Beggars can’t be choosers, unless you have the cash

If the homeless population really want what they’re begging for, they should learn proper etiquette.

Trash bags line the median at the stoplight on Columbus Boulevard and [Cross Street], but the bags aren’t filled with trash. A man lives at this intersection and the bags are filled with his belongings. He stands hunched over, holding a sign that reads, “Homeless, Please Help.”

I didn’t stop to help.

Project HOME reports there are approximately 4,000 homeless persons in Philadelphia. This estimate includes only those who are living on the streets or in temporary shelters. It does not account for those living in transitional homes.

I encounter homeless people almost every day. From the subway to Avenue North to 7-Eleven, there always seems to be someone asking me for money.

Don’t bother asking me, though. I do not give money to homeless people.

There is a certain etiquette homeless people should follow when they panhandle. And, while I refuse to give money to the homeless, I am willing to help those in need who approach me in a polite manner and do not expect me to immediately hand over my cash.

The woman who followed me for three blocks shouting, “B—-, can’t you hear me?” failed to follow this etiquette and consequently, failed to get any money from me.

But “Re Re,” who approached me near the Health Sciences Campus, used a much more conducive approach than the profanity enthusiast. Polite from the start, the woman did not ask for money. Instead, she requested a hot tea from Dunkin’ Donuts. I could hear in her voice that she was very sick and walked her into Dunkin’ Donuts to buy her tea. The man behind the counter threw a few doughnut holes in a bag for her. She said if she bought something, the man allowed her to sit inside to stay warm.
Sam Edwards, 47, also demonstrates the proper etiquette. Standing in front of the Taco Bell in Suburban Station, he often asks passersby for food.

“I never ask directly for money,” Edwards said. “I just ask for something to eat.”

Because of this, Edwards said, a lot of people stop to help him.

“I am very blessed,” he said.

Senior finance and international business major Millie Gateka said not all the homeless people she has encountered have asked for money politely.

“When I have some cash, I do give them some,” she said. “Some get intimidating and aggressive though.”

Junior history major Neil Tierney said he only gives money to one man.

“I know him, and I’m pretty sure he doesn’t buy booze with it,” Tierney said.

The National Coalition for the Homeless cites an inability to pay rent, mental illness, domestic violence, unaffordable health care and substance abuse as the Top 5 causes of homelessness.

Approximately 33 percent of homeless are in need of mental health services, psychology professor Isabelle Chang explained. In 1963, Congress passed the Community Mental Health Center Act, promoting the creation of community care facilities for the seriously mentally ill as alternatives to institutional care.

“However, the infrastructure for support in communities was not adequately provided, leading to homelessness and high rates of re-hospitalization, incarceration and placement in state custody,” Chang said.

The huge housing affordability problem, caused by low incomes and high rents, has also led to a large amount of homelessness in Philadelphia, sociology professor Anne Shlay said.

“Local governments like Philadelphia are truly limited in the amount of resources that they have,” Shlay said, adding that welfare benefits have increased for single individuals who are not disabled. “There needs to be much more attention to building affordable housing, supporting a living wage, providing jobs and providing quality education.”

Philadelphia provides many services to the homeless, including temporary shelters, transitional homes and soup kitchens.

“The provision of such services does nothing to address the causes of homelessness and fails to consider homelessness as a chronic problem,” geography and urban studies professor Dr. Susan Lucas said. “Services that provide long-term help, particularly affordable housing, life skills counseling and job training, are expensive and are usually provided on a limited basis by very few cities.”

Although the city provides services to the homeless, many are still struggling to live on the streets, as society does very little to help support the lifestyle of the homeless, Lucas said.

“Through the privatization of public space and the enactment of quality life ordinances that ban the performance of life sustaining acts in public space, society makes it almost impossible to be homeless,” she added.

Senior risk and finance major Sene Ossebi said she would help homeless people by working at a shelter but “would not pay a monthly fee” to finance them.

“It shouldn’t be our problem,” Ossebi said. “It should be for the government to regulate.”

As of Feb. 10, the American Red Cross spent $80 million for the Haiti earthquake response effort. After the destruction, 1.2 million Haitians were left homeless. It seems that many Americans have been quick to lend a hand to those outside their country but continue to turn and look the other way in response to homelessness in the U.S.

“Suffering in another country is anonymous and easier to deal with particularly if it is a natural disaster,” Lucas said, adding that people often view homelessness in America as either the failure of society to deal with poverty or the failure of an individual.

After encountering many homeless people who lack the proper homeless etiquette, it’s hard to accept that it may not be their faults. However, the nice people I have spoken with provide me with reassurance that the issue of homelessness goes far beyond the individuals’ failures and should partly be attributed to the society’s failures to accommodate them.

Tracy Galloway can be reached at tracy.galloway@temple.edu.

On their feet and off the streets

Back on my Feet, a homeless advocacy agency, is partnering with the women’s soccer team at Temple to promote self-sufficiency through running.

In the bitter cold of Feb. 12 at 5:35 a.m., nine members of Back on My Feet’s Team New Jerusalem Now emerged from their temporary residence for their routine run.

A nonprofit organization, Back on My Feet is designed to promote the self-sufficiency of the homeless population through running. One of eight teams in the Philadelphia chapter, Team New Jerusalem Now meets Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at West Norris Street between 20th and 21st streets.

After the members met on this early morning, they were joined by a few familiar faces belonging to members of the Temple women’s soccer team.

“It’s really cool to interact with people you wouldn’t otherwise,” Emily Pendleton, a sophomore undeclared midfielder/defender, said.

Upon greeting one another, the New Jerusalem teammates were then met by team leader Suzanne McHenry. After their warm up, the teammates recited the Serenity Prayer.

The group ran its course, which was a slightly shorter distance than usual, due to the cold temperature and icy roads, traveling from Norris Street to Cecil B. Moore Avenue, up to Broad Street and north returning to Norris Street.

Conversation among the volunteers and members picked up, bringing a casual atmosphere to the forefront. Despite the varying running abilities of team members, no member completes the course alone.

David Dabayo, who has been in the organization for slightly over two weeks, explained that this experience has reawakened his love of running.

“It’s a sign of God because that’s the only sport I ever did,” said Dabayo, who ran track in high school.
Undeclared freshman midfielder/forward Jaclyn Krostek attested to Dabayo’s skill, explaining his success since the beginning.

After the run, high fives and congratulatory words were immediately exchanged.

This routine run is one of many that Back on My Feet has been responsible for since its creation in 2007 by founder Anne Mahlum.

The organization, which has extended to Baltimore and Washington D.C., does not provide food or shelter for its participants but instead aims to instill strength and motivation in them. Along with this, the group gives gear necessary for the runs and possible weather conditions to its members.

Nonetheless, running is only the start. After approximately two months in the organization, those participants with a 90 percent attendance rate in the runs enter the “Next Steps Program,” which helps connect the members with job placement and educational opportunities.

“Back on My Feet is the right title for it,” Kevin Brown, a six-month Team NJN volunteer, said. “My life has changed as a result of it.”

Austin Gee, a program coordinator at BOMF, said this is one of the most rewarding aspects of his experience.

“I get to see someone who has been down and out get back up,” Gee said. “I had the privilege of helping three people move out of their shelters and into their own homes.”

Not receiving any money from state or municipal means, the organization is funded by private donations, merchandise sales, company sponsorships and from events – the “20in24” event being one of its biggest.

Katy Gray, a junior midfielder/forward for the soccer team, learned of BOMF’s efforts at a Service Leaders Summit and began volunteering in the fall of 2009.

Shortly after, the team learned of the organization and chose to become volunteers for the Friday runs after winter break, splitting between BOMF Team NJN and Team Ridge.

“New Jerusalem was struggling to get non-residential members … Temple women’s soccer team really picked that up,” Gee said.

Aside from Temple’s participation, Gee explained that other local schools have been helping out too, citing University of Pennsylvania and Chestnut Hill College.

Although no other Temple teams have joined BOMF, Gee hopes more volunteers will soon follow in the footsteps of the women’s soccer team.

“[The reaction has been] phenomenal since the first time,” said coach David Jones of the women’s soccer team, whose has been temporarily prevented from attending runs due to an injury. “A lot of them were apprehensive in the beginning.”

The soccer players described their experience with BOMF as positive and fun, adding that they laugh a lot during their Friday runs. The team, which has discussed their experiences in their blog, will be volunteering with BOMF through the Spring.

Team NJN, along with the other seven Philadelphia teams, will be participating in the “Frostbite 5-Miler” at Ambler Feb. 20.

Angelo Fichera can be reached at afichera@temple.edu.

Frat brothers camp out to combat homelessness

The Alpha Tau Omega Fraternity camped out for 30 consecutive hours at the Bell Tower Thursday to collect money and items such as clothing for the Philadelphia Committee to End Homelessness.

This year, the fraternity members collected approximately $530 in dollar bills, a few hundred dollars in change and more than 300 articles of clothing as part of its third-annual Camp-out to End Homelessness. During last year’s camp-out, the fraternity raised $1,539 total.

Participating members set up two tents in the grass outside Beury Hall across from the Bell Tower. They started asking for donations at 7 a.m. Thursday and continued until 1 p.m. Friday. It was more than 24 hours of combined asking for donations and gaining personal insight on what it’s like to experience homelessness in Philadelphia.

“It’s crucial in a time like this when everyday families are struggling [because of the failing economy],” said ATO President Matthew Burris, a senior biochemistry major. He said everyone should do their part to help individuals who may have fallen on hard times. “It’s beneficial for everyone to do their part for those less fortunate,” said Mathew Burris.

Other members said they thought the experience was challenging, but worth it. They said it helped to raise awareness that homelessness is a serious issue.

The most difficult part of the camp-out for the fraternity brothers seemed to be trying to catch some shut-eye.

“I couldn’t sleep for more than thirty minutes at a time,” said James Hesky, a senior public relations major and member of the fraternity.

Others had trouble dealing with cold temperatures and the windy weather.

“It was so cold,” said ATO Vice President John Kerechek, a senior criminal justice major, citing that he only got two or three hours of sleep during the event. “You’d sleep for a little bit, but the wind would blow and you’d realize how cold you were.”

“The worst part was you got so tired and cold,” said Hesky.

Participants tried to stay warm by getting up and walking, drinking hot beverages, going inside places like 7-Eleven for 5-minute breaks and layering their clothing.

Campus Police also checked in with them throughout the night.

There are some members who have camped out for the cause multiple times.

“It was about the third time I did it. I try and understand what homeless people go through on a regular basis,” said senior biochemistry major Kevin Todd. “You definitely don’t get used to being out in the cold that’s for sure.”

Hesky added, “When you get tired you just want the warm bed and mattress you’re used to.”

Some said this experience made them appreciate what homeless people endure, that one night wasn’t the same thing.

“I can’t understand exactly what it’s like,” said Hesky. “But I gained a great appreciation for it.”

Megan McDaniel can be reached at megan.mcdaniel@temple.edu.

Look closer for humanity in the homeless

I met Bernard on a blustery November morning, and he wrote me a poem.

It’s about how love makes Christmas come true, and part of the five-line free verse reads, “Fools hate love and love war. But happy New Year. Babey (sic) and we all love you.”

He signed it, “Bernard L. Singleton. I have a name, O.K.”

“I have a name, O.K.,” I read after he scrawled it, in loopy penmanship, in black pen onto loose-leaf. I realized then it isn’t often that people Bernard asks to spare change even acknowledge him, let alone ask his name.

Roughly 4,000 people are homeless on any given day in Philadelphia, according to Project H.O.M.E.’s Web site. And, if you’re anyone who’s been anywhere in this city, unless you’re living in some sort of bubble, that number shouldn’t surprise you.

Walk anywhere in Philadelphia and you’re bound to be accosted for change.

I met Bernard near 15th and Spring streets in Center City, just north of Temple’s Center City campus. I bought him something to eat.

He set up his collection of worn quilts, three trash bags and a canvas bag of belongings on the grassy hill on the west side of 15th Street. As he ate a breakfast sandwich, he told me some of his story.
He said he was 40 years old and from North Philadelphia. He usually sleeps in a nearby shelter at night but spends nearly every day on that peaceful patch of grass.

“It’s relaxing, just sitting here, reading the Bible and all,” he said, and read me a Bible passage.

He said he’s looking forward to spending Christmas with his family. He hasn’t worked for two years but plans to go back to work soon.

Spending just 15 minutes with Bernard made me realize, more than I ever have before, that the homeless are human, too. It’s so easy here in Philadelphia where plight and violence are the norm, to pass someone on the street and refuse them money.

I know as college students, we aren’t the richest people around town. Often, we can’t even make ends meet.

The point is, no matter how stressful it is trying to figure out how to pay that next bill or afford tuition, we have it better than so many of our fellow Philadelphians. Imagine not having a warm apartment or dorm to go home to at night and not knowing whether you’ll be able to eat on a given day. It’s scary.

At the end of the day, a quarter or dollar really doesn’t make that much of a difference. The homeless don’t ask for much, and most of the time, any help means a lot to them. It shows someone out there cares, among the scores of people who don’t.

It’s tough, I know. The homeless are humans, yes, but we don’t look at them like we’d look at our siblings, friends, professors or significant others. I’m not denying there’s a huge gap there. What do you even say to someone who doesn’t have a home?

With Bernard, I wished I could talk longer, ask more questions, but I saw him losing focus. It takes chutzpah to approach someone like him and sit, enduring the looks from passers-by, but I didn’t care. I wanted to know his story. But, I could only pry so much before feeling like I was taking advantage, asking too much of someone who has so little.

I’m not saying go out and give everyone on the street five bucks. It doesn’t have to cost much. But just see the humanity there, and even if you can’t spare change, stop and make conversation, or just say hello. Small, simple acts of kindness speak volumes.

Bernard told me it isn’t very often people stop to talk to him, and as I left, he said, “God bless you.” He wouldn’t forget me and reminded me that he still has hope.

“Christmastime is special,” he said, “once you start hoping for a better New Year.”

Morgan Zalot can be reached at morgan.zalot@temple.edu.