Admit it: when you think of a homeless person, a certain stereotype comes to mind. A middle-aged to older man who’s addicted to drugs and too lazy to get a job. You think it’s their own fault that they’re living on the street.
I’m not going to pretend that I never thought that, but everything changed when I became homeless. In partnership with Gettysburg College and the National Coalition for the Homeless (NCH), I took the “Homelessness Challenge”. For 48 hours, I lived on the streets. I slept on the steps of a statue the first night, and in front of a Macy’s the second. I had to beg for money so I could have a bit of water on a blisteringly hot day. I visited soup kitchens and parks where churches handed out sandwiches.
Of course, I didn’t really experience homelessness. I knew that once the challenge was over, I had a fluffy, warm bed and air conditioning awaiting me. Still, being homeless leaves tons of boring, empty hours, so I filled those by making friends. I met numerous homeless people, many of whom I talked to for hours on end. NCH’s rules are that I can only tell homeless people that I’m not homeless; everyone else has to stay convinced that I’m homeless.
The Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA)
The Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) was signed into Federal law in 2003 by President George W. Bush. It was created to address the problem of sexual misconduct in all confinement facilities. In 2012, the U.S. Department of Justice released national PREA standards...
Giving Tuesday
Giving Tuesday, often stylized as #GivingTuesday for purposes of hashtag activism, refers to the Tuesday after U.S. Thanksgiving in the United States. It is a movement to create an international day of giving at the beginning of the Christmas and holiday season....
Urban Renewal Corp. Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) Annual Report 2014
PREA Background: The Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) was signed into Federal law in 2003 by President George W. Bush. It was created to address the problem of sexual misconduct in all confinement facilities. In 2012, the U.S. Department of Justice released national...
Urban Renewal Corp. Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) Annual Report 2013
PREA Background: The Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) was signed into Federal law in 2003 by President George W. Bush. It was created to address the problem of sexual misconduct in all confinement facilities. In 2012, the U.S. Department of Justice released national...
The Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA)
The Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) was passed in 2003 with unanimous support from both parties in Congress. The purpose of the act was to “provide for the analysis of the incidence and effects of prison rape in Federal, State, and local institutions and to provide...
501+
To date, Urban Renewal Corp has placed over 501 men and women into the workforce.