In the first couple weeks of class, we talked a lot about how what really matters to us and how that affects the decisions we make in the philanthropic world. We call these things that shape our decisions core values, and it is important to take stock of the few that are most important to us personally before making choices philanthropically. One of these values that is very important to me personally is doing meaningful work. In my opinion, if an organization does not consistently provide services that constitute meaningful work, it is not worth donating to.
This was a paragraph from my first reflection paper back in February. Although it can be argued that meaningful work is more of an aspiration than a core value, I stand by a lot of what I said. Perhaps a better term to frame it as a value would be “making a difference”. Regardless of standing by what I said, that was written through the lens of our normal world. Does making a difference hold the same meaning as it did in February as it may now? Does what constituted meaningful work back then still apply today? Perhaps now the focus on more meaningful work are efforts that help to slow the virus or help those affected by the virus? I’d argue that the virus serves as a reinforcement as to how important it is to still do all the other work unrelated to COVID, and that it emphasizes that even during times of crisis there are still those in need in other areas of life, in fact it may have made that even more apparent than before.
For instance, a big debate in the political world lately has been how to deal with homeless communities that are unable to socially distance during quarantine. Not only are they unable to socially distance, they are also in a much higher risk category for both contracting the virus and dying from it, and have no means to care for themselves if they do contract COVID. Governors and mayors have responded to this by placing the homeless in vacant buildings and hotel rooms in order to space them out, as well as establishing hand-washing stations in homeless encampments. While this is clearly necessary help that these people need, it does not address other aspects of assistance that they need. For example, homeless encampments are infamous for high rates of drug abuse. While the efforts made by both the public and the government have assisted the homeless tremendously, the issue of drug abuse still remains for many of them. Handwashing stations may help them fight off COVID-19, but it does not necessarily help protect their lives when they may turn around and die of a drug overdose. That is why it is equally important to keep non-profits like Helio Health in mind during these times. Without their rehabilitation services and others like them, the fight to help them fend off COVID could end up being a fruitless effort. This is just one example of areas in which people are in need of help unrelated to the coronavirus. Another area is those who were already impoverished before the recession we are now experiencing hit, and now they find themselves penniless. How are they supposed to provide for themselves and their families if they cannot even afford basic needs such as food? There are many other examples of people like this that are in desperate need of help that is not directly related to COVID-19. With the news consisting of nearly all coronavirus related content, it is vital that we do not lose sight of both the people that were in need before the virus hit, and the organizations that help improve their lives. The outbreak of the virus has not changed the fact that they still need help, if anything it has made it worse. I believe that while coronavirus related support might be what needs to be handled right now, it does not take away from the importance and meaningfulness of other areas of life in which people are in need.
Brian Scala
Brian Scala
References:
Sutton, James P. “When Coronavirus Strikes the Homeless.” National Review, National Review, 17 Apr. 2020, www.nationalreview.com/2020/04/when-coronavirus-strikes-the-homeless/.
Thank you for pointing this out! I think that the term "basic need" has taken on a new meaning in the past couple of months, now referring to hand sanitizer, toilet paper, and the availability of virtual interactions. It is also interesting to see how, when an entire population is dramatically and terribly affected by something, many people forget about those who are on the margins of society. I saw a quote the other day that went something like this : "We are all in the same storm, but we are not in the same boat." So as some people's concerns are cancelled plans, others' are paying rent, and others struggle to feed themselves day to day, it important to keep everyone in mind. It is important not to invalidate the mental health issues or disappointment over missed milestones that people are facing, but just because everyone is sacrificing something does not mean that there are others who still have other needs to be addressed.
ReplyDeleteHi Brian!
ReplyDeleteAmidst COVID-19 and all the uprooting events occurring, I never thought to think about the homeless and how they are affected. I know this must sound bad, but I am thankful you brought up this idea for me to recognize the issue at bay. As we are aware, the homeless are indeed notorious for their drug abuse, but not many take into consideration how they are bring affected due to the fa t they cannot social distance.
This brings into light the notion that not everyone may be able to social distance, or not everyone has the ability to medical care if need be. I agree with you that it is incredibly important for us to be donating to organizations that are better able to help those during these times. To get the best kind of work done, is to address the issue head on.
Here is an article I found on how to further help the homeless during COVID-19, https://www.newsweek.com/how-you-can-help-homeless-coronavirus-pandemic-charity-donate-1492709. This article is great because it gives many types of advice to people on how to not only help those les fortunate, but also help during COVID-19. One type of advice they share is to give extra gloves or face coverings to the homeless to help protect them from the virus. Being that many homeless people are intense drug users, it would most likely mean they have weak immune systems, which only enhances the potential of them getting sick. Thank you for such an eye opening post!
Elly Scherer
Brian,
ReplyDeleteThis is a great post and is something I, and the rest of the class, needed to hear. With COVID-19 being as omnipresent as it is, many of us, including myself, have lost sight of other issues that affect the community. The issue with the homeless is a perfect example of this, and something I have rarely thought about. Another example of this was brought to my attention during yesterday's class session. Prior to the class, I was set on giving to VINES and Family Planning because I thought they provided solutions to the most urgent needs of this crisis: food and healthcare. However, my vote might now be swayed to Rise. Like you said, the pandemic has highlighted and made the need for certain services more apparent. Since people are forced to spend time in isolation, domestic violence will likely see a spike. Rise can help deal with these issues now through video calls, in addition to once again providing shelter to more individuals after the crisis is over. Overall, I commend your post for making us take the time to realize that even though COVID is the main topic on everyone's minds right now, there are still other issues that need to be dealt with.
-Ryan Marrone
Hi Brian! I really enjoyed reading this blog post and I think you raise an important point. Once this pandemic hit the United States and took a turn for the worst, it seems like everyone has just forgotten about all the other issues individuals are facing at the moment. As you mentioned homelessness has always been a prevalent issue in New York City and even during times like these we see that the root of the issue is still not trying to be tackled. Instead, the government or city officials try to work around it or are putting a bandaid on the issue. It is also very strange to me how in a situation like COVID-19, the government “is housing the homeless”, did it take all this time to realize the homeless need housing? To be frank, I think this pandemic has shone a light upon the injustices that has always existed within the system. I agree that it is crucial that we highlight the organizations that are trying to solve these injustices.
ReplyDeleteHi Brian!
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading your post and thought that you helped raise awareness to a really important concern right now. I definitely agree that we shouldn't forget about the organizations that are assisting communities in different ways, beyond the current crisis, because these issues are still prevalent. If anything, the need for more donations to continue supporting these organizations while helping organizations that are directly dealing with the crisis is even more necessary now. I also really admired the way your views and values for nonprofits has developed through this course - I think this course has also taught me the value of nonprofits, because all of these organizations strive to help the community in some way.
For me, this blog post was really eye-opening in the sense that it really allows us to understand the impact of organizations as the strategies for COVID-19 relief may not entirely encompass the needs - I think that organizations developed for COVID-19 relief are more focused on short-term effects rather than long-term effects. The issue around drug use reminds me of the work that Truth Pharm does in Binghamton, as they focus on raising awareness and reducing stigma about opioid use, a crisis that has affected the Binghamton community.
-Maggie
Hi Brian,
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading this post and I believe you brought up a point that has been ignored during this pandemic. Although dealing with this virus and all of the consequences that come along with it for the community is critical, it is also important to make sure we do not ignore the other aspects of improving the community. With more importance given to COVID-19, that does not take away significance from needs like food scarcity, domestic violence centers, and much more. For example, the charity I wanted to donate to, Gigi's Playhouse, most definitely lost much of their fundraising due to the virus, and that means less resources for people with Down Syndrome to be alleviated from their condition. While we may understand the importance of not losing grasp of other needs in the community, many people participating in philanthropic efforts are still under this misconception that all efforts should be focused on addressing the virus. This might have been an important question to address when we were in our decision making process; would it be beneficial to the community if we were to donate to an organization that addresses a need unrelated to COVID-19? Your blog post has opened my decision making to a greater perspective that organizations that have lost fundraising due to difficult situations like this pandemic should be heavily considered.
Hi Brian!
ReplyDeleteThank you for an insightful blog post, I was not aware of this situation and appreciate you drawing attention to it. I agree with many of the ther comments on this post; the pandemic has shone a light on previously hidden and broken parts of society. We are experiencing rapid and drastic changes in the way we live our daily lives as a result of Covid. I hope that when this is all over, some of the changes that have been made will stick around. Things like housing for the homeless, voting by mail, increased attention to public health, and a robust social safety net, are positives that have come from this horrible situation.
Pressurized times like these have proven to be effective catalysts for social movements in the past. Issues that need to be addressed are becoming more apparent than ever, and I am optimistic that some level of progress will occur from the increased attention to them. But advancements will only occur if we do our part to make them happen. The need for investment in public goods has not been this severe for at least a lifetime. I think this is becoming easier for people to see and will hopefully result in increased participation and political mobilization in support of government investment in programs like universal health care. There is a lot of work to do on our part as citizens, but if enough people support developments the pandemic may spur lasting change for the better. The nonprofit sector also has a role to play in supporting social change as a result of Covid. Much like the 2008 financial crisis the pandemic will create opportunities for nonprofits to advocate for policy changes to better support society.
Hi Brian! I appreciated the different perspective in this post. I feel frustrated that we are all quarantined in our homes but I forget that doesn’t apply to everyone. The issue of homelessness is so deep-rooted that it doesn’t take a break during the virus but the general public has.
ReplyDeletePre-existing factors impact coronavirus tremendously. I was shocked to find the stark difference in death toll in the neighboring community that is mostly comprised of African Americans. It was nearly 3 times as much. Minorities are still at a disadvantage at this time due to structural inequality. African Americans are more likely to live in more polluted and population-dense area. They live in food deserts and are more prone to chronic health conditions without affordable healthcare to seek remedy. Many of the jobs that they work are considered to be essential and without enough savings to take time off; they are at the front line. For more information: https://www.wired.com/story/covid-19-coronavirus-racial-disparities/
-Bridget Flynn
DeleteHey Brian! I really enjoyed this blog post and you bring up some very relevant points. It was very helpful of you to contextualize your concept of "making a difference" on an extremely current issue regarding the coronavirus and the homeless population, it paints a much more digestible picture than reading about the overall concept by itself. Although this pandemic serves as a wake up call of what we should've been doing prior to the pandemic, the issue of homelessness in major cities is rooted much deeper than we may think. COVID-19 by no means makes the issue of high rates of drug abuse simply disappear, but in my opinion, the only way for us to find the roots of these issues is unfortunately to try and climb the ranks of government and face issues regarding welfare head on. You and I both know that fixing welfare issues is practically impossible in the short term, sure maybe some of these state orders are putting a "band-aid" on some issues faced by the homeless community, but seeking to remedy these issues in something dealt with in MUCH longer terms.
ReplyDeleteHey Brian I thought this was a great post! I definitely agree with what you said about doing meaningful work, and how there are so many underlying problems that go along with the pandemic that need to be addressed. Homelessness is a huge problem before and after the pandemic, and now homeless people with no place to quarantine are at the greatest risk of becoming infected. I appreciated how you pointed out the efforts being taken to help people are doing something, but not enough. Helio Health was a really great organization that I placed high on my list of nonprofits to be considered (even though it wasn't in Broome County) and I think the work they do is definitely meaningful and important. Since the government is doing almost nothing to help out ordinary citizens, especially the homeless and poor, it falls on nonprofits to help during this crisis. Overall, I like the perspective you took with this post and I think you made some really great points!
ReplyDelete