University of Michigan - Michiganensian Yearbook (Ann Arbor, MI)

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The State Theatre ' s lights shine brightry over downtown Ann Arbor. The theatre was home to the premier of the documentary Listen, which opened up the eyes of many students to the issue of homelessness around campus. The documen- tary was shown from September 1 8 to September 26. L. Proux photo On September 18, the State Theatre showed Listen, a documentary on home- lessness in Ann Arbor. The premier of the documentary was kicked off with a benefit concert at 10 p.m. featuring Seth Bernard and Friends, Chris Bohalis, and doc Root Stand. The documentary was then shown at midnight, followed by a discussion. Among the things discussed were the feel- ings of students on the issues of homeless- ness, and their opinions of what the people interviewed had to say. One of the people interviewed, named Lyzz, said, You see all these kids going around where their mom- mies and daddies paid for them to go to col- lege and you wish you had that. You envy them.. . ' cause you ' re not the one going to school and learning all this stuff and you ' re not the one going home to your dorm or frat or sorority house or to a co-op house or something like that. You ' re not the one doing that and they are. The documentary premiered on North Campus on September 19 at the North Campus Music Festival at Leonard ' s Cafe in Pierpont Commons. It continued to be shown until September 26 at the State Theatre and September 28 Cafe Ambrosia. By Katrina Deutsch Some of Ann Arbor ' s homeless pass the time outside of Nickel ' s Arcade. This was one of many locations on State Street, along with the State The- atre, the Diag, and the area across from Michigan Book and Suppty, where the homeless could be se-r K. Stoner photo 1 02 MlCHIGANENSIAN

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A student walks from central campus to the hill. Most students who lived on the hill chose to walk because of the short distance to central campus. Among the obstacles these students encountered on their walks throughout the year were bikers, construction vehicles, roller bladers, and campus maintenance vehicles. M. Fairchild photo Waiting for their owners to ride them, these bikes sit locked to the racks. Biking was one of the more popular modes of transportation. It was more efficient than walking, cutting the time it took to get to class in half, even though students had to fight through crowds of walkers each day. M. Fairchild photo Among the bike racks, students wait patiently for their turn to board the buses. Even though the wait was long at certain points throughout the day, many students still preferred taking the buses to walking or biking, especially when the weather got cold. M. Fairchild photo VOICES 101

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When students looked close enough, they could be sure to find the less fortunate walking right alongside them on the streets of Ann Arbor. Although many chose not to pay attention, it was clear that there was a fair share of people who had to make the tough decision of choosing between food, shelter, and other basic needs. Amy Jo Geurink, a senior English major, noticed that the homeless people in Ann Arbor were paid very little attention. They ' ve become an invisible part of the population, and aren ' t rec- ognized at all, Geurink stated. However, it was still undeniable that a combination of factors such as a lack of affordable housing and health care, eroding job opportunities, domestic violence, mental illness, addiction disorders, and simple poverty had rendered hundreds with out a place to call home. There were also students who opened their eyes. I saw more homeless people than I would have ever expected, said Carli Hall, a freshman psychology major. The Shelter Asso- ciation of Washtenaw County ran the homeless shelter system in Ann Arbor. In addition to providing food and refuge from the cold through separate shelters for men and women, a day shelter and warming center, they also connected people to resources such as jobs, health care, and other basic needs. According to Sarah Kraft, the volunteer coordinator, the Shelter Association helped approximately 1,100 people at the night shelters, 250 at the warming center, and provided health care to 400 people over the year. Although there had not been any seri- ous cases of disturbance, the homeless popula- tion had still gathered a considerable amount of stigma on campus. That was one of the reasons why so many students chose not to see them. In addition, many students also held onto common myths about homeless people. For example, homeless people were seen as violent and likely to commit crimes, lazy, looking for their next drink or fix, or mentally unstable, while in fact, despera- tion seldom led to crime, the majority of people without homes worked, and the reasons behind homelessness ranged from simple to complex, but were never uniform. It is important to listen to people and not make generalizations about the homeless, said Tanya Ward, a case manager for the Shelter Association. Both Hall and Geurink were among the students who chose to follow that advice. I would always smile whenever I passed by, because they were really friendly to me, Hall said. Geurink, who used to work at the Espresso Royale on State Street, described her experiences with homeless people: I used to know a couple of homeless people really well. I always slipped them some coffee or bagels. It was cool because I got to know them as people who were struggling with real problems that were real. Geurink was an example of the students who were fortunate enough to understand that the reasons behind homelessness were varied, but tough and real. There ' s much more of a story to homeless people than people know or care to know. By Han-Ching Lin VOICES 103