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This article fulfilled a requirement for ALA 470: Organizing for Global Social Justice. In ALA 470, second- and third-year members of GSP learn about transformative community organizing and complete a Community Organizing Group Project.
When coming together to strategize on community organizing projects, one topic stuck out to seven students – Organizing to help the local homeless community. These seven students were Alicia Highland, Jia Hui Samantha Vun, Julius Stuhec, Laurie Tang, Paige Smith, Thomas Nomura, and Yoonjik Lee. Collectively, we were concerned about the poor living conditions faced by the homeless population in Ann Arbor, especially as the Winter season approached. As students of the University of Michigan, many of us have seen firsthand its impact on our communities, which informed our empathy and dedication to this organizing initiative.
Our project addressed homelessness, an oppressive social system with roots in poverty, gentrification, and inadequate social safety nets, which are continuously rising as a major problem in the United States and the world. As of 2020, Michigan alone had an estimated 8,638 individuals experiencing homelessness on any given day (HUD, 2020). Of these people, approximately 115 individuals are located in Ann Arbor (Washtenaw Housing Alliance, 2021). Through an extended drive, our group aimed to provide immediate relief to these individuals by collecting funds to provide necessities such as clothing and food to brace for the fast-approaching winter. These funds and materials will be donated to several homeless shelters and food banks within Ann Arbor. Additionally, our group distributed educational pamphlets highlighting successful strategies from South Korea, Singapore, and Germany, fostering a global perspective on addressing homelessness. By raising awareness and advocating for systemic change, we hope to inspire positive global social change on campus and within the local community.
Image 1: Above is the pamphlet we designed to inform people of homelessness as a global issue, facts about homelessness in Michigan, and how they can help in Ann Arbor. These were out at our in-person drive event.
Initially, our idea was to launch a clothing drive and collect physical donations around Ann Arbor. Our goal was to partner with corporations such as Meijer, the Ann Arbor Public Library, and local middle and high schools to raise public awareness. However, due to time constraints and logistical needs, we decided to focus on partnering and engaging with our local campus community.
Our revised plan followed a three-step marketing strategy:
Post flyers and pamphlets around campus: Our team dedicated a significant amount of time outside of class to research resources available locally for the homeless population and about the initiatives of other countries. In tandem with our research, we designed impactful flyers with the purpose of engaging students and raising awareness. These flyers will be posted all around campus and include QR codes for students to scan, donate, and inform themselves on the go.
Spread awareness within the GSP community: We presented our initiative to the ALA 210 class to spread awareness and encourage participation within GSP.
Tabling on campus: Our team tabled on campus on December 2nd, 2024, to drive more engagement and awareness from our fellow peers as we reach the final weeks of our project.
Image 2: This is the flyer we created to promote our in-person Winter Donation Drive for the Homeless, run on December 2nd, 2024, in Haven Hall. We wanted to make the flyer simple to highlight the important details: our event date, location, and a QR code for online donation.
Through our tabling event, we were able to have a few engaging conversations with fellow peers. As of December 2024, our totaled contributions have reached $88, with a member matching the donations at the end of the drive on behalf of GSP. This money, as well as the physical donations collected, will be given to the Shelter Association of Washtenaw County (SAWC). We firmly believe that the money donated will be put to good use in the association. SAWC follows the Housing First Model, providing permanent housing first in order to address other needs and to provide a continuous stream of help focused on providing unbiased care. Year-to-year, SAWC provides care for 1,200 Washtenaw County individuals.
Image 3: Above is a photo from our in-person drive event! We had free candy, the pamphlets we created, holiday decorations, and GSP swag worn/displayed.
Our two main takeaways from this project are that what may seem initially ambitious is achievable given the right mindset and planning, and that substantial progress towards addressing the issue requires collaboration, network, and time.
First, we learned that community organizing and fundraising is more attainable than expected: By dedicating even a small amount of our free time, we discovered how significantly we could impact those around us. This highlights how accessible organizing efforts can be, which encourages us to contribute meaningfully to other global issues in the future. This experience will inform how we scale our organizing efforts going forward as we know to not underestimate our own capabilities as individuals.
Secondly (and significantly), this project reminded us throughout its process that our work has been a small bandaid on a larger systemic issue: Through collaboration with local shelters and our campus’s student body, the project highlighted the power of connecting with the community to identify small, practical ways to help those in need. However, this does not solve the root issue. Providing immediate support to those in our community ahead of a cold winter is the bare minimum, but policy change and advocating for government intervention are absolutely necessary to make real systemic change.
Our project has reaffirmed that addressing homelessness requires sustained community commitment. By including information about the systemic roots of homelessness, we hope to transform the perspective readers and potential donors have about the issue and encourage them to educate themselves and their peers on the topic. In doing so, we could create substantial change. Moving forward, we encourage other GSP members to adopt a similar initiative with more of a definitive global impact. Our ultimate goal is to see a world where institutional barriers to necessities like housing, clothing, and food are deconstructed, and we aim to embody this goal in our own work by advocating for policies and programs. We hope to participate in other potential grassroots efforts that may come our way!
References:
United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). (2020). The 2020 Annual Homeless Assessment Report (AHAR) to Congress. Retrieved from https://www.huduser.gov/portal/sites/default/files/pdf/2020-AHAR-Part-1.pdf
Washtenaw Housing Alliance. (2021). 2021 Point-in-Time Count Summary. Retrieved from https://www.whalliance.org/point-time-count
Meet the Authors
Alicia Highland is pursuing a degree in Biology, Health, and Society within LSA. Now in her third year as a member of GSP and her second year as a Dialogue Facilitator, she has enjoyed the meaningful connections that GSP has brought her. Alicia is specifically passionate about the transformative power of community. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her cats and playing cards and games with friends.
Jia Hui Samantha Vun is a senior pursuing a BS degree in Economics and Data Science at LSA. She is a second-year GSP general member and passionate about leveraging GSP’s platform to advocate for pressing social issues.
Julius Stuhec is a senior pursuing a B.S.E degree in Robotics at the University of Michigan College of Engineering. He is a third-year GSP member and a second-year collaborative group facilitator. As a CG facilitator, he mentors first-year GSP students, guiding them through their projects in collaboration with their NGO partners.
Laurie Tang is a senior pursuing a BA in Political Science and History. She is a third year GSP member and a second year dialogue facilitator in the program, who creates and facilitates dialogues on numerous topics, such as hometowns, music, love, and language.
Paige Smith is a fourth-year student pursuing Earth and Environmental Sciences and an Anthropology education. They are a second-year GSP member, a first-year GSP Dialogue Facilitator, a Chai Chatter Ambassador, and an active community member. Paige also facilitates dialogue through the Intergroup Relations (IGR) program. With the knowledge gained from Paige’s involvement in GSP and IGR, they hope to carry with them what they have learned in their journey to fight for social justice and equity.
Thomas Nomura is a junior pursuing a BS in Computer Science and Statistics through LSA. Thomas is a second-year GSP general member.
Yoonjik Lee is a senior pursuing a BS degree in Biology at the LSA. He is also a third year GSP member and a second year GSP CG facilitator who now helps first year members collaborate with the Amnesty International non-profit organization.
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