Service Learning Log #1 -- Abby

I felt overwhelmed with anxiety as soon as I approached the Ritchie Center. I had forgotten to enter from the North, so I had to pass through the entire building to arrive at the entrance. As I hurried through the hallway, I made note of the crowds surrounding me. I am embarrassed to say it, but if I had been in downtown Denver in that crowd, I would have gone out of my way to not pay attention; I would have avoided eye contact and stared at my feet. Instead, I took in all the fine details I could: I had a paper to write! One thing I explicitly noticed was that not everyone looked homeless! For a millisecond I assumed that they weren’t, that these were just regular people looking for some help. The women were wearing makeup, the men’s shirts were tucked in…Then I remembered what I had learned in class: only about 15 to 20 percent of Denver’s homeless fit the prototype we have in created in our heads. Whenever I had previously arrived to the north end of the Richie Center, I had always felt excited and happy. Usually, I was going to a hockey game, or a basketball game, or to free open skate. This time, my emotions were decidedly different; I was excited, yes, but my primary emotion was anxiety. I was nervous and worried, despite my better judgment. I looked for someone wearing a red shirt, who directed me towards volunteer check-in, who in turn directed me back up the stairs to receive my clients (little did I know this was to be a major theme of the day--being instructed from one person, to another, and so on…). After taking the final step I saw the woman who was handing out client assignments, and stumbled: the person ahead of me was walking away with their one partner, a 50ish woman. The next group waiting for a volunteer was not quite so small--a woman in her 50s, a woman (who looked no older than me) holding a toddler in her arms while pushing a stroller containing a second baby. Four homeless people were going to be assigned to one overwhelmed young volunteer. Yes, that volunteer was me.



I awkwardly introduced myself, and they did the same. We headed over towards the food; there is no better way to diffuse tension than to add free food into the mix. We sat down at a table with another couple and started chatting. It was not as awkward to get started as I had assumed it would be--both of my clients were very outgoing women. The youngest started off by telling me how the bus to pick them up was an hour and a half late! This got the older woman going--but she wasn’t angry, she was laughing! She told me how Annie had been complaining to everyone in sight, but that nobody was getting mad at her because she was so cute! I could understand it: Annie, who is 24, looks about 17. She is just barely five feet tall, has beautiful brown eyes and what is often called a movie star smile. Outside of the context of Project Homeless Connect, I never would have believed her to be currently living in a shelter. She explained to me that the four of them, along with two of their friends form the shelter, arrived at the bus stop promptly at 10 till 8 for their 8:00 bus. The other women waited until 9:00, when they headed back to the shelter in frustration. Luckily for Annie and DJ, who continued waiting, the bus picked them up at 9:30 and they were deposited at the foot of the impressive campus of the University of Denver around 10 o’clock.

It is difficult to be concise when talking about my experiences with Project Homeless Connect; my first draft was 1400 words! I learned so much about myself and the homeless in Denver, but even more importantly, I think I really helped my client on her journey towards finding a home. Throughout the day we talked about so many serious issues--racism, abuse, literacy, and family issues-- that my eyes were truly opened to the plight of the average homeless person. I understand now that there are a lot of factors that lead a person to lose their home. I also saw first hand the negative effects homelessness can have on a child‘s development. However, I saw a lot of things that changed my opinions and gave me hope.