With fall break just around the corner, many students look forward to the rest and relaxation of the Thanksgiving holiday. While, for some, Thanksgiving can be a time for family get-togethers and full tables, it is important to recognize that some students do not have the privilege of a safe, warm place to call home or enough meals on the table.
In the United States, November is National Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Month, which serves as a reminder of the reality millions of Americans face daily. Its purpose is to bring attention to the impacts of homelessness, poverty and food insecurity and provide opportunities for support for individuals who may be struggling with hunger or getting shelter. This month is a chance to reflect on the challenges some face and consider not only giving thanks but giving back.
Homelessness–the state of lacking a safe, stable home–can present itself in many ways and be realized through a diverse range of circumstances. This year, The National Alliance to End Homelessness found record-high counts of individuals experiencing homelessness and living unsheltered. It is an issue that is becoming all the more common in the U.S. and around the world.
The Bridge Home is a non-profit organization in Ames that offers support and shelter to struggling individuals and helps them pave a path forward with long-term solutions. The Bridge Home serves the Two Rivers Region in central Iowa, including the Story, Boone, Greene, Hardin and Marshall counties.
“Our goal is to end homelessness in our region,” said Jodi Stumbo, President and CEO of The Bridge Home. “That is our vision… it seems like a monumental task, which it is, but we can stop homelessness for one person, one family at a time. Our mission is to find hope and a home… That’s a very important word in our mission.”
Those who come into the shelter are assigned a caseworker to help them determine a plan to work toward stable housing. Caseworkers will help them long-term to combat the challenges they face, and The Bridge Home works to overcome hurdles that can stand in the way of individuals getting out of homelessness. This can be anything from obtaining a full-time job, acquiring proper identification or even helping them take steps to further their education.
The Bridge Home aims to get individuals from the shelter housing in 30 days or less. They also offer longer programs for individuals who need extra time to get back on their feet, like their Rapid Re-housing and Support of Housing programs.
Compared to other towns that The Bridge Home serves, Ames has the largest homeless population.
“Ames is a wonderful community with a lot of amenities, but there is no affordable housing,” Stumbo said. “There’s a perfect storm going on right now, and it’s a combination of a lot of things. One thing that’s happening right now is we are losing affordable housing all over Iowa.”
The lack of affordable housing in the area raises problems for individuals who find themselves in a tight spot financially.
“Cost burdens have hit unprecedented heights,” Stumbo said. “We have seen more and more people becoming cost-burdened, people who may have never been before.”
This can occur when housing costs outweigh an individual’s income. The acronym ALICE (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed) describes the circumstances of a vast number of Americans. ALICE individuals earn just above the Federal Poverty Level and may not be what most picture when imagining poverty or struggling households, but this group faces many of the same struggles associated with having a low income.
“The residual money they have after they pay the bills to keep the lights on and the water running and the door open, there isn’t really much left after that,” Stumbo said. “Paycheck to paycheck, and there’s no support. We see that all the time.”
Those who fall under the ALICE category can face tough decisions, like choosing whether to pay rent, get their medications or buy food. Sometimes, having to choose not to pay the rent to be able to afford other things can pile up and be the slippery slope to ending up homeless.
“Homelessness doesn’t discriminate,” Stumbo said. “It could happen to anybody. If the perfect storms collide, it could happen to any one of us.”
Unfortunately, resources for combatting homelessness can be tight due to a lack of funding. With homelessness on the rise, there is a great need for resources, and it may not be enough to go around. Shelters are often full or may close down when they do not have enough resources to keep supporting their community, as they rely on community support and private donations a lot of the time.
“These are people who are community members,” Stumbo said. “Most of them are working when they come to us. Their kids are in school, they may check you out at Hy-Vee, they might be your mechanic. These are community members, and I think it’s hard for people to accept that.”
“We need to be preventative and have preventative services as much as we do the emergency services…I always say homelessness is a symptom of the problem,” Stumbo said. “Homelessness is not the problem; the problem is poverty, the problem is unlivable wages, the problem is lack of affordable housing… that’s the problem.”
Food insecurity is the lack of access to or uncertainty surrounding acquiring sufficient quantities of food or food of adequate and nutritious quality to meet one’s needs. Students tend to be a highly affected group, and many campuses have reported amplified rates of food insecurity. The U.S. Government Accountability Office analyzed data provided by the U.S. Department of Education’s National Postsecondary Student Aid Study and found that an estimated 23% of graduate and undergraduate students reported struggling with food insecurity, which is around twice the national average rate for the typical U.S. household.
With a high prevalence of students impacted by this issue, ISU’s Student Health and Wellness offers a variety of programs to help support students struggling with food insecurity. One of those resources is The SHOP, a student-run food pantry on ISU’s campus, located in Beyer Hall, that serves ISU students and Ames community members. It is completely confidential and open to all. It does not require individuals to demonstrate need nor disclose their income. “SHOP” is an acronym that stands for Students Helping Our Peers. The SHOP Pantry strives to alleviate food insecurity and provide food and other resources to those in need.
“The SHOP operates with a clear and compassionate approach: to ensure that every person who needs supplemental food/supplies, receives the food and essentials they need,” said Muhammad Alam, SHOP operations manager. “We are committed to providing not just any food, but food that nourishes both body and soul, with an emphasis on fairness, dignity and respect for all who come through our doors.”
Aside from food items, the SHOP also offers hygiene products like laundry soap, toilet paper and various toiletries to promote self-care and overall well-being.
Thanks to those who donate items or funds to the SHOP and other food pantries in Story County like it, the Ames community can fight against food insecurity and try to give assistance to those in need. The SHOP always welcomes donations to allow them to continue serving the community.
“We are consistently grateful to receive fresh produce, especially during the colder months when we receive fewer donations of these items,” said Alam. “Along with the fresh produce… the SHOP always needs rice, sugar, instant mashed potatoes, halal meat, tuna, laundry soap, shampoo, etcetera.”
If you want to donate items to the SHOP, you can find a list of their requests here.
Not only does the SHOP accept food donations, but monetary donations as well. These funds allow SHOP to acquire items the food pantry is in most need of and help them to continue to provide relief to the community and combat food insecurity. Iowa State students and Ames community members interested in donating to help support the SHOP Food Pantry can learn more through the ISU Foundation.
As Thanksgiving nears, take time to reflect on what you are grateful for and be thankful. If you are in a place to do so, consider extending a helping hand this holiday season to anyone who may have fallen on tough times.
Do not hesitate to reach out to resources for support if you are being affected by a lack of shelter or by food insecurity and hunger.
