By Leah Ingram
A group of University of Portland students and faculty and 3 Notre Dame students attended the annual Urban Policy Plunge from January 6 through the 9. The Urban Policy Plunge, which is one of many service learning projects put on by the Moreau Center, took place in downtown Portland and the surrounding area.
The purpose of the plunge, as described by the Moreau Center, was to "focus on the root causes of poverty, homelessness, and hunger...on solutions of service, empathy, and seeking change of the institutions which are the causes of inequality." Plunge-goers prepared for the trip by reading laws and project outlines aimed at easing the hardships of homelessness in Portland.
While on the trip, volunteers spent time listening to speakers, watching documentaries and volunteering at non-profits in the area. The volunteers packed their own lunches each morning, and then split into four groups during the day to tour and work at several locations. In the evening, they met at the Downtown Chapel to discuss the day's events and to set up their sleeping bags on the floor for the night.
While the Moreau Center outlined the goals of the trip, UP students also brought their own goals and expectations along with them. Many students expressed the desire both to understand societal problems in Portland and to meet other students who shared their same interest.
"I wanted to explore these prominent issues that I am so removed from in my own life, and really see how their effects are reflected in the community," said Mary Worlein, a freshman at UP.
Although volunteers entered into the plunge eagerly, many were initially hesitant about the trip's activities.
"A number of students were anxious about working with people experiencing homelessness," said Andrew Noethe, the pastoral associate at the chapel. "But I appreciated how a majority of UP students entered our community with an open heart and mind."
Volunteers started each day by eating a quick breakfast, then headed out the door to their respective work sites. One of the non-profits that the volunteers visited was the Sisters of the Road Café, a restaurant on NW 6 Avenue that is a popular hangout for homeless Portlanders. At Sisters of the Road, meals cost only a dollar or two, but staff members are adamant about not giving hand outs.
"Our philosophy is that we don't do anything for people that they can't do for themselves," said Richard Walden, the Center Floor Manager. "If they can't pay money, they can do barter jobs for a meal."
Many of the non-profits that the volunteers visited held similar views on homelessness; they set up environments where individuals could work or receive their services in a dignified manner.
Volunteers did anything from cleaning apartments through the MacDonald Center to scooping oats at the Oregon Food Bank. Throughout the plunge, they got the opportunity to meet and relate to homeless and low income Portlanders on a personal level. Students were encouraged to both serve food and talk with people as they worked at Brother Andre Café.
"I had convinced myself that there was no possible way that I could relate to someone living on the streets," said Worlein, "but this was completely falsified by the warm response that I received from the (homeless) individuals who I spoke with on the plunge."
The trip ended with a visit to Dignity Village, which is an independent collection of 60 yurts for homeless Portlanders. As the volunteers helped out with gardening, they also got to learn about the three micro-businesses that Dignity Village runs and about and the people who inhabited the village. As volunteers interacted more and more with the homeless community, they learned about how a person could become homeless.
"(I was) struck with the reality that any one of us could be in (their) same position," said Janie Oliphant, a freshman from UP.
After all their hard work, the volunteers returned to UP to discuss the events of the plunge.
"I am really excited by all the opportunities that are out there," said Worlein. "Because I know that after participating in this experience, my life has changed for the better."
Leah Ingram is a junior
English major
