Students learn compassion through action
By Sylvie Belmond belmond@theacorn.com

SYLVIE BELMOND/Acorn Newspapers WITHOUT A HOME- Mesa Verde Middle School's Associated Student Body Leadership class spent the night sleeping on a classroom floor last Friday to get a taste of the difficulties that homeless people face every day.

When Katie O'Tousa learned that one of her classmates and his mom had been evicted from their home and were living in their car, she felt she had to do something about it.

So the eighth-grader at Mesa Verde Middle School organized a Survival Sleepover with her Associated Student Body leadership class to simulate homelessness and raise awareness about homeless issues.

Although they don't have homes, adequate food or healthcare, most homeless people say what they miss the most is human contact and acknowledgement from others that they are human beings too, said Cathy Brudnicki, executive director for the Ventura County Homeless Housing Coalition.

"I'm very proud of you for what you're doing because many adults lose touch with the reality of homelessness," Brudnicki told the students.

"Don't lose your sense of justice. Everybody deserves a decent place to live and we have an obligation not to overlook people who are poor and disenfranchised," she said.

Brudnicki was invited to speak with the group of about 20 students who came to school armed with sleeping bags and water bottles, ready to spend the night on the bare floor of an empty classroom last Friday. The students also collected about $500 that they'll donate to a homeless organization.

Since the coalition recently conducted a homeless count, Brudnicki shared with her young audience some timely statistics. About 2,000 people are homeless on any given night in Ventura County, she said, including about 280 children, several of whom are living entirely on their own.

That last fact seemed to really shock the teens, who couldn't fathom a life without caring parents and the comforts of a home.

Brudnicki also reported that at least 13 individuals live without a home in Moorpark. Because they're familiar with the area, it feels safer to them than other areas that may have a larger homeless population, she said.

Homelessness doesn't just include destitute people on skid row in downtown L.A., Brudnick said. Many different circumstances can put someone at risk of becoming homeless, she said.

People may become homeless when they lose their jobs or get evicted from their homes. Divorce and addiction can also contribute.

A third of the homeless are addicted to drugs or alcohol, but they don't necessarily start out that way, said Brudnicki. Many become addicted as a result of their unsettling life on the street. Another third, she said, are mentally ill.

Brudnicki described the many agencies in the county that help homeless people, pointing in particular to the Samaritan Center in Simi Valley, which offers laundry services, phone access and court services to people who have nowhere else to go.

Lack of sufficient space makes it impossible for shelters to accommodate all the homeless in the county, Brudnicki said. Even when there is space, it can't be used by those with pets, which aren't permitted in the shelters.

After a long and uncomfortable night on the floor, the local students were more tuned in to the predicaments of homelessness, said Kevin Lorch, leadership class teacher who chaperoned the event with Kelley Cambalik.

"Discussions at breakfast the next morning ranged from how hard the floor is to realizing how much we take for granted surrounding our sleep: a bed, running water for brushing teeth and bathing, a mirror and clean clothes," said Lorch.

Some students decided to gather more donations over the weekend because they were inspired by Brudnicki and O'Tousa.

Several students told stories of past experiences with the homeless, Lorch said, and some wished they had been more empathetic during those encounters.

"I always keep my fingers crossed that student leaders transfer what we do during the year to their lives as adult citizens," said Lorch.

"No one really knows what to do to help the homeless," said O'Tousa, who learned a great deal through the sleepover preparations and from Brudnicki's speech.

O'Tousa now knows how important it is to treat a homeless person as she would any other human being and that a simple hello can make a difference in the day of a person who has lost everything.