Close the Gap: An Educator Guide

1. What does Rebecca mean by a "harder landing"? How did it affect her?
2. What does she mean by “it was bigger than me”? Why does she not consider herself a victim?
3. Rebecca says “poverty is cyclical”, do you agree? Discuss.
4. Rebecca says that a lot of “working class families do not have an advantage of being an advocate for themselves”? Why do you think that is? Why was Rebecca able to become an advocate and change her situation?
5. What does Hope Community do? How did they change their mission, and how did it affect Rebecca and other families?
6. How, if at all, does homelessness affect all of us?
7. Do you know of any other community organizations that are trying to help homeless individuals?
8. How can you help?

Ending Homelessness Locally and Nationally

1. Introduce the activity: Students will research and present on homelessness issues locally and nationally. They will work in teams to learn about two organizations:
   
   Minnesota Coalition of the Homeless: http://www.mnhomeless.org
   The Coalition works to “generate policies, community support, and local resources for housing and services to end homelessness in Minnesota”.
   
   The National Coalition of the Homeless:http://www.nationalhomeless.org
   The National Coalition is a national network of people who are currently or formerly homeless, activists and advocates, community-based and faith-based service providers, and others committed to ending homelessness.
   


2. Divide students into teams of 3-5 people, and assign them to “local” or “national” projects. Depending on the number of people in your classroom, you may have 2-3 teams working on each project.
   


3. Explain that “local” teams will focus on learning about the Minnesota Coalition of the Homeless and “national” teams will focus on learning about National Coalition of the Homeless. Have teams come up with one homelessness issue they would like to explore (e.g., causes of homelessness, children and homelessness, domestic abuse and homelessness, affordable housing, etc). A good way to come up with issues may be a quick brainstorming exercise. Local and national teams should work on the same issues.
   


4. Students will work in teams for 30-45 minutes to examine their issue. They should come up with a 10-15 minute presentation based on their research. Prepare and hand out a list of questions:
   
   • What does the organization do to address the issue?
   • What was the most unsettling or surprising fact you found? Why?
   • What can you realistically do to address the issue?
   Note: This exercise could also be a lab or homework project.
   


5. Students will present their projects. Alternate local and national teams focusing on the same issue, then allow time for discussion and questions. Key discussion questions can include: How is this issue addressed locally and nationally? Are there any national practices that should be adopted locally, or vice-versa?
   
   Note: You may focus on one issue at a time, and have presentations scheduled over a month dedicated to learning about homelessness.
   

1. Human Rights Framework
   
   
   1. Introduce the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. Explain briefly how it relates to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (e.g., the UDHR is a statement of principles while the International Covenant is a binding agreement). Discuss: What is the right to housing? What does affordable housing mean?
      
   
   
   2. Have the students take a Right to Housing in the United States Quiz: http://hrei.urbanplanet.com/94e5b074-e6a7-43da-be29-7166551acc36.html?NodeId=
      Discuss: What information surprised you? Do all people in the U.S. have access to affordable housing? What government programs attempt to help low-income people? What housing rights violations do you know about?
      
   
   
   3. Have students work in groups of 5 to review The Right to Housing in Minnesota Fact Sheet: http://hrei.urbanplanet.com/sites/7cc8fb84-899d-457d-a486-470ccb03fb16
      /uploads/Housing_Fact_Sheet__Minnesota_Nov__1__2007.pdf
      
      Discuss:
      
      • Does the U.S. recognize the right to housing?
      • Do most Minnesotans benefit from affordable housing?
      • What is predatory lending? How does it affect low income people?
      • What housing assistance programs exist? Do they work?
      • How does homelessness affect one’s ability to fully benefit from their human rights?
      • What is “racial steering” in housing? How does it contribute to overall racial disparities in Minnesota?
   
   
2. Localizing statistics
   
   Students can also review Overview of Homelessness in Minnesota 2007 report prepared by Wilder Research to gain more information about homelessness and housing issues in the state.
   
   1. Twin Cities Compass www.tccompass.org
   2. Mind the Gap Report http://www.brookings.edu/~/media/Files/rc/reports/2005/10cities_sohmer/20051027_mindthegap.pdf


3. Developing a Community Action Plan and Taking Action
   
   Now that the students have learned about homelessness many will start asking themselves the question, “What can I do?” The following tools can assist students in developing a Community Action Plan to improve their communities.
   
   Have the students visit the Voices of the Street website (http://www.voicesofthestreets.org) to hear the stories of homeless people in Minnesota, and learn about the Land of 10,000 Homeless, a local project aimed at ending homelessness. “What can I do” section of the website can be helpful in deciding what project students can design together: http://www.voicesofthestreets.org/Voices%20of%20the%20Streets/What%20Can%20I%20Do.html
   The Online Community Action Planning Tool can provide a useful template for student projects: http://www.hrusa.org/thisismyhome/project/tools.shtml