Life is looking good

I received a call from a homeless man today. He is 50 and was recently released from jail. He was thrilled to find shelter information and promised to call soon for employment info. He said he was “eager to turn his life around and happy to call 2-1-1 first” for shelter information and eventually to find a job and an apartment.

"Life is looking good," he said.

Emad Ghith,
Bi-Lingual I&R Associate (Arabic)
United Way 2-1-1

A Burden to your family?

Yesterday Tom Hendrickson of Model D and I hit the streets to videotape interviews of people who are homeless. The snow was wet and heavy and was difficult to walk into, yet the frigidity of the cold had moved on and we were grateful. We came across a gentleman very near our UWSEM office who was willing to talk. At this point we had room on the videotape for two more interviews. He had a friend with him who also wanted to talk, though I was somewhat reluctant as he seemed rather withdrawn and quiet. I wasn't sure how much usable footage we would get from his quiet friend and didn't want to waste the available videotape. The first interview went well and his friend just stood away looking down. Now I was trying to figure out a way to inform the quiet one that I wouldn't really need his interview. How short-sighted and misdirected I was because the following is what I soon heard.

Glenn, the quiet one, was 23 years old. He's been living on the streets for nearly 2 years. He graduated High School while working full time as a cook to support his mother, grandmother and his brother's newborn. He was involved with a young woman near his age and soon she became pregnant. Her family was unable to help raise the child so his family offered to help. This was the greatest day of his life and the most destructive day of his life.

Soon after his girlfriend and newborn moved into his small apartment he lost his job. He was trying to get as much work as possible to support his family, but the work just wasn't there. His concern for his family was growing ever more each day. Food was less, new clothing was a thing of the past and the basic needs for his family were not being met. And still no work. His options were becoming less and his fear was growing.

The choices he soon faced came down to him eating or his baby. Him eating or his grandmother.

With no money coming in and being unable to support this family, Glenn came to feel that he had become more of a burden to his family than a support. He made the choice to leave his small world so others he loves could eat. He would find food at shelters or in dumpsters. He also heard he might find clothing at these places. He did. But he is still looking for hope.

Not a day or minute goes by without him thinking about his "baby girl" and wanting to reunite with her. He misses his family horribly but replaces these feelings with those of him being a burden to them. I could see this makes it easier for him to accept. I could not.

I am now left with the feeling of "why?" Why him? Why someone so caring and able? Why someone who has tried so hard? and then...

Why anyone?

Bill Sullivan
Team Leader
United Way 2-1-1

A New Face of Royal Oak

“I am hitting the streets of Royal Oak with Bill tomorrow; We have this assignment meeting with the homeless.” I told my wife as I was digging up my heavy-duty camping winter gear.

“Bundle up,” she said, “I do not want you to freeze to death.”

I could not hide my grin thinking how caring she was, to the point of ignoring that I had delivered pizza for a living during college and survived six winters in Detroit. I was particularly curious about such an assignment in a “hip’n cool” city like Royal Oak. The next day, Bill, Loren and I hunted for some homeless individuals and we (surprisingly) quickly stumbled into two of them seeking warmth at the Grey Hound Bus Station in Royal Oak.

Although we only met two interviewees that day, the shock effect was felt, deeply. While taking notes during the first interview, my left elbow went numb, my right arm froze and the nerves of my right hand fingers ceased to respond. I started to wonder how do they survive and, days later, I am still wondering.

Our interviewees, John and Dave, were middle-aged men who lost their employment, endured past [and current] drug abuse recovery, suffered families’ abandonment and were gravely buried under societal stigmatization. John had a felony on his record, which eradicated his hope of finding new employment. Dave had just had a surgery and his chances of surviving the remainder of winter are gradually fading away.

The more I remember their stories the more I feel slapped with painful realizations. We love numbers, statistics and survey results. We tend to factualize what we perceive by finding a way to measure by numbers and standards. This building is 400 foot high, a single colony could have millions of ants, that car could run at 100 miles per hour. We cannot, alas, evaluate and assess things like awe, loyalty, beauty, joy and suffering.

Overwhelmed, I have reached a state of emotional numbness that superseded astonishment; The same one I felt when I heard in 1990 about a Kuwaiti woman who was raped by 48 Iraqi soldiers, the same one I felt when I learned that it took only three months of tribal war to eradicate about a million Rwandans. Why do the words “tsunami,” “Katrina,” “Hiroshima” sound like? Not like any bells ringing but like immeasurable grief and unbearable sorrow. I did not dwell on the number of victims for it was powerful enough to reflect on the “amount” of suffering they had to endure.

This time, suffering was closer to home than ever. It was standing before my eyes in hip’n cool Royal Oak. Standing in the form of men with broken spirit and ailing bodies with no place to go. I still do not know how their frail builds could survive such conditions that made my perfectly healthy body tremble in a few minutes. Their survival is beyond my comprehension and their suffering is beyond my grasp.

Dave mentioned that Royal Oak is booming with new condominiums whose owners consider the very presence of the homeless a risk on the value of their property. I instantly wondered how would I react if my condo association informed me that our elegant “territory” is attracting homeless individuals. While flying in the philosophical sky took me nowhere but to seeing more suffering, my wife brought me back to earth with very few words. She reminded me that some of us do actually care enough to do something about that suffering, even though it is not foreseeable to erase it from existence. We all can aspire to watch, participate in, and promote real acts of compassion toward those burdened ones.

I am still reflecting on that unusual experience and am still amazed how selective our perception of reality is. I can see now the big irony of the odd co-existence of the homeless and the hip in Royal Oak. Next time I visit the area, beauty salons, and fine eateries will not be the first things to strike my eyes. For those who look closely enough, the city has a lot of other features. For me at least, Royal Oak has a new face.

Emad Ghith Emad.Ghith@uwsem.org
Information & Referral Associate
United Way 2-1-1

Pass it on: 211 is call away for needy

From The Detroit News

DETROIT -- Bill Sullivan is learning a thing or two about the homeless in southeastern Michigan, and he's doing it by talking to them.

They aren't just roaming the streets of downtown Detroit, an occasionally unsettling sight in a cleaner and redeveloping downtown. He's talked with them in Royal Oak and Mount Clemens, too, corroborating United Way for Southeastern Michigan data that there's more poor in the tri-county suburbs (270,000) than in the city of Detroit (261,000).

They aren't all drunks and drug addicts, he's found in the more than 60 interviews, so much as individuals with their own hard-luck stories and sometimes their own demons. No permanent address. No phone. No transportation to get to work, if they can get a job.

As Michigan struggles with the collateral damage of its wrenching economic transformation, calls for more cash inevitably will rise -- from nonprofits, from local governments and state politicians. But Sullivan and his team are finding that the help is already there, and the trick is matching the services to the needy.

Bruce: A success story

There's Roderick, who told us Tuesday he's lived on Detroit's streets for 35 of his 44 years. There are Monica and Angelo, who live in a tent behind the UAW-Ford National Training Center. He's disabled, has seizures and can't work; she wants to, but has trouble finding any.

There's Bruce, who'd spent two homeless years in Macomb County until he met Sullivan, operations manager of the United Way's 211 center, a 14-month-old social service information center. Bruce used the two quarters Sullivan handed him with a brochure, dialed 211 and within two days he had a voucher for low-income housing and soon landed a job.

Bruce is, so far, a Sullivan success story.

"There are resources out there," Sullivan told me during our break from walking the frigid streets, along with United Way President Michael Brennan. "But we're doing a really poor job of helping the community know about the resources."

That's where the United Way's 211 system, begun in December 2005, can help. Essentially a 24-7, 365-day social service help line, 211 is a vast database of services that can do everything from help a caller with her gas bill to help a homeless guy find a home.

50 cents, $5 and 211

In its first 12 months, the tri-county 211 system fielded 100,000 calls, and this year its call volume is growing anywhere from 15 percent to 30 percent per month. Yet only 5 percent of the potential market in southeast Michigan, Brennan says, is aware of 211.

That needs to change. Michigan's economy is likely to get worse before it gets better, as thousands leave their jobs under a slew of buyouts, as auto production ebbs to meet demand, as foreclosures and personal bankruptcies rise.

One answer: Bill Sullivan's mobile 211. Stuffed into the back pocket of his blue jeans are 211 brochures wrapped with $5 bills and two quarters taped to each one, a quid-pro-quo to folks on the street who don't want to be.

If the measure of a community's character is how it treats its less fortunate, Sullivan and the folks at 211 are one yardstick that should be used, and often.

Daniel Howes' column appears Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. He can be reached at (313) 222-2106, dchowes@detnews.com or his blog at http://info.detnews.com/danielhowesblog.

[Source]

A Life Impact

On Tuesday, January 30th, I volunteered to assist in United Way's homeless interviews. As I prepared for this assignment I found myself uneasy - I didn't know what to expect. Was our approach going to offend the homeless? Would they think it was all just a big prank? My nervousness continued to grow as Bill, the United Way 2-1-1 Team Leader, and I drove towards Mount Clemens. I began to wonder how the homeless would look at us and treat us or how their circumstances were going to affect me.

As we approached our first person I realized how cold I was. Just knowing that the cold was something that this person experience every day, all day, started to change my heart. I started to worry less about myself and focused on the individuals we were interviewing.

We interviewed Bruce. Bruce was homeless with nothing of his own but the clothing on his back and the food in his belly. He was very nice, educated, and the first thing he did was offer me some Kleenex so I could wipe my nose. He was happy to see someone that was interested in helping him with a change of life.

We talked with Bruce about what he ate and where he slept. But the largest impact came when Bruce told us how he was treated differently because he was homeless. He's not different. He is someone just like me and you - he's just in need of resources so he can seek help and change his life.

As the day ended, after talking with over ten homeless individuals, I went somewhere that I call home - where I can get food, clean clothing, heat, bedding and love from my family. I felt so emotional knowing that there are so many people out in the streets without anything to call their own, wishing they could trade places with someone like me or you. This tremendous experience makes me realize that it doesn't matter where you are today, there's no prediction where you could be tomorrow.

And by the way, Bruce took us up on our offer of help. He called United Way 2-1-1 today and we are going to start working together to find the resources he needs to get his life back on track.

Jazzanee Hayden
Information & Referral Associate
United Way 2-1-1

Dreams of the Homeless

January 26, 2007, started out as an ordinary day. However, it would soon become a memorable and extraordinary day. By 11:00 p.m., my mind was still consumed with thoughts of James, Mario, Charles, Brian and John. These were just a few of the homeless individuals I had been privileged to meet on this day. As part of a project to interview the homeless, these gentlemen educated us to their plight, obstacles and the numerous challenges they face each day as a result of having no home. Quickly I realized that these faces could very well be members of my own family.

Many shared very candidly the unfortunate set of circumstances and tragic events that led to their current experience; a lost job with no unemployment benefits, which translated to no income; an injury on the job that led to no workers compensation or disability benefits, which again, translated to no income; an ex-offender who is consistently stigmatized and denied employment because of his past, and still another, denied housing due to his poor credit rating. And the list goes on. Yet somehow in listening and trying to understand their plight, I realized that the problem of homelessness had become my plight as well.

In the midst of their daily reality and fight for survival for those who find themselves homeless, I still perceived within each person interviewed, a spirit of hope, determination, and a strong individual belief of a better tomorrow. I will forever be touched by the consistent response to the final question posed to each homeless interviewee. When asked about their short-term goals and desires for the future, "A job, a home and a family" became the overwhelming and consistent response. With each answer, I knew that the dreams of the homeless were the same as my own. Their hopes were the same as my hopes. As difficult and far away as their dreams may seem, I'm certain that their desires are certainly not too much to ask or expect.

As I ate my dinner after work, a twinge of guilt settled in as I thought about the homeless, never quite sure where their next meal is coming from. As I lay in my bed, again I felt the sting of being protected from the cold, which I knew was not a reality for many of the homeless. Yet loudest and most prominent of all my thoughts and feelings, were the questions surfacing through my mind, refusing to go away and demanding to be answered. What can I do to make a difference? What can we do as a community to improve the lives of the homeless? Where should we start? How will it end?

And slowly, the answers began to come. I must become an advocate, a voice for the homeless, by caring enough to educate others and encourage them to get involved. The process of where to start has already begun, as we seek to understand the needs of the homeless. We must let the homeless know that though currently downtrodden, they are not forgotten. How will it end? Triumphantly of course, because those of us committed to the cause must refuse to stop until the battle is won. As a united community, dedicated and determined to win, we must work together to end homelessness. We must commit our time and our resources so that every homeless person may realize their most basic hopes and desires; Employment, a home and a family. Truly, this is not too much for anyone to ask or expect.

Carol D. Smith, CIRS
Senior Information & Referral Specialist
United Way 2-1-1

Plight of the Homeless

On the morning of Monday, January 29, 2007, I went out to assist in interviewing the homeless, just to get their thoughts on how and why they became homeless and if they knew of any resources out there that could help them. I felt that I was prepared for the frigid temperatures outside with new gloves and a scarf that I had just bought, but nothing prepared me for what I encountered that morning. As we walked toward Hart Plaza, we approached a man named Angelo. He was sitting on a step in Hart Plaza. This man had on one glove and he was blowing on the other hand without the glove trying to keep it warm.

I quickly gave Angelo the spare gloves I had in my coat pocket. As we interviewed Angelo, he was very articulate and he talked about the struggles of homeless people in general, he talked about how he and his wife, Monica, who walked up a few minutes later to converse with us, are sleeping in a tent and sleeping bags on the Hart Plaza grounds. Angelo is blind in one eye and walks with a cane (he cannot walk very far).

I asked Angelo if he knew of any resources that were available to him and his wife Monica. Angelo said that he knew of the assistance and he even utilized some of them. "However," stated Angelo, "if you go into a shelter at night; in the morning, they kick you out at 5:00a.m., where are we to go then? And as far as the food, it is as if we get the leftovers." Angelo goes on to say, "Do not get me wrong, I am very grateful for anything that I receive, but the food is made days and weeks earlier, such as sandwiches and then it is given to us, the homeless." Angelo’s wife, Monica, goes on to say that she does not mind working, in fact, she wants a job, but doesn't know who will hire her with the clothes that she is wearing. Some of the shelters will not even let her take a bath.

On my journey of interviewing the homeless, I ran into a few more homeless individuals that had only a few goals in life which are to be happy and not have to struggle. Anthony, who has not seen his family in 3 years and has been homeless for 6 years. Ramone, who only needs to get his broken furnace repaired so that he and his mom can go back to their warm home. Gregory, who was in a car accident and never recovered financially or physically and Joseph, who was just released from prison, had no support system and said that he was tired and just wanted to get off the streets.

Even writing this blog brings tears to my eyes to know that there are people in the world that have no food, clothing or a sense of hope. This saddens my heart to the point that, I wish and I want to start my own homeless shelter to get as many people off the streets that I can. However, I am only one person and who will help the rest?

But just think, if we all took the responsibility to care for at least 1 or 2 of our brothers and sisters, it would make the world of difference in their lives and ours.

Wanda Y. Ghannoum
Information & Referral Associate
United Way 2-1-1

Today a murderer hugged me!

The quest of interviewing Homeless people in our region has opened my eyes to the true barriers that are preventing these people from attaining the resources in our community. I've been faced with grace, sadness, strength and despair. I've looked into the eyes of hopelessness unlike I've ever seen before, yet the words of survival speak with dreams and belief. I wonder how this can be. How have I lived 44 years without even the consideration of such conflicting notions? I suppose I cannot understand fully, yet I've just gotten closer to this than I suspect I ever will.

I'm somewhat embarrassed of the preconceived notions I entered this project with. I wondered how I would get measurable responses from those who are doped up, or how I would decipher the thoughts of the mentally ill. Of the roughly 60 people I've interviewed, I don't think but 2 or 3 were clearly mentally ill or high. No, those I've spoken with are just like you and me except that were faced with challenges they were unable to overcome and are now drowning in a fight for their lives. Have many of these people made mistakes that they continue to live with today? Of course. Should these mistakes disallow them from eating? From having warm clothes? From having a roof over their heads? From contributing to our society through work? From being loved?

Anthony quickly approached me asking for help. He told of his struggles. He accounted his attempts to regain his footing. He was really sharing his feelings of giving up and I heard him clearly. With humility and shame he told me how he found his way to the streets of Detroit. He played a part in the murder of someone involved with dealing drugs. He knows he will never be excused from his actions, nor is he hoping to be excused. Instead of choosing to live in fear and anger, he somehow chose love and forgiveness. Could I believe his turnaround or am I being conned? I will never know for sure, but I can tell you I felt nothing but love coming from him. I think that was enough (for me). Upon concluding our discussion of his life and barriers I extended my hand to thank him for his time. In the cold of 10 degrees and a fierce wind blowing upon us, he removed his tattered glove, took my hand, looked as directly into my eyes as anyone ever has, and pulled me into a hug. He blessed me and said thank you. Blessed ME. Why me? It was me who will always be grateful for the insight and experience I learned from him. I know more today, because of Anthony, than I did the day before. Today, a murder hugged me!

Bill Sullivan
Team Leader
United Way 2-1-1

Lou, Steve, James, Ron & Mike: Reflections on a Day Spent With the Homeless

Leaving work last Thursday, I bundled up to brave the cold and prepared to make my seemingly long journey over to Trolley Plaza to get to my vehicle. I hurried as the wind whipped through me, remembering that this day was predicted to be the coldest of the season. After making it to the refuge of my car, I began to plan my evening’s activities, which, for the most part, consisted of preparing dinner for my family, slipping into my cozy pajamas and snuggling up under my leopard-print comforter to watch television.

As I settled into the comfort of home, I began to collect my thoughts and reflect on my day as I normally do at the bedtime. Suddenly, I was struck with this vague feeling of uneasiness.

As I listened to the wind rap against my windows, I couldn’t help but to think of the persons I’d met that day; the people whom, contrary to my preconceived beliefs, have so much in common with myself: the homeless.

I thought about “Lou”, the college-degreed man who could not work in his field due to a stroke. I thought about “Steve”, the articulate antique dealer, who once owned a lucrative business. And then there was “James”, the witty and comical former van driver, who wished he could be more involved with his grandchildren. I thought about how “Ron”, who eventually wishes to work to help the homeless, admits to sometimes having to search trash dumpsters for food.

Each of these people touched me in a unique way, either with their gregarious personalities, their talents, their strengths and resourcefulness or their challenges. Beneath the superficial image of weathered clothing were unique individuals with stories of all their own. They eagerly spoke of lives they had when they were younger. They talked about their education, their families, their dreams and aspirations. At the same time, I was amazed at how candidly they expressed their challenges and details about how they became homeless.

What struck me the most was how homelessness affects one’s pride, self-confidence and sense of self-worth. Many of them told me that the stigma attached to being homeless causes them to be turned away from job interviews, housing and other help that they need. How dehumanizing! “You should try dressing like me. Go walk around looking like I look and try to get some help.See how people treat you,” “Mike” said. Several of them told me that they had gotten so discouraged by their experiences that they had given up hope.

So, as I sat in my warm bed with my full stomach, taking the simple things for granted, I could not get their faces out of my mind. Lou. Steve. James. Ron. Mike. What were they doing right at that moment? Were they indoors or out? Had they eaten? How would they survive the night? How could I help the weary soul of the person who feels forgotten about?

I wished that I had a place for each of them to go, clean and fitting clothes for them to wear and enough food for them to eat. I wished that I could help them put all of their talents to use. I wished that I could give them hope. I wanted them to know that they were not forgotten about…I knew that I would never forget about them.

Kristen Bolds
Research Associate
United Way 2-1-1

Monica

Today I met a homeless woman, Monica, who has been living in a tent with her husband Angelo in the Downtown area of Detroit, Michigan, for two years. I learned that there are few shelters around and most of the shelters in her area are for men only.

It's hard for Monica and Angelo to find food and get money. Monica believes she can get a job - she's educated, she's smart. But she doesn't have the look to walk into a place of business and expect to get a job. That's her biggest concern, she just wants to have some descent clothes and fix her appearance so she can get a job.

Monica has family in the area but they have no idea where she is living. Monica was a single, divorced mother of three. She was living with her mother but couldn't keep up with with payments. She then lost custody of her kids and her father put her on the street.

I wonder what type of family would do that to their own daughter? Monica is a very strong woman and is determined to get back on her feet, she just needs a chance.

Loren Courts
Multimedia Intern
United Way Brand Identity and Communications