Alexandrea Rivera- Capstone

Abstract:

Homelessness is a huge problem in the world, especially the city of Philadelphia. This is a topic that is talked about but not much is done. Most times when homelessness is talked about it is brought up in a negative light instead of looking deeper into solutions or preventions. The main purpose of my Capstone was to raise awareness not only to the SLA community but friends and family as well. I was able to do this by getting in contact with a homeless service called Chosen 300. At Chosen 300 they give out free homemade meals and service for those who are less fortunate. I loved the idea of helping inside the organization but there was something else that I felt needed to be done.

To take actions into my own hands, I decided to put together a bake sale in SLA, by first scheduling a day, sending out posters advertising and purchasing the baked goods. The turnout was so good that I ended up selling everything that day! With this money, I purchased canned goods and treats to bring into Chosen 300. I was also collecting clothes from SLA students and family members at the same time to later bring in. I think that everything was very successful and I was able to achieve the goals of my Capstone through the help of everyone who participated and who lent a helping hand to better understand the different options there are to helping homelessness.

Bibliography:

“/.” Asociación Puertorriqueños En Marcha, apmphila.org/2019/01/24/whyy-as-philly-tallies-homeless-population-advocates-say-families-are-overlooked/.

This is an article that was done earlier this year in 2019, that speaks more on homeless families and students. They give many facts and statistics that help get a better understanding of how serious this is and that yes there are emergency shelters but these shelters should be something to help families along to getting a permanent home. They also bring up the important role the City Of Philadelphia plays into funding these shelters and how some people are denied access to shelters.

Michaelgainer@projecthome.org. “Facts on Homelessness.” Project HOME, 5 Sept. 2018, projecthome.org/about/facts-homelessness.

When looking through this website I was able to get more information that I needed to better inform the viewers of my Capstone. It talks about how the lack of affordable health care, lack of affordable housing and domestic violence are the causes of homelessness not just drug addiction.

“CHOSEN 300 MINISTRIES, INC.” Chosen 300 Ministries Home Page, www.chosen300.org/ourmission.html.

This website is for the organization I worked with to be able to complete my Capstone. Throughout this website, I was able to gather different events that are held inside and outside of Chosen 300. It also gives the background of how it was created and founded explaining the services that they provide and what their mission is.

“Weather – Code Blue.” Go to ., philadelphiaofficeofhomelessservices.org/services/weather-code-blue/.

This article Weather-Code Blue on the website called The Office of Homeless Services describes the process of what happens in extreme weather especially when it’s cold. They have volunteers pick up the homeless, struggling in this cold weather, and give out an outreach number. They have that they are open 24 hours 7 days a week displayed on the website, letting everyone know that they will always have somewhere to stay. But they also mention that there are not enough beds, and how the buildings are very old. Since these buildings are so old these services have tried to keep up with them with the money that they have but it’s not enough, these buildings are still having outages and floods throughout these horrendous times.