I have now been at my job for the greater part of two months, and I finally feel like I have a grasp on what I'm supposed to be doing. I love working with all my clients, even though there are a few that are frustrating to deal with sometimes. And I finally feel comfortable referring them to all of the different resources that Baltimore has to offer, though there are still lots to learn.
Case work has been a very rewarding, albeit exhausting, experience. When I sit at the desk with a client and hear their story, all the hardships they've had to go through it, it effects you. There have been three experiences with my clients that have moved me in one way or another, even though they're not always good. I want to tell you about these three experiences.
1. In my two months here I have learned that Baltimore apparently does not have seasons. Only a few weeks ago the highs were still in the nineties, until in literally just a couple days the high was in the low sixties, and the nights were getting very cold. Luckily, one of the services I am able to offer my clients is one winter coat per year. As soon as the weather turned, these coats were in high demand. One specific client came in and asked if there was any way I could give him a coat, which I more than happy to do. When I went back to our cabinets that hold the coats and brought it out, his face just let up with a smile. He was so happy and so thankful that I gave him a coat, a task which is considerably easier than some of the things I try to do for my clients. But it only got better. The next three days when I walked into the center, he was sitting in the lounge area we have for clients. Each time his face let up with that contagious smile and kept telling me how much he liked the coat. It was amazing for me to see that something as small as giving someone a coat had such a large impact.
2. Obviously, not all my experiences with clients are this successful, or rewarding for both myself and the client. One afternoon a woman came in looking for housing. This is a relatively common occurrence, after all most of my clients are homeless. The issue with housing in Baltimore is that there simply is not enough, and most of the places I help people apply for have lengthy waiting lists. While helping my client fill out an application for a transitional housing unit, she asked me what kind of place it was. I explained, that like most, this would be an apartment or house where she would have her own room but have a common living area with a few other women. This was unacceptable. My client began to tell me that she expected to get her own town house where she could live my herself. Oh yes, I forgot to mention that her income was only about $100 a month! I tried to explain to her that this was unrealistic, that the people who work with me don't even have places like that. We filled out the rest of the application, when she asked that if she got into this housing program, could she turn it down. I was astounded by this. Of course she could turn it down, but she's homeless! I would have thought that she would take anything she could get to at least get out of the shelters, but I guess I was wrong. There are of course a few clients that I have met with who appear ungrateful and demanding, but there are many more who make my experience so fulfilling.
3. None more so than this third client. Everyone morning only 8 people are allowed to sign up for casework, and even if they don't all show up, I'm not supposed to meet with anyone not on the list. One afternoon a couple of weeks ago I had finished with all my clients when a man asked me if he could meet with me. I started to explain to him the rules for case work, but when I looked into his eyes I saw a look of such sadness and desperation that I was moved to break the rules. I brought him back to the case work desk and started the intake process, something we do with each new client to get to know their background a little bit. One section asks about medical history, and one of the questions I have to ask clients is if they have HIV/Aids. When I asked this he said yes and said I probably didn't want to hear about that. It was very difficult for me to convey to him that I had no reservations about him being HIV positive and that that would in no way impact the way I worked with him. The biggest thing that got to me about this specific client though was that even though it wasn't a big deal that I met with him and that I was able to give him a new change of clothes, he must have shook my hand and said thank you at least ten times. He was so happy that someone finally appeared to give a damn about him. I'm starting to realize now how important it is to not cast off the homeless people of this world as less than us. That's total garbage and it leads to the prejudices we have against this population.
One of the things I have been doing the past week or so is training a new person, an older volunteer, in doing case work. Unfortunately she lacks the computer skills to really do this job, but I also noticed that I was genuinely with the way she interacted with the clients, many of which I had met with before. I expressed this concern with my director who was very happy that I had gotten to the point where I am defensive of my clients. I thought about this some more and realized that it wasn't selfishness that made me think I should be the only working with the clients in case work, but the fact that I want the best for my clients and I feel they have a better chance for that with me instead of the other case worker. It's also been important for me to get to know my clients and to follow through no matter how long it takes to get them whatever they are looking for.
Some other things that have been happening in Baltimore:
1. I've had an awesome time getting to know the city, which has more then I expected to offer. We've been going out to some bars, a couple of cheap restaurants, an amazing free bookstore that is only a few minutes walk from my house, and yesterday we went to the national aquarium as a community night. I feel comfortable in this city now, even though everything is telling me that I shouldn't. We also went to a really cool Aids awareness rally last Saturday down at the inner harbor. This was a great experience for me to feel like part of the Baltimore community.
2. Things have been going very well overall with my community. We did a thing last week called a Dyad where we each met with one another individually and discussed our relationships. It was a great opportunity for us to get anything of our chests that we needed to and has really helped me break through with my roommates that I had been struggling with.
3. One of the things we decided to do as a community is run a 10k for a charity in Annapolis. The race is the sunday right before Thanksgiving, and for the past couple of weeks I've been training, and it has been positively awful. But I have noticed that my endurance is steadily increasing and this will surely help me accomplish one of my goals I had for this year in losing weight.
4. I also have some other really cool things planned for the weeks leading up to Thanksgiving. Besides the race, I plan on going to Washington D.C. twice, for the Stewart/Colbert rally, which I am excited for, and then the Ignatian Teach-in, which should be a great learning experience to share with the rest of the Jesuit community. The week after Halloween I'll be going up to Newark, NJ for the JVC Halloween party, which should be a mess but a ton of fun.
While I have gotten over my homesickness, it was weird for me to spend my first birthday away from home. I'm never one to make a big deal of my birthday but I definitely wish I could have spent it with my best friends and family.
That's all for now, please post any comments or questions you have! I love and miss you all. Go Phillies!!
Saturday, October 16, 2010
Sunday, September 19, 2010
The Greatest City in America
As soon as I moved to Baltimore one of the first things I noticed were signs that said "The Greatest City in America." These signs were literally everywhere, including the bench at the bus stop that I wait at every morning. I continue to laugh at these signs every time I see them, I mean, has anyone even been to every city in America!? It's just a ridiculous assumption. While I am in no position to state which city in America is the "greatest," I am slowly starting to get to know Baltimore, and I wanted to tell you about it.
My house is in a neighborhood called Charles Village which is due north of downtown a couple miles. CV was apparently named after the Village People and Charlie Chaplin (not true) and is on the east side of the Johns Hopkins campus (my current location due to lack of internet at home). It's a relatively nice neighborhood with a lot of college students, some restaurants and bars, and a lot of activities. This has been slightly hindered in the last few months due to a large spike in violence that continues to have the whole village talking.
My work placement is in a part of the city called Fells Point. It is directly east of the inner harbor (downtown) by about a half mile or so. The specific part of Fells Point my work is in is not the greatest area, with a huge housing projects right across the street. But one day while walking around during my lunch break I headed towards the water where I discovered a huge area packed with bars and restaurants. We went there later that night and will certainly be a location that we continue to visit. My work is also just a couple of blocks from little Italy. I've spent only a small amount of time in little Italy but with lots of restaurants and shops, I'm sure I'll be stopping by frequently.
Last weekend I finally had the opportunity to visit the Inner Harbor, the main tourist area of the city. This is a very cool area that has been renovated over the last twenty years or so. It nestled snuggly between the harbor and the main downtown area. There are a lot of things to do here; take boat tours, go shopping, eat at great restaurants, rent paddle boats, and of course visit the National Aquarium. Due to our limited budget we won't be able to spend much time in this area, but in September and October the National Aquarium and one other museum in the area have $5 Fridays, something I desperately want to take advantage of.
Since Baltimore is such a large city, there are still a ton of things I haven't seen or done in the city. I've spent a little time in some other areas. Hamden is one such area, where the Ace of Cakes building is, and a very hip area with lots of bars. I went there last weekend for Hamden Fest, mainly just to see the toilet bowl races. And yes, they're exactly what they sound like. Yesterday I went to an area called Federal Hill, which is apparently where all the college students of the city go out on weekends. Again, I'm sure I'll be spending lots of time there.
Some other things I've been up to:
Every JV house is responsible for throwing a party on whatever holiday they're assigned. The Baltimore house, affectionately called the Pedro Arrupe house (look him up) is always given the task of throwing the Labor Day party. Our party was a huge success (I think) with people showing up from a majority of the houses (the furthest coming from Raleigh, NC and Bridgeport, CN) and other people that we know from Baltimore.
Through my roommate Tim we have met some other volunteers that are living in the community. These include 2 houses of Lutheran Volunteers, Mennonite Volunteers, a group of guys from Germany who are here volunteering and when asked what they like to do respond "you know, drinking, partying, clubbing." They're fun guys.
Work has been going great. We just got a new intern from University of Maryland who will be doing the same thing as me on Tuesdays and Thursdays. While she was doing her training this past week, I got to do some other things that our agency does. On Tuesday I worked in the meal program, our lunch program that serves almost 400 people a day. This was a great opportunity for me to talk with many clients and serve a lunch number of people. On Thursday our head of security was out doing training, so I stepped up and worked the front desk; talking to clients, watching the security cameras, answering all the calls, and doing other responsibilities. This job was much more difficult than what I was expecting but was a good learning experience.
Life with the roommates has been fun. We've had some good talks, spent a lot of time together, and we haven't had any problems thus far. Living simply together has made life interesting as we look for things to do together. Our favorite things have been watching the Wire, an incredible HBO show that shows the "true" side of Baltimore, and working on puzzles. Yes...puzzles.
I can't believe it's already been over a month since I've left. Last weekend was the first time I really started to feel homesick. This wasn't too surprising for me since I experienced the same thing while in Italy. It's been a difficult transition not being able to see friends and family whenever I like but I've gotten a lot of support and this year is already flying by. Thanks for reading and please share any comments or questions you have. Love!
My house is in a neighborhood called Charles Village which is due north of downtown a couple miles. CV was apparently named after the Village People and Charlie Chaplin (not true) and is on the east side of the Johns Hopkins campus (my current location due to lack of internet at home). It's a relatively nice neighborhood with a lot of college students, some restaurants and bars, and a lot of activities. This has been slightly hindered in the last few months due to a large spike in violence that continues to have the whole village talking.
My work placement is in a part of the city called Fells Point. It is directly east of the inner harbor (downtown) by about a half mile or so. The specific part of Fells Point my work is in is not the greatest area, with a huge housing projects right across the street. But one day while walking around during my lunch break I headed towards the water where I discovered a huge area packed with bars and restaurants. We went there later that night and will certainly be a location that we continue to visit. My work is also just a couple of blocks from little Italy. I've spent only a small amount of time in little Italy but with lots of restaurants and shops, I'm sure I'll be stopping by frequently.
Last weekend I finally had the opportunity to visit the Inner Harbor, the main tourist area of the city. This is a very cool area that has been renovated over the last twenty years or so. It nestled snuggly between the harbor and the main downtown area. There are a lot of things to do here; take boat tours, go shopping, eat at great restaurants, rent paddle boats, and of course visit the National Aquarium. Due to our limited budget we won't be able to spend much time in this area, but in September and October the National Aquarium and one other museum in the area have $5 Fridays, something I desperately want to take advantage of.
Since Baltimore is such a large city, there are still a ton of things I haven't seen or done in the city. I've spent a little time in some other areas. Hamden is one such area, where the Ace of Cakes building is, and a very hip area with lots of bars. I went there last weekend for Hamden Fest, mainly just to see the toilet bowl races. And yes, they're exactly what they sound like. Yesterday I went to an area called Federal Hill, which is apparently where all the college students of the city go out on weekends. Again, I'm sure I'll be spending lots of time there.
Some other things I've been up to:
Every JV house is responsible for throwing a party on whatever holiday they're assigned. The Baltimore house, affectionately called the Pedro Arrupe house (look him up) is always given the task of throwing the Labor Day party. Our party was a huge success (I think) with people showing up from a majority of the houses (the furthest coming from Raleigh, NC and Bridgeport, CN) and other people that we know from Baltimore.
Through my roommate Tim we have met some other volunteers that are living in the community. These include 2 houses of Lutheran Volunteers, Mennonite Volunteers, a group of guys from Germany who are here volunteering and when asked what they like to do respond "you know, drinking, partying, clubbing." They're fun guys.
Work has been going great. We just got a new intern from University of Maryland who will be doing the same thing as me on Tuesdays and Thursdays. While she was doing her training this past week, I got to do some other things that our agency does. On Tuesday I worked in the meal program, our lunch program that serves almost 400 people a day. This was a great opportunity for me to talk with many clients and serve a lunch number of people. On Thursday our head of security was out doing training, so I stepped up and worked the front desk; talking to clients, watching the security cameras, answering all the calls, and doing other responsibilities. This job was much more difficult than what I was expecting but was a good learning experience.
Life with the roommates has been fun. We've had some good talks, spent a lot of time together, and we haven't had any problems thus far. Living simply together has made life interesting as we look for things to do together. Our favorite things have been watching the Wire, an incredible HBO show that shows the "true" side of Baltimore, and working on puzzles. Yes...puzzles.
I can't believe it's already been over a month since I've left. Last weekend was the first time I really started to feel homesick. This wasn't too surprising for me since I experienced the same thing while in Italy. It's been a difficult transition not being able to see friends and family whenever I like but I've gotten a lot of support and this year is already flying by. Thanks for reading and please share any comments or questions you have. Love!
Monday, September 6, 2010
The Longest Two Weeks of My Life
Hey everyone! Sorry it took so long for a second post, hopefully they will not continue to be this few and far between.
Even though I left just about four weeks ago, I have only been working in my placement for two weeks, because of orientation and my returning to Oregon for my sister's wedding. But looking back to my first day at work, exactly two weeks ago, I am shocked to learn that I have not been in Baltimore for several months now. But that's exactly what it feels like.
I definitely wouldn't say this a bad thing. I'm certainly still getting used to having a forty hour per week job, it's been a few years since I last had one, but my days go by relatively quickly. I would say I'm feeling this way because of the gravity of my job.
Before I explain what it is exactly that I am doing, I'll give you some information about what happens in my building on a daily basis. I work in a center called the Beans and Bread Outreach Center. This is a day resource center for the homeless community of Baltimore. A hot lunch is served seven days a week, and I believe there are around three hundred lunches served daily. There is also a small area where people can literally just hang out for the day as a chance to get them off the streets where they can get into trouble. There are other resources offered including a nurse, a substance abuse counselor, and case work, which is what I do.
The Beans and Bread center is just one of fourteen agencies that make up the St. Vincent de Paul Society of Baltimore. There are two other agencies that are located in the same building as Beans and Bread; Home Connections, which is a permanent housing resource, that unfortunately only has sixty spots and has a minimum five year wait, and the Frederick Ozanam house, which is a temporary housing resource with only twenty rooms, located on the second and third floors of my building.
So about my job. My responsibilities in the first two weeks have been to meet with eight clients a day, who sign up at our front desk, and help provide them with whatever resources they are looking for, and if I cannot meet their needs, at least point them in the direction they need to go. These needs can be anything, and in the first two weeks I have seen very diverse needs. Permanent housing, temporary housing, employment, health insurance, cell phones, state identification (IDs, birth certificates, SS cards), food stamps, clothing, hygiene, and transportations are just some of the things I've been asked about. But most of the clients come in looking for clothing, housing, or assistance in obtaining some form of identification.
The need is tremendous. There has not been a single day when the eight spots for case work are not filled, and sadly enough, there has not been a day when I have been able to see all eight clients, mostly because they get impatient and leave. The first day I did case work my supervisor took the reigns while I watched. The second and third days I took over while she sat next to me and directed me on what to do. By the fourth day I was on my own. This was quite a daunting task because there are absolutely a ton of resources to know and a lot of different situations and questions that I haven't had to deal with yet.
After doing the case work on my own the past two weeks, I definitely have a pretty good grasp on what I'm doing and things are starting to run smoothly during my case work hours. Soon I will begin to acquire my own clients whom I will meet with on a weekly or bi-weekly basis, and set long term goals with that we will work together to achieve.
This job is without a doubt taking a hard mental and emotional toll on me. There have been times in the two weeks where I have gotten frustrated because I was unable to help my client with what they were asking. Another factor of this mental and emotional exhaustion is coming from the stories I've heard. Most of the clients I have dealt with usually have some sort of criminal history, drug abuse history, some have been younger then me, but all have incredible stories which they have been more then willing to share with me. Some of these stories are very hard to hear but it is important for me to be an attentive listener for them because maybe that's all they actually want.
I have been warned by several co-workers, who have been more then supportive for me, to distance myself a little from my clients because it can directly affect me. After being around it for only a couple of weeks, I know exactly what they mean. But it's been amazing to see the level of respect that each person who works at Beans and Bread has for every client who comes in. It is important to treat the clients like human beings, because that's exactly how they deserve to be treated. Towards the end of the day on my first day, my supervisor came into my office and gave me a bit of advice which has really had an impact on me. She told me that "even if you cannot help them with what they need, and a lot of times that will be the case, always smile at them and look them in the eye, because there's a good chance that you will be the only person that does that for them today."
Even though I left just about four weeks ago, I have only been working in my placement for two weeks, because of orientation and my returning to Oregon for my sister's wedding. But looking back to my first day at work, exactly two weeks ago, I am shocked to learn that I have not been in Baltimore for several months now. But that's exactly what it feels like.
I definitely wouldn't say this a bad thing. I'm certainly still getting used to having a forty hour per week job, it's been a few years since I last had one, but my days go by relatively quickly. I would say I'm feeling this way because of the gravity of my job.
Before I explain what it is exactly that I am doing, I'll give you some information about what happens in my building on a daily basis. I work in a center called the Beans and Bread Outreach Center. This is a day resource center for the homeless community of Baltimore. A hot lunch is served seven days a week, and I believe there are around three hundred lunches served daily. There is also a small area where people can literally just hang out for the day as a chance to get them off the streets where they can get into trouble. There are other resources offered including a nurse, a substance abuse counselor, and case work, which is what I do.
The Beans and Bread center is just one of fourteen agencies that make up the St. Vincent de Paul Society of Baltimore. There are two other agencies that are located in the same building as Beans and Bread; Home Connections, which is a permanent housing resource, that unfortunately only has sixty spots and has a minimum five year wait, and the Frederick Ozanam house, which is a temporary housing resource with only twenty rooms, located on the second and third floors of my building.
So about my job. My responsibilities in the first two weeks have been to meet with eight clients a day, who sign up at our front desk, and help provide them with whatever resources they are looking for, and if I cannot meet their needs, at least point them in the direction they need to go. These needs can be anything, and in the first two weeks I have seen very diverse needs. Permanent housing, temporary housing, employment, health insurance, cell phones, state identification (IDs, birth certificates, SS cards), food stamps, clothing, hygiene, and transportations are just some of the things I've been asked about. But most of the clients come in looking for clothing, housing, or assistance in obtaining some form of identification.
The need is tremendous. There has not been a single day when the eight spots for case work are not filled, and sadly enough, there has not been a day when I have been able to see all eight clients, mostly because they get impatient and leave. The first day I did case work my supervisor took the reigns while I watched. The second and third days I took over while she sat next to me and directed me on what to do. By the fourth day I was on my own. This was quite a daunting task because there are absolutely a ton of resources to know and a lot of different situations and questions that I haven't had to deal with yet.
After doing the case work on my own the past two weeks, I definitely have a pretty good grasp on what I'm doing and things are starting to run smoothly during my case work hours. Soon I will begin to acquire my own clients whom I will meet with on a weekly or bi-weekly basis, and set long term goals with that we will work together to achieve.
This job is without a doubt taking a hard mental and emotional toll on me. There have been times in the two weeks where I have gotten frustrated because I was unable to help my client with what they were asking. Another factor of this mental and emotional exhaustion is coming from the stories I've heard. Most of the clients I have dealt with usually have some sort of criminal history, drug abuse history, some have been younger then me, but all have incredible stories which they have been more then willing to share with me. Some of these stories are very hard to hear but it is important for me to be an attentive listener for them because maybe that's all they actually want.
I have been warned by several co-workers, who have been more then supportive for me, to distance myself a little from my clients because it can directly affect me. After being around it for only a couple of weeks, I know exactly what they mean. But it's been amazing to see the level of respect that each person who works at Beans and Bread has for every client who comes in. It is important to treat the clients like human beings, because that's exactly how they deserve to be treated. Towards the end of the day on my first day, my supervisor came into my office and gave me a bit of advice which has really had an impact on me. She told me that "even if you cannot help them with what they need, and a lot of times that will be the case, always smile at them and look them in the eye, because there's a good chance that you will be the only person that does that for them today."
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Leaving on a Jetplane
Hey everyone!
Welcome to my blog. For the next year this should be a rather handy source in letting you know what I am doing.
For those who don't know, in about seven hours I am heading out to Baltimore to live as a Jesuit Volunteer for one year. There I will be working at the St. Vincent de Paul Beans and Bread Center, which is a homeless shelter. There I will be working as a Case Manager, meaning I will meet with individual clients and find resources around the city based off their needs. These needs could include housing, employment, medical services, and much more.
Check out Beans and Bread: http://www.vincentbaltimore.org/beans_bread.html
In my time as a JV, I will be living in community with five other people from around the U.S. who will also have jobs volunteering throughout the city. There we will live together under the four virtues of JVC; Spirituality, Simple Living, Community, and Social Justice. More on these to come later in the year.
So some of you may be wondering what seeking the Magis means. Don't fear, I have no clue yet either. But throughout my year I will be seeking the Magis and want you to tag along in my journey.
In a quick nutshell, Magis "is best understood as a lifestyle rather then an act or a series of acts which demonstrates a person's commitment to the "more." Magis is a relationship term meaning that it applies to personal relationships, both with God and with others, in terms of love."
Confused? Me too.
So let's start this quest together.
The first start on my quest takes me to Bucks County Pennsylvania, where I will be at JVC Orientation from the 12th to the 17th. More to come soon.
Welcome to my blog. For the next year this should be a rather handy source in letting you know what I am doing.
For those who don't know, in about seven hours I am heading out to Baltimore to live as a Jesuit Volunteer for one year. There I will be working at the St. Vincent de Paul Beans and Bread Center, which is a homeless shelter. There I will be working as a Case Manager, meaning I will meet with individual clients and find resources around the city based off their needs. These needs could include housing, employment, medical services, and much more.
Check out Beans and Bread: http://www.vincentbaltimore.org/beans_bread.html
In my time as a JV, I will be living in community with five other people from around the U.S. who will also have jobs volunteering throughout the city. There we will live together under the four virtues of JVC; Spirituality, Simple Living, Community, and Social Justice. More on these to come later in the year.
So some of you may be wondering what seeking the Magis means. Don't fear, I have no clue yet either. But throughout my year I will be seeking the Magis and want you to tag along in my journey.
In a quick nutshell, Magis "is best understood as a lifestyle rather then an act or a series of acts which demonstrates a person's commitment to the "more." Magis is a relationship term meaning that it applies to personal relationships, both with God and with others, in terms of love."
Confused? Me too.
So let's start this quest together.
The first start on my quest takes me to Bucks County Pennsylvania, where I will be at JVC Orientation from the 12th to the 17th. More to come soon.
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