Name: Eli Silva
Social Justice Group: 2023-2024, Homelessness in NYC
Date of Fieldwork: January 20, 2024
Name of Organization and person (people) with whom you met and their title(s):The Manhattan Church of Christ
Type of Fieldwork: [69]
What I did and what I learned about my topic, activism, social justice work or civil and human rights work from this fieldwork?:
The Manhattan Church of Christ is located on 80th Street, right near Central Park. Although the building is unassuming, the kind community I was greeted by was so much more than I expected. Carl Garrison, one of the ministers at the church, organizes the food bank and clothing pantry. When we arrived, he briefed us on the process of serving people. Some fellow volunteers were quite experienced, and helped us learn the ropes. Sadie and I were assigned to work the drinks area. People would come up asking for a drink, and then we would serve them. They had a wide selection available, includiong coffee, creamers, tea, and hot chocolate. Although at first I was a bit rusty and slow, I eventually got into a rhythm.
This fieldwork opened my eyes to the fact that houseless people are just like everyone else. I partook in multiple conversations with the people who I was serving, and I found them to be as engaging as my friends and family. Before this, I have always believed the myth told by my parents and others that houseless people, especially ones with disabilities, and dangerous and should be avoided. This stereotype is simply untrue. No one was hostile at the food bank, and everyone was talking to eachother. Everyone was very patient, and there was no hostility.
Similar to people with disabilities, houseless people are grouped away and considered as subhuman, crazy, and hostile. This societal stigma around houseless people also makes it harder for homeless people to move into permanent housing and get a stable job, because they are too different. Although relating to disability, I think that this quote from Stella Young clearly represents this issue: “My disability exists not because I use a wheelchair, but because the broader environment isn’t accessible.” Houseless people are not dangerous or different from people with stable housing, people with stable housing and the general population thinks that houseless people are “different”.
