Everyone Deserves to be Visible

One of our goals of this project is to increase others' awareness of homelessness and how we can all be a part of changing the services out there to help people experiencing homelessness.  Unless we have experienced homelessness ourselves, it can be easy to turn the other way and ignore the people we see sleeping on the streets.  And if we live in a more rural area, maybe we don't see very many homeless individuals so do not think too much about it.  By reading this blog and the information we post, we would like others to see the struggles the homeless population faces and the need for us all to be their voice. 

We can help bring attention to the needs of individuals experiencing homelessness by participating in sleep outs coordinated by college campuses and local organizations.  The National Coalition for the Homeless organizes the Homeless Challenge- 48 hours with no shelter, food, or money.  The Challenge takes place throughout the year in Washington D.C., although other cities have a form of this kind of program.  The goal is to increase the awareness of homelessness and gain a new perspective on how we all can help.  Please read the stories of two student's experiences during the Challenge:
http://www.streetsense.org/2011/01/lessons-learned-in-becoming-invisible/?sms_ss=email&at_xt=4d373268cce3754c%2C0

http://www.hercampus.com/school/illinois/spring-break-2011-homeless-washington-dc

Participating in an activity such as the Homeless Challenge or volunteering at our own local organization is one way to educate ourselves on the needs of the homeless.  To find a service organization near you, the National Coalition for the Homeless provides this link:
http://www.nationalhomeless.org/directories/directory_local.pdf