Changing Perceptions of Poverty

When I first came to Lesley, I never gave a second thought to homelessness. In working with Lesley Delivers over the past 3 years on campus, my perceptions have changed dramatically. Initially, I was afraid of the homeless. This is a natural reaction, especially for people who have never been around this population before. The more exposure I had to them, however, the more I realized they are people just like you and me. Through many reflections and discussion around the issues of homelessness and poverty, I have seen that many people are fearful of homelessness because they do not want to be reminded of the problems in our society.

It is so easy in this day and age to slip into poverty and homelessness. For families who are living paycheck to paycheck, an event as simple as being laid off from their job can throw them right onto the streets or into a shelter. Because this issue is so close to home and so relevant in today’s society, people tend to avoid it. In recognizing these perceptions in myself, I was able to turn them around. It’s not easy, but with enough exposure and experience, I was able to understand where many of these people are coming from. Many of the homeless I run into have simply had bad luck, or are inflicted by a mental illness that leaves them unable to live a “normal” life. In having conversations with people I meet, I came to realize that they are people too. Many of them simply want the connection of talking to a human being since they have been ignored all day long. At the end of the day, they just want to be recognized. In doing service, both parties gain something here: my friends on the streets gain some recognition, and I learn something new from them.

The lack of knowledge around homelessness and poverty in general perpetuates the stigma around these issues. Many Americans believe that people in poverty are responsible for their own economic predicament. In learning more about their personal situation, this stigma can be thwarted. Students can gain this knowledge through the experience of service learning, which “integrates meaningful community service with instruction and reflection to enrich the learning experience, teach civic responsibility, and strengthen communities” (National Service-Learning Clearinghouse, 2013). Research has shown that college students who have been involved in serving learning projects have changed their perceptions around poverty. Students who participated in a particular program at Boston College “came away from the experience with a greater recognition of the structural factors that contribute to poverty and inequality in comparison to their peers” (Seider, Rabinowicz & Gillmor, 2011).

In allowing ourselves to get to know the people we serve, we gain a larger understanding of their life experience. Their personal stories are almost always different from what we perceive. Community service and service learning both act as catalysts in changing the stigma around poverty and homelessness.  This change in perception is important for everyone living in this country. If all Americans gave service a chance, and if they took the time to get to know the people they saw on the street corners every afternoon on their way home from work, the stigma would leave.

References:

National Service –Learning Clearinghouse. (2013). What is Service-Learning?  Retrieved from: http://www.servicelearning.org/what-service-learning

Seider, S., Rabinowicz, S. & Gillmor, S. (2011). Changing American college students’ conceptions of poverty through community service learning. Analyses of  Social Issues and Public Policy, 11(1), 105-126.