Radcliffe Summer Travel Grant Recipient Essay -- Social Services Educa

Radcliffe Summer Travel Grant Recipient 1. Personal Statement: I was sitting in Au Bon Pain the other day, trying to read a book for class, but happy for the distraction. Rick plopped himself down in the chair across the table. I hadn't seen him in almost a year. I had thought maybe things were going better for him. He soon told me differently. He was on the streets again. I knew it wouldn't be long before he was back at our shelter. I have now been working at the University Lutheran Church homeless shelter for two and a half years. I began as a volunteer, working the overnight shift, and have recently taken on the position of director. I spend a lot of time running around, making sure that each guest has dinner, a towel, a dry pair of socks. I make the time to sit down, to talk with guests. We think together about ways to secure permanent housing; we work on resumà ©s and interviewing strategies. About three weeks ago, Bill told me that he was ready to shoot his sister's boyfriend in the knee caps; his friend was to deliver him the gun the next day. We spent almost two hours talking through the possible consequences of his plan of action. The University Lutheran Church homeless shelter is the only student-run shelter in the country and it is completely staffed by volunteers. We are constantly revising our programs and are also now in the process of remodelling the shelter space with support from the church and grants from the Greater Boston Housing Authority. We spend a good part of each weekly meeting discussing the ways in which other shelters function and how we might adapt some of these ideas to our specific services. These comparative investigations allow us to build on previous experiments in services for the ... ...ge I would gain in this process would enable me to further my commitment to creating possibilities for efficient and effective social services. 2. Budget, Other Funding Sources: Budget (at IR £1.58 = US$1) A. Estimated Costs Travel: Toronto-Dublin-Toronto US$ 646.00 (student discount) Bike purchase US$ 50.00 Room and Board: Youth Hostel, with kitchen (three weeks) US$ 464.52 Food (three weeks) US$ 168.00 Additional expenses (laundry, newspapers, etc.) US$ 50.00 TOTAL US$ 1378.52 B. Resources Available From employment as Counselor for Harvard 25th Reunions US$ 425.00 Savings from term-time employment US$ 150.00 TOTAL US$ 575.00 C. Total Requested Under this Fellowship Estimated Costs - Resources Available = US$ 803.52 Other Funding Sources I am also applying for the following sources of funding: Harvard College Research Program