A Student's Guide to Ending Homelessness - Minnesota Coalition for ...

A Student’s Guide to Ending Homelessness What You Do Can Make a Difference

By: Erica Skuta and Dan Wells Hill-Murray School/Minnesota Coalition for the Homeless

A Student’s Guide to Ending Homelessness

Table of Contents Introduction by Erica Skuta........................................................ pg 3 Introduction by Dan Wells ......................................................... pg 5 Getting Started.............................................................................. pg 7 What to Expect.............................................................................. pg 8 Community Events (Drives)....................................................... pg 9 Community Events (Coffeehouses)......................................... pg 11 Community Events (Blanket Making) ....................................pg. 12 Community Events (Box Sleep Outs/Ins).............................. pg 13 Community Events (Homeless Awareness Week) ............... pg 15 Raising Awareness (Homeless Memorial March)................. pg 17 Raising Awareness (Project Homeless Connect)................... pg 19 Raising Awareness (Lobby Day) ............................................. pg 20 Raising Awareness (A Day in the Life)................................... pg 22 Serving at a Homeless Shelter/Soup Kitchen ....................... pg 23 How to Raise Awareness in Rural Communities.................. pg 25 How to Write a Letter to Your Senator/Representative ...... pg 26 Suggested Speakers for Events ................................................ pg 28 Helpful Sites................................................................................ pg 29 Conclusion................................................................................... pg 30 About the Authors ..................................................................... pg 31

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Introduction

Peoples’ minds today are crowded by the busyness of their daily lives, the complexity of their schedules, and the endless to-do lists that they’re encircled by. All of these activities can cause us to be blind to the situations in our own community. But if we are able to pause for a moment and put aside some of our busy schedules, we are able to see that there are individuals in our community who are not as fortunate as we are. Because of media coverage and general conversation, we are accustomed to hearing about the extreme poverty in other countries, but we don’t even realize how much of a need there is just down the block from where we live. Upon entering high school I became more involved in serving the homeless of our community. My first experience was a service trip to a men’s shelter known as Secure Waiting in Minneapolis. I went with a group to prepare dinner for the men, but the night turned into much more than preparing a meal. After serving dinner, our group went and talked to the men. It was baffling to find that these men had college degrees yet could not obtain a secure job. Seeing the vast number of men at the shelter struck me deeply because it was hard to see these strong men in such a vulnerable state. After this incident, I began to work for justice for the homeless. I went on to participate in “Lobby Day” at the State Capitol to urge our state representatives to pass and support bills that would create more affordable housing and protect the rights of those living on the streets. Recently, I was fortunate enough to serve an internship at St. Stephen's Human Rights Program where I spent a week interviewing and videotaping people that were either homeless or formerly homeless to present to our state 3


representatives. I heard numerous stories from a former Northwestern University student who dropped out because of unimaginable discrimination she was confronted with, from a former millionaire who found herself on the street due to a drug addiction, from a single mother of three boys, and from a couple who biked across numerous states in search of a better life. All of these people showed me that life is unpredictable and full of choices, some of which can be life changing. However, as they all indicated to me, life goes on and so must you. You have to figure out how to get through each day, one by one. From my broadened knowledge and first hand experiences with homelessness, my perspective has been altered and I have seen the stereotypes reversed. And it prompts me to ask, with all of society’s resources and technology, why does homelessness exist? It is unacceptable to have a mother and newborn child spending the night under a bridge or a lost teenage boy riding the buses all night to stay warm. It is our responsibility to work for an end to homelessness and to give a voice to those that continually seem to be forgotten. There are so many things that we can all do both directly and indirectly to help those that are homeless, all we need is a place to get started. Hopefully this guide can help you find that place to start. Best of luck to you! -Erica Skuta

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Introduction (cont.)

Thinking about homelessness and its elimination has been at the forefront of my social justice efforts for the past two years. While I know that homelessness will not be eradicated in the near future, my commitment to its disappearance will not waver. My name is Dan Wells, I am a senior at HillMurray School in Maplewood, Minnesota and I am the co-author of A Student’s Guide to Ending Homelessness. When I say this is a guide for students, I really do mean that. My friend Erica and I wrote this entirely on our own. We decided what topics to discuss and how one might go about trying to end homelessness. Our hope with this guide is to make it more “student friendly” so that you, our community’s students, can do your part in ending homelessness. Students can, and must, become leaders in all of the issues facing our world today. You might have heard that before, but it is actually true. When I participated in “Lobby Day” with the Minnesota Coalition for the Homeless, the legislators listened intently to our school’s students’ opinions and views. They were surprised that we even cared about an issue like homelessness. Having students speak out about their concerns for society makes a lasting impression on lawmakers and enhances the gravity of homelessness. The event that has provoked the most passion for ending homelessness for me was the first advocacy experience I participated in with homelessness, the “Families Moving Forward” Box Sleep-Out. A group of students slept outside in cardboard boxes overnight on a chilly October evening, and it was not all fun and games. It was uncomfortable, cold, and I could not stay asleep. I continuously woke up in the middle of the night for one reason or another. In the morning I reflected on what I had just experienced and came to the 5


conclusion that I could not do this every night for months at a time. Being homeless is unimaginable to me and I have the utmost respect for these men and women. They experience hardships that are beyond my comprehension. This event inspired me to fight for social change and to reverse the causes of homelessness. I am still fighting to this very moment and will continue until this issue has been eradicated. I have been involved with advocating for the homeless for two years now and I have learned a great deal in that time. In this guide you’ll find everything I’ve done with homelessness and I hope it will be a valuable tool. The most important aspect about homelessness I have learned is that it can be solved. Do not lose hope; stay confident in your abilities as an important member of society. Just because some might underestimate your abilities does not mean you have to underestimate your potential as well. -Dan Wells

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Getting Started

Getting started is the hardest part but once you get going it will be impossible to stop. Working for human rights is one of the most rewarding areas to be involved with. For starters you need to decide what you want your focus to be on: raising awareness, outreach, direct service, or all of the above. Once you have a goal you will need a group and an advisor. Find friends and classmates that are interested in making a difference. Then find a teacher or a faculty member that can serve as your advisor. How this group functions is up to you. You may choose to have a structured group with selected leaders and positions or a more casual group that runs as a collective effort. This is a student driven group so work together to get what you want accomplished. Your group will have to do research to become more educated on the topic of homelessness. Research facts, statistics and focus on first hand accounts of homelessness. Find events that your group wants to participate in or ways that you want to become involved. This guide is full of ways to get involved and places to serve. As your group becomes more developed, encourage others to join and expand the ways in which you participate in ending homelessness.

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What to Expect With Your First Encounter With Homelessness

Have an Open Mind and Get Out of Your Comfort Zone Homelessness is an issue that can make some people feel uncomfortable and this is completely normal. It is important to remember to keep an open mind when dealing with homelessness because the homeless are people just like you and me; they just have gone through some difficult times. Here are some tips if you feel nervous about your first experience with homelessness: It can be intimidating to meet someone who is homeless, but it is just as intimidating for him or her to meet you as well. For the most part, the homeless just want to have a friendly conversation and they appreciate the courage it took to say hello. The homeless are continually looked down upon, and when you flash a smile or say a friendly greeting, it shows that not all people look at them with indifference or contempt. The more you put yourself out there and stretch your boundaries, the more you will get out of the experience. If you stay inside your comfort zone, don’t expect to learn as much as you would if you opened up. It is always good to stay in pairs when meeting someone new, just in case the encounter turns in a direction you are not comfortable with. Some people might not want to have a conversation with you; that’s okay. It is best to leave people alone who want to be left alone. 8


Community Events Community events are a type of indirect service. It still involves advocating for the homeless but more so with your community than directly with the homeless. If you want to get involved with ending homelessness but you are nervous about dealing directly with the homeless, having community events like fundraising/material drives, blanket making activities, or hosting your own “Homelessness Awareness Week” can be successful and fun!

Drives An easy way to get your entire school involved is by hosting a fundraising/material drive. It is fairly easy to create and manage, but make sure to advertise well and to not have too many during the year. Hosting too many drives leads to less participation, but if you have a few spaced out over the school year they can be very successful. Ask local homeless shelters what supplies they need most, or if there aren’t any shelters close by, a food drive can always be helpful for your local food shelf. Put up lots of signs and posters to promote the drive. Make announcements to inform your school community. Word of mouth is probably the best way to promote your drive. Find ways for people to care about your cause so that they are more willing to donate. Provide boxes around school for people to bring in the items. Make sure they are accessible and in a well-traveled area to ensure people notice the drive. Contact the organization that you are conducting the drive for so that you can coordinate when to drop off the items. Some items that may be useful for homeless shelters that you may want to consider are: Hygiene products like toothpaste, toothbrushes, deodorant, mouthwash, shampoo, floss, soap, toe nail clippers, and more Socks are very, very important for the homeless and are overlooked constantly Baby diapers 9


Baby formula Jackets, boots, and other warm clothing Blankets, pillows, and other comfort items.

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Community Events (cont.)

Coffeehouses A coffeehouse is a great way to get students involved through their musical talent and to bring the entire school together. This event can be paired with a collection drive or monetary donations to get more participation out of the event. It is a very laidback, fun, and easy event to host to raise awareness for homelessness. Have students sign up for slots to play piano, guitar, read poetry or display any of their other talents. Find an area in your school that can facilitate the event and then hold the coffeehouse after school. Provide hot chocolate, coffee and some cookies for those who come. Publicize the event with posters throughout the school and with announcements. You could ask if a local coffeehouse would allow you to host your event at their venue. People attending the event will be inclined to buy food and drink at the coffeehouse, providing increased revenue for the host and you will raise money and donations for your cause. Our local Dunn Brothers coffeehouse always welcomes our events.

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Blanket Making Blanket making is another effective way to bring the school together. Gather a large or small group of people together and you can make numerous blankets in a short amount of time. It is a great social event and the more people involved, the more blankets you can make! Contact fabric stores to ask for discounted or donated fabric for this activity. Set up a time prior to the event for students come to prepare the fabric. In some cases, it is cheaper to cut the fabric yourself than to have the store cut it. These preparations will make your blanket tying activity go smoothly. Here is a link to how to make tie blankets: http://www.instructables.com/id/How_to_Make_a_Tied_Fleece_Blanket/ These blankets are greatly needed during the cold winter months and it is nice if those staying at a shelter can receive something comfortable and warm that was made by hand. If you regularly serve at a shelter or soup kitchen, donate the blankets to the organization and hand them out personally. Check with the shelter’s management before handing out the blankets personally because some may not allow you to do so for safety and legal reasons. We always feel especially gratified when we go to a shelter that we have a special relationship with and see the guests using our blankets.

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Box Sleep Outs/Ins Box Sleep Outs/Ins can be carried out in a few ways. Your school can choose to participate in a pre-existing sleep out or you can host your own. In both cases you should go into the experience with the idea of being educated. These activities are fun and they are a great social event, but remember your purpose for participating is to raise awareness and to experience what someone who is homeless goes through in a night. To begin with, you will need to have a location. A football field or a gymnasium is most ideal for the event. You will need to have an on duty police officer or security guard to oversee the safety of the event. Also be sure that there are bathroom facilities available. Have the students bring boxes to sleep in. Tarps are a good idea to put under the boxes so that the dew doesn’t seep through the cardboard. You will want to include a speaker to educate those who are attending. Be prepared to have a “Plan B” if weather conditions don’t allow a sleep out: Have a “sleep in” in your school gym, or Brave the conditions to have a full experience of the night of someone that is homeless You can have a fun event to go along with the sleep out (blanket making, coffeehouse, etc.) but make sure the focus is on homelessness and not on a social event. 13


Pre-Existing Sleep-Outs There is a sleep out held on the State Fair grounds, hosted by “Families Moving Forward”. To get more information and to register visit http://familiesmovingforward.org/. Another sleep out that takes place every year is on the State Capital grounds. This sleep out takes place in May, which is hosted by the Minnesota Coalition for the Homeless.

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How to Create Your Own “Homelessness Awareness Week” This is one of the most involved and best ways to raise familiarity in your community about homelessness. One of the key components to ending homelessness is education and that is what a “Homelessness Awareness Week” is focused on. Speakers can come and share their experience and knowledge with the community in hopes of breaking stereotypes about homelessness. Hosting events like a blanket making activity and a box sleep-out/in has students involved in service and change. Reading statistics during the school morning or afternoon announcements will increase the knowledge of your school about homelessness. This week takes all the aspects of community events and combines them into one week. With the multitude and variety of experiences your educational message about homelessness is heard throughout your school. Education is a key point of emphasis to ending homelessness. The more the public knows about homelessness, the closer we are to solving this issue. Host “Brown Bag Speakers” during your lunch periods where you invite speakers involved with the issue of homelessness to come in and give a presentation about their experiences and how they see this issue being solved. After the presentation, discuss what you just learned and have a Q&A session with your presenter during lunch. Open these sessions to the greater community to reach out to more people than just your school. Advertise your week well in advance so that your message is heard by all students. Have statistics read about homelessness during morning or 15


afternoon announcements to educate the school on facts they might not know about this issue. Have events after school, such as writing letters to state legislators about homelessness, making signs to hang up around school with facts about homelessness or a fleece blanket making activity to get the entire student body involved. Plan service trips to shelters to serve dinner and have conversations with the people staying there. Any of the events mentioned on the previous pages can be used throughout the week or to finish off the week. Using one or two of them is effective in trying to get your message across because the more outlets and ways you can get your message heard, the better. End the week with a Sleep-Out, a trip to serve dinner at a homeless shelter, a coffeehouse or another event that ties the entire week together and ends the week with a bang!

Rich Johnson from the St. Stephen’s “Human Rights Program” giving a presentation during our “Homelessness Awareness Week.”

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Raising Awareness and Outreach Events The following events involve advocacy, direct service, and social change. They are sponsored by organizations that are committed to ending homelessness and providing services for the homeless. Some events deal directly with the homeless, like “Project Homeless Connect” or “A Day in the Life.” Other events involve social change for the homeless, like the “Homeless Memorial March” or “Lobby Day.” There are so many different types of events that it is easy to find one or more that interest you and that you want to participate in. These events are a great way to reach out directly to ending homelessness and help to address the causes of homelessness so that it can be eliminated completely.

Homeless Memorial March The march is held in remembrance for all those that have died in the past year due to homelessness. During the march, you have an opportunity to carry a sign with the name of a person that has passed away due to homelessness. Afterwards, there is a service at the Simpson Church to honor those that have passed away. As each name of the deceased is read, a candle is lit in their remembrance. People also come up to share stories and memories about those that have passed away. After the service there is a meal held for everyone held in the basement of the church where you can meet other March participants. Visit http://www.simpsonhousing.org/ for more information about the event and when it is being held. There is no formal way to register, but you can call Barbara Glaser of Simpson Church, the coordinator of the March, with any questions. The “Homeless Memorial March” takes place the third Thursday of December each year so dress warmly for the walk. 17

A Student’s Guide to Ending Homelessness The march begins at the Hennepin Government Center in Minneapolis

and goes to Simpson United Methodist Church. It is a three-mile silent walk. There are free buses that are provided so that there is no need to find parking downtown. You can get on the buses at the Minneapolis Lake Street Kmart. (These buses are expensive and it is helpful for Simpson if you can provide some assistance for the cost) During the meal and afterwards, take a chance and sit with people you don’t know. You never know who you are going to meet and everyone has an interesting story regardless if it’s a fellow activist, some that was formally homeless, or someone that is still struggling.

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Raising Awareness and Outreach Events (cont.)

Project Homeless Connect “Project Homeless Connect” is held at the Minneapolis Convention Center twice a year, once in the winter and once in the spring. This is a day for those that are homeless to receive a variety of services ranging from medical care and finding housing to legal services and vendors to purchase clothing. You can volunteer to be a guide for someone. This means that you will take him or her to the services he or she needs and you will eat lunch with them as well. Participants must be 18 years or older. You must register online at http://homelessconnectminneapolis.org/ at least one month in advance. Lunch is provided for you. To participate you have to attend a training session to learn the best way to navigate through the numerous services offered. There are numerous training sessions available to meet your schedule.

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Lobby Day This is an opportunity to go to the State Capitol and lobby legislators on specific pieces of legislation. This event is sponsored by the Minnesota Coalition for the Homeless. It is usually held in February or March. It is a fantastic way to advocate for the homeless because you become the voice for them at the State Capitol. You must register for the event at least a month in advance. Check the Minnesota Coalition for the Homeless website for updates on this event and when to register. To get involved, create a “Lobby Day Team” that will be willing to do research and thoroughly learn about the bill or act. Do research about homelessness, its history, causes, and why people continue to be homeless. Hold training sessions prior to Lobby Day to go over the legislation and to prepare yourselves to be effective lobbyists. Talk about the research you have done about homelessness, what you learned, and what would be effective when lobbying. During your day at the Capitol you will meet with about 5-6 legislators. Some legislators will be attentive and cooperative, but others will pose their opposition to the bill. Lobbying Techniques: Use personal experiences to support your cause To not get off subject and keep the focus on the legislation Be polite yet assertive in your beliefs Thank the legislators for their time and if applicable, their support to homelessness and to keep supporting this issue After your meeting, follow up with the legislator. Thank them for his or her support for homelessness or encourage them to become a supporter. A follow-up can be an email or letter and does not have to be very elaborate. It will leave a positive experience about your visit and about your 20


lobbying. This is a critical step in the process to change the mind of a legislator who is not a supporter. The most important thing to do is to just be present and voice your support for the bill and for ending homelessness. Legislators appreciate hearing student’s opinions and it makes a lasting impression on them when students show their support for an issue.

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A Day in the Life This is an event hosted by the St. Stephen’s Human Rights Program. It is a day where you become completely immersed in homelessness by simulating the daily life as someone who is homeless. You spend the entire day doing activities and errands that a typical homeless individual does to try and find food, medical care, employment, and a place to sleep for the night. It shows how difficult it is to be homeless and provides more understanding of the struggles homelessness and what needs to be done to end this issue. Contact Rich Johnson, Kenza Hadj-Moussa, or Cathy Heying at the St. Stephen’s Human Services if you are interested in participating, follow the link to their “A Day in the Life” page: http://www.ststephensmpls.org/humanrights.htm

This event is held by appointment only; you must schedule a date for your group to participate in this event. The cost for this event is $50 per person.

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Serving at a Homeless Shelter/Soup Kitchen This is one of the most direct ways to do service for the homeless. It is fun, easy, and you can get a lot of people involved. Serving a meal is very personal and people appreciate the effort you put into making the meals and it shows that people care. You can go to the Minnesota Coalition for the Homeless Resource Assistance Directory or the Catholic Charities website to find local shelters and soup kitchens to serve at: http://www.mnhomelesscoalition.org/resources/directory/ http://www.ccspm.org and go to the Volunteer Page Get a group of students together (about 5 to 10) with at least one or two teachers or chaperones to supervise. Clear the trip with school officials first if you plan to advertise within the school and/or have the school sponsor the trip. Find out if the shelter will provide the food or if your group has to bring a meal to serve. Also ask for an estimate of how many people you will be serving so you have enough food for everyone. Easy and delicious main meals to bring and make at the shelter are: Tacos Sub Sandwiches Spaghetti and Meatballs Sloppy Joes 23

A Student’s Guide to Ending Homelessness Good side dishes to bring include:

Buttered bread Canned fruit Green beans Mashed Potatoes and Gravy Make sure if you bring a meal, to have it be healthy and include as many of the food groups as possible. After serving the meal, you may have the opportunity to talk with the guests of the shelter. Take advantage of this opportunity if it is allowed by the organization because some people staying at the shelter appreciate sharing their stories or just talking about how their day went. Establish a relationship with a shelter by serving there on a regular basis. This makes it possible to create relationships with individuals staying there and is very rewarding to see how they are getting along with homelessness or other struggles.

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How to Raise Awareness in Rural Communities The issue of rural homelessness is one of the most overlooked aspects of homelessness. It is different from urban homelessness because people are more isolated from the already small community. They pitch tents in the woods and the already scarce opportunities to find work and housing are even harder to find outside of urban communities. Also, single agencies are providing multiple services and there is minimal funding for these smaller communities. Here are some ways to advocate for the rural homeless: Research the causes and proponents of rural homelessness. Write letters to legislators in rural communities to educate them on the facts of rural homelessness and to advocate for more support for this issue. There are shelters and soup kitchens in rural communities and they need help with service and donations. Don’t feel like you need to travel to the city to advocate for homelessness. If you live outside the metro area, you can do service in your own backyard.

Photo by Cathy ten Broeke 25


How to Write a Letter to Your Senator/Representative Writing a letter to your legislator is one of the best ways to advocate for change. Legislators need to hear about homeless and that their constituents want to end this issue and they appreciate letters and emails because it helps them know what types of bills to support. A note to your legislator indicating that there are people who are passionate about ending homelessness and that it is an important issue is vital to solving the issue. Go online to research your state and congressional legislators. See what committees he or she is on and what bills and issues he or she supports. Reference what you find in your note to either commend their support or persuade support for homelessness. http://www.house.leg.state.mn.us/ (MN State Representatives) http://www.senate.leg.state.mn.us/members/(MN State Senators) http://www.senate.gov/ (MN Congressional Senators) http://www.house.gov/ (MN Congressional Representatives) Experiences and information to add in letter or email: Personal experiences with homelessness Why you believe homelessness should be ended Information/statistics about homelessness is a good way to support your position and give credibility to your argument It is important to make sure to state your support for homeless and that it is an important issue to you. As their constituent, they appreciate hearing from you and what issues you want supported in the legislature. At the end of your note, thank the legislator for taking the time to read it. If they are already a supporter of homelessness, thank them their continuous support. If they are not, encourage them to become one because it is important to you that homelessness is an issue on the policy agenda.

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A Student’s Guide to Ending Homelessness Sign your name in pen if writing a letter and provide home addresses

to validate you are their constituent and/or an email address if they want to be in contact with you. Sending emails to multiple legislators makes sure numerous lawmakers hear your message. Get a group of friends or supports of homelessness and have a letterwriting event. Send all the letters to respective legislators separately or in one envelope. This large amount of letters from one group will make a significant impression on the legislator.

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Suggested Speakers for Events This is list of speakers that would be great if you wanted someone to talk about homelessness at your event. They are people we have befriended through the years and have come speak at our events. They are all well versed in homelessness and have many great stories to share. Feel free to contact any of them if you are interested. Cathy ten Broeke - Coordinator to End Homelessness [email protected] 300 South Sixth St Minneapolis, MN 55487 Wendy Wiegmann – Programs Director at Simpson Housing Services [email protected] 2100 Pillsbury Ave. S. Minneapolis, MN 55404

Cathy ten Broeke

St. Stephen’s Human Rights Program 2211 Clinton Ave S. Minneapolis, MN 55404 Cathy Heying – Interim Director [email protected] Richard M. Johnson – Organizer [email protected]

Josh Lang, Rich Johnson, and Cathy Heying from the St. Stephen’s Human Rights Program

Kenza Hadj-Moussa – Education Coordinator [email protected] Liz Kuoppala – Executive Director, Minnesota Coalition for the Homeless [email protected] 2233 University Ave. W. Suite 434 St. Paul, MN 55114 Madeleine Baran – Journalist, Minnesota Public Radio

[email protected] Liz Kuoppala 28


Helpful Sites

St. Stephen’s Human Services: http://ststephensmpls.org/ Families Moving Forward: http://familiesmovingforward.org/ MN Coalition for the Homeless: http://mnhomelesscoalition.org/ National Coalition for the Homeless: http://www.nationalhomeless.org/ Project Homeless Connect: http://homelessconnectminneapolis.org/ Simpson Housing Services: http://simpsonhousing.org/ Loaves and Fishes (St. Stephen’s):http://www.saintstephensdc.org/landf.html Catholic Charities: http://www.ccspm.org Mary’s Place: http://www.sharingandcaringhands.org/marysplace.htm Sharing and Caring Hands: http://www.sharingandcaringhands.org/index.htm People Serving People: http://www.peopleservingpeople.org/

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Conclusion There are so many opportunities to be involved in with this issue and what has been mentioned here are just some of the many hundreds. Homelessness is an issue that should have never grown to what it is today and with the support of many people, we all can help to make a difference in this world and in the lives of the less fortunate.

“We may not win all the fights, but the more we fight, the more we win.” – Minnesota Senator John Marty

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About the Authors Dan Wells

Erica Skuta

Dan Wells attends Hill-Murray school in Maplewood, MN and will graduate in the Class of 2010. He is actively involved in all aspects of the community. Dan runs crosscountry and is on the track team. He freely gives of his time by volunteering at a variety of service sites. Dan is also CoPresident of Hill-Murray’s Amnesty International Club. For the past two years he has tirelessly worked to advocate for those that are homeless and for human rights. Dan plans to become a doctor and continue to use his talents to help those in need. He is someone who sees people for who they are. He doesn’t judge and he is very understanding and considerate of other people. Dan is one of my best friends and he has taught me so much during the time that I have known him.

Erica Skuta attends Hill-Murray school in Maplewood, MN and will graduate in the Class of 2010. She has been a supporter of the homeless and an advocate for human rights ever since her junior year, and I do not see her as stopping anytime soon. She enjoys figure skating with her competive synchonized team, being with friends and family and doing service with in her community through her parish and school. She is also Co-President of the Amnesty International Club at Hill-Murray. She has changed the perspectives of many students and has broken countless negative stereotypes of homelessness through her extensive participation. Erica will attend Drake University with the goal of studying actuary sciences. Erica’s lifelong commitment to ending homelessness makes me very proud to call her my friend.

– Written by Erica Skuta

-Written by Dan Wells

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