D.C Service Trip

The Lincoln School Service Trip to Washington, D.C was truly a unique and personally moving experience. This trip opened my eyes to the many issues that plague our nation’s capital, and really got me thinking about possible solutions to the overwhelmingly large problem of homelessness in a capitalistic society. In just five days, I learned so much about homelessness and the thousands of individuals affected by homelessness in the D.C area.
Although it is difficult for me to admit, I was one of those people with all of the horrible preconceived notions and stereotypes about homelessness. Simply put, I was ignorant to such a large and significant issue that our society is faced with. However, while in Washington, all of my horribly generic and uninformed notions of homelessness were blasted by the individuals that I met and spoke with at various sites around the city.
One thing that really struck me was that so many homeless men and women were so optimistic about their future, despite their unfortunate circumstances. I had many moments where all of the issues in my life seemed so trivial compared to the harsh reality that homeless individuals face on a day-to-day basis.
Another thing that really surprised me was the general consensus among homeless individuals about being treated as though they are invisible. This is something that I had never really thought about. Thousands of people in D.C alone walk by homeless people trying to sell the Common Sense newspaper and people stride past and act as if the homeless don’t even exist. Fortunately, Lincoln Girls were there to offer smiles and say hello while others mindlessly walked past. What was so shocking is that these seemingly insignificant little gestures meant so much to these people, and many homeless people thanked us for our smiles and blessed us for simply saying hello!
I walked away from D.C as a changed person. I met so many individuals that had truly incredible stories and rich histories. Successful people, depressed people, people from foreign countries and children alike are affected by homelessness. I am very aware of this now. So how are we going to fix this?

Thank you Mr. Gustave, Ms. DiChiaro, and Houda for being such great chapperones!

-Sydney