Johnson County News Poverty Simulation On February 3, 2010, several members of the Johnson County VISTA Corridor Recovery team participated in a poverty simulation at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, presented by Phyllis Zalenski, Family Resource Management Program Specialist for Iowa State University Extension. While many VISTAs feel like their daily lives are already an accurate simulation of life in poverty, in this case our team members were at the other end of the looking glass, role-playing as pawn brokers, social workers, police officers, landlords, and bankers so that University of Iowa students could get a sense of what a day in poverty is like. The participating students have academic backgrounds in the health sciences, with the majority of them coming from programs in nursing, physical therapy, public health, and health administration. The event was an attempt to generate empathy and allow health care professionals of tomorrow to better understand the ways in which economic hardship can make it difficult to maintain a healthy lifestyle. As part of the exercise, participants were assigned to families, each with individual and collective needs and a limited budget. As the students waited in line to sell their possessions at the pawnshop or rushed to get their children to school, they became acutely aware of the constant pressure that accompanies living in poverty. Upon reflection, one student remarked “I wasn’t prepared for the time crunch; I had to take my children to school, go purchase groceries, which I didn’t have enough money for, so I went to the welfare agency, but they were closed; I went to the pawn shop, stood in line to sell my son’s guitar for extra cash, only to get a call saying one of my children had been picked up by the police while skipping school. I never got groceries and, needless to say, I had no chance of making it to the employment office to see if there were any job openings.” The inherent flexibility in the activity—the participant’s ability to break the law, to explore unconventional solutions, and their willingness to do whatever they had to in order to make ends meet—were valuable experieances for the students. They began to realize that when the situation gets desperate, it may be difficult to find the time or money for physical therapy or another medication. While leading a reflection at the end of the activity, VISTA Elliot Weiss made sure the students took home some practical lessons: “I wanted them to understand that proper health care is a basic right, but that it isn’t a reality for everyone. They need to understand that to be truly effective in their professional lives, they need to have a working knowledge of resources in the community that can arm their patients—regardless of their socioeconomic background—with the information and resources they need to live healthy lives.” Restorative Justice Mentoring Programs
The adult mentoring programs offered are “1:1 Mentoring” and “Circles of Support and Accountability.” They help to guide offenders who are coming back to our communities. The main role of In the mentoring relationship it is most important that the offender is introduced to appropriate leisure activities, for instance bowling, going to eat at a new restaurant, horseback riding, or anything else that will introduce the offender to something different than they are used to. The mentor can have a great influence on the transition from a subversive lifestyle to a life enriched by good social connections. The relationship is different than any other because the offender knows the mentor is volunteering their time and commitment. A mentor of five years said this, “Success in mentoring is a challenge. If nothing else is accomplished, healthy seeds can be planted. Compassion and listening skills go a long way in creating a good relationship between the mentor and mentee.” The children’s mentoring program, “Children of Promise (COP),” is certified by Iowa Mentoring Partnership. It began in Linn County, in 2004, and expanded to Johnson County in 2008. COP connects children, ranging in ages from 6-17, who have a parent incarcerated or on parole/probation with a well trained, caring adult mentor. The mentor has the opportunity to enhance a child’s life by showing them a different way of living. A COP mentor of about a year said “I wanted to try and make a positive influence on someone who may not see much positive in their life”. COP strives to connect marginalized youth with resources, safe places, and structured activities outside of school time. The mentor is required to meet with the child once a week for an hour, for a minimum of one year. The mentor can also get involved in the child’s education. The program works closely with the child’s school to increase the likelihood of regular attendance and academic achievement. VISTA Ashlee Davis recruits mentors and supporters for CCIA Restorative Justice Mentoring Programs in Linn County. In other efforts for the programs, she has created a database of community partners, presented information to several community groups in Linn and Johnson County, and is working on creating a website for the programs. For more information on how you and your organization can help, please contact her at ashlee.vistajc@gmail.com or by phone at (319) 730-1164. In Johnson County, contact VISTA Dana Johnson at dana.vistajc@gmail.com. MLK Day of Service in Johnson County
Meet Summer '09 Associate Bill Final Year of Shelter House Overflow Program to Begin Soon For my year of AmeriCorps VISTA service, I have been asked to take on the task of coordinating the Overflow program in Johnson County. Iowa City's homeless shelter, Shelter House, will begin the final year of the Overflow Program on Sunday, November 15th. Overflow was created in 2004 to provide a warm, safe place for people to sleep during the winter months when the shelter was overcapacity. Local area churches host the Overflow Program at their congregation for a couple of weeks during winter and provide volunteers to ensure that the program runs smoothly. An evening typically begins at 9:00PM and runs until 6:30AM. The number of clients housed each evening varies, but rarely rises above 20 people. With cold weather already rearing its head this October, winter can be expected to be fairly harsh this year. Although most volunteers are provided by churches, students from the University Of Iowa School Of Social Work also have helped with the Overflow Program as part of a service component for their classes. Students have the opportunity to work hands-on with clients in the Overflow Program while providing them with real world experience. The flooding of 2008 saw a loss in many low-income housing units around Johnson County, and homelessness has continued to be an issue as the community works to rebuild itself. I feel fortunate to live in an area that is progressively working to alleviate and end the issues surrounding poverty, social stigmas, and homelessness. Although my role in Overflow is limited to the last year of its existence, I am lucky to be working with so many great people who want to make a difference in people's lives. This is inspiring to me because it keeps my hopes up that issues such as homelessness will decrease in the future. Shelter House broke ground on July 1st for a new shelter that is currently being built and is slated for completion in Fall 2010. The current shelter is only able to house 29 clients, while the new facility will accommodate more than twice as many. We are looking forward to having another successful year as the Overflow Program winds down! The Economics of Flood-Impacted Housing in Iowa City Though not as adversely effected by 2008 Flooding as Cedar Rapids, which vistacorridorrecovery.org reports 5390 suffered flood damage and a total flood-inflicted cost of $231 million, Iowa City faces flood recovery challenges unique to Cedar Rapids. With exceptionally high housing costs in the Iowa City metro area, the loss of housing to flood damage has intensified the already precarious housing situation there. Fry Fest When I moved to Iowa City in the beginning of June, I was unfamiliar with this area of Iowa. As I was settling in, I couldn’t help but notice gold “It’s Great to be a Hawkeye” bumper stickers on many of the cars that I saw around town. This town is dedicated to its university, I thought. One of my first VISTA assignments was to help Patti Fields, Director of Community Impact at United Way of Johnson County, with volunteer recruitment for the inaugural Fry Fest celebration that was to take place on September 4th, before the first University of Iowa home football game. I was hoping this “Fry Fest” would be a celebration of all that is deep fat fried. But I was quickly given a Hawkeye football history lesson: Fry Fest was in honor of Hayden Fry, the former Iowa head football coach and a legend in Hawkeye history. The location of Fry Fest is important because it is at Iowa River Landing and around the grounds of the Coralville Marriott, which was a part of town that was heavily hit by flooding in 2008. Fry Fest was a great way to get the community down to that part of town to see what it has to offer now. I was humbled when I learned about all of the planning that had started a year before I even joined on. It was a lot of effort from many different people in the community. Fry Fest offered activities for everyone; it was truly a celebration of all things Hawkeye. The day kicked off with a dedication ceremony to change the name of Coralville’s First Avenue to Hayden Fry Way. A classic car show lined the entrance to all the festivities. There were the World’s Largest Hawkeye Tradeshow and Tailgate party and appearances by Hayden Fry and other historical Hawkeyes. The Flying Hayden skydivers parachuted in just in time to see Jake Owens and The Charlie Daniels Band end the day with a concert before thousands of Hawkeyes from around the state. These wonderful events wouldn’t have been possible without all of the 143 volunteers recruited from the community, along with volunteers from Dance Marathon, the U of I Entrepreneurship Club, and the U of I athletics, who spent their day working in the parking lots, guiding traffic, removing trash, and helping with crowd control for the dedication ceremony and pep rally. Many patient volunteers worked at the entrance of the Charlie Daniels Band concert and helped clean up afterwards. Fry Fest was a great way for me to learn more about this community. I have learned that it is really “Great to be a Hawkeye.” By Dana Johnson |