Picture of pictures

I am thankful for the people who have let me into their lives and shared their success with me. I collect pictures of my clients, co workers, family and friends and keep them where I can see them from my desk.

Right now, at the end of the month-when reports are all due, I’m very thankful to have a visual reminder that of the people behind the mounds of paperwork!

Thanks GIVING

Give, while you give thanks.

For every item on your “things I’m thankful for” list, give an hour of service or $20 in the same category. I had the chance to try this today

It went like this:
“I am thankful for my cute and uber reliable Scion XA” my giving was spending my lunch hour jumping the battery of a disabled car in the parking lot.

“I’m thankful for all the entertainment I’m surrounded by – games, books, Wii, crayons, people watching, etc” so I am donating 20 of my books to the library so other people can be thankful to have them to read.

I’m thankful that I have a home, so I did the HomeWalk

I’m thankful that I have clothes (and super thankful to Gigi and Kathy for giving me theirs), so I raid my friends closets and put the clothing in the Maximus “boutique” for clients who need interview outfits.

I’m thankful for friends who don’t mind that I have “musical turrets” (a mythical disease that causes me to sing at the drop of a hat), so I am taking them caroling next month.

 

*** check it out, so far nothing had cost me a penny! *** money is good, and if you have extra to donate: go for it. However, I think most people don’t have enough to comfortably give away.

$20 from Rupert Murdoch looks just like $20 from me. What can I give out of gratitude that Rupert can’t compete with? My time, my talent, my oddly skewed view of the world and my enthusiasm for causes I’m passionate about. (And I doubt he sings as well as I do!)

Give in ways that make you thankful to be able to give. Give in ways that reflect who you are. If you can’t do it joyfully – wait until you can. A happy heart will donate twice what the cranky one will, and it will mean much more to those who receive.

Burbank Temporary Aid Center

I’m sitting in the lobby of BTAC, having a deep conversation with a 4 year old about Disney Princesses and what her new born baby sister means to her. Just behind her is a flowing line of adults signing up for Thanksgiving Turkeys and free bread.

I am here to ask about the services they offer and what services they need. My co-workers and I are searching for outreach opportunities that we can do during work hours. Do they need food, clothing, donations? Maybe they need extra social workers to come in one lunch a month to explain the county services?

I’m impressed, the lobby is small but bustling and the counter lady has a sprained ankle that does not keep her from traversing the room from desk to pantry. The clients are friendly, made sure I knew how to sign in, and are explaining services to each other.

Facilitator of Hope

Richard was a job title change

You can find him in the El Monte GAIN office. His job title is spawned from what a client once called him.

 

If you could create your own job title: what would it be?

Minors needing shelter

Los Angeles Youth Shelter works with family shelters and individual homeless children to provide shelters.

They serve pregnant teens, run aways, children whose families can’t find shelter with both the younger and older kids.

Call (323)957-7364. 24/7 phone number is always a live person. The web site is http://layn.org

They have. 17 beds and will find room for youths in need!

School on Wheels!

Academic help for homeless and “doubled up” children. Volunteers are at least 18 years old and everyone passed a Live Scan. Tutoring is done a MINIMUM of 1 hour a week.

Children fall 3 months behind when they switch schools and have gaps in education. The tutoring is designed to fill that gap. The tutors will come to the children, either the place where they live or a local coffee shop.

School on Wheels also helps with school enrollment , backpacks and school supplies. They also have “uniform” vouchers for 1 uniform per child.

The families are offered “tracking” so they can stay in contact with the program, and consistent support is provided.

Contact them at (213) 896-9200. www.Schoolonwheels.org

Adopt a family

OMG! I’m in Social Worker Heaven!!!!!! Seriously, LA County has an Adopt a Family program and “not enough” referrals. I am soo going to take care of that for them! I know 138 families (uh huh, I totally counted)

Homeless American Girl Doll

Mattel released a limited edition doll in their American Girl line. Gwen is homeless and from the Great Depression.

The response has been amazing, from embracing the idea to calling it political indoctrination of little children. The New York Post all but freaked out and said “

It seems obscene that a company that prides itself on teaching impressionable children about history and grooming — you can have your doll’s hair done for $20! — should engage in political preaching. What message is being sent with Gwen?

For starters, men are bad. Fathers abandon women without cause. She’s also telling me that women are helpless. And that children in this great country, where dolls sell for nearly 100 bucks a pop, are allowed to sleep in motor vehicles. But mothers don’t lose custody over this injustice. Because, you see, they are victims, too. http://www.nypost.com/p/news/national/homeless_doll_costs_hairstyling_4Ic0hC7Lacpfo8HQbczsQM#ixzz0X9mILGXg“

I think that fussing about it is the same as political censorship. Homelessness happens. It happens to real people, and to bad people. It is a reflection of income and circumstance, not of character. Teaching that to children,and fostering their empathy is, I think, healthy.

Children aren’t scared the same way we are, and they are braver and more creative in situations of crisis. Gwen is just a doll, her back story probably has happened over and over again to real children. It is an opportunity to talk to our children and ask:

 

what do you think about homelessness

what should we do if we dont have our own place

would you be scared?

and my favorite irreverent Adam Corrola Game of “Rich Man/Poor Man”.

 

What do you think?

Human trafficking

Slavery is alive and well in California. Sweat shops, and human coyotes, endentured servants.

I will put up more information later: but if this has happened to someone you know, ask about a “T-Visa”. It allows you to stay in the country and receive aid while the criminal is prosecuted.

Human trafficking is a form of modern-day slavery, widespread throughout the United States. While trafficking is largely a hidden social problem, many trafficking victims are in plain sight if you know what to look for.

Trafficking is not just forced prostitution. Victims of human trafficking may also be in forced labor situations as domestic servants (nannies or maids); sweatshop workers; janitors; restaurant workers; migrant farm workers; fishery workers; hotel or tourist industry workers; and as beggars.

(I am citing the federal www.acf.hhs.gov website)

Victim Identification

• A victim of trafficking may look like many of the people you help every day. You can help victims of trafficking get the assistance they need by looking beneath the surface for the following clues:
  • Evidence of being controlled
  • Evidence of an inability to move or leave job
  • Bruises or other signs of battering
  • Fear or depression
  • Non-English speaking
  • Recently brought to this country from Eastern Europe, Asia, Latin America, Canada, Africa or India
  • Lack of passport, immigration or identification documentation
• Traffickers use various techniques to keep victims enslaved. Some traffickers keep their victims under lock and key. However, the more frequent practice is to use less obvious techniques including:
  • Debt bondage – financial obligations, honor-bound to satisfy debt
  • Isolation from the public – limiting contact with outsiders and making sure that any contact is monitored or superficial in nature
  • Isolation from family members and members of their ethnic and religious community
  • Confiscation of passports, visas and/or identification documents
  • Use or threat of violence toward victims and/or families of victims
  • The threat of shaming victims by exposing circumstances to family
  • Telling victims they will be imprisoned or deported for immigration violations if they contact authorities
  • Control of the victims’ money, e.g., holding their money for “safe-keeping”

The result of such techniques is to instill fear in victims. The victims’ isolation is further exacerbated because many do not speak English and are from countries where law enforcement is corrupt and feared.

Victim Interaction

• Asking the right questions may help you determine if someone is a victim of human trafficking. It is important to talk to a potential victim in a safe and confidential environment. If the victim is accompanied by someone who seems controlling, you should try to separate the victim from that person. The accompanying person could very well be the trafficker.
• You should also enlist the help of a staff member who speaks the potential victim’s language and understands his or her culture. Although not ideal, you can enlist interpreter services such as those provided by the ATT Language Line.
• If the victim is a child, it is important to enlist the help of a social services specialist who is skilled in interviewing minor trafficking or abuse victims. Screen interpreters to ensure they do not know the victim or the traffickers and do not otherwise have conflict of interest.

Victim Assistance

• If you think you have come in contact with a victim of human trafficking, call the National Human Trafficking Resource Center at 1.888.3737.888. This hotline will help you determine if you have encountered victims of human trafficking, will identify local resources available in your community to help victims, and will help you coordinate with local social service organizations to help protect and serve victims so they can begin the process of restoring their lives. For more information on human trafficking visit www.acf.hhs.gov/trafficking.
• If you think you have encountered a victim of human trafficking, it is important to collaborate among key service providers, including the Department of Health and Human Services, law enforcement and others at the local, state and Federal levels, to help the victim get the protection and services they need. Calling the Trafficking Information and Referral Hotline will provide important guidance on enlisting these support services.
• Under the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000, victims of human trafficking in the U.S. who are non-citizens may be eligible for a special visa and comprehensive benefits and services. Victims who are U.S. citizens are already eligible to receive many of these benefits.

In Memory of Tommie Jenkins

I first showed you Tommie in 2006. 
I loved this man and was went searching for him every time he “dissapeared”. The last time he went missing was in 2007. I was told, on Saturday, that hehas been found. Dead.

I don’t know any details about how he dies, but I can tell you about the man who lived. He was friendly and sweet and funny and as good a friend as you could have on the row.

I had seen him over looked and written off, but he never wrote himself off. He worked at night guarding the apartment building where he lived, and though he could barely read or write: he wrote hourly logs which he turned in with pride.

If you needed to ride the bus somewhere, Tommie would come with you and show ytou where to get off.

If you wanted to get a bite to eat: Tommie would come with , and not ask you to buy his food too – although I often did.

He had been homeless, lived in parks and on the beaches and he knew every free food kitchen and shelter in town.

Tommie could be bought off with a trip to get his toenails done or an action movie. I often found myself scrunched between him and Carl and looked down to see his big hand in my popcorn and an impish grin on his face.

Tommie was not perfect, he had a seriousl drug problem, mental health issues and he and his wife fought so loudly once that I stopped the van in the middle of the street to kick him out.

But he lived and loved, and was lovable. And now he is gone, but not without notice.