Cornerstone Community Outreach

Today we were once again awoken by a fire alarm, YAY!!! After hurrying to get dressed we left for Cornerstone Community Outreach. We were divided into two groups. One group went to the area in which residents live and cleaned out the living quarters of one of the former residents. The other group was taken to the storage room to sort donations. We ate lunch in the same space as the residents of the shelter and had the chance to interact with them and learn about their life. After lunch some of the group went to fold laundry and the rest of the group returned to the warehouse to finish sorting. Before we left, one of the woman who heads the organization gave a presentation about homelessness in general and about the shelter.

We learned that the amount of money individuals receive from the government when they are on welfare is barely enough to cover rent yet enough food and clothing. We also learned there is not enough public housing available and some people stay on the wait list for more than 20 years while others cannot even make the wait list.

During reflection the group arrived at several conclusions:

-The resident whose quarters were being cleaned had been missing for 4-5 days and that is why her belongings were being packed. It was hard for the people packing to go through her personal stuff and in a way evict her from her house but the space could then used for someone else. A lot of the people were comparing her situation to what would happen if they went missing. People would be looking for them, the police would be called and it would probably be on the news. It was sad that this woman, is far as we knew, was on her own and there was nobody to care for her.

-One of the other groups volunteering in the shelter was taking pictures of the homeless individuals during lunch. Also, they were having a conversation with one of the residents. We were all offended by their behavior. It felt as though they were there to observe the individuals, study them, and change them or fix them rather than just listen to them and learn from them.

-On the way back to the metro, we passed a mother who was cursing at her child. Most of the group was shocked and confused by the situation because they never heard a parent talk that way to their child. We discussed whether or not a child growing up in such an environment would have a chance of a better life somewhere else. Also, we discussed how it would be different to grow up in a home that did not provide a strong support system.

-The group discussed how much of their time and money they should keep for themselves and their needs and how much they should use to help other people. It was hard for people to decide where they should place the line that decides what you need and deserve and what is taking too much.

-The discussion was concluded by talking about choices. It was brought up that everyone has a choice and that just because your parents treated you a certain way and you were raised in a certain environment does not mean that you cannot change your life. You can decided to take a different path and live the rest of your life differently. People then debated over whether or not children born into homelessness had a choice as well because homelessness is all they know. They do not know what other choices are out there because they have never been exposed to them.

The day was hard but provided a lot of potential and hope for the group.

Love,

AD and Sahar