Homelessness Issues Raised This Week
By Rachel Davidson
This week marks Santa Clara's first ever Homelessness Awareness Week, organized by a coalition of seven students and supported by various departments on campus. The goal is to shed light on the poverty that surrounds the Bay Area and the rest of the world.
One of the creators of this project, junior Katya Nemac, found her inspiration from the work she did in the Tenderloin district of San Francisco.
"I thought it'd be really awesome if we brought something like that to campus to give people the chance to serve," said Nemac. "A lot of people would like to serve but don't know how to...I'll help get rid of those excuses for them."
Nemac has been planning this week-long event since fall quarter, using resources from Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles to get suggestions and references from their annual HAW. While a national HAW already exists in November, the students involved felt that January would be a more appropriate time for this project because the coldest time of the year brings to life the realities of being homeless.
HAW has organized an event for each day of the week, sponsored by the Multicultural Club, Santa Clara Community Action Program, various groups in Campus Ministry, Core Christian Fellowship and Christian Life Community.
One of the most anticipated nights of the week was Wednesday, where the "Faces of Homelessness" panel was held, showcasing three homeless people who discussed their thoughts, challenges and stereotypes that they have faced.
Director of the Multicultural Center Michelle Tang encourages students to stay involved beyond HAW in ongoing opportunities with SCCAP and Campus Ministry if the events of this week spark their interest. Her own department hosted the first event of the week by screening "The Soloist," a 2009 movie based on a true story of a musician who develops schizophrenia and becomes homeless.
Educating university students is the first step to solving the homelessness problem in our backyard. According to the 2011 Santa Clara County Homeless Census and Survey, 7,045 people are homeless in Santa Clara any given night. Correcting misconceptions is the second largest part of this education.
Some of the most prevalent causes of homelessness include those struggling with post-traumatic stress syndrome, who are often veterans, low-income individuals or immigrants who didn't quite make it, patients ejected from institutions and families who struggle to find affordable housing.
"It's so easy in our college bubble to turn the other way to issues of homelessness," said senior Laura Snowden, who is a program coordinator for SCCAP's San Jose Family Shelter placement. "There's a really visible presence of poverty in this country that people just choose to ignore."
SCCAP hosts five programs to help the homeless, which attract a total of 40 to 60 volunteers every week. While this department hosts fairs and tables, the staff has found that most students who volunteer have heard of the programs from word-of-mouth, or they participate in these as part of the university's Arrupe requirement.
"I want to make serving cool," said Nemac. "I feel like there's a stigma attached sometimes...to change it from that viewpoint to something like, hey, there's an injustice here and we need to do something about it. Especially if they have the skills to do something instead of sitting around and hoping it gets better."
Thursday's event will be working with underprivileged kids and teens and is hosted by SCCAP from 6 to 9 p.m. This Friday, HAW will set up a Tent City on the Benson Lawn to help students learn about the realities of homelessness through stories, statistics, and students' volunteer experiences. Saturday marks the last day of the week, where students are offered the opportunity to join CLC, Interfaith, and Christians in Action as they make, serve and enjoy a meal with local individuals experiencing homelessness in San Jose.
Contact Rachel Davidson at rldavidson@scu.edu or call (408) 554-4852.