Check them out!
http://www.youtube.com/user/projectplase?feature=mhsn#p/u
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Friday, May 27, 2011
Messages of Hope: PLASE Clients Share Their Lives Through Monologues
When Oprah Winfrey was asked what she has learned about people in her years of successful television, she said, “Everybody just wants to be heard.” This idea was the force behind Project PLASE’s first ever Night of Monologues: A PLASE to be Heard. Eleven brave PLASE clients came together one Saturday evening in May to share their stories of homelessness at the Strand Theater in Baltimore.
Each client had a unique way of preparing for and delivering their monologue. Some preferred to rehearse which part of their experiences they would share while others decided they wanted to use the energy of the crowd to speak in the moment. Regardless of style, each and every client spoke from the heart and shared their personal story with honesty and courage. “Being confronted with the genuine stories and display of raw emotion, I was completely overwhelmed” stated audience member Linda Kokenge.
Audience members came to the Night of Monologues expecting to hear stories of homelessness, drug addiction, childhood abuse, mental illness, and other challenges encountered by the population served at Project PLASE. While the speakers definitely brought stories of despair into their monologue, the overall tone of the evening was overcoming adversity. Audience member Harriet Cooper noted “For me the Night of Monologues represented: bravery, honesty and most of all integrity….gifts from the soul.”
An engaging dialogue followed the monologues, which included topics such as the stigma of our homeless neighbors, how religion impacted the lives of the speakers, and how our community can grow from stories like these.
Each client had a unique way of preparing for and delivering their monologue. Some preferred to rehearse which part of their experiences they would share while others decided they wanted to use the energy of the crowd to speak in the moment. Regardless of style, each and every client spoke from the heart and shared their personal story with honesty and courage. “Being confronted with the genuine stories and display of raw emotion, I was completely overwhelmed” stated audience member Linda Kokenge.
Audience members came to the Night of Monologues expecting to hear stories of homelessness, drug addiction, childhood abuse, mental illness, and other challenges encountered by the population served at Project PLASE. While the speakers definitely brought stories of despair into their monologue, the overall tone of the evening was overcoming adversity. Audience member Harriet Cooper noted “For me the Night of Monologues represented: bravery, honesty and most of all integrity….gifts from the soul.”
An engaging dialogue followed the monologues, which included topics such as the stigma of our homeless neighbors, how religion impacted the lives of the speakers, and how our community can grow from stories like these.
Friday, April 29, 2011
April Adventures at Project PLASE
April has been a busy month for PLASE! As long-time volunteers know, we’re involved with a number of greening activities and we kicked off our efforts for the year this month!
Back in March we got exciting news from the Parks and People Foundation that we were awarded a Community Greening Grant to enhance the garden at our permanent housing facility on S. Calverton St. The House Manager, Rita Wilson, and I have been eagerly planning the next phase of the gardening project there. We got to work April 9th with the help of an awesome group of first year dental students from the University of Maryland. With the students’ hard work we were able to get the ground ready for planting. The following weekend a group of students from Towson planted some lovely flowers that really brightened up the neighborhood. Towson students went the extra mile and cleaned up trash and debris scattered about the neighborhood in the recent rainstorms.
Garden Harvest is also back in gear! For those of you new to PLASE, Garden Harvest is a non-profit that partners with organizations to bring fresh, organic, locally grown produce to individuals who don’t have easy access to such healthy food. PLASE clients, staff, and volunteers plant and maintain a plot at the Garden Harvest farm to ensure our clients are receiving fresh fruit and vegetables. On April 17th a group of AmeriCorps volunteers came out to the farm to start getting our plot ready for planting. Unfortunately, the rain prevented them from getting much done and we still need lots of help getting ready to plant!
A group of volunteers joined us for the University of Baltimore’s service day on April 15th. They took on the messy task of spring cleaning one of PLASE’s properties on St. Paul St. Our maintenance department greatly appreciated the help with cleaning and trash removal!
Another great volunteer group from the College of Notre Dame came April 17th and prepared dinner and activities for the women in our transitional housing unit on North Ave. Both the students and residents enjoyed the chance to bond over a good meal.
Last but not least, a special shout out to our many regular volunteers who continued their efforts in April. These folks tutor residents, offer art classes, help staff keep up with their paperwork, assist in fundraising and event planning, and many other activities that keep PLASE running.
What a month!
Back in March we got exciting news from the Parks and People Foundation that we were awarded a Community Greening Grant to enhance the garden at our permanent housing facility on S. Calverton St. The House Manager, Rita Wilson, and I have been eagerly planning the next phase of the gardening project there. We got to work April 9th with the help of an awesome group of first year dental students from the University of Maryland. With the students’ hard work we were able to get the ground ready for planting. The following weekend a group of students from Towson planted some lovely flowers that really brightened up the neighborhood. Towson students went the extra mile and cleaned up trash and debris scattered about the neighborhood in the recent rainstorms.
Garden Harvest is also back in gear! For those of you new to PLASE, Garden Harvest is a non-profit that partners with organizations to bring fresh, organic, locally grown produce to individuals who don’t have easy access to such healthy food. PLASE clients, staff, and volunteers plant and maintain a plot at the Garden Harvest farm to ensure our clients are receiving fresh fruit and vegetables. On April 17th a group of AmeriCorps volunteers came out to the farm to start getting our plot ready for planting. Unfortunately, the rain prevented them from getting much done and we still need lots of help getting ready to plant!
A group of volunteers joined us for the University of Baltimore’s service day on April 15th. They took on the messy task of spring cleaning one of PLASE’s properties on St. Paul St. Our maintenance department greatly appreciated the help with cleaning and trash removal!
Another great volunteer group from the College of Notre Dame came April 17th and prepared dinner and activities for the women in our transitional housing unit on North Ave. Both the students and residents enjoyed the chance to bond over a good meal.
Last but not least, a special shout out to our many regular volunteers who continued their efforts in April. These folks tutor residents, offer art classes, help staff keep up with their paperwork, assist in fundraising and event planning, and many other activities that keep PLASE running.
What a month!
Monday, March 7, 2011
Ending Homelessness in NYC
In this report NPR focuses on Common Ground's work to end homelessness around Times Square in New York City. Like Project PLASE their goal is to end homelessness by helping the most vulnerable members of the population. We're glad to see NPR is covering their great work!
Check it out here:
http://www.npr.org/2011/03/07/134002013/ending-homelessness-a-model-that-just-might-work
Check it out here:
http://www.npr.org/2011/03/07/134002013/ending-homelessness-a-model-that-just-might-work
Friday, March 4, 2011
A Perspective on Homelessness from San Diego
http://www.sddt.com/Commentary/article.cfm?Commentary_ID=142&SourceCode=20110304tzb
Check out this nice piece on homelessness.
Check out this nice piece on homelessness.
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Interesting Articles about Homeless in Baltimore
http://weblogs.baltimoresun.com/news/crime/blog/2011/02/transgender_victim_struggled_f.html
This article touches on the challenges homeless transgendered people have finding shelters to house them. PLASE is open and affirming to the trans community and proud to serve on the Transgendered Response Team.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/02/17/AR2011021707237.html
Apparently security at Columbia Mall has been cracking down on homeless who spend time at the mall. There's a dispute about whether or not the homeless who have been asked to leave were causing a disturbance, or if security is discriminating against them.
What do you think?
This article touches on the challenges homeless transgendered people have finding shelters to house them. PLASE is open and affirming to the trans community and proud to serve on the Transgendered Response Team.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/02/17/AR2011021707237.html
Apparently security at Columbia Mall has been cracking down on homeless who spend time at the mall. There's a dispute about whether or not the homeless who have been asked to leave were causing a disturbance, or if security is discriminating against them.
What do you think?
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Giving from the Heart
People who come to volunteer at PLASE often tell me they do so because they see many homeless people on the street and want to do something to help. Volunteering at PLASE is a great way to be a part of the solution to homelessness. Everything volunteers do here, from art projects with our clients to stamping envelopes, contributes to our mission of ending homelessness by serving the most vulnerable of Baltimore
One issue that often arises for people who are committed to helping the homeless is whether or not to give money to homeless people on the street. This is a problem that comes up for me on a regular basis. I’m often asked for money when I’m stopped at a red light or walking along the street, and I don’t know what to do. If I say yes, I worry the money will be used for drugs and contribute to the addiction that’s probably a big reason that person is homeless to begin with. If I say no, I worry I’m denying a hungry person money they need for food. So I decided to ask some of our clients here at PLASE about whether or not a stranger giving them money on the street was good for them in the long run or not.
Of course, there are rarely simple answers when it comes to homelessness, and our clients didn’t give a simple answer to my question. They told me that when people gave them money it went to whatever was their most urgent need, sometimes that was food and sometimes that was drugs. Occasionally people offered to buy them food instead of just giving money, and they were hungry and grateful. Other times, their cravings for drugs were so intense that the offers of food angered them. The clients I spoke with are recovering heroin addicts, and for those unfamiliar with addiction it might seem strange to prefer drugs over food. Heroin, however, produces intense physical cravings, and when those cravings aren’t satisfied users experience painful withdrawal symptoms, such as nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, insomnia, and cold flashes.
Today, the clients I spoke with are back on their feet and experience the same dilemma the rest of us do when asked for money by a homeless person. They do recommend offering to buy the person food if you are able. They also mentioned that in bad weather a few dollars may enable a person to find shelter, since some people will rent out space to stay cheaply. As recovering addicts themselves our clients sympathize with the people they see who plainly want the money for drugs. Sometimes, they give even when they know the money will be used for drugs. One man I spoke with said that he’d given money to a friend who needed a last dose of heroin before going to treatment. That friend is still clean, so for our client giving his friend money to keep him from going into withdrawals during intake (a long and difficult process) felt like a worthwhile investment.
The most powerful statement I heard came from a client who said that regardless of what the money gets used for, the important thing is that people who give should give from the heart. The dollar you may give, or the time you spend volunteering at PLASE, is a gesture of caring to a person who may not experience that otherwise.
One issue that often arises for people who are committed to helping the homeless is whether or not to give money to homeless people on the street. This is a problem that comes up for me on a regular basis. I’m often asked for money when I’m stopped at a red light or walking along the street, and I don’t know what to do. If I say yes, I worry the money will be used for drugs and contribute to the addiction that’s probably a big reason that person is homeless to begin with. If I say no, I worry I’m denying a hungry person money they need for food. So I decided to ask some of our clients here at PLASE about whether or not a stranger giving them money on the street was good for them in the long run or not.
Of course, there are rarely simple answers when it comes to homelessness, and our clients didn’t give a simple answer to my question. They told me that when people gave them money it went to whatever was their most urgent need, sometimes that was food and sometimes that was drugs. Occasionally people offered to buy them food instead of just giving money, and they were hungry and grateful. Other times, their cravings for drugs were so intense that the offers of food angered them. The clients I spoke with are recovering heroin addicts, and for those unfamiliar with addiction it might seem strange to prefer drugs over food. Heroin, however, produces intense physical cravings, and when those cravings aren’t satisfied users experience painful withdrawal symptoms, such as nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, insomnia, and cold flashes.
Today, the clients I spoke with are back on their feet and experience the same dilemma the rest of us do when asked for money by a homeless person. They do recommend offering to buy the person food if you are able. They also mentioned that in bad weather a few dollars may enable a person to find shelter, since some people will rent out space to stay cheaply. As recovering addicts themselves our clients sympathize with the people they see who plainly want the money for drugs. Sometimes, they give even when they know the money will be used for drugs. One man I spoke with said that he’d given money to a friend who needed a last dose of heroin before going to treatment. That friend is still clean, so for our client giving his friend money to keep him from going into withdrawals during intake (a long and difficult process) felt like a worthwhile investment.
The most powerful statement I heard came from a client who said that regardless of what the money gets used for, the important thing is that people who give should give from the heart. The dollar you may give, or the time you spend volunteering at PLASE, is a gesture of caring to a person who may not experience that otherwise.
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