How did I get involved with IMPACT?
My first impact trip was Spring Break of my freshman year. I went to Fort Myers, Florida to learn about Environmental Awareness. This trip was so important to me – it was my one of my first opportunities to learn about serving sustainably and led me to pursue opportunities in Athens. For my second trip I went to Orlando, Florida on a trip focusing on Youth Empowerment. Last year, I co-led the Shelter and Resource Access trip to New River Valley, Virginia. I love IMPACT because through service and reflection we can learn more about the social issue we are facing. Through discussions with our fellow participants, we can learn from one another’s experiences and unpack the complexities of societal privilege. We can learn more about our own community, the way that issues manifest themselves, and the ways that we can become more educated and involved. Why am I interested in my trip focus? I am interested in affordable housing because the availability of safe, reasonably priced housing affects so many aspects of an individual’s life. Housing is critical to protect people from the elements. In addition, housing is a platform for other critical activities – such as obtaining an education, finding and retaining employment, and maintaining physical and mental health. The multitude of factors that affect one’s access to housing also interests me. I would like to know more about the combined effects of gentrification, cyclical and generational proverty, discrimination and more affect one’s ability to maintain housing. Fun Fact: My favorite hobbies are PC Gaming and Mountain Biking! Contact: tch24367@uga.edu |
How did I get involved with IMPACT?
Coming into UGA as a first year I knew I wanted to be involved with service in some capacity on campus. At the beginning of the year, I heard about IMPACT through my friend and nervously signed up for a trip to Memphis, Tennessee with the focus of HIV/AIDS Awareness and Advocacy. I knew very little about this topic and was anxious about spending my spring break with a group of people I had never met before. As it turns out, stepping outside of my comfort zone and participating in this trip was one of the best decisions I have ever made! Through IMPACT, I gained an understanding of the root reasons why service is needed and how to make this service sustainable. As a group, we reflected on both the positives and negatives of each of our service sites and discussed the relationship between social justice and service. My desire to continue these conversations encouraged me to become a site leader! Why am I interested in my trip focus? I would like to shed light on the nature of affordable housing as it is a topic that is often overshadowed in today’s society. A stable home greatly affects one’s access to food, education, healthcare, etc. Those who lack housing that is affordable often struggle to afford these previously described elements and additionally lack this sense of overall stability. I hope to gain a better understanding of my trip topic so as to better advocate for those who are directly affected by this issue and to further the understandings of those around me as well. Fun Fact: I don’t eat the edges of pancakes. Contact: 443-904-3314 srt13304@uga.edu |
Key Terms:
Affordable Housing - Affordable housing as a social issue does not only refer to those experiencing homelessness or those who live in government housing. Instead, The Department of Housing and Urban Development states that families who are spending over 30 percent of their post-tax income on housing to be “cost burdened” by their housing. 12 million households pay more than 50% of their income on housing each year. Habitat for Humanity - Habitat for Humanity is a global nonprofit housing organization working across all 50 states in the US. Habitat homeowners help build their own homes alongside volunteers and pay an affordable mortgage Wealth Gap - The unequal distribution of assets among residents of the United States. The mean wealth of black household wealth is $138,200—for whites, that number is $933,700. (The Economist 2019) Gentrification - The process by which higher income households displace a large group of lower income residents from a neighborhood, changing the character and personality of the place (Georgia Initiative for Community Housing 2019). Situational poverty- caused by a temporary crisis Generational poverty- involves the birth of two generations into poverty Housing Discriminaton - the illegal practice of discriminating against buyers or renters of dwellings on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, gender, family status, or disability Intersectionality - the complex, cumulative way in which the effects of multiple forms of discrimination (such as racism, sexism, and classism) combine, overlap, or intersect especially in the experiences of marginalized individuals or groups (Merriam-Webster 2019) Minimum Wage - the lowest amount of money that employers are legally allowed to pay their workers (varies from state to state) General Information: What are some common assumptions/stereotypes related to affordable housing?
How does this issue look in Athens?
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