Lead Contacts     |     Issue Focus     |     Pilot Project Plan     |     Timeline     |     Progress Reports

 

 

Lead Contacts

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• Dr. Monty Whitney, Director, Bonner Office of Community Service | (404) 68107560 • wwhitney@morehouse.edu
• Mr. Tony Rocker, Program Manager, Bonner Office of Community Service (404) 522-3759 trocker@morehouse.edu 
• Mr. Mario Stephens,Bonner Scholar, (770) 369-5848 msteph12@bellsouth.net   

 

Issue Focus

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•   Homelessness

 

Progress Reports

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• Course Implementation Profile
• Semi-Annual Progress Reports
  • April 1, 2009 Progress Report
  • August 15, 2009 Progress Report
  • December 15, 2009 Progress Report
  • June 1, 2010 Progress Report

 

 

Pilot Project Plan

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Background

 

As an institute of higher learning, Morehouse College’s first obligation is to our students by providing learning tools to advance their knowledge and experience. Our second obligation is to the community as we seek to address its articulated needs.  The collaborative relationship with the surrounding community as resulted in an Annual Community Partners Day on Campus and a follow-up Community Partners Luncheon to discuss how we can work together to resolve community issues. As a result of these discussions, homelessness was identified as one of the most pressing problems affecting the community.   

 

The Bonner Office of Community Service has served as a formal resource center at Morehouse College for outreach and civic engagement for students, faculty and staff.  The proposed PolicyOptions grant initiative would effectively move our students beyond charity, to actually look at the strengths and/or weaknesses of conventional public policies in addressing today’s social issues. In addition, students will be able to utilize the knowledge they obtain to benefit those in need in the area of homelessness through the development of public policy briefs. We further understand that conventional research methodology and practices rarely result in significant social policy changes that impact the community. As a result, we are proposing to get involved with the PolicyOptions grant initiative, which will lead to increased student learning, improved community programs and public policies in the area of homelessness. 

 

Purpose

• To develop opportunities so that our Bonner and other students will fully understand the current and underlying issues associated with homelessness; and to discover what resources are at their disposal to be effective policy advocates for social justice.
• To have students and faculty generate policy briefs, community forums and other community-based research projects that will directly benefit our community partners in the area of homelessness.
• To work with our community partners, faculty and community coalition’s members to provide a policy options to prevent an increase in homelessness locally and in the global community.

 

Through the PolicyOptions grant initiative the BOCS will increase the integration of our work and networking with the following community partners in a more substantial way. Some of the organizations we currently work with are:

• The Taskforce for the Homeless, which is and advocacy organization with and works towards the goal of preventing homelessness and seeking appropriate and affordable housing and service for all. 
• The Atlanta Community Food Bank fights hunger by providing food and grocery products to more than 800 local nonprofit partner agencies that feed the hungry in Metro Atlanta and North Georgia. Currently, the ACFD distribute more than 20 million pounds of food each year to food pantries, community kitchens, shelters, after school programs, childcare centers, senior centers and other organizations that provide food and resources for low-income Georgians who suffer from hunger and food insecurity. The ACFD acknowledged that this couldn’t accomplish this without the support of the community, utilizing more than 1,000 volunteers each month and encourage more to get involved in one of the variety of projects offered – the Product Rescue Center, Hunger Walk/Run, Community Gardens project, Atlanta’s Table prepared food rescue program, Hunger 101 or Kids in Need. 
• The Church of the Immaculate Conception is small group of parishioners got together and started the soup kitchen (i.e., St. Francis Table in response to the fact that there was a void in food for the hungry on Saturday). Monday through Friday, St. Luke’s provides food to the hungry, on Sunday, Trinity Methodist provides food, but there was nothing available on Saturday. As a result, St. Francis Table was started to feed the hungry each Saturday.  Currently, St. Francis Table feeds over 800 persons every Saturday. The only requirement for the people to be fed is that they are hungry. Several organizations including, parishes, religious denominations, colleges, high schools and companies participate in preparing the food.
• The National Coalition for the Homeless, founded in 1982, is a national network of people who are currently experiencing or who have experienced homelessness, activists and advocates, community-based and faith-based service providers, and others committed to a single mission. That mission, common bond, is to end homelessness. They are committed to creating the systemic and attitudinal changes necessary to prevent and end homelessness. At the same time, they work to meet the immediate needs of people who are currently experiencing homelessness or who are at risk of doing so. The NCH take as their first principle of practice that people who are currently experiencing homelessness or have formerly experienced homelessness must be actively involved in all of their work.

 

Student and Faculty Engagement

 

Through this initiative we will seek the support of Morehouse College Faculty to spearhead collaborations on deliberative democratic activities that will serve to connect PolicyOptions research into academic courses or an internship program. We have identified two faculty members who have agreed to integrate the PolicyOptions grant initiative into their courses for spring semester 2009. 

 

Dr. Monty Whitney is the Director of the BOCS and an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology.  He is an advocate for service-learning and community-based research and infuses his course of Community Psychology with both pedagogical tools.  He would be most instrumental in supporting a Project Coordinator throughout this initiative as he will engage other faculty members in the policy research process and development of PolicyOptions Issue Briefs, and introduce this process for class assignments. 

 

Dr. Cynthia Hewitt is an Assistant Professor at Morehouse College in the Department of Sociology, who teaches among other subjects a course on Globalization Issues.   She has agreed to have students in this newly developed course work with students in Dr. Whitney’s course on the issue of Homelessness and Hunger of a global basis. Both classes will have several joint classes to discuss the PolicyOptions grant initiative and discuss an implementation strategy.  Both classes currently require students to conduct research literature reviews and it is expected that students will focus their research in the area of homelessness locally and globally. 

 

 

Timeline

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Fall 2008

• Contact local organizations, community partners who work in the area of homelessness through meetings, e mails to determine their interest in the PolicyOptions grant initiative.
  • We contacted a number of local organizations, such as the Atlanta Homeless Coalition, Atlanta Downtown Improvement District's Ambassador Program, Georgia Department of Community Affairs and the Metro Atlanta Task Force for the Homeless.
  • Developed a working relationship with serveral community partners including the Gateway 24/7 Homeless Service Center which is an umbrella non profit whose mission is to eliminate chronic homelessness and the Atlanta Union Mission, which provides residential recovery and transitional housing.
• Identify and meet with professors on campus to ascertain their interest the PolicyOptions grant initiative.
  • Met with Dr. Martin Rosenman, Professor of Psychology, who teaches course on "Relationship between the Sexes" and requires student to spend four weekends at a Homeless Shelter for Couples. He agreed to be involved with our grant initiative.
  • Met with Dr. Cynthia Hewitt, Professor of Sociology, who teaches a course on "Global Issues" and has agreed to be involves with our initiative.  Her class is also interested in looking at other global issues, such as Hunger, Environment anf Transportation.  Her class is scheduled to visit the "Eco-Village at Berea College.
• Contact local Councilpersons and State Representative interested in the issue of homelessness.
  • Contacted State Senator Vincent Fort, who is also a local community activitist and is interested in the issue of Homelessness in Atlanta.  He is willing to meet to further discuss his involvement with our initiative.
  • Contacted mayor Shirley Franklin's office and they agreed to meet to discuss their involvment with our inititiative.
• Work with local organizations to develop possible student projects and initiatives as well as integrating our work with the work they currently are engaged.
  • Developed a good working relationship with several organization that already are placements for Bonner Scholars and other Morehouse College students.

 

Spring 2009

• Identify specific courses that will be involved in the PolicyOptions grant initiative and integrate the PolicyOptions initiative into the selected courses.    
  • Psychology Course # 381 "Introduction to Community Psychology" taught by Dr. Monty Whitney, Course Requires service-learning component and focuses on the issue of homelessness.          
• Identify specific class project to increase students knowledge and interest in the homelessness initiative, i.e. Students will be involved the Homeless Census (January 2009) and volunteer to participate in the Forum on Homeless (February 2009).
  • Students participated in the Homeless Census Count
  • Students conducted research on Homeless Organizations
  • Students did interviews with Homeless Men
  • Students participated in weekly feed the Homeless Programs
  • The class did not participate in the Homeless Forum, which was held during Spring Break
• Develop a schedule for class visit of local organization and policy makers.
  • Students attended speakers in Dr. Obey Clayton's Sociology class on "Urban Issues"- Speakers were from the Atlanta Downtown Improvement District and the Atlanta Regional Council.
• Develop summer internship for the grant initiative and a recruit student from the class or from the Bonner or Adams Scholars Program, who will work on the project during the summer.
  • Two students have been identified to work as Summer Interns for this initiative.

 

Summer 2009

• Student intern will collected information on policies, issues and news items related to homelessness and disseminate information through the PolicyObtions wiki.
  • Student interns identified homeless program activitiies on campus, courses and professor involved in service learning with a homeless component.
• Recruit additional professors who may be interested in integrating the PolicyOptions initiative into their courses for fall 2009.
  • Dr. Sinead Younge's course in Communnity Psychology developed a relationship with the Fulton County Department of Social Services S.T.A.R.T. Program http://fulton county human service to promote the retention of homeless high school children.
• Meet with community partners, organizations and committed professors to work in the area of homelessness
  • Hels a series of meetings with Fulton County Department of Human Services to establish a community partner site for Bonner interns.
  • Met with Bread for the World http://Bread for the World to discuss theri involvement as a community partner.
• Write progress report

 

Fall 2009

• Meet with the advisory group to develop plans for the initiatives.
  • Developed two new Community Partners- Fulton County Department of Human Services- Emergency Assistance Program and the Atlanta Task Force for the Homeless, who have agreed to participate in an advisory capacity for this initiative.

• Teach course(s) that have included the PolicyOptions initiative.
  • Dr. Sinead Younge is teaching a course in Community Psychology that includes a service-learning component that includes a research project on Homelessness in conjunction with the Fulton County Department ofv Social Services START Program.  Her class project focuses on the retention of high school homeless students.

• Recruit and train student intern for the fall semester
  • Developed a team of Bonner/Adam Scholars who are focused on the issue of Homelessness
• Develop another community forum that attracts participants locally, nationally and internationally
  • The Task Force for the Homeless conducted a presentation on "The Faces of the Homeless" at the all scholars meeting at Morehouse College on October 28, 2009 
  • To commorate November as "Homelesss Month" Bread for the World conducted a educational and training session for students in the Atlanta University Center at Spelman College on November 16, 2009. Member of the Bonner homelessness issue based team also attended.
  • Students participated in the Homeless Memioral Day Requiem Mass Program held at the State Capitol Building on November 2, 2009.
  • Students also participated in 2009 Homeless Symposium at Georgia State University on November 20, 2009and the Homeless Memorial Day and Requiem Mass Program.

 

Spring 2010

• Identify specific courses that will be involved in the PolicyOptions grant initiative and integrate the PolicyOptions initiative into the selected courses
• Identify specific class project to increase student’s knowledge and interest in the homelessness initiative. 
• Develop a schedule for class visit of local organization and policy makers.
• Selected students in the Community and Globalization Issue classes will conduct a literature review on the issue of homelessness.
• Work with students, faculty and community partners to complete at a minimum two policy issue briefs.
• Identify students to edit issue briefs and other materials to be posted on the PolicyOptions webpage.
• Develop summer internship for the grant initiative and a recruit student from the class or from the Bonner or Adams Scholars Program, who will work on the project during the summer.