Last night at the Kimmel Center, the NYU Civic Team held "Bridging Communities: A Forum on Homelessness and Hunger" in honor of Homelessness and Hunger Awareness Week.
Among the panelists were experts specializing in issues facing the homeless.
The forum opened with the question, "How many people in New York City are homeless?"
Ivan Rahman, the student coordinator and emcee for the evening, stood in front of the audience and asked the question with an expectant look on his face. The room was silent — no one in the audience knew the correct answer.
"37,000," he said. "14,000 of whom are children."
The symposium featured a series of questions addressing the social aspects of homelessness, highlighting specific groups of people affected by the problem.
New York City Coalition Against Hunger leader Joel Berg said, "The proportion of the homeless has doubled since the '70s."
He also blamed the role of the media and public policy in America, calling the country a "selfish nation."
"In 1968 and 1969, there were a few news stories on hunger and homelessness. Afterward, there were literally no stories. This happened for a reason," he said. "[Now] there's more time allotted to Prince Henry getting engaged than news coverage on homelessness."
The director of shelter programs at the Institute for Community Living Tillary Street Gerald Jones also stressed the social stigmas associated with homeless individuals.
"A lot of the homeless are not 'lazy, alcoholic bums,' " he said. "In my experience, I have had New York City bus drivers, people in their last year of college, young LGBT women who were working different jobs and still couldn't pay the rent."
Many also cited the rising trends of homelessness.
The forum made note of the many causes of homelessness, including difficulties veterans face, the economic recession and sexual orientation.
Jama Shelton, a social worker and professor at CUNY Hunter and the NYU School of Social Work, addressed problems concerning the gay community and homelessness.
Shelton said individuals of certain sexual orientations face obstacles: "They may be unlikely to report their status for fear of further rejection. Based on my own experience, if there's anything else you can say, you'd use that as a reason for homelessness."
As the symposium came to a close, the panelists had parting messages for youths aspiring to instigate change.
"Go out, advocate, campaign," Berg said. "Tell government officials we don't have to have this [homelessness]."
LSP freshman and Grand Central Neighborhood volunteer Lacy Reilly said she enjoyed the event.
"Homelessness is something I've always been infatuated [with]," she said. "I'm always looking for ways to end or gain some progress concerning homelessness."
