The causes of homelessness in the U.S. are very complex, and there are no easy answers. It's important for students to learn this. Students typically begin the semester with preconceived notions about homelessness and the social factors contributing to it. For their culminating project, juniors Morgan Peddicord and Kate Coleman collected sweaters, scarves, and hats for the homeless, and presented a workshop on hypothermia for students. To help make the transition from stereotypes to substance, theory to reality, and head to heart, students spend at least three hours per week volunteering in one of the region's shelters or soup kitchens.
Students do far more than serve up food, pour coffee, and wash pots.
Moreover, its emphasis on direct involvement provides a model for how to serve. One such student was nursing major Christine Veronneau '01, even though she had already worked for two summers in an inner-city hospital. Through the course and direct contact, I came to understand that homelessness and poverty wear many faces. Neither she nor her classmates were blind to the very real issues of alcohol and drug addiction among some shelter residents. Either way, it is still my responsibility to help those I am able to.