Journal Entries Week 6/17 – 6/20

Journal Entries Week 6/17 – 6/20

Tuesday:         Tuesday, I spent another long day at the Lawrence Street Center. Much like my other experiences at the shelter, I was able to work alongside the staff and volunteers in preparing and serving food. I sat down in a few offices to get to know more of the services provided for the homeless. The experience was, as always, humbling. One man, who frequently came through the line, made a habit of thanking each volunteer personally for their work before leaving. His gratitude came with the utmost sincerely, and a staff member mentioned to me, “Every time he says that, it makes it all worth it.” He gestured to a man who had sneered at the food, and continued, “Even with the guys like that, it’s worth it when he says, ‘thank you.’” There was something strangely invigorating about gratitude from a single man among many who did not express it. I realized that I had stereotyped the man. I had simply assumed that all of the people who I was serving simply lacked the social cordiality to treat me as well as I had treated them, almost like a sort of ultimate attribution error. I hoped to have made this mistake for the last time. This, of course, was likely a tendency that would take much longer to break.

Thursday:        On the 19^th, I returned to the Crossing for a second time to serve food to the people in the programs housed there. This time, however, I was able to take a tour of the facilities, meet the volunteer coordinator, and speak with administrators of the facility. It represented a snapshot of the life lived at the Crossing. Residents work, foster better social habits, and gain connections within communities which they might be able to integrate into one day. After reading ahead to personality models, I reflected that this sort of reconditioning and socialization. It seemed that the programs at the Crossing sought to change habits and dispositions of the unfortunate, in the hopes that they could then reintroduce themselves as productive members of society. If these efforts worked, they would be ample evidence for behavioristic, and nurture-based models. However, if relapse was more likely than not, the contrary would be true, favoring biological, psycho-analytic, and nature-based models. Later in the day, I was able to spend time with in a mobile clinic with a doctor and two nurses who did regular check-ups on the residents. They spoke to me about the work they did and helped to introduce me to connections at Stout St. Clinic.

Friday:             On the last day of the week, I returned to the Lawrence Street Center for the breakfast meal, and attended a meeting with the director of the facility, who was very interested in my volunteering and time with the Denver Rescue Mission. He outlined the way that the shelter was run and put me in contact with the head of the Contact Office, where people experiencing homelessness come to reserve a room. I planned to volunteer there more regularly, in addition to my time in the kitchens.