Written Reflection:
I never thought that the recent conference with Joshua Stewart would be so memorable for me. Joshua, a GBC Class of 2011 graduate, has made a career out of advocating for social justice causes, especially the homeless and rural poor. Hearing him discuss his work made me view issues that are not considered in society such as homeless veterans and poverty in areas like Appalachia.
The thing that I found most interesting about Joshua’s story is that he was not always an advocate. He studied historical archaeology in grad school and the job market was not very friendly to him so he returned to D.C. in search of an office job. He got a job at the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans almost by accident, but once he was there, he began to turn things around. In the course of six years, he was promoted and became a policy advocate. How life can change and how some of the most successful careers can begin with a fluke or a chance encounter.
The causes of veteran homelessness that Joshua described made me think a lot. It is not just a question of not having a house—it is so much more. A lot of veterans, particularly those from the lower classes, are never trained in the coping skills that they require to lead normal civilian lives once they are out of the military. Simple things such as writing a check, or saving for a retirement, which most of us consider normal, are alien to some of these veterans. Add that to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and it becomes quite clear why many veterans have a hard time after discharge. I was shocked to learn that the system makes sure they fail most of the time.
I found it quite fascinating when Joshua was explaining the policies he was involved in at the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans. He concentrated on the expansion of the funding of Housing Choice Vouchers, which assists veterans and low-income families to pay their rent through the difference between the amount they are willing to pay and the actual cost of rent. It is a very basic but efficient program that helps many people to have a decent, affordable home. It was clear that Joshua had a lot of enthusiasm for promoting these changes. He said that his role is to make the government try harder and provide more funding to programs that assist in eradicating homelessness.
However, Joshua’s work is not only for the veterans. Now, he is with an organization known as Fahe that deals with anti-poverty and housing in the Appalachian region. This was an area I had little knowledge about, but Joshua was able to provide us with more insight into the problems of the region. The Appalachian region is one of the most impoverished in the United States, and it has been so for more than half a century. Some of the homes have no piped water and sanitation, and people are struggling to live in very poor standards. Joshua said that homelessness in rural areas is not like what we see in the big cities today. There is less of an obvious homelessness, but people are couch surfing or living in overcrowded conditions or in dilapidated vehicles such as old RVs. As far as Joshua is concerned, the solution is not just in offering shelter to the affected people. It’s about bringing new life to communities, putting people to work, and fixing things like water systems and internet connections.
Hearing about the 2022 floods in Eastern Kentucky where 30% of the housing in some counties was destroyed really made me realize how much rural areas suffer in disasters. To this day, many of these areas are still waiting for federal disaster relief, almost two years later. Some have been compelled to leave because they cannot reconstruct. One cannot even begin to fathom a situation where help simply does not arrive, but that is the case for many in Appalachia.
I have learned from Joshua’s work that policy advocacy is very crucial. It’s not the most glamorous job, but it’s the job that is necessary for creating real and sustainable change. Whether he is advocating for veterans or working to enhance the quality of life in rural areas, Joshua Stewart is a perfect example of how the actions of one man can change the world. It made me understand that if we want to have a better world, we should pay more attention to these problems and help those who are working on their solutions.
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