Building Awareness About Hunger and Homelessness in Minnesota

The Coalition helped line up a number of events to kick off this year’s National Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week 2005, running from November 13 to 19, 2005.

Discussions, education sessions, panels, and forums were held throughout the community in order to help people better understand the complexities of the issue and to start a dialogue about strategies to end hunger and homelessness.

Those involved spanned all walks of life and included students, members of various congregations, people experiencing homeless, and advocates, just to name a few.

People experiencing homelessness played an active role in creating awareness among the young people in and around the St. Paul community. Many events took place at various colleges and universities, giving students an opportunity to engage on a more personal level with those who have lived on the streets.

“There is a belief in society that all people who are homeless are no good,” said Jimmy Jackson, a member of the X Committee and active participant in the group’s Speaker’s Bureau. “When you get out into the community and people can see you and hear your story, they can better understand what it feels like to be homeless and they learn that it can happen to anyone.”

Learning from the personal stories and insights drawn from direct experience, students engaged in discussions that challenged them to become more involved with this issue. At the same time, those who were homeless experienced the power of taking part in an important effort that raises awareness and inspires people to take action against the issue of homelessness.

Some students have already become aware of the issue and have formed organizations to address the problem of homelessness.

Students Mobilize to End Homelessness, a loose coalition that has been operating for about four years, is an example of such a group. S.M.E.H is a collaboration of high schoolers, college students, people experiencing homelessness, and Americorps VISTA volunteers. Their mission is simple: ending homelessness.

However, the group recognizes that such a task is not easy and thus attempts to take small steps to create awareness and to educate the community.

This year for National Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week the group planned an open-mic event, known as the Homeless Outreach Performance Event, or H.O.P.E. Hosted by the Minnesota Business Academy in downtown St. Paul, the event featured various acts of creative expression, such as poetry, music, and a play written by a man experiencing homelessness, which was performed by high schoolers attending MBA.

Through planning and holding the event, the group hoped to foster the collaboration of students, the various groups involved, and the broader community in confronting this issue openly and creatively. H.O.P.E. not only raised awareness but students also collected donations of clothing, food, and money to give to the Listening House and the Family Place, service providers located in downtown St. Paul.

Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week had a number of positive impacts on the community, but perhaps most notable are the relationships that were created that continue to be fostered today.

A number of schools, congregations, and social justice groups that were connected to the week’s activities have expressed an interest in staying connected to the homeless community by working with the X Committee and supporting the efforts of S.M.E.H.

Krystal Klein, VISTA organizer for HousingMinnesota and S.M.E.H. leader explained the importance of events that create awareness as they pertain to consequent action.

“We created a space to raise our voices, to listen, to get that ‘at home’ and ‘hopefully’ feeling that comes from taking a moment to sit with our common humanity. H.O.P.E. was about realizing the impact we all can make by getting together and deciding to make something happen.”