TreskaDunbar

Treska Dunbar
SOWK 350
March 7, 2009

March 7th Journal Entry

Today was a rewarding and challenging day. When we got to the Campus for Human Development, there were homeless individuals all over the parking lot. It really hit you like a ton of bricks to see the magnitude of homelessness here in Nashville. Today I learned that chronic homelessness is defined as being homeless for one year or three times in the last four years. It was rewarding to see that we could really help the agency better provide for their clients by providing them with more "cubbies" (a place for the homeless to store their belongings). This is really important to the participants, because it keeps their belongings safe as well as keeps them from having to carry their belongings all day.

When we were cleaning out the building which had been damaged by fire, I felt very sad. We were throwing away all kinds of clothing that was labeled as belonging to participants. It is hard to realize that these people have so little and we were throwing what few belongings they did have into the dumpster, because someone decided to torch the building.

It was also very interesting and frustrating to me that the Campus for Human Development didn’t have any specific programs directed towards women; however, they had a few programs directed towards homeless men. I wondered why they had such a strong interest in homeless males but not females. During our reflection time with the agency employee, she spoke about how homeless women have a more difficult time dealing with the stigmas associated with being homeless as well as the self-image struggles. It frustrated me more to know that she sees it as though they have a real need, but there is no program to help them. We saw only a few homeless women, so maybe they don’t feel like enough people use their facility to warrant them creating a program.

When we went to the Nashville Rescue Mission to eat I got mixed feelings from their clients. I was uncomfortable when we walked in, because workers from the mission would escort us in and the homeless men would look at us with these sad eyes wondering why we were so special to get to go in and eat while they are standing in line. However, the few clients that I conversed with were very thankful that we were there to volunteer our time, they asked us to come back multiple times. So, my first impression of these individuals was incorrect.

Overall, today was eye opening for me. Driving through downtown Nashville was stressful and nerve racking. Serving at the Campus allowed me the opportunity to gain an awareness of homelessness and see a little of what life is like for them. It was interesting to note how each of them are an individual with a story to tell.