Teens see homelessness up close
By Kate Daly Contributing Writer

Members of St. Stephen's Episcopal Church youth group spent a night with the homeless in Boston to learn and to serve food and deliver donations. They are (l to r) parent chaperone Amy Reilly, Katie Barrette, Kelly Reilly, Charles Davis, Danielle Scharen and parent Marq Davis. PHOTO/KATE DALY

Westborough - The stereotype of a homeless person wrapped in layers of clothing and pushing a shopping cart doesn't fly with a group of teenagers from St. Stephen's Episcopal Church.

They've seen firsthand that homelessness is a complex problem aff ecting a wide variety of people, thanks to a program called CityReach, held at the Cathedral of St. Paul in Boston and sponsored by Ecclesia Ministries.

"CityReach is a program to learn about homelessness," said Amy Reilly, one of two parent chaperones who joined the teenagers.

The teens and the chaperones spent the evening of Feb. 29 through the afternoon of March 1 with the homeless.

The program's employees have been or are homeless, Amy said. After talking with the participants, the staff took small groups on a tour of the places they had lived, including shelters and construction sites.

"They were just so open," Amy said. "You were just another person."

Each had an individual story that sometimes included alcohol and drugs, she said, but not all of them.

"At least three people were college-educated," Amy said. "That was the shock for me."

Talking with the homeless of Boston was an eyeopening experience for the teenagers as well.

"I didn't realized I had a stereotype [of homeless people]," said Kelly Reilly, 16. "I think this experience … opened your eyes that the homeless are just like you."

The teens and their chaperones not only slept in the church, on the floor or on narrow pews, they also helped sort donated clothes and served lunch the following day.

Charles Davis, 14, was surprised to learn that for some, the street is a better option than others.

"Some [of the homeless people] gave tours of where they had to live, and it seemed pretty tough," he said. "Some of them would rather live on the street than in a shelter."

More than that, Charles also learned how easily homelessness can occur.

"I learned from many of them that they just made bad choices," he said.

His new awareness was important to Marq Davis, his father and another parent chaperone on the trip.

"It's my second CityReach, but it was the first with my son," he said. "That made it extra special to watch and observe his experience."

Katie Barrette, 14, said the experience helped her see beyond stereotypes, as well.

"The homeless people are like us, except they have a lot less than we do," she said. "They're just normal people."

Danielle Scharen, 14, said the program has changed the way she looks at the world.

"When I went into Boston, I didn't really see homeless people because I didn't realize how many people could be homeless," she said. "I learned I shouldn't take anything for granted because anything could happen."

The members of St. Stephen's became involved with Ecclesia Ministries through the Common Cathedral, a weekly outdoor service for the homeless in Boston Common. Other churches provide food for a meal following the service. Marq Davis said he knew some of the people at CityReach because of this work.

"You see some of the same faces," he said. "Some of the people are trying to get it together, to get home."