Journeys from PADS to HOPE assists men, women, and families in northwest suburban Cook County who have become or are at risk of becoming homeless. Focusing on intervention and prevention, the HOPE Day Center offers guests and clients mental health support, job counseling and referrals, and help in securing a permanent residence. The mission of Journeys from PADS to HOPE is to individually assess and serve the homeless and near homeless, while broadening community awareness and involvement with the homeless.
SERVICES THAT THEY PROVIDE :
•Mental health counseling
•Vocational counseling
•Substance abuse counseling
•Employee training program
•Case Management
•Outreach services
•Housing assistance
•Nursing visits
•Transportation assistance
•Referrals to pro-bono doctors, dentist, and lawyers
•Clothing closet
•Travel vouchers
•Laundry facilities
•Bedding and tents
•Voicemail and mailbox
•Meals
•Showers
•Lockers
•Health/ personal care
On the march 20th I and MIchael had a two hour mandatory training for all new PADS and HOPE Center volunteers. The training was held at Journeys in Palatine. The agency trainings focus on the agency’s organizational structure, how to interact with the homeless, and on general volunteer opportunities at the PADS sites. We volunteered on two days on March 21, which was the Sunday at Christ Lutheran Church and on March 25, Thursday at Willow Creek Community Church. At both places we worked in two shifts which were set up shift from 6:00 pm to 6:30 pm and first shift that was from 6:30 pm to 11:30 pm . In set up shifts we got the sleeping area ready, which included setting up the pads and linens. The other people in the mean time were receiving food donation from different organizations and communities. When we were done with setting up sleeping area , we helped with preparing serving area and registration desk,setting up facility, and setting up dining area . When we were done we pretty much started our first shift rite a way. Prepared food was provided as assigned to homeless people. As the guest were coming couple other people were registering hem by the register desk. They needed to provide us with main information their name , age, gender. Me and Michael were assisted with serving dinner where on Thursday they had can peaches, spaghetti and meatballs, salad, bread, cookies, and some fruit at the end, and on Sunday they had frozen prepackaged food that contained piece of chicken rice vegetables, they also got bread sweets and fruit salads. After assisting with food we made some time to welcome guests. I had spoken with couple of guests and it made me realize how hard it gets on the streets. I talked to 60 year old guy that’s been homeless for what he said since he was a teenager, which was when he came back from the army. At the training we was told not to ask any personal stuff, because the guest can get really upset and cause scene in some cases. So I just did not ask them to many personal questions, but on the other hand tried joking around with them and introducing my self. Some of them talked about their life but some didn't What really got me is that even tho they live on the streets and their lives are harsh but they are still cheerful and thankful even tho they had nothing. By listening to their stories, and having a chance to talked to them in a way I found that i can be my self around them. After making guest feel welcome and shared some stories with them , we had to then monitor all areas and secure door around 9 a clock, if someone wanted to go out for a smoke or fresh air we had to go out with them , and in this case only male volunteers were able to go out with guests. Then later on we cleaned up and helped around with sorting the food until the next shift didn't come until 11 :30. This was really a great thing to do and I am planning to go there back again and help them out. I felt much better after doing this. It feels good to have an ability of putting a smile on someone's face by giving them food and other minor needs .
The movie Streetwise is a documentary film that follows several runaway youth in the 1980s living on the streets of Seattle. Most are no older than 16, but already have made careers for themselves as pimps and prostitutes, thieves and muggers, panhandlers and dumpster divers, and doing what they can to survive.
It's fascinating to watch the teens Tonya, Munchkin, Shadow, as they live their lives dumpster diving, turning tricks and hustling on the streets of Seattle. You watch them in their day to day lives dealing with living in abandoned motels, parents who honestly don't care that they're prostituting, and dealing with the violence of pimps and venerial disease. So do to all these different issues that were raised in the film I had found this film a lil disturbing. All the things they went thru as teenagers, i could not really imagine what would this be like to go thru.
One of the assignments that we had to do and that I found really interesting was to read a book called Nickel and Dimed. This is a book that talks about unpleasant and awkward economic realities that are going on in
She use to get $2.43 and hour and plus the tips that she received , and the customers would not tip her well. The minimum wage at this present time in
After reading the chapter five of Seccombe, I strongly agree the statement she made that living and surviving welfare touches all aspects of a person's life and not just the economic realm. She discusses about interviews about Jana, and how sometimes she does not make it on just food stamps, which to me is totally understandable and can see many reasons of why not. We are all in various social standings and sadly a lot of inequalities.
For Jana day to day living and decision making its hard and a continuous battle for her. Even thou the food stamps and the money that she receives from welfare is not enough she is still grateful that she even has that. By being on welfare for a big number of people it affects them emotionally. Its hard not to be able to put a food on table for yourself and loved ones, and to worry if u going to survive or not. Working poor class face and deal with many day to day decisions that affect them. It’s a little easier for those that are single and don’t have kids, but of course it just gets harder and more difficult for those who have kids. Making decisions based on their income can cause many of people that are on welfare to be depressed.
Secoombe provides us with a lot of good examples to support her point. In this chapter a lot of good examples on how pearsons life can and is affected by economically struggles and welfare. By reading this chapter I realize how many impacts welfare really has on someone’s life. Its not easy leaving in a era where everything is available but there is shortage of money in many cases. People that are in poverty and struggles live a day to day life where they worry if they going to eat that day, while other in upper class worry which hundred thousand dollar car they going to buy. Living the life people do while on welfare is not easy even thou they are getting free money and food stamps, but the money they get can not help them a lot. It’s a minimum way of living throughout a day.
