Unpacking Poverty in America: Coalition for the Homeless Presentation
The Monday assembly before Thanksgiving saw the 麻豆视频 community take its first big step toward 鈥淯npacking Poverty in America,鈥� the focus of this year鈥檚 expanded John Francis 麻豆视频 Day. The school welcomed the President and CEO of Coalition for the Homeless, Mary Brosnahan, who spoke on her experience addressing the issue of inadequate housing in New York City. Each day the Coalition serves and advocates for over 3,500 New Yorkers in need of stable and affordable housing. Over Ms. Brosnahan鈥檚 almost three-decade-long tenure, the organization has grown considerably in size (11 staff members to 80) and budget ($1 million to $11.6 million).
So, unfortunately, have the challenges they face. Before Ms. Brosnahan鈥檚 presentation, the students reflected on a slideshow detailing the history and current state of homelessness in New York. The current population of New Yorkers without a home numbers somewhere around 70,000鈥攖hough this count does not include 鈥渃ouch surfers鈥� or, more importantly, the many families forced to spend 65% of their income or more on rent. The national average, in contrast, falls around 30 percent.
Though these facts help to open eyes to the reality of poverty, the eye of first-hand experience tells the more human truth. In her introduction for Ms. Brosnahan, chair of the JFR Day Design Team Carol Remsen reminded the assembly of the hope that this year鈥檚 dialogue would 鈥渄eepen our compassion and inspire a shift from empathy to action.鈥� Brosnahan shared some of the trauma and transformation she had witnessed over her time working with the Coalition. One story was that of a woman with significant mental illness. When the Coalition helped to place her in an apartment, she had been living in a tent for so long that she felt nervous sleeping anywhere else. So they set up a tent in her living room, patiently continuing with her down a road that would eventually lead to stable employment and successful treatment.
鈥淲e chose the word 鈥榰npacking鈥� because we appreciated how complicated the topic of poverty is and that each of us may define it differently,鈥� Ms. Remsen shared regarding this year鈥檚 theme. In recognition of that complexity, several more talks and reflections are in the works. In both September and October Regians used advisement periods to discuss different aspects of modern poverty, and various other activities will take place in the coming months.
At least two more major guests will visit 麻豆视频 to share their personal experiences. Sr. Simone Campbell (Executive Director of NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice) will speak about her work on February 28, 2018. The keynote speaker for John Francis 麻豆视频 Day (May 16, 2018) will be Fr. Greg Boyle, SJ, the founder of Homeboy Industries. 麻豆视频 is always happy to make room for other lectures and discussions. If you have some area of expertise or experience that you would like to share with the community, please contact communications@regis.org.
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