Final Blog | Katie Deutsch

Delving into course material related to the institutional factors contributing to hunger and homelessness before serving with YSOP in Washington, D.C. was a powerful way to preface our service-learning trip. I was fortunate to attend two service-learning trip to Washington, D.C.– one in the spring of 2015 and our trip this spring. While the service completed during 2015 was still largely impactful to me, I did not have a fully contextualized idea about the extensive barriers those we were serving faced as I did on this service-learning trip. As I reflect on how this course has shaped my understanding of my own privilege, in sharp contrast to many others, I am humbled in reflecting on the many ways in which I often take my currently middle-class cushioned, privileged lifestyle for granted.

My research paper for this course focuses on widespread gentrification throughout D.C. Gentrification can be defined as: An economic and social process whereby private capital (real estate firms, developers) and individual homeowners and renters reinvest in fiscally neglected neighborhoods through housing rehabilitation, loft conversions, and the construction of new housing stock. Unlike urban renewal, gentrification is a gradual process, occurring one building or block at a time, slowly reconfiguring the neighborhood landscape of consumption and residence by displacing poor and working class residents unable to afford to live in the ‘revitalized’ neighborhoods with rising rents, property taxes, and new businesses catering to an upscale clientele. To put gentrification into a D.C. context– the Washington Post reported in April, that the hottest zip code for D.C. real estate is the mostly black Trinidad neighborhood in the once shunned northeast quadrant. Homes in zip code 20002 in Washington, D.C., were worth $570,531 on average in 2015, about 91 percent more than in 2004. These rising property values push out entire communities, making way for wealthier and far more privileged ones.

I’ve become become painstakingly aware of the high cost of living within D.C., not only due to my research paper focusing on gentrification and our week of service, but because I am preparing to move to D.C. after graduation myself. In preparing for this move, I have been scouring the internet for months searching for affordable housing, often times with little to no luck. As a result of a gentrification, affordable housing is extraordinarily rare within the District. Apartment complexes that do offer a small portion of affordable housing units are often littered with ghastly online reviews written by more well-off tenants complaining of the “alcoholics” and “chronic drug users” occupying the income-restricted units within their apartment complex. Even within these affordable housing options, individuals stuck in the cycle of poverty and the aftermath of its gripping facets, cannot escape the stigma of being labeled “low-income” within a city whose demographics are so rapidly shifting at the hands of gentrification.

During our week of service, Marvin Turner, Director of the National Capital Area Office for the Department of Housing and Urban Development, reiterated this dire need for affordable housing. Marvin provided extensive insight into the systematic barriers surrounding affordable housing in D.C. and the surrounding counties. In D.C., for example, a studio apartment alone averages around $1,400/month. This high cost of living hits families with children– especially families only supported by single parents– the hardest. For this reason, family homelessness is incredibly common in D.C. Family homelessness is so common in fact that the average person classified as homeless within D.C. is eight years old. This fact was so shocking to me because it humanizes the issue of homelessness to a painful extent. Because of gentrification within the city, children are finding themselves and their families on the street, with no shelter or security.

As I think about these individuals caught in the cycle of poverty and homelessness, I reflect on an excerpt from a blog post I wrote immediately after our trip:

“Anyone [can] find themselves facing homelessness– even the most privileged are not immune. . . Without a strong support system, health, a livable wage, etc., anyone [can] find themselves without a roof over their head and food on the table. Humanizing homelessness and further understanding the systematic barriers surrounding it emphasize the the dire need for policy intervention and institutional support to combat homelessness, elevating those that are disproportionately susceptible to its grip.”

This semester of learning, along with our week of service, has made me recognize my privilege head on, through experiences that have been painfully eye-opening and humbling. I hope to use these experiences to serve and advocate for those disparately impacted by gentrification within D.C. and the systematic factors surrounding homelessness.

Post-Trip | Katie Deutsch

“Alternative Spring Break challenges students to step outside their comfort zone to selflessly serve others.This year, I hope to challenge myself to step out of my comfort zone, serving other individuals that have been disadvantaged by complex social, cultural, and economic issues. I hope to learn from the varying perspectives of these individuals while on Alternative Spring Break, in addition to those I am serving alongside.”

Above is an excerpt from a blog post I wrote at the beginning of this semester in anticipation of this year’s Alternative Spring Break Trip. After spending the week in Washington D.C. serving alongside fellow Wichita State students in organizations focusing on alleviating homelessness and hunger within the District, I can confidently say I was challenged to step out of my comfort zone to learn from the various individuals we served, both directly and indirectly. In reflecting on our week long service-learning trip, what strikes me the most is how similar I felt to the individuals we served. Typically, hunger and homelessness is stereotyped to the degree where those impacted are viewed as the “other” within society. I think back to Tuesday night’s fellowship dinner, for example however, and note that those I dined and played Uno with so passionately were just like me in many respects. These people, often viewed as the “other” held the title of student, sister, daughter, etc. We sat at the table and shared our love for music, movies, books, and more.

The commonalities shared between those disadvantaged by systematic barriers and those that benefit from greater levels of privileges are far more than most people think. Anyone could find themselves facing homelessness– even the most privileged are not immune. Especially when looking at the cost of living within D.C., I am humbled in thinking how I would manage to sustain myself with an entry level job if I didn’t have a strong support system in my family. Without a strong support system, health, a livable wage, etc., anyone could find themselves without a roof over their head and food on the table. Humanizing homelessness and further understanding the systematic barriers surrounding it emphasize the the dire need for policy intervention and institutional support to combat homelessness, elevating those that are disproportionately susceptible to its grip.

Day 4 | Katie Deutsch

Today our group had the opportunity to serve as tutors through the Reading Partners program. Reading Partners has been part of the educational landscape in Washington, DC since 2010, when the organization first began placing community volunteers in low-income schools to help students master essential reading skills. Reading Partners’ one-on-one tutoring model empowers students to succeed in reading and in life by engaging community volunteers to provide individualized, personal attention to each student in the program.

The three staffers were all Americorp students and it was fascinating to hear their perspectives on how the program has empowered students to read and as a result, learn, more successfully. They emphasized that many of their students are 2 months to 2.5 years behind in their reading comprehension skills. This is largely due to the disproportionately low one-on-one reading time they receive in going to Title I schools that serve impoverished communities. The students we tutored were incredibly smart yet simply are not privileged to receive the same educational opportunities that many others their age receive. 

The experience made me reflect on the privileges I had in obtaining an elementary education through well funded and well staffed schools. Opportunities extended to young children translate directly to the opportunities they have access to later in life. It’s humbling to see this concept firsthand through those that are less fortunate to be the benefactors of such early privileges many take for granted. 

Day 3 | Katie Deutsch

Today we served at Seabury Age-In-Place, a non-profit that provides yard work and house cleaning to low and moderate income older adults, while also ensuring these individuals do not become isolated and lonely. Age-In-Place was founded when a group noticed that their older neighbors in the community were finding the physical and financial demands required to stay in their homes more and more challenging. This small group then rallied together and began going out to local seniors’ homes and serving where needed.

Our volunteer coordinator, Rachel, described the many ways in which senior citizens in particular can become susceptible to homelessness and cycles of brutal property as they age. For example, in D.C., home owners can receive fines of $500 if their grass extends above 10 inches. Many senior citizens cannot push a lawn mower themselves to ensure their lawns remain below this regulated benchmark. A $500 fine could be what forces someone out of their home. This fine is just one example of how vulnerable senior citizens with low to moderate incomes are to homelessness. 

Our group assisted a woman named Ms. Jones. Ms. Jones had lived in the home we cleaned for nearly all her life. As a senior in her mid-80s now living alone, Ms. Jones and community members like her, are those disproportionately impacted by poverty. It’s vital for these individuals’ livelihood to have reliable support from organizations such as Age-In-Place. It was humbling to learn more about this organization in particular and inspiring to hear the relationships they have built with their clients over the years, supporting and caring for them every step of the way. 

Gentrification Station | Katie Deutsch

Today marked the second day of service in D.C. for our team. As I reflect on these last two days of service, I am struck by the large amount of institutional barriers contributing to hunger and homelessness within the D.C. metro area that we have already witnessed.

Yesterday, my group spent the day at a Wider Circle, an organization that provides individuals with furniture, clothing, job training, etc., emphasizing the importance of dignity in combating poverty. Many of the people a Wider Circle serves simply cannot afford the cost of living in D.C. and aren’t able to make a living wage. Through providing basic essentials often taken for granted, a Wider Circle works to combat institutional barriers that prevent many in the area from living a dignified, comfortable life. After our service at a Wider Circle, we had the opportunity to meet with Marvin Turner, Director of the National Capital Area Office for the Department of Housing and Urban Development. Marvin provided extensive insight into the systematic barriers surrounding affordable housing in D.C. and the surrounding counties. In D.C., a studio apartment alone averages around $1,400/month. This high cost of living hits families with children– especially families only supported by single parents– the hardest. For this reason, family homelessness is incredibly common in D.C. Family homelessness is so common in fact that the average person classified as homeless within D.C. is eight years old.

Learning more about the institutional barriers preventing individuals and their families from having a roof over their heads is as devastating as it is humbling. Because many of the areas where affordable housing used to be available have been rapidly developed, resulting in raised property values, thousands of working class individuals have been pushed out of their communities. The figures below depict how this rapid development has impacted D.C. neighborhoods using changes in median income from 2000 to 2011. 

Tonight, as we served and dined with many individuals classified as homeless, I was humbled by those that discussed being personally impacted from this area wide gentrification. Humanizing the concept of displacement as a result of gentrification is powerful. Understanding the economic context behind the daunting statistics surrounding homelessness within D.C., coupled with this humanization, highlights the dire need for policy intervention and institutional support to combat homelessness, elevating those that are disproportionately susceptible to its grip. 

Lift off | Katie Deutsch

As our group waits to board our flight in the next hour, I’m becoming increasingly excited to begin this year’s service-learning adventure. I was fortunate to have gone on the D.C. alternative spring break trip of 2015 (group pictured below) and can’t wait get back to work with YSOP again. I’m looking forward to all memorable service experiences to come and am anxious to meet the many new faces we’ll be serving and working alongside. Here’s to a great service trip! 

 

Alternative Spring Break team of 2015 with Ms. Dawson (the sweetest woman in the District of Columbia).

Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg | Katie Deutsch

If I were tasked to nominate a notable woman in history deserving of lifetime achievement, I would nominate Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg (although she’s already received such awards). Most know Ginsburg as the second woman to ever be appointed to the U.S. Supreme Court. However, Ginsburg had an extensive career before this appointment, creating history in breaking countless legal and professional barriers for women. In the 1960s, Ginsburg was a volunteer lawyer at the New Jersey offices of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). Here she saw a growing number of sex discrimination cases because of the just-passed 1964 Civil Rights Act’s Title VII. After these cases, she began teaching law, founded the first law journal in the U.S. to focus exclusively on women’s rights and later co-founded the Women’s Rights Project at the ACLU. Serving as director of the Women’s Rights Project of the American Civil Liberties Union, she argued six landmark cases on gender equality before the U.S. Supreme Court.

In 1980, President Carter appointed her to the Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit where she served for 13 years centrist peacemaker of the court, defying ideological labels. Because of her extensive experience and revered reputation as an attorney, professor, and justice, she was nominated by President Clinton to the Supreme Court as an Associate Justice, confirmed by the United States Senate in 1993, and has been serving on the nation’s highest court ever since. Ruth Bader Ginsburg has been a trailblazer for women’s rights throughout history and present day. Although as she says: “I don’t say women’s rights– I say the constitutional principle of the equal citizenship stature of men and women.” For these reasons, Justice Ginsburg is one of my greatest inspirations.

Reflection’s Role in Service-Learning | Katie Deutsch

Reflection is an essential component to learning, especially in the context of service-learning. Through reflection, students are empowered to analyze concepts and evaluate their service experiences to form unique perspectives and a critical worldview. 

Prioritizing reflection and understanding the benefits it provides within the context of service-learning distinguishes service-learning from volunteerism/voluntourism. Reflection promotes a strong sense of civil responsibility through the contextualization of learned concepts relative to the service at hand. If reflection is not valued within service, students will simply enter and exit a community without a greater understanding of the institutional/systematic barriers facing those served and no critical knowledge of how these barriers can be broken down through civil engagement. 

I always come back to the following quote of Margaret Mead’s when discussing service-learning: “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens an change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever does.” The key component of this quote are the words “thoughtful” and “committed.” These two character traits stem directly from reflection and when fused together, can successfully ignite widespread civic engagement, leading to meaningful change within communities.