Schroder – Relevant vertical, website

The helpathenshomeless.org website provides information about homelessness in general and in the Athens area. According to a video resource on the site (found under “be involved” and “going home kits”), Athens has higher rate of homelessness than does Atlanta! I’m not one to accept most statements at face value and would investigate the source of that before quoting. Nevertheless, it is a problem of significant proportions and one that impacts downtown due to the number of struggling individuals on the streets.

This website also provides information about resources available to homeless individuals and families as well as ways in which community members can help. The “About Us” page lists directors and coordinators, potential sources for articles relevant to this series.

After some deliberation, I decided to also link an article from The Atlantic on how life story narratives can help people cope with adversity: http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2015/08/life-stories-narrative-psychology-redemption-mental-health/400796/ (homelessness certainly being an aversive circumstance!). The ideas are awesome and I’m glad to share them. I’m not sure how or whether to incorporate them into the articles to be written this semester, but here’s a glimpse …

Note: figuring out how to name the hyperlink instead of having the long url …

Schroder – Portfolio

After lots of trial and error with WordPress this weekend, the domain – maryannschroder.com – represents an initial phase. I’m reasonably satisfied with the format and glad that everything “works” in terms of navigating. There are only two items posted. One is the “About” section and the other a piece under “Essays”.

I went by just the description in the syllabus of what a web portfolio should be (in addition to googling for some ideas, which did not prove particularly helpful). I understand that it should be a place to display work for the purpose of promoting oneself professionally. And that sounds good to me! Although there is not much content as of yet, I look forward to adding more and to getting feedback about how to best present oneself.

Schroder – A Writer’s Almanac

Garrison Keillor, well known for his radio show, A Prairie Home Companion (from which he has now retired), continues to do his daily broadcast of The Writer’s Almanac. This has been meaningful to me for years. There were times when driving and listening to the car radio that I pulled off the road to listen more carefully. There were even times when I’d drive to a favorite destination for the purpose of being in a location where I could focus and connect more deeply with his words.

Now I am at home most mornings and have lost the immediacy of hearing it on the radio. However, Keillor has a website from which all broadcasts can be retrieved! Instead of listening daily, I’m more inclined to binge listen every now and then. On The Writer’s Almanac, Keillor presents stories about the significance of that day in history in particular writers’ lives. There is always reference to a writer born on that date and other tidbits related to the day in history. There is also a poem of the day to close the show. Besides the content, which is consistently thought-provoking, Keillor voice and tempo are very soothing. I swear he could make reading of the phone book sound profound and have us contemplating its existential significance.

You can find it at writersalmanac.org. When the mood strikes or you have time to kick back, hope you’ll enjoy it!

Schroder – Where I’m at

It’s a typical late summer afternoon in downtown Athens, less than a week into the fall semester. Quiet but for the sounds of slow-moving traffic, subdued conversations at outdoor cafes or while strolling to a favorite spot; quiet but for the soft guitar-strumming of street performers. As is usual, downtown Athens draws people together in its mellow, friendly way. A mix of fresh-faced students, workers on midday break, shoppers, and a few panhandlers, all sharing the public space.

“It is no accident that public streets and sidewalks have developed as venues for the exchange of ideas,” wrote Supreme Court Chief Justice Roberts in a 2014 ruling regarding the right to freedom of speech. The sidewalks – of Athens or any other town – are not just pathways to get from one place to another. They provide a setting for social exchange and a sense of community. Encounters between patrons of downtown establishments and panhandlers are among those.

My focus within this downtown beat will be indigent individuals among us and intersections of their lives with society around them. My intent is to peer through multiple lenses, including views of downtown business owners, visitors to Athens, and local residents, as well as through the eyes of the homeless and panhandlers in our community.

I am motivated to pursue these topics for several reasons. One is relevance of the issue at this time, given a recent Supreme Court ruling. Another is my interest in disparities of wealth and power and how they play out in people’s lives. And additionally, I see this topic as an opportunity to explore commonalities across the human condition – our shared needs for belonging and inclusion as well as human fallibility that inflicts us all. It should be fun! Really – I do not intend for this to be a depressing series of articles but one that sheds insights on various aspects of the issue.

This is what I know thus far:

There are not reliable estimates of the number of homeless individuals in our community at any given time. A “point in time” measure is taken yearly by counting known or observed homeless individuals on a particular night in January. This measure does not include anyone in an unobservable location at the time. On January 27, 2016, 225 homeless people were counted in Athens Clarke County, a figure nearly identical to that of 2015 (which stood at 226) and was down by approximately 8.5% from 2014 (when it was 247).
Panhandlers are not necessarily homeless. Estimates of the percentage of panhandlers who are also homeless vary greatly, making generalizations difficult. The highest estimate has been 82%, determined through a study done in the San Francisco area in 2013. Most other estimations are much lower.
It is difficult to determine the amount of money panhandlers take in, again with wide variations reported. A commonly cited mid-range figure is $20-$50 per day but this cannot be substantiated.
Panhandlers can take different approaches to solicit donations. These approaches are broadly categorized as “aggressive” or “nonaggressive”. Aggressive methods include acts such as calling out to passersby and following individuals to ask for money. Nonaggressive panhandling can take the form of holding a sign, sitting silently with a collection cup, or performing for donations.
The public at large and business owners are understandably most concerned with aggressive methods, but any form of panhandling may have some impact on businesses in a downtown area.
Most municipalities have anti-panhandling ordinance, as does Athens. Section 3-15-1 of the Athens-Clarke county code of ordinances bans aggressive panhandling but does not prohibit nonaggressive panhandling. This is consistent with many municipalities across the nation.
Anti-panhandling laws are now in jeopardy of being overturned by courts because of a recent Supreme Court decision regarding free speech. By extension of principles cited in that case, anti-panhandling ordinances in almost any form would be unacceptable to the courts. Although Athens anti-panhandling ordinance remains on the books, it may be subjected to challenge.
A sociological perspective of panhandling looks at solicitors’ acts as attempts to gain not only donations but are also to overcome the “nonperson” status often accorded to indigents. The acts, then, are categorized as narrative dramas played out for passersby to take notice. This perspective offers an appealing journalistic approach because of its inherent “storytelling” nature.