I interviewed but didn't get the job. Regardless of my disappointment, I still feel that getting involved in programs such as this is a worthwhile pursuit. I have resolved to be more active in my own way to further the goals of non-profit organizations like Volunteers of America. They need the help of ordinary citizens, especially in Salt Lake City and Utah in general. It seems to me like too many people consider homeless people to be less intelligent, or of less worth. This has historically been the case. Too few of us (myself included) actually take the time to find out why a person is in the situation they are in (i.e. homelessness). Could it be that these people have been subject to circumstances out of their control? Could it be that the homeless are homeless not because they lack intelligence, initiative, perseverance, etc., but rather that they have been downtrodden by chance or some poor decision, and that they lack the ability (not ability in the sense of their own skill and self determination, but ability in the sense of what society will or will not ALLOW them to do based on social restrictions, assumptions, and so on) to "pick themselves up" as so many others have done.
Or have they? According to studies done by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, or the OECD, upward economic mobility is "relatively low" in the United States when compared with other countries (http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/2/7/45002641.pdf). The "American Dream" is a fantastic ideal and something to aspire to, but it is in all actuality a myth. John Boehner really needs to tear up over this, because his success may be due in large measure to luck, chance, and circumstance. That, and the fact that he is white. But I digress. For many homeless youth, their lifestyle came as a result of desperation and having nowhere else to turn. Many youth left home to escape abuse in its many forms. Many left because of drug addiction. Many left home because they were ostracized by their families for revealing their aversion to heterosexuality. In all cases, the homeless youth that the Volunteers of America work with are termed "throwaway youth", because it is impossible for them to return home. The homes they once had either do not want them any longer, or it is not safe for them to return. Where do they turn to then? Certainly not the man who, in the Salt Lake Tribune's Reader's Forum on December 29, said "Business people come here for conferences and witness addicts, drunks and schizophrenics roaming our city. They [meaning the business people] and the people who call Salt Lake City home deserve better" http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/opinion/50943494-82/homeless-lake-salt-downtown.html.csp). This man then goes on to propose the "best solution for all parties concerned": a tent city. Comments and opinions of this nature betray a callousness that we as a society need to break free from. Such apathy is utterly appalling. My short experience at the Youth Outreach Center has opened my eyes to a better way. Instead of pushing our homeless brothers and sisters away, we need to embrace them and reintegrate them into society. The homeless are not aliens, they are canny, resilient, inspiring PEOPLE who deserve our attention. If they are addicts and drunks, why not help them overcome their addictions? If they are schizophrenics (which is another common stereotype) why not help them on the road to mental health? The homeless are human. They have feelings. They need us and we need them, so let us help them.
