Blog Assignment #6
{March 23rd, 2011
Wednesday
Shalom Community Center
I came in early today to speak to Joel Rekas, the Shalom Community Center director. I am writing a paper for [ENG-W240] that focuses on language associated with homelessness and how it shapes perceptions of people experiencing homelessness. I walked through the main room where guests socialize and greeted a few familiar faces :)
I went upstairs to find Joel. He was at his desk. As soon as I mentioned what my paper would be on, Joel's eyes lit up and his mouth dropped open. He was so eager to talk about this with me. Language associated with homelessness was something he felt very strongly about and worked so hard to change it for the better. He immediately jumped to the Herald Times, a local paper that frequently covers Shalom and other centers and shelters in Bloomington. He had a large printer paper cardboard box full of articles in which the Herald Times covered Shalom and the similar surrounding areas. Joel explained to me that so much of the images that the Herald Times puts out there are negative. He said they associate "low barrier" shelters with "druggies" and "drunks." Joel looked and sounded so disgusted when he was telling me about these articles. It was as if the stereotypes that these articles were reinforcing were not only hurting guests at places like Shalom, but also hurting what Joel has worked so hard for in his time at Shalom. Some shelters will have guests take sobriety tests before coming in if they deem it necessary. Low barrier shelters don't have such requirements (only that guests of course don't make any trouble.) Low barrier shelters will take guests for who they are, no questions asks. No judgements. And yet they get the bad reputation.
[Edit: I later researched some Herald Times articles and there are some that strongly imply or even outwardly make a connection between these negative stereotypes and low barrier shelters. For example in "More homeless choosing to stay at low barrier Interfaith Winter Shelter" on December 17, 2010 by Dann Denny, it is written, "...feel the shelter is enabling people to remain homeless and addicted by allowing them to find shelter after they have been drinking or taking drugs". And in "Addition of Interfaith Winter Shelter isn't reducing use of other shelters" on November 17, 2010 by Dann Denny, it is written, "...the community has a low barrier shelter -- because some people cannot free themselves of the stranglehold of addiction." Source: HeraldTimesOnline.com]
Joel spoke about how the new building had more room for guests to mingle and eat and spend time with their children as opposed to the church basement in which they had the previous Shalom Community Center located. He said there is "more room for guests to walk around and guests now have more access [to areas within the vicinity], whereas in the church basement, much of the center was pretty 'hands off'." Then Joel added, "But it's still not perfect here. We're low barrier, but there's still barriers...." He sort of trailed off.
I thanked Joel for his time and for all of his input. I walked down the stairs.
Down the stairs.
Down the stairs and behind the front desk.
Behind the front desk.
I thought about what Joel had said, "We're low barrier, but there's still barriers." I come here every week to help people get their mail, their bills, their belongings, applications for phones, for loans, for assistance, for employment, for living... And I do it from behind a desk, behind which guests are not allowed. Listen to me... writing about barriers and how awful they are... and I am reinforcing these barriers every time I put on my name tag and stand behind a front desk at Shalom Community Center. I feel sort of... conflicted. I remember I wrote in a paper for [my ENG-W240] class where I said that we need to break down barriers. Let me find it...
Okay, in my positioning essay I wrote,
"There is no single answer, there is just breaking boundaries between conventionalized classifications and building bridges over these demolished boundaries. As for the many complications that may arise, especially the previously discussed predicaments, we will have to cross those bridges when we get to them."
Today made me rethink these statements. What would we do without the front desk? We are low barrier, we will not judge you. But we don't trust you not to take any of the center's things or any of the other guests' belongings in storage. So we have this front desk up here and we will serve you from it.
But what would we do without the front desk? We need it. But it is probably the biggest and most obvious "barrier" between the community of people experiencing homelessness and the volunteers and directors in the center. And I stand behind it. I am on the side of a big barrier that guests approach every day, but do not dare cross.
I wrote in my paper: "demolished" boundaries. We can't... demolish the front desk. It serves an important purpose. But how can we help our guests completely overcome barriers and boundaries from across a barrier/boundary? Maybe... Maybe I was wrong before? We cannot demolish boundaries. We cannot destroy boundaries and then build bridges over them. That almost seems like these easy, not-thoroughly-thought-through way out. Throw some TNT on the boundaries, they explode, there's a big mess leftover, but we just ignore the mess, build a big bridge over the mess, and have everyone cross. No.... Barriers will always be there. What we need to do is overcome them. This sounds harder... not the easy way out. Climbing over the barriers that will still exist despite all efforts to eliminate boundaries. Climbing. This sounds like hard work. No one said it would be easy though. Maybe I'm not reinforcing the separation. I am on one side of barrier, but I am on the other side of boundary, holding onto the rope that was thrown over from the other side so that the climber can hold tight to the rope, without having to think we'll let go on the other side, so that they can climb over. Over the boundary, over the barrier. I feel like I've been looking for an easy solution this whole time and maybe I am too naive to realize that there isn't one. Do I need to realize that there is a solution, but it is a complicated, complex, difficult solution and it's not one-size-fits-all? My job isn't to change the world single handedly. It's to help people help themselves. It's not just one person who can change it for everyone. It's everyone helping each other and it. is. not. easy.
I asked Melissa if instead of being behind the front desk today, I could be on the other side, talking to and listening to and socializing with guests in the main room. She said it was okay and really encouraged me to go speak with the guests. I wanted to be on the other side today.
I saw Harley again today! He introduced me to his "lady friend" from Wales, whose....}
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