What do you think of when you think of a homeless shelter? Do you think of a small, dirty, overcrowded gymnasium with cots and little resources? Do you think of a place that provides a temporary fix and a false sense of security to those who experience homelessness? Do you think of an unkempt place that shelters lazy people who do not work? If you answered yes to any of those thoughts, then I challenge you to throw all of those pre-determined notions out the window and listen to what the Binghamton Rescue Mission is all about.
Why should you care? According to the Community Needs Assessment for Broome County, two primary needs/gaps in services that were identified were the need for more services to prevent homelessness among eligible individuals and the need for more funding to provide support to needy families facing homelessness. The issue of homelessness is a pressing one and is one that is multi-faceted and complex, as many people who experience homelessness also deal with mental health issues, physical health issues, addiction, and more. As we discussed in class, many of the issues intertwined with homelessness are also major concerns for the Broome County area, Binghamton especially. Although these issues are becoming more visible in the public eye, many organizations that battle issues related to homelessness are severely underfunded.
It may be clear as to why the issue of homelessness is important, but why should the money go to the Rescue Mission? What makes this organization different than any other local non-profit that tries to tackle homelessness? On paper, the answer to that question may be hard to find, as it is easy to assume the Rescue Mission is simply a homeless shelter that provides 32 beds to men (and soon to be women) who have experienced homelessness. However, through personal volunteer experience, I understand how wrong that assumption is and urge you to see how the Rescue Mission stands apart. While the Binghamton Rescue Mission is a non-profit organization, its holistic approach is what makes them stand out. The approach allows residents to grow and feel empowered by providing residents with a sense of community and place of comfort and support. Residents are offered three meals daily, case management, employment resources, spiritual care, transportation to employment and important appointments, and other support services needed to move out of homelessness and into lasting life change. Another thing that makes the Rescue Mission stand apart from other homeless shelters is the fact that residents do not have a limited amount of time they are allowed to stay at the facility. So long as the residents work hard and stay away from drugs and alcohol, the Rescue Mission will house residents for as long as it takes to get them back on their feet. This gives residents an advantage when pursuing things like higher education, job interviews and other ways of advancing their personal and professional growth.
What compels me to love the Binghamton Rescue Mission specifically? As I mentioned before, my experience volunteering at the Rescue Mission is a major reason I was compelled to talk about it. I believe in the Mission and what they stand for, and truly believe that their approach to tackling homelessness is effective and long-lasting. A story that stands out to me is the second time I volunteered at the Rescue Mission. After the Mission had to fire their chef due to budget cuts, my living community went to cook food for the residents. When we were waiting for the food to finish cooking, we went to go watch television with some residents. At first, they were standoffish and even snarkily asked why us students came to cook in the kitchen “what class are you here for today?” one of the residents said standoffishly. When I responded saying how we were not there for a class, rather we were there to help in any way we can, the residents immediately opened up. Once we showed the residents we genuinely cared and believed in their success, the residents began to tell us about their experiences with homelessness and the Rescue Mission. Some residents told us about their family and how their time at the Mission allowed them to rekindle broken relationships. Some residents shared their hopes and told us how their time at the Mission allowed them to pursue higher education at Broome Community College. Overall, that day volunteering highlighted the human connection the Rescue Mission provides and emphasized how said connection creates positive change through a kindled sense of community.
In the end, you may still wonder why you should vote to donate this week’s money to the Rescue Mission, but I hope that this post has cleared up any questions or pre-conceived notions you had about homelessness and shelters in general. The Rescue Mission is an organization that works relentlessly in the Broome County area by housing residents, as well as providing meals at local community meals a few times a week. It is a place where the people of our community find their lost spirits and rejuvenate to become the people they want to be.
I think it’s really awesome that you are pitching a charity to us from the local area. I hope the Binghamton Rescue Mission will expand to women very shortly because homelessness is not intersectional. I love that you shared your encounter with a resident at the Rescue Mission who was standoffish because he thought you were there for a class. If I was in his shoes, I’d imagine lots of students use his homelessness as a class project and not because they care. I believe that one of the most important parts of “doing good” through service is having the best intentions behind it. Service can’t be only to pad your resume or to get class extra credit. I’m sure if (proverbial) you take the incentive behind charity, you’d have a lot fewer volunteers but you would have volunteers who are doing it for the right reasons. I love that the Rescue Mission provides a community for the homeless who de facto don’t have one.
ReplyDeleteMy question to you that I hope you’ll be able to answer in your charity pitch is why is the Rescue Mission more worthy of the class’ donation than Hannah’s Truth Pharm or Ryan’s RISE? Is the organization aiming to reduce homelessness at all or just be a temporary solution to the problem? If you don’t have these answers, I completely understand. I'm looking forward to hearing your pitch and hearing your story!
Hello Isabel! Thank you so much for the comment! I really love hearing your opinions and questions regarding the Rescue Mission and what they do to help those experiencing homelessness.
DeleteTo answer your questions, the Binghamton Rescue Mission is currently building their second branch in the Broome County area for women who experience homelessness and their families! You are so right in saying homelessness is an intersectional issue as there are many factors that play into why one may become homeless and face the struggles. The intersectionality of homelessness is actually why I believe the Rescue Mission makes such an impact in the local community. They not only provide food and shelter, but also provide things like job training, technology training and rides to interviews for their residents. Rather than just providing a place to live, the Rescue Mission acts as the resident's home where they are encouraged to learn and grow in order to get back on their feet.
Through their program, the Rescue Mission aims to reduce homelessness as a whole for the residents they shelter. In addition to the 32 men they house, they also do outreach to others experiencing homelessness in the local community by working multiple community meals a month. This relationship with the community as a whole allows the Rescue Mission to keep also help the general homeless population of Broome County.
As to why the Rescue Mission is more worthy of receiving the money, I genuinely believe that the money will do good regardless of where the donation goes. However, going back to what you said before, I believe the Rescue Mission deals with issues that the other two organizations aim to tackle. Since homelessness is an intersectional issue, the Rescue Mission deals with societal problems like homelessness, but also deals with addiction, abuse, poverty, hunger and more. I will never talk poorly of the other organizations, but I can speak from personal experience about my confidence in the Rescue Mission. I know that the Rescue Mission makes a huge impact on the Binghamton Community and that their work is extremely necessary.
I hope I answered your questions and thank you again for your comment!
- Lexi Murman
You've definitively convinced me as to the massive problem of homelessness that plagues Broome County, Before reading your post, I was not aware that homelessness was such a huge issue in Binghamton. I did a bit of research as to the significance of the problem, and the Binghamton Homepage stated that homelessness is on the rise in Binghamton. They reported that "unsheltered or "street" homelessness increased by 121 percent in 2016." When learning this information, it surprised me to find that Binghamton's homelessness shelters are so underfunded!
ReplyDeleteYou've also convinced me as to the importance of your organization in alleviating this problem. You stated that not only does Rescue Mission provide shelter, but also gives the homeless the resources to grow. To me, this is the most important part of this organization. It does not simply provide a temporary fix to the problem, but attacks the source to make a permanent difference. This reminds me of the age-old adage "Give a Man a Fish, and You Feed Him for a Day. Teach a Man To Fish, and You Feed Him for a Lifetime." The Rescue Mission seems to embody this sentiment.
The story of your personal experiences with the organization also meant a lot to me. It showed a more human element to the people that we so easily assign metrics and statistics to. The stories of their hopes and dreams shows that these are people with aspirations, just like any other person. They deserve the chance to move past this stage in their lives, and the Rescue Mission seems to provide just that. I look forward to hearing your pitch on this organization soon. I hope that it cements my confidence in the Rescue Mission nonprofit.
https://www.binghamtonhomepage.com/news/local-news/hud-reports-homelessness-on-the-rise-in-greater-binghamton/879370526
- Christian Sayage
Ahh Lexi! I am so so glad you chose this organization. Last year for my HDEV 100 class, a big part of the class was volunteering with organizations in the Binghamton area. The organization that I had to work with was Binghamton Rescue Mission. I worked in their thrift shop and in their homeless shelter with the men, and in their office as well doing paperwork. I love how you just personally went out your way to just be involved and help with this organization. Their significance in the Binghamton community and other surrounding cities is so important.
ReplyDeleteI think the thrift shop is another really cool aspect that everyone should know about. Not only does Rescue Mission specifically work just with the men, they have a thrift shop where people donate things and they sell them to contribute to making profit for the men in their shelter. Also, this organization strives to actively help the men get on their feet. They offer them a place to stay and many job opportunities, rather than just having them just stay stagnant.
I really have a soft place in my heart for this organization as well, so I am glad you chose to speak about them.
Cannot wait to hear your pitch!
Hi Lexi!
ReplyDeleteFirst off, I wanted to say I think you did an incredible job on your charity pitch presentation. I could tell that your words were genuine which made it very easy for me to connect to your presentation despite the fact that I have never been to the rescue mission. Homelessness is a major problem in the Broome County area, and specifically in Binghamton. According to the Volunteers of America (Upstate New York), more than 300 people are homeless on any given night in the city of Binghamton. As of 2016, it was reported that 37.4% of Binghamton residents live below the poverty level. These statistics are alarming and illustrate the true need for organization's such as the Binghamton Rescue Mission in our area.
While you highlighted a number of good deeds this organization does, there was one in particular that stood out to me the most. I am extremely fascinated by the fact that your organization charges residents over time. I think that this is so important. As you mentioned, homelessness is a complex problem that can take a toll on person both physically and mentally. As important as it is to provide resources to assist in one's physical health, I feel as though often times not enough is done to support one's emotional well-being. I am currently in a Labor Rights class for my major and one of the central topics we have discussed this semester is how modern day employment is associated with identity. In my class we have discussed the psychological benefits of work and the pride associated with earning a dollar. By allowing these individuals opportunities to do work in some aspects provides a sense of independence and responsibility which can really help people get back on their feet.
Overall, I really enjoyed hearing about this organization and look forward to seeing the impact they will have on our community!
-Francesca
Hey Lexi,
ReplyDeleteI’m really glad you used your charity pitch for the Binghamton Rescue Mission, especially because of our connections with them through the Public Service Learning Community.
As you may know and have already experienced, I had the privilege in cooking meals for the men staying at the shelter. When I had the opportunity to speak to some of them, each of them had deep struggles in their life and were willing to overcome it one step at a time through the organization. Encountering the programs and the overall mission of the Rescue Mission, I realized that as a society, in order to overcome homelessness or mitigate the issue, there needs to be more non-profits like the Rescue Mission.
Across the United States and even in my hometown of New York City, there are hundreds, if not thousands, of organizations that provide food, shelter, and resources for homeless individuals and families. Here’s the problem: people tend to avoid them because of how ineffective and dangerous they are. In 2012, NPR conducted an interview with a homeless man and stated that people avoid shelters because of infestation and criminal activities. Five years later in 2017, the NY Daily News released an article on how the homeless are “being housed in sub-human and unsafe conditions in NYC.” Simply put, homelessness is on the rise, yet the shelters that are supposed to provide are dangerous and ineffective. Who would want to stay in an environment where drugs and drug dealers are prevalent?
The Binghamton Rescue Mission provides resources and a safe environment where homeless individuals can actually recover. The organization connects them to various careers, health care, and other services that will help them become independent in the long term. The questions that arose when I encountered the organization is: why only men? Currently there are 21 bed dorms and 11 single rooms, all for male occupants. What will be their housing plan if they bring in homeless females in the future? What about their financials? If occupancy doubles for the Rescue Mission, I predict that much more funding and volunteers are going to be needed.
With these questions aside, I truly admire the work that this organization has done so far. Thanks for introducing the issue of homelessness and the Binghamton Rescue Mission to the class!
- Jacob Yi
Links:
Deletehttps://www.npr.org/2012/12/06/166666265/why-some-homeless-choose-the-streets-over-shelters
https://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/homeless-housed-sub-human-unsafe-conditions-nyc-report-article-1.2950569