Posted on December 29, 2009
I have asked Kristin Yavorsky, VSH’s Director of Clinical Services, to write this week’s blog. Kristin holds a Masters Degree in Social Work from Virginia Commonwealth University and for more than fifteen years, has worked for public and private community mental health organizations in North Carolina, Virginia and New York City.
Thanks, Alice
Let’s use person-first language whenever possible in 2010 (and beyond!)
Words have power and convey our attitudes and beliefs about the person or group about whom we’re speaking or writing. In this coming year, consider the impact your word choice has on people who have often already experienced significant challenges due to their life experiences.
“We provide assistance to the homeless.”
“He is a schizophrenic.”
“She is crippled and wheelchair-bound.”
The statements quoted above use labels to define a whole person or group of people rather than promoting their personhood first. Each of us can be defined by a series of labels, some that promote our strengths and others that highlight our differences or challenges.
Would you want to be defined solely by your challenges?
If it is necessary to refer to a person’s illness, disability or life challenge, do so in a way that acknowledges the person first. When in doubt, ask the person themselves how they prefer to address their experience or challenge!
“We provide assistance to people who’ve experienced homelessness.”
“He is an individual who was diagnosed with schizophrenia.”
“She has a physical disability and uses a wheelchair.”
Sometimes person first language can be cumbersome, but these language changes demonstrate respect and serve as an acknowledgement that people who have disabilities also have many abilities and that they are valued as whole, complex individuals over simple labels.
Posted on December 23, 2009
For many people, this is a season of hope and fulfillment. While many of us take the simple gifts of food, housing, health, and income for granted, Virginia Supportive Housing extends a message of hope to some of our most vulnerable citizens who struggle to satisfy even these most basic of human needs. Stories like Sam’s (below) remind us that when compassion translates into action, the gift of hope can be fulfilled. Hope is what Virginia Supportive Housing is all about.
Sam has been a resident of New Clay House since 2002. Now in his late forties, Sam struggled for years with intellectual disabilities and the challenges of independent living. Throughout school, he was in special education classes and eventually dropped out in the 11th grade. Due to his cognitive impairment (his IQ measures at 50), he has never been able to consistently support himself although he would occasionally do farm or yard work. Without a reliable source of income, he was dependent on periodic assistance from local churches.
In his twenties, he moved to Richmond with no real plan or means of support. He spent time in shelters and on the streets, occasionally living with friends. Despite the critical impact that Sam’s disability was having a on his daily functioning, his attempts to apply for disability income were repeatedly denied until Virginia Supportive Housing came into the picture.
Thanks to VSH support services staff, Sam’s SSI claim was approved within 90 days. He now has a safe place to live and a steady income that meets his basic needs. For the first time in his adult life, Sam can share in the hope and fulfillment of the holiday season. Happy Holidays from Virginia Supportive Housing!
Posted on December 15, 2009
The National Housing Trust Fund Campaign has issued a Call To Action asking people to contact their Senators and Representatives in support of appropriating funding for the National Housing Trust Fund (NHTF).
To find out more, click on the link below. VSH supports this measure and encourages everyone to take action by Friday!
Last Chance to Pass NHTF Funding in 2009!
Posted on December 8, 2009
What makes a volunteer experience meaningful? A feeling of connection to the community? A sense of contributing to a cause you feel passionate about? An awareness that your action is a real response to a real need?
At Virginia Supportive Housing, we seek to transform the lives of our community’s homeless population by providing permanent housing and support services, and volunteers can play a critical role in that mission. A variety of opportunities are available at VSH for both individuals and groups that promote meaningful connection, engagement, and action.
Whether you are landscaping one of our affordable housing properties, collecting food & toiletry items, assembling move-in packages, or helping to serve a holiday meal to our clients (see the photos on our Facebook page!), VSH is a place where volunteers can transform and be transformed by their service.
Ready to be transformed? To apply or find out more, contact the volunteer coordinator at 804-836-1061 or [email protected].
Posted on December 1, 2009
For years I have been complaining about the emphasis in this country on homeownership to the detriment of rental housing. Every neighborhood and community plan I have ever looked at has an increase in homeownership as the top goal and priority. It’s hard to even find anything in these plans about rental housing, except to make sure it is maintained and doesn’t come tumbling down.
Last month, there was an article in the Washington Post by Charles Lane entitled “Doubling Down on the Wrong Housing Policy” that explores the dangers and consequences of our national obsession with homeownership—namely the current housing crisis. The article argues for a “fundamental change in strategy… a more level playing field between owning and renting.”
It’s not that there’s anything wrong with homeownership. I’m a homeowner and I like it. But not everyone can afford to own a home and some people shouldn’t. When we as a nation put homeownership on a pedestal, renting becomes second class. When was the last time you heard someone say they don’t want to be a homeowner? As Mr. Lane says in his article, there is no shame in being a tenant. People who rent should not be made to feel like second class citizens. Renting is okay. More than that, we should stop setting goals for homeownership. Let’s come up with a housing policy that puts homeownership and renting on an equal footing.
Our goals could be very simple: everyone should have a place to live; everyone should pay what they can afford for where they live; everyone or no one should get a tax break for where they live; and everyone should take care of the place they live to the best of their ability. I know. I live in a dream world. That’s never going to happen. Well, for the meantime, let’s at least stop calling homeownership the American dream. Look where that’s gotten us!
