Hearing the side of the homeless

Joann Jackson went from living in a poor family in Atlanta to owning two businesses in Connecticut and becoming a millionaire, to becoming a drug and alcohol addict. Finally, she ended up living on the streets and being diagnosed with depression.

Last night, Jackson, now an advocate for the National Coalition of the Homeless, and two other panelists shared their stories about being homeless to a group of about 20 in the Cambridge Community Center.

"The goal of the event tonight is, to whoever comes, to just let them see the people who withstand homelessness are everyday, average, ordinary people," said Danielle Nixon, a junior communication major and coordinator of the Faces of Homelessness Panel.

Aeriel Anderson, the graduate coordinator for Community Service-Learning, said a main goal of Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week, which started Monday and will continue until Saturday, is to initiate conversations about issues such as hunger and homelessness and how they apply to real life.

Rico Harris, who is homeless, once referred to himself as "the boss at my job and at home." He spoke about his growing relationship with God and his experiences living without a home.

"Many stories that you will hear about a person becoming homeless have some of the same circumstances, but they are very different," Harris said. "The road to homelessness is [a] very personal one."

David Pirtle, a diagnosed schizophrenic and former restaurant manager, said he became homeless while in Phoenix, Ariz. and bounced around the country until he ended up in Washington. Pirtle said he did receive proper help for his mental and economic situations until he was arrested for shoplifting. He has been off the streets since Nov. 17, 2006.

"You don't get a starter's manual for being homeless," Pirtle said.

Jackson, who has been a speaker for the NCH for 12 years and lives in a retirement community, said she has been clean for 13 years and is a writer for Street Sense, a biweekly paper that aims to raise awareness for homelessness.

Many who attended the event were moved by the panelists' discussion of their successes and failures.

"It's very motivating," said Candace Ali, a sophomore psychology major. "You want to act on it, you don't want to sit here and talk about it - you want to actually do something to help the cause."

Martha Wilmes, associate director for student affairs of the College Park Scholars, a sponsor of the event, said she has worked with the NCH in the previous years and is always touched by the personal stories the panelists share.

"I always find the universal story there, that it really could be any of us," Wilmes said.

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