Home Is Where The Help Is by Claire

Home Is Where The Help Is by Claire - February 2020 Scholarship Essay

“Home is where the heart is.” “There’s no place like home.” “Home sweet home.” Many of us casually use these phrases, but few of us stop to consider those who do not have a home at all. In 2016, I was fifteen years old, and too young to get a job in my hometown. Determined to not spend my summer at home, I began applying for volunteer opportunities. After being rejected a few times, I was contacted by an organization for the homeless that needed someone to organize supplies and make calls to potential donors. The non-profit was centered around giving families a place to live and helping them get back on their feet, while at the same time providing the families with a great deal of freedom. The organization was determined to teach families skills, like cooking, rather than giving them prepared meals. After some brief research, I quickly accepted the organization’s offer, and went into the office a few times per week. I had the opportunity to understand the inner workings of the nonprofit, as well as its relationship with the families who lived in the “shelter”, a block of apartments down the street. I valued the mission of this non-profit, and though I wanted to get out of my own house for the summer, I wanted other people to have one to stay in.

In high school, I remained involved with fighting homelessness, but had to give up volunteering at the nonprofit in order to pay for school. Though I was trying my best to keep in touch with the cause, I never felt like I had the resources to really help people. When I arrived at college, I signed up for Habitat for Humanity, determined to help physically give people a place to live. The organization is so well known, however, that they almost always have too many volunteers, and limit the amount of people who can help build homes. I still have not had the opportunity to go on a build, and yet I continue to see people shivering on almost every street corner of Chicago. It breaks my heart. I have been privileged enough to never have to worry about where I am going to sleep at night, but this is not everyone’s reality.

If I started a nonprofit organization, it would focus on giving people who are homeless better lives. I understand that many of these people don't necessarily want to seek help from a shelter, and do not want a “hand out.” My organization would include a similar set up to the nonprofit I was first involved with when I was fifteen. I want people to know that help is always available, while still allowing them to feel strong, competent, and able. Having a place to live shouldn't be a privilege, it should be a right. Additionally I would like to bring more awareness to the issue. Most people know that homelessness is an issue in our society, but there is a negative stigma around the topic which deters people from helping at times. I would like to remind communities that the homeless are people too, and they deserve to be cared for in a home. There are countless shelters across the United States, but many are full or never make those living in them feel like it is home. I want to let people know that home is where the heart is, but it is also where the help is.