Written Reflection:
In my video, I talked about Pennys's story from our talk with the National Coalition for the Homeless. As is stated at the end of the video, these talks gave faces to the real problems we have talked about in class, Penny's especially. She talked about her struggle with PTSD, a disorder that is very hard to live with. She was left untreated for many years which was one of the causes that she experienced homelessness. She also talked about her experience on WIC, and how she felt she had to be on it. When I was writing my service paper, I found this to be the truth for many women experiencing poverty. When they got a low-paying job they couldn't sustain them and their children. They also lost their WIC benefits when they got that job, leading them to quit and rely on WIC again then let their children starve; It was an endless cycle. Penny also discussed how her mother did not provide support for her when she was going through tough times. This shows how if you do not have that “Kin Network”, you often have nowhere to go.
Through these talks, it also became evident that there is not one type of person who experiences homelessness. Anyone can fall victim to their situation, all it takes is one event. For Chon, it was losing his job and falling back into his old habits. For Nicky, it was drugs and her abusive relationship. The three people we talked with all had different, intricate stories, but have all taken steps to get better. Their stories show how they persevered through times that could break the human spirit, but they did not let it. With help from professionals who guide them, the three do not let their stories define them, but let their past teach them how to live better lives. They demonstrate how strong they have become by using these hardships they have gone through to educate people on how they can avoid living the same life they did.
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