i got in new avenues

When I talked about moving to Portland in Nebraska a month or so before I got here, an acquaintance remarked on how many homeless people there were.  When I got here, I started out handing out money.  I felt bad not giving change or even bills if I had them.  However, a guy harrassed me one night as I was coming home from the bars and, when I said I didn't have any cash on me, asked me to write him a check.  To prove that he needed my money, he pulled up his sleeves and showed me the gashes he had made in his arms.  Too disturbing.

Now I have the opportunity to really make a difference instead of just throwing a couple of quarters into somebody's hand.  For my internship next year, I am tentatively going to be placed at New Avenues for Youth which is a youth homeless advocacy group.  I went in for an interview today and got a tour of the facility.  I didn't know what to expect but I was very very impressed.  They do free meals (breakfast, lunch and dinner), movie nights, they have laundry facilities, showers, kennels for travelers' dogs, classrooms, housing networks, computer labs and more.  I really hope I get this placement!  An added bonus is that it's right down the street from Rocco's Pizza!