Blog

A Learning Process

As the AmeriCorps VISTA volunteer at The Haven, I am quite honored to have the opportunity of writing our very first blog entry on our new website. I am a relative newcomer to The Haven’s team; I came to Spartanburg in July of 2010 to fill the position of Resource Development and Marketing/Publicity for The Haven Homeless Shelter for Families and Women. Prior to that, I had only been inside a shelter once. On a field trip. To say that I had a lot to learn would be an understatement, and a false suggestion that I don’t still have a lot to learn. After eight months, I still struggle with many of the same questions I had on day one. Here are just a few…

1. How do families become homeless? For every family that comes through our door, there is a different story. The usual suspects – unemployment, addiction, unaffordable housing, and chronic poverty – make up just a small portion of the whole picture.

2. Why are there so many homeless children? In 2010, The Haven sheltered 109 kids. I can only imagine what it must be like for a child to get off the bus at a shelter, or to not have his own bed, or to never have her friends over to play. One of the most important things I can say here is that homelessness does not equal neglect. It takes great courage and even greater love for a parent to bring a family here for help, and we take that commitment very seriously.

3. What can I do to help? One of our men put it to me this way – if you are compelled to give, give without hesitation. The Haven exists on the efforts of our volunteers, and the generosity of our donors. Though perhaps it won’t end homelessness, I am inspired daily by the compassion of our community.

So, long story short, nobody is alone in misunderstanding homelessness. I hope you keep coming back to read blog entries from other staff, current and former Haven residents. It’s our way of reaching out to make homelessness an issue that we can all comprehend.

Thanks for reading!

Jessica Blasky
AmeriCorps*VISTA