The Whitworthian

Issue date: 2/20/07 Last Updated: 8/9/07

The group crosses the street while taking a walking tour of downtown Spokane last Friday.

Dozens lined Pacific Avenue at 7:30 a.m. Saturday morning for breakfast at The House of Charity. Others, exhausted from a night of wandering, fell asleep on benches inside the building.

I participated in an Urban Plunge last Friday night through Saturday afternoon with a group of 12 Whitworth students. Our experiences gave us a better sense of homelessness in downtown Spokane and the resources available to the homeless.



Friday arrival

We first were introduced to our Urban Plunge leader Jerry Schwab, Community Connections Coordinator at The House of Charity.

Schwab graduated from Gonzaga University with a bachelor's degree in psychology. He also has master's degrees in psychology and counseling and a Ph.D. in educational leadership. He became involved in helping the homeless through First Presbyterian Church.

We met in a conference room and shared our expectations for the experience. Some people, including myself, had some anxiety about getting outside of our comfort zones and breaking down stereotypes about homeless people.

The House of Charity has 108 beds for men. There is no guarantee of a bed, and men must sign up daily. It also provides mail and phone services and a clothing room with a computerized inventory. Several other shelters sleep women and children at night, although many come to The House of Charity during the day. The Hope House has about 50 beds and sleeps single women.

Schwab said many homeless people wander at night and sleep during the day when it is safer.

The House of Charity relies on donations to supplement a $3,000 annual budget.

Schwab addressed questions and gave a preview of what we might experience while interacting with people in the shelter.

"You can receive riches and abundance in this building," Schwab said. "You are here to be the receiver and an equal. Your charge is to be present, not to change stuff."

He said drug and alcohol problems and physical or mental disabilities account for some of the reasons people become homeless.

Trust is a key issue and some people at the shelter have never been able to trust anyone in their lives, Schwab said. Some develop trust in others for the first time at The House of Charity.

Continued...

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