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Students Help Homeless and Hungry
by Chris Hayhurst, 12.09.05
"We can end homelessness. It's a complicated problem, but something can be done." |
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Francesca Karle always saw homeless people along the banks of the Ohio River. They'd push their carts, begging for change or handouts, anything to eat. They'd sleep in boxes or beneath piles of bags. They looked cold, hungry, and tired.
When you're brought up in a warm and loving home, a place where you're welcome each night and a bed awaits, it can be easy to forget that homelessness exists.
But Francesca couldn't forget. Instead, she began to volunteer in local shelters. She met homeless people face to face. She gained their trust and learned to trust them herself. And then, as part of a project she worked on during high school, she decided to make a film.
The resulting documentary, On the River's Edge, brought the plight of Chesapeake, Ohio's, homeless to life. "My goal was to raise awareness," says Francesca, who is now 17. "I wanted to show the public what these people go through on a daily basis."
A National Crisis
According to the National Alliance to End Homelessness, at least 3.5 million people experience homelessness every year in the United States. Nan Roman, the group's president, says the homeless population includes a number of children and teens.
"They become homeless as part of families that became homeless," she says. "They become homeless because they run away, or because they're in foster care and they turn 18 and all of a sudden they're responsible for everything, and they don't have a family to fall back on for advice or help."
Roman says that widespread homelessness has become a growing problem since the 1970s, largely due to a lack of affordable housing. In addition, when the economy is slow, as it is now, people have more and more trouble paying for food, health care, utilities, and other basic needs. But there are solutions, Roman says. "We can end homelessness. It's a complicated problem, but something can be done."
Fighting Back
Doing something about homelessness is exactly what the National Student Campaign Against Hunger and Homelessness is all about. The organization's mission is to train student leaders — people like Francesca Karle — who can lead the way in the fight for every person's right to a home. Established in 1985, the group includes a network of nearly 450 colleges and high schools and almost 15,000 student volunteers nationwide. Last year it raised almost $250,000 to help fight homelessness in the United States.
"We work with students all over the place to help them put together community service projects," says the campaign's policy advocate Kathleen Barr. "We also help them plan fundraisers and put together education and advocacy campaigns to make sure that decision makers and elected officials are doing as much as they can to end hunger and homelessness."
Get Involved
Barr says many students join the campaign by attending the group's annual conference, held in October. The conference includes three days of workshops and training, community service, and networking with homelessness experts from around the country.
Other students turn to the many resources the group maintains on its Web site for ideas on how to start the fight at home. "Call your local food pantry, churches, or any other organizations that may be involved in working with the homeless," recommends Barr. "Ask them what they need and how you can lend a hand." Visit a local homeless shelter. Volunteer to help. That alone can make a world of difference.
This summer, Francesca will be touring and speaking at schools on behalf of the campaign. She notes that with just a simple twist of fate — a lost job, an accident, an illness — homelessness can invade any life. "You never know when it could happen to you," says Francesca. "And if it did, you'd want someone to help you in the same way you're helping them." |
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