Happy Anniversary Shout it Charlotte! It's hard to believe that one year ago, I became determined to make a difference and to raise awareness about some of the stereotypes that plague our city. I had no idea then that writing one article in the Charlotte Observer would lead me to writing as a career. I now write for six publications, in nine different sections, in addition to running the nonprofit.
The most rewarding part of it all has been the countless hours we have spent out on the street with the homeless. It's one of the realest experiences that I have ever been a part of.
And while I do feel blessed that I have been able to raise awareness about some of the obstacles that surround the homeless, there is still plenty of work to do. It's a good reminder to never become idle and to always keep persevering, especially leading up to the Democratic National Convention. I still worry that certain measures may be implemented during the DNC that will target my homeless clients.
Here are some recent homeless related articles:
The working poor, minimum wage, and the correlation between the two
CLT's Shelter Crisis, statistics, and the cure for homelessness
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Monday, February 13, 2012
Lots of articles...
Recently, I was given another title over at the Examiner writing specifically about Mecklenburg County Homelessness. Here are some of the articles that I have written over the last month:
http://www.examiner.com/homelessness-in-charlotte/unwarranted-stereotypes-harm-clt-s-homeless
http://www.examiner.com/homelessness-in-charlotte/clt-s-homeless-population-many-lack-identification
http://www.examiner.com/homelessness-in-charlotte/hidden-talent-within-clt-s-homeless-community
http://www.examiner.com/homelessness-in-charlotte/the-criminilization-of-clt-s-homeless
http://www.examiner.com/homelessness-in-charlotte/unwarranted-stereotypes-harm-clt-s-homeless
http://www.examiner.com/homelessness-in-charlotte/clt-s-homeless-population-many-lack-identification
http://www.examiner.com/homelessness-in-charlotte/hidden-talent-within-clt-s-homeless-community
http://www.examiner.com/homelessness-in-charlotte/the-criminilization-of-clt-s-homeless
Sunday, February 12, 2012
Street Outreach
Serve Charlotte's Homeless will take to the streets of Uptown Charlotte later today, to pass out vital supplies and food to CLT's unsheltered population. The experience is often raw and real, but we always walk away knowing that we have made a difference in their lives. The street homeless individual is so appreciative for our assistance, mostly because there is no expectation...they are used to being ignored out on the street. When we acknowledge them and open up those lines of communications, it does wonders for their self esteem and it also helps restore their self worth.
Friday, February 3, 2012
Good News/Bad News
In life, one must always take the good with the bad. You cannot have the good without the bad, and you can't have the bad without at least experiencing some good. It's a fact of life.
This past Thursday, we welcomed DJ Ciprian to the 9th month anniversary of Serve Charlotte's Homeless meal service. Firstly, 9 months...wow. That accomplishment alone is worth celebrating. Reflecting on where the nonprofit was at the beginning is somewhat comical...We started with 5 volunteers, 20 homeless people, and a large desire to bring about real change.
And, real change followed. Nine months later and we now have 6 partnering agencies, a pool of hundreds of volunteers, and between 50 to 80 homeless people who depend on us for food, vital supplies, and socialization.
The hardest part of attending the meal service for me, personally, is the amount of pain in the room. I see their faces and I feel their pain, and at times it is so overwhelming that I wonder how much longer I can let it eat away at me. But, on the other hand, feeling that pain is good for me because it makes me work that much harder to help my homeless clients.
As soon as I arrived last night, I saw one of my homeless clients that I would have labeled as one of my success stories. Through a lot of communication my volunteers helped him turn his life around. He was doing so well, he had climbed out of homelessness...and all of that changed last night. Him and his girlfriend are homeless, again. It's one of those instances that I look at from outside the situation and wonder, "where do I go from here?"
The Good News
As I mentioned before, we welcomed DJ Ciprian to the meal service to DJ for the homeless. It was such a relief to see my homeless clients smiling and somewhat carefree. DJ Ciprian lifted their spirits and healed their souls. There were 65 homeless individuals in attendance last night, and just knowing that DJ Ciprian brightened their day through music, makes this day and every day at the meal service that much more worthwhile.
This past Thursday, we welcomed DJ Ciprian to the 9th month anniversary of Serve Charlotte's Homeless meal service. Firstly, 9 months...wow. That accomplishment alone is worth celebrating. Reflecting on where the nonprofit was at the beginning is somewhat comical...We started with 5 volunteers, 20 homeless people, and a large desire to bring about real change.
And, real change followed. Nine months later and we now have 6 partnering agencies, a pool of hundreds of volunteers, and between 50 to 80 homeless people who depend on us for food, vital supplies, and socialization.
The hardest part of attending the meal service for me, personally, is the amount of pain in the room. I see their faces and I feel their pain, and at times it is so overwhelming that I wonder how much longer I can let it eat away at me. But, on the other hand, feeling that pain is good for me because it makes me work that much harder to help my homeless clients.
As soon as I arrived last night, I saw one of my homeless clients that I would have labeled as one of my success stories. Through a lot of communication my volunteers helped him turn his life around. He was doing so well, he had climbed out of homelessness...and all of that changed last night. Him and his girlfriend are homeless, again. It's one of those instances that I look at from outside the situation and wonder, "where do I go from here?"
The Good News
As I mentioned before, we welcomed DJ Ciprian to the meal service to DJ for the homeless. It was such a relief to see my homeless clients smiling and somewhat carefree. DJ Ciprian lifted their spirits and healed their souls. There were 65 homeless individuals in attendance last night, and just knowing that DJ Ciprian brightened their day through music, makes this day and every day at the meal service that much more worthwhile.
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