Homelessness in Grand Rapids Winterim Page http://mrtuit.posterous.com A place for participants to share their experiences and learning. posterous.com Fri, 18 Jan 2013 10:51:00 -0800 Final Reflection Gabe Feddema http://mrtuit.posterous.com/final-reflection-gabe-feddema http://mrtuit.posterous.com/final-reflection-gabe-feddema

I never realized how cool those people are! Like I don’t judge homeless people that much, but I sometimes forgot how normal they are. They are so amazing! I made like 50 new friends this week, and it was really great! I definitely respect and love them a lot more than I used to.  And I remember to treat them like actual people. I focused a lot on learning their names, because that makes them real. I won’t be thinking of them as less than they are anymore.  I think the greatest thing about those last couple weeks were how much those people were there for me and how much I wanted to see them. I have been really sick, Thursday I almost fainted, Wednesday I couldn’t breathe, Tuesday was stomach pain. They were so supportive and were really patient when it took me a little bit longer to help them with something--they just appreciated that I was there. Now I know not all homeless people are like that, but these guys changed my life and I’m never going to forget it. 

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Fri, 18 Jan 2013 09:45:00 -0800 day 9 Degage Marquez http://mrtuit.posterous.com/day-9-degage-marquez http://mrtuit.posterous.com/day-9-degage-marquez

Today was great and I did alot of things that helped out. I think its sad that I'm leaving degage when I just made a lot of friends there. I'm gonna miss them all, and I think I learned alot of things from this course. Today I helped bill out with the shelves that were being annoying. I talked to George and Mike and Ron, and they all were sad we were leaving.

I think a learned alot about working at Degage and that I changed my perspective on people who are homeless. I made alot of freinds there, and I hope that me and Gabe can come back and work at Degage for the summer and maybe see some people I met these weeks.

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Fri, 18 Jan 2013 09:37:00 -0800 Homelessness In GR http://mrtuit.posterous.com/homelessness-in-gr http://mrtuit.posterous.com/homelessness-in-gr

This class helped me realize that homeless people are really nice, and trying to get their life back on track. They're NOT just the stereotypical homeless person, dirty looking, shabby clothes, and on the corner looking for money. In Grand Rapids there are WAY TOO MANY homeless people, and the mayor is really trying his best to get them help. But some people would do BEST where they are now. Like in the video we watched about the people who live in the camp. Some of them choose to live there and would prefer to live there  because they think that’s best for them. 

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Fri, 18 Jan 2013 09:18:00 -0800 Final Reflections Workman http://mrtuit.posterous.com/final-reflections-workman http://mrtuit.posterous.com/final-reflections-workman

I can honestly say that before this class I knew almost nothing about homelessness. I thought very strong stereotypical thoughts about homeless people too. Because of this class I learned so much about them that I didn’t know before. I learned who the homeless were, how they became homeless, the impact of homelessness on individuals and community, and what as Christians we can do to help. One of the main things that has changed about me and homelessness is my attitude towards homeless people. Before this class my attitude towards homeless people was very harsh and judgmental. I thought they deserved what they got because they made the stupid decisions that got them where they were and it’s not my problem. Because I learned that not all homeless people are substance abusers and criminals and not all of them made bad decisions, I feel more sympathy towards them and I want to help them more because all people make mistakes, big and small, and as Christians we have to overlook them in order to help them. Even after this class is done I would still like to volunteer and help out at a homeless shelter or one of the placements that people volunteered at because I want to do my part in bettering God’s kingdom.

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Fri, 18 Jan 2013 09:17:00 -0800 Reflection Taylor http://mrtuit.posterous.com/reflection-taylor http://mrtuit.posterous.com/reflection-taylor

Over the past 2 weeks I’ve learned a lot. I’ve learned that little things can help out people in a BIG way. I don’t have much to explain because I have explained it all through my blogs and the 4 questions we talked about, but I will say the important stuff I learned. The main thing I learned is to take homelessness more seriously. It’s something not to play around with, because your future starts right now. You can’t mess that up. So I will have to take school, my education, and my mom’s stress more seriously.

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Fri, 18 Jan 2013 09:17:00 -0800 Final Reflection http://mrtuit.posterous.com/final-reflection-last-blog-post http://mrtuit.posterous.com/final-reflection-last-blog-post

            Throughout this whole experience, I have learned a lot about homelessness, and how I should act in response to homeless people. I now have different ideas about homelessness. I used to see a stereotypical homeless man in my head. Now I see more than that:  I see families who lost their homes somehow and need help. My attitude towards homeless people has also changed. I now don’t think of them as lazy or dirty, now I think of them as people without homes. I have also changed the way I act around homeless people. If I see another panhandler, I won’t give them free money, I will try to give them food or gift certificates. I won’t treat homelessness as a small thing anymore, and I will do my best to end it.

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Fri, 18 Jan 2013 09:15:28 -0800 Final Reflection Van Tol http://mrtuit.posterous.com/final-reflection-van-tol http://mrtuit.posterous.com/final-reflection-van-tol

How have I changed?

Thoughts:

I look at the homeless people as normal people just living harder lives. I personally don’t like when people say they’re just consumers. Yes, they take stuff from you and they can’t give you anything in return. But, the things you do for them, even if it’s a very small favor, they really appreciate it.

Attitudes:

I always make sure my attitude toward homeless people is positive. I keep my head high and encourage them so they don’t ever give up. They could have a great future ahead of them and I’d be sad to see them give up and not get anywhere in life.

Actions:

Now that I have had a bigger experience with the homelessness I plan to help them out as much as I can in a respectful way. For example, see them as people, stand up for them, give, volunteer, and come up with a plan to help. For now, I plan to volunteer and donate stuff, but I’d also like to look into doing social work later on in life.

 

 

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Fri, 18 Jan 2013 09:15:23 -0800 Final Relfection Fethke http://mrtuit.posterous.com/final-relfection-fethke http://mrtuit.posterous.com/final-relfection-fethke

To reflect on this course, I have realized a lot about my community and myself. I never really understood the real definition of homeless, never really understood how easy it is to become homeless. It actually frightens me how easy it is to become homeless, like after hearing Amanda’s story. I also realized how many people in Grand Rapids were really homeless…there are way more than I thought. I also think after volunteering my time at hope, that I want more people to become aware of this problem our culture has created. I want to be a voice for the homeless, and get people involved in helping out. I am glad that I learned more about the homeless so I don’t waltz into a shelter and act ignorant and disrespectful, and hopefully I can teach other people to not do that either. I am incredibly blessed in my everyday life, and definitely don’t deserve all that I have, so I hope I can share my blessings to people who need them more than I do. I am so happy that I took this class, because my faith has grown stronger from this experience and God has blessed me for these last two weeks visiting Hope and learning about this issue.

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Fri, 18 Jan 2013 09:15:10 -0800 Final reflection Calsee McLemore http://mrtuit.posterous.com/final-reflection-calsee-mclemore http://mrtuit.posterous.com/final-reflection-calsee-mclemore

Taking this course has changed me as a person because before taking this class I was not understanding of homeless people and was afraid of homeless people. But now I have totally changed. I feel like I can now approach a homeless person without being afraid or uncomfortable. Taking course has also made me realize how fortunate I am because before taking this class I was ungrateful and did not appreciate the things my parents gave me, but now I am very grateful and feel super fortunate. I really enjoyed taking this course and it has totally changed me as an individual. After taking this class I am going to try to volunteer at least once or twice a month at a homeless shelter and help out.

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Fri, 18 Jan 2013 09:15:00 -0800 Final Reflection McKeever http://mrtuit.posterous.com/final-reflection-mckeever http://mrtuit.posterous.com/final-reflection-mckeever

Being in this class has really got me thinking on how blessed I am being a person that has ever had to go through such a hard experience. It made me feel blessed for all the things I have even if I don’t need them. Not only has it made me realize how blessed I am, but it has been such an great experience meeting new people and just enjoying my time in this class.

Homelessness is such a touching subject.  It's hard to hear all the reasons people are homeless and hear people's stories. Homelessness is such a big part of the community, and that is very hard to hear. Knowing that there are  people who are homeless in each and every school is so sad, and I wish it could stop, but that will  not ever happen; people will always will be homeless, but what can change is the population of homeless people. My attitude towards homelessness has really changed over the last two weeks because instead of having the stereotype of the homeless I will instead think on what I can do to help or even just listen to their story.  I will act in such a way where I feel helpful and safe but that helps a homeless person out or even a whole shelter out. This class has been such a great experience and I’m glad I took this course.

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Fri, 18 Jan 2013 09:15:00 -0800 Final reflection Olushola http://mrtuit.posterous.com/final-reflection-olushola http://mrtuit.posterous.com/final-reflection-olushola

How have I changed as a person that has been around homelessness? Over these two weeks in Winterim I have changed a lot from the way I think about homelessness and homeless people. This changes the way I think of the world also:  I now understand how important it is to stay in school and to get an education. We talked a lot about this in our afternoon class at school. We as a class have found and experienced a lot of what being homeless is all about. Now I think of how it is for my parent to keep their jobs, pay bills, and deal with me (that was a joke!). But now that I know how much is at stake I will do everything in my power to help my mom and dad be able to live their life the way its supposed to be in any way I can. I will also try to volunteer at places like Guiding Light or donate when I can to help out organizations so I can make a difference.  I feel like these two weeks have really been worth it, and I am glad I decided to join this Winterim class. We had a lot of fun and I’ll remember this two week for as long as I live.

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Fri, 18 Jan 2013 09:15:00 -0800 Last Paragraph Johnson http://mrtuit.posterous.com/last-paragraph-johnson http://mrtuit.posterous.com/last-paragraph-johnson

Over all, my whole reflection on this class and the topic of homelessness would be that I learned so much! I learned different people's stories and their struggles and  got to know them on a level not many people are able to know. I got to share my story and hopefully I touched some of my classmates and really opened their minds. I'm really happy I took this class. It changed me in such a good way. Instead of being ashamed and running/ignoring my past, I confronted it and shared it. It’s made me a better and stronger person. I made some really good friend and meet some new people that I wouldn’t have gone up to or try to get to know on my own. Now I know what to do if someone needs helps or just wants someone to listen to. Thank you Mr. Tuit for doing this class and having me be a part of this mind-blowing class.  J

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Fri, 18 Jan 2013 09:15:00 -0800 adrianse http://mrtuit.posterous.com/adrianse http://mrtuit.posterous.com/adrianse

Well it most definitely  made me think about how I will think about a homeless person the next time I see one. It kind a changed the way I see and judge others. My attitudes toward others might be the same, but I will think about it and think how I will treat and act to others. I can’t say that it changed my whole life because it hasn’t. It just makes me see and think differently. That’s how this course changed me.  

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Fri, 18 Jan 2013 09:14:35 -0800 Final Day Bultsma http://mrtuit.posterous.com/final-day-bultsma http://mrtuit.posterous.com/final-day-bultsma

My attitude towards homelessness has been shaped in a way that I would have never imagined. Before this course I didn’t think about the homeless in Grand Rapids. Of course while walking the streets in New York or Chicago, on a vacation, I would see people panhandling but I never really thought it could be just as big of a problem right where I lived. I’ve been made aware of the problems in Grand Rapids. I’ve been able to see these situations first hand and talk to some different and wonderful people about it.  I’ve learned to be an advocate for the homeless. Homelessness will most likely always be a problem, but as a community we can fight it. Even though this course has helped me understand the issues of homelessness in Grand Rapids, I will never experience what some of these people have gone through. These past two weeks have been unforgettable and I am so thankful for the people I’ve met and the experiences I’ve had.

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Fri, 18 Jan 2013 09:14:24 -0800 Final Refection Vis http://mrtuit.posterous.com/final-refection-vis http://mrtuit.posterous.com/final-refection-vis  I have changed a lot in this course, not just because I saw people with nothing, but because I saw that from their perspective, I have everything.  I realized it was true. I don’t lack for anything. I am more grateful for what I have, and I really want to make a difference. Watching people open up and enjoy the fact that we were there was my favorite part. I also loved seeing these women who live so close to each other meet one another for the first time because of us girls. I want to continue the work I’ve been doing in the past two weeks. It may not be in the same way, but somehow I’m going pray for and find a way to make a difference.

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Fri, 18 Jan 2013 09:14:20 -0800 Final Reflection Banaszak http://mrtuit.posterous.com/final-reflection-banaszak http://mrtuit.posterous.com/final-reflection-banaszak

On the first day of Winterim, I’ll admit that I was one of those people who looked at all the homeless and thought the same thing of all them, “they got themselves into this mess, and if they want to get out it’s their problem.” Horrible, right? But I feel like that’s the way everyone is starting to think now, that all homeless people are druggies or alcoholics or addicted to something or another. But, as we’ve all learned this week, that’s not the case at all. Now, when I see a homeless person on the street, I think nothing different of them than what I think when I see people who own houses. They are people with stories, with a whole life behind them, with a family, with dreams for the future, just at a bad time in their life right now. Also, before this class, whenever I thought of homelessness all I thought were negative things. I was sad, confused, angry, felt helpless, etc. But now, I know that I don’t need to feel sad every time I see a homeless person, because they could be just as happy as me. Just because they might not have a sturdy roof over their head doesn’t mean they’re not happy even just to be alive. I was always angry about homelessness because I didn’t think people were helping them enough, but that was just me being dumb. I was never helpless! No one is, really when it comes to things like that. I now know I can volunteer for just a few hours on a weekend, or donate clothes to a shelter that needs some, or make a meal for a family, or even just sit down and talk with someone who’s homeless. It’s pretty simple, and I am so glad I know that now. So, to keep going with that idea, my plan now is to volunteer a lot more. It doesn’t even have to be at the same place each time. Maybe one weekend I can help out at Degage, next weekend go back to Family Promise, put money in envelopes at First Place, whatever has to be done. Also, once I start doing that, I hope I can get other people involved in it too. I know going out and volunteering with your friends isn’t really the “cool” thing to do, but oh well. Doesn’t mean you can’t have a good time! And when I’m done here, my dream is that I’ve made some change, big or small, for the better in this world.

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Fri, 18 Jan 2013 09:13:33 -0800 Final Day http://mrtuit.posterous.com/final-day http://mrtuit.posterous.com/final-day

Taking this course has changed me as a person because before taking this class I was not understanding of homeless people and was afraid of homeless people. But now I have totally changed. I feel like I can now approach a homeless person without being afraid or uncomfortable. Taking course has also made me realize how fortunate I am because before taking this class I was ungrateful and did not appreciate the things my parents gave me, but now I am very grateful and feel super fortunate. I really enjoyed taking this course and it has totally changed me as an individual. After taking this class I am going to try to volunteer at least once or twice a month at a homeless shelter and help out.

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Fri, 18 Jan 2013 09:13:00 -0800 blog post barendse http://mrtuit.posterous.com/blog-post-barendse http://mrtuit.posterous.com/blog-post-barendse

     Personal reflection.

I know look at homeless people differently even though in the past I volunteered at Degage Ministries in the food pantry. This class has taught me much more with the speakers hands on experiences and class time.  My attitude has definitely changed. Before, whenever I passed a person that even looked like he was homeless I just walked by staring at my feet. Even though I still don’t stop and have conversations with people that I’ve never seen before, I talk to people that I’ve seen before. A big improvement in my eyes.  I use to think that people on the street corner flaggers were people who just were too lazy to even look for a job, but I now understand that they never want to be standing there but it’s their last resort.  This class has changed me in a good way I have a different view on everything now.       

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Fri, 18 Jan 2013 09:12:00 -0800 Personal Reflection Briseno http://mrtuit.posterous.com/personal-reflection-briseno http://mrtuit.posterous.com/personal-reflection-briseno

     When I first came into this class, I thought about how I was going to help the homeless, and to be honest I did this class because I wanted to learn more about what’s going on and because I wanted to feel good about myself. I always thought of the stereotypical homeless person before this class, lives under a bridge, nasty clothes and someone who pushes a cart with them. While taking this class my view towards homeless people has changed drastically. I don’t want to help them because I want to feel good about myself, I want to help because I really want them to get better and get back on their feet. I don’t think of the stereotypical homeless man anymore, I think of the guys that I met at Guiding Light and how they are great guys who just made bad choices. I’m going to ask  Mr. Ray if it’s possible for me to do some kind of work for Guiding Light during the summer, because being with the guys that I’ve only known for 2 weeks, I’ve gained friendships with them and it is sad that Friday’s my last day with them. This winterim has been a great experience and has opened my eyes more to what is going on in the community I’m in.

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Thu, 17 Jan 2013 10:37:00 -0800 Day 7 Guiding Light Mission Olushola http://mrtuit.posterous.com/day-7-guiding-light-mission-olushola-39888 http://mrtuit.posterous.com/day-7-guiding-light-mission-olushola-39888

Today at the guiding light mission we did the same as any other day, but today I feel really good about the good I've done with the guys at the mission.  Me, Benny and Neal really connected with these guys. Since last week they all know our names, and it makes me happy that I've have met the guys at the mission. They have thought me a lot. I need to stay in school and get the education. I will not make mistakes that I can not fix.

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