that can help you best. Ms. Edwards also addressed what homelessness is. Quite simply, it's not having a place to go at the end of the day, and it can happen to anyone. The United States has a society based on growth, and with growth there is always poverty and with poverty comes homelessness, according to Ms. Edwards. Thankfully, there are organizations like Homeward who are attempting to break through some of the issues to allow the Richmond community to learn more about homelessness and work together to make a difference. Some of these barriers she talked about were that there are never enough beds. There is no shelter mandated by Richmond unless it is less than 35 degrees outside. Even when people get back on their feet, there's not enough affordable housing to allow them to break through to mainstream society. Each of the shelters is an individual non-profit with its own mission to serve veterans or single mothers or the mentally ill, and oftentimes families cannot even stay together in a shelter. For example, a mother of a boy over the age of 7 would not be able to take the boy to most shelters with her because he is considered a predator. The homeless are extremely marginalized, both through barriers to rejoining a secure lifestyle and through the judgment of others. Ms. Edwards said that America often separates itself from homelessness without thinking about the fact that the homeless ARE Americans. This is not an issue that we should be looking at from afar but one we should be diving into wholeheartedly. Who knows if the next person to lose their job and get sick without having health insurance and end up missing the rent and living on the streets will be you...or your little sister...or your best friend. The work of Homeward and people like Ms. Edwards is greatly appreciated. For more information: http://homewardva.org/
Posted by: Kathryn
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Better Housing Coalition - TK Somanath [Permalink]
Wed Nov 08 16:09:23 EST 2006
Category [/]
Tara interviewed the president of the Better Housing Coalition, TK Somanath. He has worked for BHC for 16 years to create bottom-up initiatives providing housing for low-income residents. Somanath said he has seen plenty of positive change in the last 15-20 years with the introduction of neighborhood block grants that help with housing for various groups like working families and senior citizens. He also said the issue of housing can't exist in a vacuum: Richmonders need holistic solutions to their housing problems, which include having decent transportation and being able to live relatively close to their jobs and schools.
http://www.betterhousingcoalition.org23 W. Broad St. Suite 100 PO Box 12117 Richmond, VA 23241
Posted by: Megan
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HOME - Connie Chamberlin [Permalink]
Wed Nov 08 16:01:19 EST 2006
Category [Affordable Housing/]
Our group had an extensive interview with Connie Chamberlin of Housing Opportunities Made Equal. She talked about a wide variety of issues, including how HOME seeks to give individuals and families the education to fight discrimination and make choices about where they live. Chamberlin said she thinks the city of Richmond has taken the right steps in dedicating much of its federal funding to support affordable housing initiatives like Neighborhoods in Bloom. Fighting housing discrimination, she said, takes strong multi-sphere cooperation and honesty -- she said many people disregard affordable housing, fo example, because they equate bringing affordable housing with encouraging poor African-Americans living in public housing into their neighborhoods. Chamberlin said HOME is working not only on local initiatives but state ones as well, like establishing an "affordable housing trust fund" to give developers, builders, first-time homebuying programs and other groups access to money to lessen housing costs.
Find out more about HOME at http://www.phonehome.org. The organization is located at 700 E. Franklin St., Suite 3A Richmond, Virginia 23219.
Posted by: Megan
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Affordable Housing Group interviews A.C.O.R.N. [Permalink]
Tue Nov 07 16:18:05 EST 2006
Category [Affordable Housing/]
In late October a few of my classmates were given the opportunity to interview and have a conversation with David Herring and Melinda Skinner of A.C.O.R.N. (Alliance to Conserve Old Richmond Neighborhoods). This is a Richmond, VA non-profit organization which was co-founded by these two staff members in 1999. A.C.O.R.N. “promotes the purchase and renovation of vacant and abandoned buildings in Richmond’s oldest neighborhoods…with the goal of preserving of the cultural and historic assets that give these old neighborhoods their unique character” (A.C.O.R.N. mission statement). As co-founders of the organization, they discussed their involvement in community development in Richmond neighborhoods. Both emphasized the importance of mixed-use neighborhoods with diverse housing options available- rental, condos, home-ownership opportunities for various income levels and apartments- all in close proximity to desirable jobs, services and commercial areas. Both David and Melinda agreed that affordable housing and gentrification are a problem in Richmond, often because as resources are allocated to communities and the neighborhoods become more desirable to live in, housing costs and taxes increase, pushing out those in the community no longer able to afford to live there. They do cite that the city and state governments are taking positive steps to address these issues and think that the general public is becoming more aware of the need for more affordable housing in Richmond. By the work their organization does, they hope to bring support, vitality and investment back into the urban neighborhoods and encourage historic preservation. To find out more about the specific work of A.C.O.R.N., you can contact them at: Alliance To Conserve Old Richmond Neighborhoods 1307-A East Cary Street Richmond, Virginia 23219 Phone: (804) 422-2148 Fax: (804) 422-2147 e-mail: info@richmondneighborhoods.org www.richmondneighborhoods.org
Posted by: Tara
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Affordable Housing Interview--Percy Strickland from CHAT [Permalink]
Sat Nov 04 17:02:21 EST 2006
Category [/]
Our group on Affordable Housing interviewed Percy Strickland, CEO and founder of C.H.A.T. (Church Hill Activities and Tutoring), on October 27th. He has lived in Church Hill for six years and moved there from the West End to face the reality of the city: Richmond is ethnically diverse but living in the West End disregards Richmond’s culture. This interview is useful to our study of Richmond City because it shows one way to “learn how to be a neighbor.” Strickland moved to Church Hill because it is a place where people want neighbors whereas in the West End and other suburbs, every home is a self-contained unit and there’s no need for neighbors. The interview of Strickland focuses on the reality that there is no Church Hill but two Church Hills—North and South of Broad Street. In South Church Hill, the population is almost all white and there is almost no affordable housing while in North Church Hill, the majority of the population is black and is in close proximity to all the big housing projects in Richmond. Strickland argues that social capital, not government assistance or even money, is needed to help strengthen and revitalize a neighborhood. With this belief, Strickland established CHAT to instill a work ethic in the neighborhood kids, to provide a vision of educational achievement, and to provide a safe, encouraging environment for local kids. Investing in the kids and “living where you serve” are several ways to revitalize the neighborhood on the local level. You can learn more about Percy Strickland, Church Hill, and his grassroots organization on his website: http://www.chatrichmond.org.
Posted by: Jill
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Uploading Interview Files to the Blog [Permalink]
Fri Nov 03 11:41:17 EST 2006
Category [Questions about the blog/]
You can add your interview files to the blog and they will appear as a podcast to those subscribed by iTunes. The linked document shows you how to upload your files. Also, if you get street addresses of your interviewees, we can add that data in our blog entries so folks can geolocate the locations using Google Earth or Google Maps.
Posted by: Sue
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An Interesting Resource from an Historical Perspective [Permalink]
Thu Nov 02 13:49:10 EST 2006
Category [/]
I'm not sure if everyone is aware, but the UR Library recently put up the Richmond Daily Dispatch - an archive of a Richmond newspaper that existed from 1861-1865. I did a quick search on Oregon Hill and came up with the following quote:
A Flag of the Southern Confederacy was raised in Sidney, on Saturday evening, on the lot of Mrs. J. A. Pilcher. Shortly after, a lot of Union boys, from Oregon Hill, visited the premises, and demanded that it be taken down. The request was complied with at the time, but the emblem of Southern independence was run up again early Monday morning, and is waving yet.
We discussed a number of areas of Richmond from an historical perspective. It is interesting to read this information from a primary source. Enjoy!
Posted by: Sue
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Cyber Life [Permalink]
Sat Oct 28 23:18:09 EDT 2006
Category [Affordable Housing/]
In an article in the Richmond Times Dispatch this morning, Jeffrey Kelley reports on a virtual world called “Second Life.” Second Life is a place where you create a person to be you, and you go about living life. There is no goal other than to make friends and live. He talks about how many people like to fly and travel the world and live in luxurious places. He also says that if you pay a fee, you can get a piece of land and a salary in Second Life. People basically get to chose how they and where they live in Second Life. What does what they chose say about urban spaces today? Are people going online to live in New York penthouses, or are they choosing to live in the suburbs? Is anyone living in mixed-income housing? What are the implications of the choices that people are making in this cyber world? To see the article, go to the Richmond Times Dispatch.
Posted by: Joyce
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Petersburg Symphony [Permalink]
Sat Oct 28 22:58:43 EDT 2006
Category [Thoughts on Urban Policies and Problems/]
Whenever the Petersburg Symphony has a concert, I go to Petersburg for the dress rehearsal and the concert. Petersburg is about 45 minutes from UR and is its own city. It has a downtown, a university, etc. It’s a traditionally black community, and, for that reason, I have the feeling that it has a very interesting history through urbanization and deindustrialization in the 20th century. Anyway, the Petersburg Symphony is a community organization designed to cultivate and sustain the arts community in Petersburg. However, I always wonder how my presence and other musicians like me factor into this situation. First of all, most of the members are volunteer, but there are a handful of us that are not. We typically come in only for the dress rehearsal and the concert. When I say we are not volunteer, I mean that we get paid enough to cover the cost of getting there. That alone eliminates most professional musicians from playing in the orchestra. Furthermore, most of us that do get paid are white semi-professionals and live and work in Richmond City. The rest of the members, on the other hand, are mostly music teachers and professionals in the Petersburg area. Lately, I have really started wondering what this relationship says about the connection between Richmond and Petersburg. It used to be that Richmond and Petersburg were really far away. Petersburg was “out of town,” but I never really thought about it that way. I realize now that that is inextricably tied to urban growth in the 20th century. Would the Petersburg Symphony even be possible without that urban development? How has the urban landscape influenced the development of other organizations like this and how they are run? For more info on the Petersburg Symphony, see their webpage at www.psova.org.
Posted by: Joyce
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*CARITAS Presentation: Homeless...Not Faceless* [Permalink]
Thu Oct 26 12:31:54 EDT 2006
Category [Announcements/]
Hi Everyone,
I just wanted to inform you of a great opportunity to gain a better understanding and unique perspective on homelessness. Caritas, a Richmond community-based organization which helps find shelter for the homeless, will be hosting the following event:"Homeless...Not Faceless" Description: CARITAS (Congregations Around Richmond Involved To Assure Shelter) and Beth Ahabah invite you to experience the dignity of those who have worked their way out of homelessness and to hear them share their stories of redemption.
When: October 30 , 2006 Time: 7pm Admission: Free and open to the public Location: SanctuaryFor further information, check out CARITAS web site at: http://www.caritasshelter.org. As well, the flyer for this event is available at http://www.bethahabah.org/bulletins/Faceless-plaid.pdf)
Posted by: Dominique
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WHAT WILL IT TAKE [Permalink]
Thu Oct 26 12:19:51 EDT 2006
Category [Thoughts on Urban Policies and Problems/]
What will it take to really see change in this world? What will it take to have all voices heard, to have all communities united, people standing in agreeance, working together to effect change?
I too participated in the poverty simulation and I am amazed by how much it still today impacts how I think and how I understand the connecting issues that are inevitably in-webbed with the issue of poverty which makes it even more challenging and problematic.
As I am writing this, currently I am sitting at NSP—the National Student Partnership organization in which Megan referred to in her posting—, and I am struck by how much my experience here is echoing so much of what I have been learning about in class and through such experiences as the Poverty Simulation. Specifically, with respects to class, we learned about the history of transportation in our country and how it intersects with other urban issues such as affordable housing and poverty. The funny thing—not really funny, more like satiric truth—is that I am beginning to recognize how real that is by my non-volunteering currently with NSP. I say non-volunteering, because I have yet to meet with a client, and by client, I am referring to a Richmond local who is in need of assistance in finding a home, a job, any and everything to help increase their personal mobility in life.So, I have yet to meet with a client and that is not because that I am not here (like I said, I am currently posting this from our office), but it is because my clients—those in need-- are not here. In fact, this is the second day that I have come in for my shift and have been told that our appointments for this morning have been cancelled.
Why? Why the lack of appearance of those who are supposedly in need? Is it because the need is not there or is not urgent? Is it due to a lack of will and personal motivation on the part of those clients? No, think again. Why? Here’s the why: transportation is the why. Or rather, the lack of access to it (affordability, distance, time). Now, before my embarking—particularly this semester—in deepening my involvement in civic engagement, I would have presumed before that, “Oh, that’s no big deal. Understandable, actually.” Yet, it is not until I have engaged in real understanding, learning, and personal investigation that I am able to now see how BIG of a deal that lack of transportation really is, and how, no, we do not often understand the situations and circumstances of those that are truly affected by transportation issues.At the Poverty Simulation that the Civic Engagement House participated in, a part of us understanding the experience was in learning what barriers that the lack of transportation might pose for those in poverty. So during the simulation, every time we wanted to travel from point A to B, we had to pay a given number of transportation tickets—which was our only way we were allowed to be mobile, and this was to represent the cost of gas or of using public transportation. Through the simulation, I can remember being very frustrated and restricted by this rule, and even deluding to thinking that, “This isn’t realistic. This mobility thing can’t be this hard.”
Yet now, sitting here at NSP with no clients and knowing that they are unable to be here with me today because of having no transportation, I clearly see that yes, mobility is hard. It’s very hard.Well, my shift is over—which in itself says a lot; the fact that I can walk away from a situation such as this any time I want. (“Voluntary” waiting. Mhm.) However, if you wish to learn more about the history of transportation and our country’ public policy on it, check out Urban Policy in Twentieth-Century America by Raymond Mohl and Arnold Hirsch, specifically the chapter entitled, “Race and Space in the Modern City.”
Posted by: Dominique
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France Today [