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Lucila Duarte
MATP 672 DCA (Foreign Language)
Professor Paula Angulo
Student Project
April/06/ 2015

Helping Homeless Veterans in Los Angeles County

Community service and activism can serve as a vital function to the wellbeing of a person
as it can foster a sense of gratification and fulfillment. When searching for a meaningful project
for my students, I have realize that here in our backyard of Los Angeles, we have a great need
for volunteers to help with the homeless Veteran in community. I truly believe, that my project
has a purpose, service, and leadership, and that my students will learn both a meaningful and
valuable lesson to take away as a life experience. When people in large numbers share in this
consensus there is an almost infinite amount of change and potential for improvement in a given
community. This sentiment is even all the more valid when it comes to issues that residents feel
passionate about or at least can relate to, which can get the process of change to begin. My
Students will learn about a social issue in their community, and realistic evidence that are very
hard to ignore. Homelessness in a community is a pertinent issue that is almost always associated
with an urban metropolis. Many factors such as the economy, physical and mental health, as well
as the availability of resources to aid a person in troubled times can contribute to the increased
rate of homeless individuals in a community. Every city in America has some amount of people
who are homeless. However, in Los Angeles County a recent census conducted in January of
2015 found that LA County has the highest number of homeless veterans in the nation. Every

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two years the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority conducts a census called The Greater
Los Angeles Homeless Count that spans over a three day period and convers all of LA County
from the San Fernando Valley to the South Bay Harbor region. The fact that LA County has the
highest number of homeless veterans standing at 3,700 was the most profound finding of the
census and highlights the issue of providing veterans with the proper resources to readjust to the
general collective. In recent years the United States Department of Veterans Affairs has come
under severe scrutiny amidst allegations of improper care as well as failing to provide the most
basic preventative medical care in a proper timeframe for many patients centered on a facility in
Phoenix Arizona. About 45 veterans had died waiting for an appointment to see a physician at
the VA Hospital. A criminal investigation is underway to see how many patient records have
been tampered with as it has been ascertained that the names of veterans on the appointment
waiting lists were either deleted or marked off that the patient has already seen a doctor when
they have yet to do so. This scandal highlights the growing need of assistance the countrys
veterans require especially for those that are homeless. President Obama has outlined a goal to
house all homeless veterans by the end of 2015. As a result of the scandal the US Department of
Veterans Affairs in under close watch and under new management to see that this goal is carried
through. This issue is an excellent source of inspiration to create a community activism project
for students that will create a sense of purpose, service, and leadership. Students will feel that
fulfilling gratification as they will work to improve their own community as well as learn lessons
of humility, respect, honor, integrity, and courage from volunteers and the people they aim to
help. This project will also instill a sense of hometown pride as this issue is unique to Los
Angeles and has the potential to set the benchmark for other cities to follow.
The project will comprise of three components: volunteering, activism, and reflection.

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The students will be graded on their participation and completion of each component which will
add up to an overall grade. Students will be given a number of options and alternatives to
complete the project which will allow the students to strategize different courses of action when
progressing through the project. The volunteering component will require proof of participation
from outside sources primarily from the directors and coordinators of whichever homeless
shelter the student chooses throughout the county. Students can choose to donate their time,
material, or money as well as any combination of the three to fulfill this component. The
minimum denomination for each donation choice will be at least 15-20 hours for a time donation,
5-10 dollars worth of necessary items for a material donation, and 5-10 dollars worth of a
monetary donation. Another option to completing the volunteering component of the project is
that students can also create care packages for the homeless veterans containing toiletries, food,
as well as a referral card of the some of the services that are available such as local shelters and
so forth. The care then would need to be donated to any shelter in the LA County that serves
homeless veterans. At least three care packages would need to be created for completion of this
section as the students can research what items are needed in producing a care package for
homeless veterans. The students do not need to hand them these packages out personally to the
homeless but can donate them to any of the shelters accepting care packages for proper
distribution. Signed proof of the donations from an established shelter would to accompany the
project. Another option for the volunteering component can be that a student can choose to
complete this section would be to contact a homeless shelter or service foundation that aims to
help homeless veterans and arrange an interview with one of the representatives from the
organization. The students will be recommended to ask for a tour of the facility of their chosen
organization while conducting an interview to research the founding tenets of the organization as

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well as the work they have done or aim to do in response to the issue of homeless veterans. I
will make arrangements with some of the local shelters in the neighborhood by making them
aware of the student project. The students will be more than welcome to choose any shelter that
they would like to work with.
Furthermore, the activism component will entail the drafting of a one page letter to a
county representative and/or state congressman in proper business letter format (I will be
providing instructions on how to do so) making the politicians and lawmakers aware of this
distinctive issue of the high number of homeless veterans in LA County. Students will be given
the opportunity to voice their opinions about the issue as well as create recommendations on how
to solve or alleviate the problem. The students can end the letter with a call to action for the
lawmakers to address this crisis. The choice will remain with the student whether or not to send
the letter but this will at least give the students some experience in writing about community
issues and spreading awareness to larger entities. A different option to the letter for the activism
component can be a short essay about any special events, rallies, fundraisers, and galas the
students have attended regarding helping homeless veterans. This two page essay will cover a
brief synopsis of the event detailing what was mentioned by keynote speakers or directors as
well as the students own personal reflections of the event. Where the students moved by the
event? Did it inspire them to pursue further action? I will also be asking if the students have any
ideas or recommendations to improve the effect of the event they attended. Proof of attendance
will need to accompany the essay should the student choose to attend a special event.
The third and final component to this project will be the students self-reflection on the
project in which I will be asking them what they have learned. I will be asking the students to
expound on any unique experiences they may have had in completing the three components. The

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students will complete this section through a paper and brief individual oral presentation in front
of the class highlighting anything they would like to share in regards to the project. The students
will be given a choice of whether no not they would like to utilize the Microsoft PowerPoint
software to illustrate their presentation. Those that chose the care package option for the
volunteering component can bring in one of their assembled care packages for the class to see as
a visual aid. The Students can also choose to get creative with a collage, video, or a skit to share
their experiences with the class. If the students desire to do so they will be given the option of
participating in a group. The reflection paper will detail the overall experience each student had
with the project and have a text range of 3-5 pages. The students will also conduct research into
possible and feasible solutions to the issue of homeless veterans. Other topics the students will
write on are the many different factors that can lead up to a veteran becoming homeless. The
difficulties war can have on a person from fighting the frontlines to the troubles with readjusting
to civilian life. I will also pose a question of whether or not the U.S. Government has done
enough to help veterans for students to critically think in voicing their opinions. Students can
have the option to conduct research and write about a well renowned and respected community
activist and apply their style of activism to this issue. The students can reflect upon whether or
not their selected research activist and his or her brand of activism will help or hinder the cause
of homeless veterans. This service project will account for approximately 30% of the students
grade as it will be worth a total of 300 points which divides into 100 points per section.
This project will foster a strong sense of purpose for the students in that they will be able
to witness firsthand the good their work will be lending to the cause especially when fulfilling
the volunteering component of the project. Once they realize the sheer gratification of their
dedication it will hopefully inspire the students to take on their own causes and issues that are

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important them. This project will aim to serve as a foundational tool on how to effectively create
a community activism campaign. This is truly a vital issue that is of paramount importance.
Currently in the post 9/11 era our society resides in and after fighting a two front war for so
many years the veterans coming home from the frontlines of this latest campaign have been met
with severe physical and mental challenges that make the transition into civilian life all the more
difficult. The rates of drug and alcohol abuse continue to rise with veterans just coming home
from the Middle East. More veterans are experiencing the tumultuous effects of post-traumatic
stress disorder than ever before. The suicide rate among veterans is rampant, so much so that the
numbers rival that of the number of casualties in the war. The recent scandal plaguing the U.S.
Department of Veterans Affairs highlights the issue that American society can do more to honor,
respect, and welcome our veterans by giving them copious amounts of resources that they so
rightfully deserve after putting their own lives at risk for the protection of all Americans. Once
the students conduct their preliminary searches for research material they will be able to see the
severity of this issue and the immense purpose this cause inherently has. The students will then
be able to make connections and see once for all the purpose of this project and what actions that
entail community activism.
As the students emerge from the classroom with their newly acquired knowledge of this
issue they will be able to experience firsthand, the great service they will contribute to their
community. Attending special events as well as touring and volunteering at shelters for homeless
veterans will help to acclimatize those students who have not yet had the experience of voluntary
service work and the tremendous effects it can wield not just for the individual but for the
collective at large. By interacting with fellow volunteers as well as the population they serve the
students will build a better sense of camaraderie with their community. The opportunity will be

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present to learn of various stories and experiences that can be shared with others in the hopes that
it can spark an inner drive to do more. Helping homeless veterans is just the tip of the iceberg in
addressing the most pressing humanitarian issues affecting the country and world abroad.
Working towards solving the issue of homeless veterans in LA County will maybe serve as
catalyst for a desire to tackle other social problems thorough voluntary service work. With the
millennial generation being the first to experience the advent of social media and inject the
internet into their daily lives the potential for great things to come is all the more astronomical as
students become more aware of what is around them and begin to venture forward outside their
own personal realms.
This project will also serve as a great foundational tool for students to build on their
leadership skills. Again this will have the most benefit on those whom have never participated in
service work before as it will require those students to step outside their comfort zone and put
aside all their personal problems to realize the sheer humility that comes with service work. The
students will have an opportunity to attain the necessary leadership skills to network with their
peers and colleagues. The students will attain the experience to be possible event coordinators,
team leaders, and project managers so long as that personal drive remains within them to tackle
whatever social injustice that exists. By interacting with city, state, and federal lawmakers to
spread awareness of this issue the students will be exposed to a wealth of various occupations
that will spark their interest in setting up a career path. Many fields such as politics, sociology,
social work, psychology, statistics, economics, human services, and many other areas will be
exposed to the students as they will be able to begin to research their future plans. Additionally it
will behoove the students to learn lessons of leadership from some of the finest models of
leadership being our nations veterans. Despite the rough circumstances they face some veterans

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like to share some of their triumphant and sometimes harrowing experiences and stories from the
frontline that will help the students to better understand the context of this issue and to
operationalize the severity of the many difficulties veterans face when returning from war. Thus
the prospective chance for these students to acquire essential leadership skills is immense.
Finally, the main goal of this project is beyond the acquisition of points for a grade. It is
the chance for these students to embark on an enlightening experience that will forever change
their outlook and drive them out of their comfort zones. It is also a chance for these students to
get acquainted with the community they live in and meet those that work to help others as well as
the individuals who are being served. Working towards solving this crisis of the rampant number
of homeless veterans in Los Angeles County inherently contains the leadership, purpose, and
service like all other social issues. These students can learn so much from the project and
expound on it in order to become well-rounded, sophisticated, and educated adults that will work
to better the community around them. This project will serve as a springboard for the vision of
ultimately improving the social margin not for just homeless veterans but for the entire collective
especially those that are disfranchised.

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Works Cited
Canon, Gabrielle. "This Massive New Project is Great News for Homeless Vets in Los Angeles."
29 January 2015. Mother Jones. Article. 1 April 2015.
City and County of Los Angeles. Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority. March 2014. PDF
Document. 1st April 2015.
Matishak, Martin and Jordan Fabian. "Obama heads to 'epicenter' of VA scandal." 13 March
2015. The Hill. Article. 1 April 2015.