Have you ever volunteered at a homeless shelter?

Question

If so, tell me about your experience? How did it change the way you look at the world?

Answer 1

Yes, but homelessness is a complex issue.  I work hours in a hostel for homeless people in Brighton. So many people will tell you that homeless people are trading on your sympathies and ripping you off, but actually, even if that were true, it wouldn't stop me from helping.  So I do all the usual stuff, soup kitchens, soup trolleys at night, seeking out the people who need feeding, etc  But then I also spend two nights a week going around London with animal food, looking for stray dogs and cats who are also hungry.  Believe me, whether it's people or animals, there is no end ...

Answer 2

Yes in 2 ways. I helped out at what was called the church shelter program where different churches opened their fellowship space for ppl to sleep 2 weeks at a time and at a women's shelter.  I also volunteered at a ministry for homeless teens called L.A.M.P.  Later the ministry where I volunteer as director operated a shelter.    

Doing this I learned that the average homeless American is a 7 yr old child so  half the homeless ppl in the US are kids under 7.*  That shook me a lot because kids that small do not choose to be homeless and can't solve the problem on their own.  I learned that in our area many homeless parents and other homeless ppl do work but minimum wage often can not support a place to live and all other expenses.   I learned that without intervention a homeless kid has a 70% chance of growing up to be a homeless unwed parent but with good help his or her odds are the same as any other child .     As you can maybe guess from all this this has become a major cause and passion in my life.   A little guy named Michael that everyone thought was hopeless broke my heart and helped it grow,   So did a teen named Olivia** who made it on her own for a long time but finally found help and decided to risk accepting it.  So did a little girl who was the top student in her class for many yrs despite having no stable home.   Her brothers are also top students in their classes.  Their dad became disabled and couldn't work and their mom tries to support them by cleaning houses but she earns barely minimum wage and while she might could pay rent she was not able to get money for deposits too bec here light deposit is $340 and rent deposit $350-500 plus the first rent and maybe fist and last.   So they were first with one relative then another but they taught their kids values and that a good education was the surest way they knew of building a secure life.  

Yes I have seen some who made me want to pound my (or their) head against a wall.   We actually closed one shelter bec it was getting to be too much a free ride and instead put the funds into helping ppl avoid becoming homeless or reestablish a home.   There have to be rules and structure but there also has to be love and understanding.   Many homeless ppl are mentally ill like the guy we are trying to find a place to stay right now.   This means that there can be very serious problems especially if meds are not used properly or if the person tries to "self medicate"     US census bureau says average American family is 2 paychecks from becoming homeless so anyone could all be there. A job loss, a serious illness that took all savings and left the person unable to work even a fire can do that to say nothing of what a tornado or hurricane can do,  

Working with homeless families became my full time work for 5 yrs and is still something I would love to be able to do full time. I know we will not win every battle but with God's help and at His direction we can change some things so some ppl can change their lives.   One thing this volunteering did was give me a sense that I was doing something that was needed and while often exhausting and frustrating was also very satisfying.   I did - finally - learn to pace myself some (actually a vehicle accident and age contributed to that too. I learned to not accept the status quo and got worse about official regs from ppl who chose to not know realities. My confidence grew because when you are passionate about something it gives you the courage to stand up and speak out and when ppl listen it is strengthening.   It also helped build my faith as I saw God answer so many prayers.

Answer 3

I volunteered to urinate in their soup.

Answer 4

To ukok, you're not funny. Maybe you will have the opportunity to end up in a shelter someday, or maybe you will run into an old friend, who has become homeless. Will you help them? I doubt it.

I used to cook for a drug rehab program for about 100 people every single night, in exchange for giving me room and board when my husband left me with my baby and I had no one else to help me and was on the verge of being homeless myself. Their help enabled me to go to school and become self sufficient (and no, I have never been an addict or alcoholic). It made me look at the good in people and how even people whith criminal records and addictions can clean up and become some of the best people you could ever know. I am very grateful for having that opportunity,they helped me more than I could help them. I ended up helping them through my brother, who was a drug addict, and in the end could not clean up and killed himself.

Anyways, yes Christy, maybe you should go do some humanitarian work, maybe it will be a good reality check for you, There is a big world outside of your computer and lots of people that need real help. not  the "all meat eaters are evil morons" and "you all are just jealous of me!" buIIshit you usually provide, do you realize that your purpose in life has become to antagonize people and get $hit started? Some people say you are a man, maybe you are, maybe you are truly a crazy waste of a human life. Whatever the case, you need to step back and look at yourself, what purpose do you serve in this world? anything useful? Are you in real life the same way you are on here?  I hope you really take the time to read this and think about what kind of person you are, I'm sure you, like everyone else in the world, has a purpose and are meant to be doing something positive for others, can you look at yourself and say you are really doing something positive? And don't start with the " I help animals" thing, so do alot of people, but they don't go around antagonizing others either.  If you can't understand what I am trying to say here Christy, you are truly, in every sense of the word, a moron.

Telling people about getting farted on and having problems wiping your @ss don't help anyone. Sorting through fecal matter does not help anyone.  Whether a person wears a wig or not... NOT IMPORTANT.  

But, to answer the question, I guess helping others, then, in the work I do now, and the work I will do in the future when I become a nurse,  makes me realize that positive interactions generate more positive interactions, doing good for others makes others want to do the same, and everyone benefits from it all.  hmmm, positive interactions, maybe you should try it sometime.

In reference to bikerchicks answer, if you all have not heard the song What it's Like by Everlast, find it and listen to it.

one of the best songs ever.

Oh, I do believe I forgot to mention that I did volunteer at the humane society during the summers when I was a teenager

EDIT:  you seem very angry in response to my reply, as if I struck a nerve... I do believe it was too much reality for you, no?  And was that some sort of attempt to hurt me? Sorry, you have failed, it takes alot more to hurt me than someone who doesn't even know me to say things they have no idea about to get to me, I'm actually quite secure about myself. With every detail you add, you just make yourself look more pathetic.  

Oh, and in reference to your "you're all jealous of me" frequent comments, as we all know, people who claim that everyone is jealous of them are simply insecure about themselves.  Good luck with finding help for yourself.

Good answer z v, I actually knew someone with the same situation, her family turned their backs on her because they thought she was on drugs, and she died because of a brain tumor.  You just never know

Answer 5

Yes, at several places in northern California.... Alameda, Oakland, and San Francisco.

It has always been a very humbling experience. I would not say that it changed my life or the way I look at the world. I also do volunteer work in abused women's centers and cancer support groups. I battled cancer in childhood, and I've always thought it gave me a second chance not to take life for granted ever again. I like helping other people in need.

Edit - After reading some posts, I wanted to mention that I agree it is hard to see that some may use a volunteer system to enable their drug or drinking habit. On the other hand, there was a man in one shelter who was hardcore nasty looking and we all wondered why he would live like he did. The man ended up dying under very suspicious circumstances, and when an autopsy was done, it was determined that he had a  tumor that looked like an octopus residing in his brain. Like one person said, we do not know what it is like to walk a mile in someone else's shoes. I'm not saying all cases are like this, but it has made me think harder about being judgmental.

Answer 6

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;...

....mmmmmLLLOOOOOSSSSERRRRRR!!!!!

oh, oh my... this is priceless:

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;...

I.m not surprised that you put your mouth around your boyfriends @$$h0Ie and inhale the gas directly into your mouth.

Well that explains why you talk so much $hIt

EDIT:

heII yeah, new and improved Scottie!

Answer 7

Yes. I was very disappointed.There were the needy and the greedy.There were a lot of people there to just see what they could get for free.Not neccessarily that they needed it.

Now, I am volunteer coordinator for animal control (unpaid).The animals are always thankful for any little hug, pet or kiss that you give them.

bikerchi edit.- It really pisses me off when they ask me for money while they sit there with a beer and cigarettes. I will NOT support any habit and think people who do are pretty stupid.

Answer 8

OMG you're hilarious!!

No I have not volunteered at a homeless shelter.

And why have I not received my strawberry soya milkshake yet?

Christy, I need you to give me that milkshake! Must....get.....protein...somehow.. :-)

Answer 9

Yes, I have. To me it is all about redemption. Can a person be redeemed? To redeem one person is to make the world a better place. I think that is a goal worthy of the effort to try.

Answer 10

I volunteered at a homeless shelter for 2 and a half years when I was in high school. It did change my outlook a bit. It taught me to be more grateful to have a home and a family and food. It taught me responsibility. The 'homeless' people would actually sit with us and talk to us and teach us things we didn't know. (Us being myself and the other workers.) They needed friends and people to talk to and you'd be amazed at the wisdom someone at the bottom of the barrel has or can have. All in all, it was a wonderful experience.

Answer 11

I volunteered to help out in the kitchen. It was good to be able to serve those who are less fortunate than me. Some of them were intelligent with a professional background and something went wrong in their lives. It could happen to anybody.

Answer 12

No, I haven't volunteered, but I was sent out to teach IT skills at one as part of a community participation program by my faculty.

It was not a pleasant experience, as many of the people I was asked to work with had profound drug abuse and behaviour problems, and were more interested in trying to steal the equipment than to learn anything.

Answer 13

Christy, your verbal attack on Mrs Reznor is nothing short of vile and disgusting.

Your questions on this forum are getting worse and its only a matter of time before your account gets suspended, just like it did when you were "Ashley".

I feel sorry for you that you have to retort to disgusting slurs about other valuable members of this forum. It only proves to everyone what a fruitloop you really are.

Answer 14

I have, when I was younger.  On easter I gave out food to the homeless people.  I was young and don't remember much. But I have no interest in people that refuse to get a job.

Answer 15

Not at a homeless shelter, but I've done homeless ministries with my church. Surprisingly, a lot of them are Christians. People look down on the homeless a lot - like, they're just lazy and drug or alcohol addicts. But many have just made mistakes (as we all have) and gone through some tough times, and really are trying to find a job. It saddens me when they are judged. True, some are lazy and whatnot, but most whom I've met are not. I'm always blessed to go and pass out food/clothing, and just pray with them. At first it's a little awkward and you don't know what to say, but God will give you the words. And they are appreciative to have someone to talk to also. These trips have made me realize how much I take for granted, and I've been trying to be more thankful since. It really is a great experience, you should try it out some time!

Hope I helped.

God bless :]

Answer 16

Oh babe, remember when you came and rescued me from the homeless shelter, after you gave me my first Louie Armstrong, I knew I could never be satisfied with anyone else. You blow me away. Nobody else has a mouth big enough to capture all of my gas, and you swallow! It doesn't get any better than that. I told my mom about the experience, and she is intrigued, she wants us to come over tonight.

Answer 17

No, but I have done charity work and events etc, and it was rewarding to know that I did that and it helped others in such a big way.

Answer 18

Like I have said before, Mrs Reznor is a valuable member of this forum.

You are nothing but a troll. Bikerchick is right, get a LIFE!

Answer 19

I used to do voluntary work in a shelter run by the Missionaries of Charity (Mother Theresa's nuns) - it didn't change the way I look at the world but it did make me realise that there are a lot of scroungers about!

Some were genuine cases, most were shirking responsibilities.

I also worked at a day centre for homeless people - again, loads of people and a lot of smack-heads, who were just looking for a free meal, free clothes, free whatever they were giving away. Caught one once going through the pockets of my coat which was hanging up in the office!

There were several  'Big Issue' sellers among the daily visitors . . . I once heard them bragging about how much money they had made that week - the least amount was £300 and one had made £750!!  I have not bought a 'Big Issue' since!

Answer 20

Yes, I have.  Served at a soup kitchen a few times.  It was cool.  Most people are really appreciative, and it makes you realize how much you have compared to others.

(Christy, maybe if you try this, you will realize and learn to appreciate the value of such things as soap, toilet paper, people who actually somehow care about you, any food on your plate, and a place to sleep and start taking advantage of those luxuries instead of b!tching about them.)

Also, I worked as a paramedic and visited shelters and picked up homeless people quite often.  There are the few that are  d!ckwads who just try to be a$$es, but for the most part very humbling.  Like mentioned above, there are those with drug and alcohol problems, but look how many with homes who have the same problems.  They are still people, and a lot of them just got caught up in s**+tty circumstances.  Lots of women and children in the shelters.  Most of the single men can't get in because the first beds do go to women and children.  I  picked up people who would make up being sick just to go to the hospital for a few hours to get a warm bed and hopefully a meal for a little while before going back out on the street.  It used to frustrate me that they were "using" the system, but at the same time,  I would be humbled later in the night when I'd pick up someone who had literally froze to death out on the street.  IT makes you realize how blessed you are when others don't have a warm place to sleep when it's -10 and snowing and there's no food.

EDIT:  To all of those bashing the homeless, you need to remember that the stereo type does not meet all.  I worked with homeless people in a metropolitan city for 5 + years and you need to understand that you can't punish those in crappy circumstances for the bad name a few give...

Dr Doolittle:  I don't blame you.  I wouldn't nor do I expect anyone else to support those who have are able to smoke/drink/buy drugs, ect.  I'm talking about those who really do need food, ect and are unable to get it.

"We've all seen a man at the liquor store beggin' for your change

The hair on his face is dirty, dread-locked, and full of mange

He asks a man for what he could spare, with shame in his eyes

"Get a job you ****ing slob," is all he replies

God forbid you ever had to walk a mile in his shoes

'Cause then you really might know what it's like to sing the blues "

EDIT 2:

DEAR CHRISTY,

PLEASE GO F#CK YOURSELF SINCE GOD KNOWS NO ONE ELSE WILL YOU EVIL SMELLY TROLL.  I am personally offended at the way you are talking to Mrs. Reznor, and I should report you to yahoo- you moron.  Mrs Reznor gave you an honest good answer to your question.  And you put her down for helping others??  WTF???  And it was her husband that was the loser, not her.  She's awesome on the inside and outside- but you will never know anything about being cool in any sense.  Go do us all a favor and find some traffic to play in!