Moreau Center Social Justice Programs

Interns for Justice

Interns for Justice: July 7th – July 12th 2019 (by Brady Corcoran)

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Hello and Happy Summer!

My name is Brady Corcoran and I am serving as an Intern for Justice during Summer 2019 in the Portland area. I am a senior majoring in Accounting and minoring in Sociology. I wanted to pursue the Interns for Justice program as it presented me with the opportunity to dive deeper into my sociology minor and has allowed me to better understand the concepts and material that I have learned in my sociology classes thus far.

The organization I chose to intern with this summer is an organization that serves a population that is near and dear to my heart. Located on Mississippi Ave. and Mason St., Q Center serves as a resource center for those who identify as part of the LGBTQ2SIA+ community and allies of this community. Offering services ranging from peer support groups to simply providing a safe space for folks, Q Center has been and continues to be a resource center for those in need. More information about my organization can be found here: https://www.pdxqcenter.org/

Myself (left) and the Executive Director for Q Center, Cameron (right)

One individual whom I have had the privilege of getting to know by working at the Q Center is Melissa. Melissa identifies as female and is wheelchair bound. She is a frequent visitor to the Q Center and has much to say regarding politics, government and life in general. Melissa has been dealing with houselessness as well as mental health issues. She has been able to find sanctuary at Q Center and spends much of her time here during drop-in hours. At first, I was weary about getting to know Melissa. This was on behalf of the privileges that I have, which include being a white, able-bodied, cis-gender male. However, after recognizing that we both frequented Q Center often, Melissa began opening up to me and talking to me about her life.

One tragic story that Melissa shared with me has helped shape my understanding of how sexuality, gender identity, ableism, and race affect how one is perceived by the public. Melissa often must panhandle up and down Mississippi Ave. in order to afford a decent meal for the day. One day when she was asking folks for money, a white man with his family asked Melissa if she needed a push. She said yes, that would be nice. The man then pushed her nearly into oncoming traffic. He laughed and his family walked away. Melissa recounts that the worst part was that this man had a child with him and explained that children are being taught to hate those who are different, rather than embrace and welcome them.

My heart went out to Melissa as this is but one of the struggles she must face daily. I appreciated Melissa sharing this story with me as I can better understand the struggles that the LGBTQ2SIA+ community faces, specifically the trans community as well as people of color. There are other people out there who are treated poorly simply because they are “different”. This is a continuous battle that we must fight in order to ensure that these groups of people are no longer seen as “less than” by the public, but instead are valued and welcomed into our communities.

“Together, we rise!” – A saying painted on the outside of the Q Center Facility

By working with the Interns for Justice program, I have had the opportunity to dive in and see what issues currently are affecting the LGBTQ2SIA+ community in Portland, in other parts of Oregon and in other parts of the United States. By working to ensure that ALL members of this community are treated as part of the community, not just the G, not just the T, but ALL members who identify as part of this community, it is possible to demonstrate that these people who are often left out matter and are valued members of society. Thank you for the opportunity to dive deeper and explore the issues that are very real to many people living in the Portland-metro area. I look forward to sharing more as the program draws to a close in August.

 

Interns for Justice: July 1st – July 6th, 2019 (by Diana K. Salgado Huicochea)

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Hello Dear Reader,

My name is Diana, I will be entering my Senior year this Fall 2019! I am a Biology and Theology, double major. This summer 2019, I am an Intern for Justice through the Moreau Center for Service and Justice serving at Rose Haven, a non-profit, day shelter and community center for women-identifying people and children experiencing trauma, abuse, poverty, physical and/or mental challenges.

This is part of the “living room” space at Rose Haven.

A reason I chose Rose Haven as my internship site is because as a Biology major I spend most of my days studying the human body or I spend many hours in a lab not interacting with people, especially when I do independent research. This summer, I wanted to work with people and remain in the Portland area to serve my home community. I wanted to work with inspiring and empowering individuals driven towards social justice, I found this at Rose Haven. The team that I work with are incredibly supportive and they are never afraid to be human – to show emotion, to do the work that is needed; to give people the dignity they deserve. To acknowledge that everyone is a child of God.

“Projects for Diana” as an intern I have begun to work on a shelter resource sheet along with the services the shelters provide.

My days at Rose Haven are never dull! Each day I am assigned to work at a different “department,” which is different from my morning and my afternoon shifts. Rose Haven offers many services to our guests and to the volunteers to serve in. Such as advocacy, “the shop” (a boutique for our guests to freely shop in) and you serve as personal shopper, the shower program, the food table, sorting the donation center, cooking food in the kitchen, being “the runner” (giving people the emergency needs they have that day) and/or administrative support. I have been lucky to serve in almost all of them since I have been interning at Rose Haven since the month of May!

All the departments are fun, yet my favorite role is working as the Shower Program Assistant. We allow each guest to have a twenty-minute shower, which is a significant time compared to other places. After their shower, the guest is welcome to spend as much time as they’d like in our vanity space which has a big mirror, blow dryer, hair tools, make-up among other things for the guests to use. I enjoy this role because from the moment the person walks in we aim to give them the best experience. First, the shower space has a clean smell, we offer the guests additional products they can use in the shower since we have shampoo and conditioner dispensers already inside the shower rooms. After each guest is done we disinfect the shower room, for a new guest to use.

It is fascinating to see what a shower can do for the guests –it’s a beautiful transformation! Guests come out of the shower as a new person. Their faces are brightened through the refreshment a simple shower can have. As we, too, know what a shower can do for us, especially when we are not having the best day. The shower rooms also provide that confined space that promotes security and a space for healing and cleansing which is what our guests seek at Rose Haven.

Community Agreement applies to guests, staff, and volunteers.

As guests spend time in the vanity space I have the opportunity to listen to their stories and have good conversations. I enjoy seeing how supportive and kind they are towards each other by encouraging and empowering one another. They help each other do their hair, compliment their make-up and/or the outfit they chose from the shop. The conversations they have among each other are always fun to be part of.

 

The Vanity Space, guests can sit to wait for their shower as it gets closer to their slot time. Behind the screens, we have the mirror and products for them to use.

 

One of the continual challenges I experience is listening to the hardships that these women experience. Our guests share the trauma they have gone through whether it was years ago to a few hours ago. It is difficult to not think about it once my day at Rose Haven is done, but it is something I continue to work on. And of course, the Rose Haven team, the Moreau Center staff, my friends, and journey partners (people also doing the Interns for Justice Program at different sites all over the country) are people I can debrief with.

There have been and continue to be many powerful moments I am been privileged to experience at Rose Haven. The guests I work with bring me every type of joy! As I end this blog post I encourage you to provide the space for a friend, a family member, or a stranger to share a piece of who they are, you will be amazed at the extraordinary experiences people possess!

In great gratitude,

Diana Keyla Salgado Huicochea

Interns for Justice: June 17 – 21, by Claire Matanguihan

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Hi! I’m Claire, an incoming senior studying social work. I’m from the little island of Guam and I enjoy being outdoors, reading, and singing!

A mini-village called “Moonlight Night” created by one of the participants of the “It Takes a Village” program!

As a social work major, one of my biggest career goals is to work with a multitude of underserved populations. And because I have worked with youth before, I thought it would be amazing to volunteer my time at local non-profits to better understand the group I hope to assist in the future.

Like most undergraduate social work students, I spent most of my spring semester searching for an enriching opportunity during the summer that would help solidify my dream to work with underprivileged youth. And out of nowhere, I stumbled upon the Interns for Justice program.

Although I had never really worked directly under the Moreau Center, many of my peers have volunteered and/or spent a huge chunk of their time at UP working with them. So, I decided to apply for the Interns for Justice program and it was honestly the best thing that has happened to me this year. With this program, my only hope was to be able to learn more about my community, engage in much-needed self-reflection, and grow through personal experiences.

This summer I had been given the opportunity to intern at HomePlate Youth Services, a non-profit organization that serves houseless youth in the Portland, Beaverton, and Hillsboro areas. (If you want to learn more about the organization, visit this link: https://www.homeplateyouth.org)

HomePlate has offered me a bunch of opportunities to work directly with youth in the area. Through the “It Takes a Village” program, houseless youth are able to sign-up for three-hour shifts, paint houses to be sold as home decorations or souvenirs, and get paid right away! This employment opportunity provides youth a stable, safe, and guaranteed access to a job and a community.

As an intern at HomePlate, I had been given the task to spear-head the “It Takes a Village” project and make the space my own. Working with different groups of youth almost everyday has definitely impacted me in ways you can’t even imagine. Hearing their stories, interacting with them, and guiding them through creative projects has not only deepened my love for service, but it has also brought me so much joy and confidence for my future endeavors.

Every participant has a story, and not all of the stories were easy to hear. Some of the youth battle addiction, have undergone violence of some kind, or have isolated themselves from family and friends. As hard as it is to hear their struggles, I admire the positivity that each of them have – for HomePlate and their futures. Many of them have dreams, aspirations, and determination to make changes to systems that have been unforgiving to them. I have grown really close to many of the youth that participate in the program and get to give them advice on continuing their education and help them search for jobs. Although sometimes I feel like I cannot do anything more than guide them through their circumstances or provide resources, it is still so fulfilling to know that they can confide in me and other HomePlate staff. HomePlate’s work is truly inspiring – it is a home to so many youth and the relationships that come out of it are so beautiful. And I am proud to be a part of that.

Thank you for reading! – Claire

Interns for Justice: June 10-15, by Georgia Paulk

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Here’s a candid photo of instructing a student how and where to plant some seeds on the farm

Hello! I’m Georgia, a rising junior studying biology, education, and environmental science. I’ve lived my whole life in Portland, and when I’m not working I do improv comedy. But let me tell you about what you have come here for, my wonderful job at the Serendipity Center!

They’re a therapeutic school that provides an alternative education plan to at risk students. Serendipity’s four cornerstone goals to establish for the students in the school setting are: mental health, transition, education, and wellness. More information about this can be found on their website:   http://www.serendipitycenter.org .  Within the curriculum is what’s called the Growing Minds Garden Program, which takes place in a spacious garden and farm area for students to explore ecology, see seeds they planted grow and eventually be harvested, or even just use the space to take a break in instead of turning to electronics. This outdoor classroom is where I have been spending the vast majority of my time.

On what we call the happenstance “disregulated” days, there is higher energy among the students and a reluctance among them to remain on task in class. Of course, these classes also take place in the messy and distracting outdoors, so it is to be expected that there will be hiccups along the way. On one of these days, some elementary students were planting eggplants, so the instructor set the students at stations and started a demonstration of how to best dig a hole and plant in it. Very quickly, many of the students stopped paying attention, and some began doing destructive things. Among the bustle, one student seemed to be fidgeting with his trowel and flinging some dirt around him. A staff member saw this and asked the student to be careful, but he continued to stab at the dirt. Then the student accidentally snapped his plant in half through the stem, and proceeded to panic. I didn’t hesitate for another staff to come settle the situation. I remember being very calm in answering his anxious questions of whether it was dead, whether I was “mad at him”, or if he was in trouble. I said to him, “I know you didn’t do it on purpose, but I am going to teach you how to fix it”. In my head I doubted that it would survive, but I had the student try again at planting it and using the tool properly. He agreed to be more careful next time, and the other students had already begun to settle down. I felt empowered to be able to be proactive with negativity all around me and to use that moment for teaching. In addition, that eggplant is currently doing just fine.

Out of this program I have hoped to achieve a few specific things among many broad things (such as do acts of service for social justice or undergo professional development) that I have already seen growth in. One example has been my goal to manage at least one project of my own idea and effect. The idea of cleaning and organizing the shipping container used as the garden shed came up during the first week, if not day one. With help, I have since turned the dusty box of various garden supplies into an efficient trove that rivals the garden section of an Ace hardware. In my time at Serendipity, I hope that I will have many more positive impacts as I continue to put much care into how I help.

That’s all for now from the garden! -Georgia

Interns for Justice: July 30-Aug 3 (by Ariana Giblin)

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Hi everybody!

 

My name is Ariana Giblin and I am a rising senior studying Biology and Spanish at UP. I have spent the summer volunteering with Virginia Garcia Memorial Health and Wellness Center in Cornelius, OR. Virginia Garcia is a federally qualified health center whose main population is Latin American migrant farm workers. I chose VG because I am a pre-med student passionate about access to healthcare. VG is awesome in that they provide affordable healthcare on a sliding scale system (basically, you only pay what you are able). Here is their website if you’d like to read more! http://virginiagarcia.org/

However, they are not only a medical clinic. They also have a Wellness Center where they host Zumba, yoga, and cooking classes as well as have speakers come in to talk about different topics from diabetes management to how to speak with immigration services. During the summer they also host a kids camp in the afternoons and that is what I have been doing for the past 6 weeks! Most of the kids are patients at the clinic and a majority of them are bilingual. Each day we had a pretty structured schedule.  We would usually start with either cooking or art, then we would have somebody from the community come in to talk about a variety of things–for example, we took some dance classes, built some birdhouses, learned about bees and other pollinators, and so many other fun activities! Then we would have snack and play time (my favorite part of the day) and end with another activity. The first four weeks we had a group of twenty 6-9 year olds, and for the past 2 weeks we’ve had a group of twenty 10-14 year olds. And oh man were the groups very different. I had a blast working with the younger kids as they were as eager to learn as they were to get a piggy back ride. They were super affectionate, energetic, and ready to listen. Working with these kids was so much fun and has sparked a desire to work with kids in the future. I don’t know how/where/when, but I hope to work with kids in this age range again. I had fun working with the older kids too, even though they were much less affectionate and a little harder to get through to. That age is just so cringe worthy–working with them brought back awkward middle schools memories that I had tried so hard to forget.  Each kid in either group has a very different background and getting to know them over the past couple of months has been very special. No matter their situation, they came to camp every day ready to play with a smile (which, admittedly, was hard for me to do some days).

Aside from the kids camp, I have recently been working with a Dietician who is working to implement a program at Virginia Garcia called What Can I Eat. What Can I Eat is a free (!!), four week program through the American Diabetes Association that helps people manage their Type-2 Diabetes. Each week the group will gather to talk about different topics such as shopping for food, eating a balanced meal, and how to manage the holidays or eating out. The program has not actually started, but I have been working on recruiting people for the program via telephone and email. Once it begins, I will help with the data collection (weight, blood pressure, and A1c). I am excited to start this mini research that will hopefully go into the school year!

Although I have had a GREAT summer, this is not at all what I thought I would be doing when I originally chose Virginia Garcia to be my host site. As a pre-med student, I expected to be more in the clinic or at least working somehow in the medical sphere. During the summer they also have mobile clinics that go out to farms in Oregon and Southern Washington, but they told me that they would rather I work at the kids camp than at the mobile clinics as they have plenty of hands there already. This was a bummer, but I am hoping that maybe once the camp ends next week, they will have other, more medical opportunities for me. I have learned a little on how VG and other federally qualified health centers work, but I would be really interested to see the behind the scenes parts of the clinic.

Although I was not able to work in the medical sphere, VG helped me maintain my passion and interest in healthcare access for all and sparked an interest in working with kids. I was really grateful that I was able to practice my Spanish with the kids and their parents as that was one thing I really wanted out of my host site.  All in all, I have had such an awesome summer and hope that I can stay in touch with the people at Virginia Garcia. Throughout the summer, I was grateful to learn a lot of Spanish, how a federally qualified health center operates, and most importantly, how to play hide and go seek tag.

 

Thanks for reading!!

Ariana Giblin

Interns for Justice: July 16-20 (by Hunter Jacobson)

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Hey everyone, my name is Hunter Jacobson and I am a senior finance major at the University of Portland and I am excited that I have been able to be a part of the Interns for Justice program during the Summer of 2018.

For the past month I have been interning at an organization called Innovative Changes.

Innovative Changes was created as a branch of Innovative Housing, which is an organization that aims to help underserved communities find affordable housing in the Portland area. Over time it became apparent that the clients at IH were using predatory financial products such as payday loans and overall had a lack of understanding of the financial system and their own financial situation. As a result IC$ was created to help bring financial knowledge to the same underserved communities.

Innovative Changes administers a four-part financial empowerment workshop that aims to give people the tools to take back control of their financial situation. IC$ also offers one-time classes such as student loan coaching and retirement focused workshops. Additionally, IC$ is one of many authorized organizations in Oregon that sets up Individual Development Accounts (IDAs). IDAs are a way for people who may not have real savings to save some of their money and have it matched by a partner organization such as IC$. IC$ will match each dollar 3 to 1 up to $3000. This means that once an individual has saved $3000 they will actually have $12000 in their account due to the matching. These accounts need pre approval for withdrawal and can only be used for certain things like education, home repair, home buying, car buying, etc. This is an awesome program that should be replicated nationwide as it provides a way for people to get back on their feet or pay for unexpected expenses like home repairs and medical bills.

Through all of the workshops mentioned above, clients can learn about our coaching program at IC$ in which we find volunteers who are willing to meet with clients one-on-one in order to be a financial support system and help find ways that clients can best manage their finances. This program is one of my favorite parts of IC$ because it shows a willingness from the clients to want to be better and a willingness of the coaches to create change in their community.

IC$ is a program of a larger organization called CASA of Oregon. This organization develops low income housing especially in rural farming communities around Oregon. Fortunately, I was able to attend an all staff meeting at the CASA office last week and I was really inspired by all of the people there. It was no secret after several different meetings throughout the day that working in the nonprofit world is not carefree and easy work. The money isn’t the best, you see and deal with difficult things everyday, and the stress can get to people at times, but as my boss Rachell Hall told me; “It’s hard work, but it’s heart work.” I could tell that saying was buried deep in the minds of all the 20 plus employees in the CASA office that day. Difficult things were discussed and one of the CASA employees was working her second to last day at the office, but everyone was still upbeat and excited about the future because of the opportunity that they have to create change every single day. That experience truly inspired me and made me realize the importance of finding a career that excites you and gives you a true sense of purpose.

One specific experience that I would like to share is my experience of attending one of the workshops last week. The room was filled with people of all ages that all came from different financial positions. I could tell from the atmosphere that no one quite knew what to expect and there was a clear sense of nervousness in the room. This theme quickly dissipated as the class went on. The facilitator created a welcoming environment and people quickly realized that no matter the extent of their financial knowledge or experience, they were able to bounce ideas off each other and give each other tips to be more successful. I know that everyone walked out of that classroom with at least one financial tool or piece of information that would allow them to better their financial situation and their lives.

This workshop was a powerful experience because a bunch of people walked into the classroom at the beginning with varying knowledge of finances and varying financial situations, good and bad. By the end, they all had a little more knowledge that came not only from the facilitator, but from each individual in the workshop. It showed me that having a room free of judgement and full of people willing to learn can make a huge difference in a short amount of time.

My experience so far at Innovative Changes has been great and I look forward to being with them for a few more weeks. I hope that with this internship I can take some knowledge that I gain and potentially try to facilitate some classes of my own at UP, specifically on student loan coaching. Bringing financial education to my peers here at UP would be a great way to take what I have learned during the course of my internship and turn it into something tangible in my own small way.

Thank you for reading,

Hunter Jacobson

Interns for Justice: July 9th – July 13th (by Frankie Chicoine)

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Hello everyone!

I am Frankie Chicoine. I was born and raised in Niles, California a small town in the Bay Area. I grew up with two loving parents and an older brother, who all inspire and support me to pursue my dreams and accomplish my goals.

I am a rising junior at the University of Portland where I am pursuing a double major in Philosophy and Political Science with a minor in Social Justice. I quickly found a place to fulfill my passion on campus through the service plunge and being a Service and Justice Coordinator this past school year. I am grateful to be able to call the Moreau Center my home away from home.

In the future, I hope to play an active role in reforming public policy and committing myself to advocacy work to move the world one step closer to positive systematic changes. This summer I have the privilege to work at a non-profit organization that is fighting an important social justice issue: homelessness. In this blog, I will share more of my passion, summer experience, and what is to come.

This summer, I am working with Destination: Home, a nonprofit organization in Santa Clara County. Their mission is to end homelessness. Destination: Home’s focus is to build more permanent supportive housing, have a voice in policy changes, and use collective impact strategies to end homelessness.

In the past three weeks with them, I have learned the importance of collaboration. This issue cannot be solved by one individual, one organization, or even one county. Homelessness can be ended, with empathic, thoughtful, and authentic partnerships.

One of my favorite parts about this experience thus far is the variety of projects and interactions we have each day. I have the opportunity to get experience with communications and social media work, attending meetings with various organizations, diving into important policy issues that impact homelessness, and direct service work.

My goal this summer is to learn. At first glance, this goal is simple and maybe even pointless to share since most experiences are learning experiences. There are so much information and opportunities for being an intern for justice that it is essential that I am being an active learner. I have to want to learn and take full advantage of this incredible opportunity the Moreau Center and Destination: Home is providing me with.

Being an intentional learner has positioned me to learn more about not only homelessness as a social justice issue but homelessness as a systemic issue. It is key to understand the intersectionality of homelessness, health care, race and equity, public policy, land use, food security, and many more systems to ultimately be able to provide effective supportive housing and end homelessness. Every day, I am reminded to be intentional about this work.

One question I am asked often is: why work in an office setting rather than being frontline doing direct service work? I think this question is not only valid but has given me the opportunity to reflect on why I am so committed to social justice.

To start to answer this question, you first have to understand the complexity and reality of the issue. Homelessness is one of the greatest injustices in our world. Ending homelessness is not possible without direct service providers and without direct services for food, shelter, and health.

In Portland, I have had the opportunity to hear people’s stories at Night Strike every Thursday night and provide someone with a warm meal. I have seen the positive impact that day center and shelters have on individuals. That alone is not enough.

The stories, faces, and interactions I have had, lead me to want to fight for a better system with more effective policies and practices. I want to see progress, to see people not live day to day in a shelter but to have a place to call home in permanent supportive housing.

This is why the Housing First model has been adopted as the leading solution to end homelessness. Housing First model is defined by housing homeless individuals and then providing services. This allows them instant stability and courage to succeed.

That is why this summer I knew I needed to be apart of the planning process and the hard work that goes into accomplishing the housing first model. There is a lot of work that goes into planning, building, and supporting projects to end homelessness. This summer I am committed to better understand the system and the best approaches to solving this issue.

As I end this reflection, I challenge you all to be intentional as you learn and as you work. I am excited to continue to be engaged in all aspects of this opportunity and be apart of the solution to end homelessness. Thank you for reading a little about me and my summer thus far!

Love in LA

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Wow. I cannot tell you how many times I have said that word during my time here, let alone in the past 24 hours. I have officially been at Alexandria house for 7 weeks and in LA for 8. The moments of amazement and awe never seem to stop between the ridiculous things kids do and the revelations brought to me through community prayer.

I got to meet up with one of my teacher’s from high school this week and he was asking about life here and my internship. After sharing some of my experiences, it hit me that my dreams of being able to serve the dear neighbor were coming true. Not only have I found a community in which I get to enrich spirits, but the people have accepted me and trust me enough to call me an ally. Every time a child calls me, “teacher,” is a reminder of how blessed I am to have this opportunity and renews my love for humanity.

Yesterday was a particularly hard day, though. It wasn’t because of the kids in the sense that someone did something bad, but more that I was faced with the reality of attachment. I planned on having two more weeks here and was even making arrangements to stay a third, but things back home are not going very well. I decided it would be best if I could be home as soon as possible while still giving this my time here closure. As of today, I will only be pulling into the whimsical driveway of Alexandria house four more times.

I remember my first week here, I sat down and calculated the amount of hours I needed per week to be done as soon as possible. I wanted nothing to do with this city or childcare. I even asked my boss if I could come in an hour earlier, stay an hour later and work nights. I was determined to be done even though I had just started. Now, I can’t even face my suitcase without breaking down. My heart was guarded by the toughest security system but somehow those little hands cracked the code and they have become family. Even if they do not remember me, I know I will. They are evidence of pure joy and love. They have taught me how to be human.

We made these crafts with the kids Tuesday and wore them to wake them up from nap time. Their faces were priceless!

 

Interns For Justice – Grant Sippel Blog Post (Week of June 25-29)

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Hello everyone! My name is Grant Sippel and I am going to be a junior at the University of Portland earning a degree in Organizational Communications with a Spanish minor. I was born and raised in Carlsbad, CA, a beach town right on the coast of California about 40 minutes north of downtown San Diego.

If you take a drive from one end of Carlsbad to the other, it will take you about 30 minutes. During those 30 minutes, you will rarely find any individuals on the streets affected by homelessness. As a child, my dad lived in Oceanside, which is about 10 minutes north of Carlsbad and has a higher population of homeless individuals. Here I would see many folks on the streets and asking for money at intersections, and out of my ignorance I associated Carlsbad as a place that was shielded from this issue. Basically, I grew up in a bubble. When I decided to select UP as my place of education, I knew the change in scenery was going to require a major adjustment on my part.

The reason why I included details about my upbringing and interaction with homelessness is because this summer I have been assisting and working with an organization that strives to end homelessness PERMANENTLY. Solutions For Change is a non-profit organization in Vista, CA that wants to eliminate the “band-aid” approach from our society. Shelters and services for these individuals have them wait in line to give them a meal for a night, a roof over their head for a night, and a bed for a night; it’s all temporary. The very next day they wait in line and may not get any of that. Then what?

The reason that Solutions for Change exists, our vision, is to deliver a permanent, sustainable and replicable community-driven solution to deep poverty. Then, we share it everywhere. We offer a 1,000 day transformation program where residents take part in 3 Initiatives of our organization.

  1. Solutions University (SU) – Our residents spend 500 days “on-campus” at our Solutions University housing where they attend coaching and servant leadership classes, gain knowledge and resources making significant life changes, and work at our main office and social enterprise. Children are in provided childcare during the day while the parents attend classes and work. After the day is completed, they live together along with other families in a dorm-like set-up with supervision by Case Managers.
  2. Solutions Farms/Enterprise (SF) – Solutions Farms is SFC’s Social Enterprise where residents of the program work during the day for the first part of the program. Solutions Farms is the largest Aquaponics farm in the western United States, growing lettuce and fish together (side note: growing fish and plants separately creates a lot of waste, and combining these two products actually benefits one another their growth and resources).  The plants and fish grown are then sold to local markets which bring in revenue for our program – it’s killing two birds with one stone. This work experience teaches responsibility, teamwork, and diligence to stay motivated in the program.
  3. Solutions in the Community (SC) – Once our residents commence to the second 500-day period, they are now “off-campus”. Solutions For Change owns and runs off-campus housing developments where our residents live with their families. They are still part of the program even at a distance, and must pass drug tests and maintain work and provide income for their families.

This approach we have as a society, by giving out a dollar or 50 cents to someone on the side of the road, makes us feel good. But it doesn’t help those receiving our tiny donation ESCAPE their homelessness. It may get them a half-decent meal for a night, but the true issue is the “churn”. As described by our CEO Chris Megison, the “churn” is the the costly and futile cycle that occurs when the root causes of family homelessness are not addressed, causing homelessness to REPEAT. They may get resources and services for a month at a shelter upon acceptance, but after that their time is up and they need to find a new solution and a new place to stay. Many children and families never escape the churn, and these children grow up in a lifestyle of hardship, and equally the parents are hurting because of the hardships their families are facing. Other shelters help with the immediate issues of homelessness, such as offering beds or meals, but they don’t rescue these individuals.

If homelessness is like a bullet wound, the temporary services only stop the bleeding. After a while, you need to replace those bandages and treat them for the pain. However, there won’t be any healing until you get that bullet out. So, surgery is required. Our program is like surgery for these individuals – getting deep down into the roots of their suffering and diagnosing, treating, and curing it. Since we are a 1,000 day program, it’s daunting for someone facing addiction, abuse, or homelessness to put the time and effort in making the change. However, with the perseverance and support our case managers and staff provide to our residents taking that first step, they make it out of those 1,000 days with a complete transformation. Solutions does not only require our residents to show up and pass attendance; we require our residents to show up and WANT to change. I’ve learned that those suffering from homelessness, abuse, addiction, incarceration, whatever it may be, can make a significant change in their lives with only so much help from others. Ultimately, they need to be the ones to want to make that change happen for themselves and their families and see it through.

As an member of this organization, I’ve had the opportunity to attend servant leadership classes with our residents where we examine the difference between servant leadership and co-dependency.  To outline it briefly, it’s the difference in assistance in either a healthy or an unhealthy way. Co-dependency is the act of serving others in an unhealthy manner. The root causes of co-dependency include fear, guilt, shame, lack of self esteem, etc. For example, a loved one may experience a strong fear that their significant other may leave them, so they act to ensure they stay with them. Servant leadership is the act of serving others in a healthy way – if we look at the previous example, it could be communicating that fear, sitting down and discussing what you need and want to see in the relationship, etc. With these points, many of our residents struggle with co-dependency issues which contributed to their unhealthy lifestyles. Many residents were in unhealthy relationships involving money or abuse. Some had family members unintentionally contributing to their addiction by housing them and enabling it to continue, which could have been initiated out of guilt that they fell into their addiction because of the parents’ actions. No matter the contribution, servant leadership can be the antidote for co-dependency. It can redefine how you need to serve others, how to approach it, how to set boundaries, and how to allow yourself to stay involved in a healthy, appropriate, and useful way.

With another half of the summer left, there will be much more to learn about this issue across the world. Solutions For Change believes they have the key to curing the nation’s homelessness issue one step at a time, one family at a time. I’m proud to be working with them and learning about their system and their mission. With their motives and goals, we can all #solutionizers!

Interns for Justice: Lauren Urbina (June 18-June 22)

By

Hello-

I am Lauren Urbina. I am from Pico Rivera, California. I am a rising junior political science major and philosophy minor. From a young age, I had always hoped to attend a college out of state, as I wanted to be able to expand my environment.  I was fortunate enough to have had the opportunity to travel a lot throughout my childhood. Whether it was taking trips to Sequoia or Yosemite, the Grand Canyon, Mexico, even just to different cities around SoCal, I was constantly exposed to different ways of life, cultures, customs and of course, socioeconomic income. Through my interactions with people I met along these trips and in my everyday life, I quickly began to form the idea that despite any assumed, perceived, or actual differences I had with someone I was able to connect with them in a meaningful way. Every interaction was an opportunity for me to learn and reflect on the world around me. Having the opportunity to attend UP has given me the platform to continue on my journey of growth and discovery. In the following paragraphs I will give some more concrete examples of how my passion for social justice advocacy has taken form and where it has led me today.

This summer, I will be working with an organization called, Village Gardens. Village Gardens is a non-profit that makes it possible for New Columbia, Oregon’s largest affordable housing community to grow their own food, gain employment through locally created food projects and have access to a community-run store. Village Gardens is rooted in the notion that everyone has a right to live in a safe and thriving neighborhood with access to good food. In 2001, with the help of Janus Youth Programs, a North Portland based community garden was created in direct response to the poverty, isolation, gang activity and hunger that impacted their  community and families. While the garden location has moved a couple times, the core beliefs have remained the same and its place has a pillar of the community is as strong as ever.

I will be working with three different groups within the organization. The first area I will working in is in grant research, policy, and social media. I will be working alongside Kris, the program director to find some more scholarly based research to assist in their grant drafting. I will also be working to help improve Village Garden’s social media reach so that more individuals witness and support the stellar work that is being done in this community. Another major part of my summer will be devoted to working with the Food Works group, which is a group dedicated to growing themselves, the farm, the community and the business. Food Works is a youth employment program that engages 14-18 year old young people in all aspects of planning, growing, selling and donating certified organic produce in North Portland. The program starts next week and I am super pumped to get to know the youth and hear what issues matter to them and get to know more about their perspective on their community and society. The final phase of my internship will be working in the community market, Village Market. I am really excited for this part as it provides me with the platform to directly engage with the community and learn more about how the public policy addressing WIC, Oregon Food Trail and other government benefits, plus the Market’s program and advocacy efforts are received by the population they are benefiting and how they actually affect individuals whom they are meant to help.

So why food justice? To me food is more than just physical sustenance and nourishment. Food is family. Food is expression. Food is exploration. Food is conversation. Moreover, access to culturally relevant, fresh food is a right that all humans deserve. I took class last fall, the Science of Sustainable Gourmet Food, that really blow the top everything I thought I knew about food production and access. The complex system that goes into our food production, no matter the crop or meat source, it takes a lot of work, patience and knowledge. Furthermore, as we delved deeper into the course and got into a lot of an unethical practices that exist within food production, environmentally, socially and politically, food insecurity and lack of access to healthy food became an issue that I wanted to learn more about and bring light to these issues, especially in my community. In today’s climate there’s lots of talk about obesity concerns, fast-food consumption, and processed food consumption. When an individual does not have the access to healthy, fresh food then fast-food and processed food are the only options. Furthermore, fresh, healthy food is expensive and individuals how live on a low income or receive government benefits, they must be strategic about their food choices as food costs. It is cheaper to buy a bag of chips and a soda than a bag of carrots and it is cheaper to buy a happy meal than to buy the ingredients to make a well balanced- chicken dinner. Access is more than just physical access. An individual living in a location with no car or supermarket within a mile is considered living in a food desert. The New Colombia neighborhood was considered a food desert until the market was put in place, which is awesome!!! However, many individuals are still exempt from healthy, fresh food because of its high costs. My time at the market has really highlighted the complexity behind choice and the various factors that play into someone’s food choice. We have to consider preference, accessibility, and cultural relevance when discussing food related concerns.

I was fortunate to grow up in a family in which I did not ever worry where my next meal was going to come from. My fridge and pantry were always stocked and I had choice. Having traveled to and through many impoverished cities throughout my childhood and even paying attention to the poverty that existed within my own hometown, I saw firsthand that food wasn’t always readily available to all people. Having attended a catholic elementary/middle school social justice topics and advocacy work were at the forefront of our religion classes and we regularly engaged in food drives. The foundation of the need to be of service was rooted in me from a young age but it is the expansion of my environment and my own pursuit to understand the world-the good, the bad and the ugly- that really illustrated how deep many of these issues run, how unique they are to different communities and individuals, and how much the success of my fellow man relates to my success. If I am thriving, eating well and have autonomy in that, then I want to be a source of assistance in extending that to all individuals. What my life experiences have taught me and what my time at Village Gardens has taught me is understand that we want to work WITH individuals and WITH communities to address issues that affect them directly. There’s a quote that I look to often, “If you have come here to help me, then you are wasting your time….but if you have come because your liberation is bound up with mine, then let us work together” -Lila Watson. This quote is special to me because it reinforces my belief that we are all one human family and despite our individual uniqueness we are capable of connecting and engaging with one another meaningfully.

I want end my post with a story from my first day working at the Village Market. I was introduced to Charles, the line cook for the market, as a new ‘social justice intern’ from the University of Portland. The first thing he asked me was, “Social Justice?” What does that mean?” I was a little caught off guard by the question, I wasn’t expecting it. I responded by saying that to me social justice means involving one self within a community and well acquainting oneself with the issues that violate others’ right to pursue their lives as they deserve and desire. Social justice means being active in one’s life and that entails facing the harsh realities and the violations of equal and fair justice. Lastly, I said for me here with this community it means being apart of the community and being present by listening, observing, asking questions and being ready to work. He did ask a couple questions as do what I meant by certain phrases and frankly, what a social justice intern even really means  As we finished our introduction, Caitlin, a member of the market staff said that while Charles wouldn’t have used the term social justice, he has lived it out and continues to do so in his actions, beliefs and words. She explained he is a very grassroots activist and has been doing advocacy work for a long time. I definitely want to make a point to get to know Charles more as I know I can learn a lot from him. His entire aura radiated peace and positivity. When he spoke you could hear the wisdom in his voice, you could see the kindness in his eyes and the openness to connect with new people. This experience had an impact on me because it highlighted the importance of conversation. We may have different ideas, definitions, opinions or concerns on a specific issue or on a broader subject, but through asking questions, listening and TALKING to one another we can learn so much from each other. Given the current political polarization in the country and the unwillingness to foster a conversation with individuals who we perceive to be different and “wrong” in their opinion or logic, has left us at a stalemate. We can’t expect progress without a willingness to communicate and go forth as ONE unit.

As I end this post I will leave you with a few questions: What does social justice mean to you? What social justice issues are most prevalent in your community? What can you do to become more involved in mitigating those issues? After personally reflecting on these questions, I urge you to ask these questions to at least one other person, maybe even someone who you wouldn’t regularly engage in social justice oriented questions with. Thank you for letting me share a little bit about myself and my summer intern journey!

 

Cheers,

Lauren