Tim Thompson

and Erin Sytsma

Staff Writers

On an average night here in Kent County, about 700 people find themselves homeless, according to the Grand Rapids Community Foundation. In addition, around 19,000 people are `precariously housed,' or on the brink of homelessness.

A study done by a Michigan State University research team found that from 1994-99, 11,132 instances of homelessness had been reported in Kent County. Sixty-six percent of the cases involved children. Nationwide, 25 percent of the homeless population is made up of children, and 37 percent is families with children, according to the National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty.

Numbers and statistics on homelessness vary. It is difficult to quantify a phenomenon that is always shifting, with individuals falling in and out of ``the system.'' It is an awareness of the hard-to-quantify yet undeniable reality of homelessness that has led members of Calvin's Social Justice Committee (SJC) to spearhead an event to help Calvin students grapple with the issue.

The event, ``Shantytown,'' will take place on the Commons Lawn on Oct. 10, from around 7 p.m. to midnight, and beyond. It also involves the cooperation of the Visual Arts Guild (VAG) and the Service-Learning Center (S-LC).

According to the SJC's Kirsten Talbert, one of Shantytown's chief organizers, ``We have two real goals for the event. First, we want to spread awareness about homelessness, its history, and who's affected by it. Second, once we've established that it's a problem, we want to examine what has been done and what can be done, as well as what students can do to get involved. We'll look at policy on both a national and international level, though they all intertwine.''

Shantytown will feature various speakers on the topic, including Calvin Professor of Social Work Lissa Schwander, as well as representatives from local organizations like Heartside Ministries. In addition, local musicians will perform at the event, including residents of local shelters like Mel Trotter.

Around midnight, a candlelight vigil will follow the speakers, discussion and music. After the vigil, students are encouraged to spend the night on the Commons Lawn and continue in quiet reflection and meditation.

Concerning the sleep-over, the SJC qualified that ``sleeping on the Commons Lawn is not even a close comparison to what it is like to really be homeless, but it will be a taste for students who have never known or understood it to try to sympathize.

``We hope that it will give students a chance to meditate on homelessness in an appropriate context that is neither offensive nor intrusive, but educating, thoughtful, and encouraging to further work on the issue,'' they said in a statement on the event.

Members of the VAG will aid in constructing a simulation Shantytown out of makeshift materials like cardboard and scrap wood. Students are encouraged to help in construction and contribute materials, which are needed by Oct. 9.

``They're trying to get around 30 people to actually stay and spend the night,'' said the VAG's Matt Stolle. ``So the goal is any type of conglomerative structures big enough to hold that many people, depending on the materials we have. The goal is to set it up in a day's time.''

`Homelessness awareness' events like Shantytown aren't uncommon, said Michelle Ounanian of the S-LC, whose role in the event was to contact local shelters and invite them to participate. Many high schools and youth groups attempt to sponsor such events, but they often fall prey to an atmosphere that's either ``feel-good'' or patronizing, she said.

Ounanian stated that many local shelters and ministries are wary of participating in such ``awareness'' events but that the rapport between them and Calvin's Service Learning Center minimized any hesitancy in the case of Shantytown. ``Our desire is to elevate this from a `feel-good' event to a decision-making moment for Calvin students,'' Ounanian said.

``Our role at the S-LC is to provide the `now what?' SJC talks about the `so what?' They provide the education, but the Service-Learning Center provides a means to do something with the education,'' she said. Ounanian encouraged students both to get involved in the present, through venues like the S-LC, as well as to change their thinking for the future.