In my hometown near Aspen, Colorado, homelessness is not something that is extremely prevalent in a town of 8,000 people. Coming to Denver however, I realized how different life could be, and how many people are impacted by the tough economy. That is the reason I signed up to help with Project Homeless Connect, I wanted to know why so many people were impacted and how things in their lives hand changed to make it so they didn’t have a roof over their heads.
I have never been an early bird, so waking up at 6:15 on Friday morning I was not in the greatest of moods. However, that mood began to change as I walked to the Ritchie Center with fifteen other people who volunteered from my floor. After arriving and grabbing a Nutragrain Bar and a cup of water, I sat outside with friends to wait for the rally. With some confusion, I was then ushered inside and asked to stand in a line. The line was incredible, it just kept going and going and instead of walking back down to where the swimming pool was, I jumped in the middle of the line with some other friends. Once I was lined up outside, I realized that I would be one of the first volunteers to be paired up with a client. I froze, not knowing what to expect as I slowly made my way towards the front of the line. I walked forward and as I paired myself up with the other clients, in order to see who I would be helping that morning, I saw Juan, who looked so quiet and mouse-like I didn’t know if we were going to get along well or not.
After we walked inside and filled out the optional paperwork, he got some food and apple juice (his all time favorite juice) and informed me that all he needed was food stamps and to look into housing. Walking through to where the “housing” was suppose to be, he was disappointed to see that it wasn’t housing at all, instead it was local shelters, many of whom he had stayed with before. However, he did see the shelter that he was currently staying with and walked over to say a brief hello. Leaving the housing section, Juan and I traveled over to the food stamps area that was relatively quiet as it was only eight fifteen in the morning. Sitting down at the table with a volunteer, Juan asked for stamps but was turned down because he did not have proof of his job. Because of that, he was unable to show that he had money to pay for food, something that is required in order to obtain the food stamps. Thinking that Juan didn’t need anything else, I figured he would head home, however the exact opposite happened. He wanted to stay and look around.
As we wandered aimlessly, Juan saw the resume workshop tables and immediately walked over there. He does not have the resources to create a solid resume and the workshop was his chance to create a resume that he could use to apply for a higher paid position at his current work. Completing the resume, Juan wanted to attend the job fair where he picked up several job applications as well as get a haircut, which he never received. While looking at clothes, Juan saw the child support table set up in one of the corners and asked me if we could head that way. Sitting down at the table, he gave he volunteer his social security number and she told him that he owed almost 4,000 dollars in child support. He then explained to me that because of his debt, his driver’s license has been revoked along with several other inconvenient stipulations. Seeing all of these things pile up, I finally realized how such a wonderful and educated person was homeless even though he was employed. He was in debt to his children’s mother without a driver’s license working at a job that only paid him $7.50 an hour. Wow. Also, throughout the morning I noticed Juan’s shyness and how timely his responses were to my questions. The lower part of his head was shaved and there was a very intense scar at the bottom of his hairline. I can only guess, but through his behavior, I feel that he may have experienced some head trauma that caused many of his hard times. Although he was not extremely open throughout the day, I began to piece things together.
After reflecting back upon the morning, I realized how lucky I was to help Juan, a homeless man working at INVESCO Field at Mile High. Homeless four times, twice in the past year, Juan is living in a shelter and working seven days a week in order to try and make ends meet. Juan prepares food in restaurants and is currently prepping food at INVESCO Field. While working on his resume, he mentioned a degree in printing, something that I was intrigued about. He told me he had gone to school for it and because he has education in a highly technical skill, I can’t help but think about the scar that I saw on the back of his head, and I can only imagine how that added to his hard times.
The day came to an end after lunch was served and after checking Juan out, he saw his roommate who he decided to go home with. Not really knowing what to do I just thanked him for coming and gave him a good luck wish. He then proceeded to give me a hug, something that I don’t think I would have initiated, but it was something that had a huge impact on me. I had felt that the day had been a bust because Juan had taken the entire day off to only walk away with a resume. Although I realized that that could further his career, I felt that a home and food would be more helpful. However, it was apparent through the hug that I had more of an impact than I had thought. I had walked around with Juan for only four hours, yet he felt that I had helped him enough to give me a hug.
It is amazing the impact that volunteers have on those they help. Throughout the day at Project Homeless Connect, volunteers made huge differences in people’s lives. Juan received a resume and food from other volunteers as well as moral support from me. Others have expressed their feelings as they describe their positive impacts on those they helped throughout the day. In a blog posted on April 23, 2009, Allison recognized how her client will be better equipped to get a job with her ID and birth certificate. She also said that her client was very thankful for all of the help and that it was a great feeling knowing that she made a difference in her client’s life. In that same blog, Georgia talked about how her client would be able to lead a more stable life after getting an ID and birth certificate, while Michael described how his clients were enormously thankful for his help. In a more structured study, 30 volunteers were studied for a year that gave out food to homeless and neglected teenagers who lived on the streets of Houston, Texas. The study describes how the volunteers impacted the homeless teens that received free food every day. Three teenagers were interviewed and collectively agreed that they realized that there are people out there who are willing to help them no matter what circumstance they’re in. D, whom is a 20-year-old man living a life without a home and full of prostitution that made a close relationship with one of the volunteers. The volunteer found free dental care, helped him find a job and even an apartment. After a year, the man no longer contacted the volunteer but said in the interview that he couldn’t have done it without the volunteers help. Looking at volunteering through the perspective of those in need, it becomes apparent that what time volunteers give to help is extremely appreciated.
Although people know that when they volunteer they will help someone out, it is important to recognize just how big of an impact volunteering has and how much it is appreciated. Through the study and Project Homeless Connect, it is easy to see how small things will change people’s lives and get them back on a positive track. Juan made my whole experience at Project Homeless Connect worthwhile with a simple hug, a gesture that showed how much my volunteering helped him. Other clients were ecstatic about the help from volunteers as represented by several other people. Even in more closely studied volunteer efforts, the impact of what volunteers do has been proven to cause huge changes in those in need. Volunteering is imperative, if there is any question about it, just think about how Juan affected me through Project Homeless Connect.
Works Cited
Bostic, Alison. Weblog post. Civic Engagement Blog. 23 Apr. 2009. 08 May 2009
Ronel, Nick. "When Good Overcomes Bad: The Impact of Volunteers on Those They Help." 2006. Academic Search Complete. Penrose Library, Denver.
Vandahl, Michael. Weblog post. Civic Engagement Blog. 23 Apr. 2009. 08 May 2009
Wettlaufer, Georgia. Weblog post. Civic Engagement Blog. 23 Apr. 2009. 08 May 2009
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