A ground-breaking new class has come to an end at USF Sarasota-Manatee. Led by Prof. Bonnie Greenball, the course was entitled "Ending Homelessness in Our Community – How Can We Make a Social Change?" Throughout the summer, fifteen dedicated students conducted investigations into the widespread, but often ignored, problem of homelessness. On July 22, the last day of class, they reported their findings. Half the students opted to speak only in front of their classmates. The second, more venturesome half, delivered their speeches publicly. Among the attendees was Sarasota Mayor Kelly Kirschner.

The presentations were all intensively researched and covered diverse aspects of the issue. The consensus was that victims of homelessness were typically caught in an inescapable downward spiral. One student focused on the teen pregnancy cycle, another on the domestic violence cycle, where women are faced with the choice of staying with the batterer or becoming homeless. Foster care children were also identified as an at-risk group, being left to fend for themselves once they turn 18. Celia Marchese summarized the effects of chronic homelessness: sickness, injury, susceptibility to viral infections, exposure, hunger, isolation and frequent arrests. She went on to present a distressing case study of a homeless woman, Betty, with whom she had developed a friendship. Clay Kearney alleged that the homeless were routinely exploited by the very organizations tasked to help them. Missions often misused federal funds while unethical construction labor brokers profited immensely by creating a competition for minimum wage jobs and underpaying workers after a series of “deductions.” 

The students were genuinely touched by the journey this class had taken them on, particularly Jessica Pearman. “It’s been an eye opener for me,” she said. “I became part of a world I knew nothing about. Before, I would walk past homeless people and not think twice. Now I have a whole new outlook. I want to make a change, even if it's only one person at a time." The course seems to have instilled a strong sense of civic responsibility among the students. Numerous suggestions were voiced on how to tackle homelessness, ranging from transitional communities to low-cost organic gardens. The students all agreed that public awareness needed to be raised and that every bit of respect, encouragement and help the homeless receive makes a difference.

For Mayor Kirschner the course was evidence that Sarasota was becoming more of a university town. “This is an engaging topic germane to our community. It’s creating energy to improve what is otherwise a great place.” Homelessness has always resonated deeply with Kirschner. “When I was in sixth grade, I visited New York City,” he recalled. “It was November. I saw an elderly woman on the street with all her belongings in a trash cart and tears filled my eyes. Society immediately judges the homeless without knowing their life story. It’s sad because it reflects on us as a community, after thousands of years of civilization.”

Although Prof. Greenball’s students worked independently, she took them on numerous group field trips to local shelters. Repeat visits were paid to the Resurrection House, a day resource center whose I Am Home art initiative had originally inspired the class. Coordinated by Janet Taylor, the program provides a safe environment for the homeless to express themselves creatively and reclaim their hope and dignity. “I wanted to expose my students to the I Am Home project", said Greenball. "It's a ray of light in a rather bleak picture of homelessness.” Another outing brought the group to Art Center Sarasota, where a wide selection of the “Res House” work was on display and where many of the artists had taken painting lessons. Greenball's students listened in awe as painter Leon Middleton explained the symbolism behind his unexpectedly bright and uplifting compositions. Through the power of art, Middleton has overcome terrible adversity. He serves as confirmation that self-expression builds self-esteem. One of the USF students, Beth Brooks, was profoundly moved and devoted her entire research to the art of the homeless.

In its first run, Greenball's class proved so popular that attendance had to be capped. Fortunately, it will be offered again next summer. It was a course with a conscience, and it asked a simple rhetorical question: Can we do more for those whom society has turned its back on? Of course we can. We can look closer, we can try to understand and we can lend a hand. Even if we lend just a finger, at least we've reached out. 

– Daniel Petrov, 7/24/10