As I entered this country I came with more knowledge and experience about people who are homeless then I knew before. My eyes were so familiar with seeing people begging on the streets that when I arrived here my eyes were confused. This realization happened when I finally saw two men in Valparaiso panhandling on the street possibly homeless. I was expecting to see many more homeless during the week and half I was in Chile. Everyone else I see on the street is selling food, washing car windows at stoplights or performing talents they have. I felt like there was a missing piece to this puzzle. Where are the homeless? There had to be more people homeless or begging for money like in the states.
At St. Edward’s I chose to do two of my social work projects on homeless outreach in Austin. Through those projects I learned that cities that have a generally good climate attract people who are homeless, which then leads to more services being created. In Austin there is an affordable housing problem. Rent needs to be around $400 a month for someone who works a minimum wage job full time (greendoors.com). The classes I did these projects in were intro to sociology and a human behavior class.
I learned the most about people who are homeless through the alternative spring break trip I took to Phoenix, AZ. At the homeless hospitality center some of my stereotypes were met but I gained a whole new perspective on people who are homeless and about the struggles of mental illness and drug addiction.
Personally this experience of seeing two Chilean men sitting on the street begging for money and the lack of more people doing the same was a sad experience for me once I pondered on it again. I know there must be more poor and homeless people in Vina Del Mar, Valparaiso and Santiago but when you live by the sea you are blind. They must be pushed to the hills where the other poor people live. According to the Latino Fox News website 15,000 Chileans in Valparaiso became homeless from the devastating fires. 18 billion pesos were spent on subsides for rentals and temporary housing. From talking with some Chileans, there are many homeless here but many must be in temporary homes and other homeless might be the people I see trying to sell items on the street. From my research I also found that Chile takes part in the Homeless World Cup, which empowers homeless all over the world to change their lives. It seems like there are efforts being put forth to help the homeless.
When I see the homeless everywhere in Austin it reminds me how blessed I am, it reminds me that I am in the right major and that I can do something to help those that do not have a home. When I don’t see people in rags and begging on the streets in Chile I feel myself become more selfish. I don’t want to be blinded by those people that need love and support from others.
Since I do not speak the best Spanish or understand it very well I can do some research on my own about the homeless in Chile. I can also talk to my host brother or sister to see if they know any statistics or general information about that population. I know there are families who are homeless right now because of the fires in Valparaiso. As a class we should donate or create something for those girls at the school who lost their home and are now homeless.
Even though I have had so much experience with people who are homeless this past semester I still had assumptions about the two men I passed by. My first thought was just to ignore them, they are drunk and just want to buy alcohol and drugs. I know these assumptions come from my family and how I was raised. My parents were always so fearful of people begging on the streets and would not give them money because they told me they would buy cigarettes instead of food. It was not till later that I remembered that as a social work major I had failed. We always look for the bigger picture and the environment these men could have grown up in. We don’t assume or blame the victim.
It seems that there is a huge class separation in Vina and Valparaiso. The wealthier live closer to the ocean and the poor and possibly the homeless live up in the hills. This creates a disconnected community. We see this in the States as well. Generally the more expensive places you live the more blind you are to the struggle and hurt of the world and the less likely you are to learn and lend a hand. I learned that gentrification is real here too. When you integrate more of the classes you can learn a lot about yourself and a community can be strengthened.
Work Cited
- Vinas, Silvia, and Alejandro Rustom. “Chile: Homeless in Santiago.” Web log post. Global Voices. N.p., 5 July 2012. Web. 19 June 2014. <http://globalvoicesonline.org/2012/07/05/chile-homeless-in-santiago/>.
- Agencia EFE. “As Many as 15,000 Made Homeless by Fire in Chile.” FOX News Latino. N.p., 21 Apr. 2014. Web. 19 June 2014. <http://latino.foxnews.com/latino/news/2014/04/21/as-many-as-15000-made-homeless-by-fire-in-chile/>.