With the beginning of our mental health unit, we had the unique opportunity to hear a presentation about homelessness. The Director of Shelter and Housing, Jennielynn Holmes, gracefully agreed to come speak, and share her experiences working for Catholic Charities.
Hearing Jennielynn speak was definitely an eye-opening experience, because I personally knew very little about homelessness before today. I was, like many others, one who stereotypes homeless people as those who hold a sign on the side of the street. Today I learned that they are only a small subset of the enormous homeless population. The issue of homelessness is so much more prominent in Sonoma County then we are aware of, with around 3,000 people living without a home per night.
Clearly Sonoma Country is experiencing major issues in terms of homelessness, and though a sad topic, it was great to hear about the hopeful approach Catholic Charities is undertaking. I love to know that there are things we can do to help in these times of crisis. Because in reality, the problems of homelessness are so much more severe than many think. We tend to overlook that so many people (30 per year in Sonoma County) die from homelessness, and others suffer extreme mental health issues.
From here on out I am definitely going to be looking for ways I can get involved. The major takeaway from the presentation is that the only way to truly solve homelessness is with housing, however before this can be achieved we can definitely help. I got Jennielynn's business card and am planning on contacting her about volunteering. Other simple ways to help, involve collecting necessities for the homeless, which can be donated to the shelters or played in packages for them.
Overall I am super grateful for Jennielynn's talk today, because it created an awareness about people in the community that many of us avoid. Jennielynn hit the nail on the head when she illustrated a barrier of sorts that we construct between us and the homeless. This wall only creates further isolating between us, and drains the hope that the homeless need to get back on their feet. Therefore, small as it seems, interactions such as a smile can make a big difference in the lives of the homeless, who are just like us facing different struggles.
Click here to listen to the presentation.
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