3 days in a Shack Community
Reporter Danielle Zoellner reflects on her experience after participating in a homeless simulation sponsored by the Social Justice League.
October 2, 2017 | Danielle Zoellner
Students gather around a campfire during the Shack City simulation. Photo by Danielle Zoellner
Fear and uncertainty; those were the first emotions I felt when I read what the simulation would consist of:
Two nights and three days.
No dorms or apartments.
No showers.
No cafeteria.
No car.
One duffel for clothes and supplies.
All while continuing to attend classes.
I realized very quickly I had to plan a lot of things in advance. And this one thought surfaced: "Wow, this is really inconvenient."
The Social Justice League orchestrated a homeless simulation called "The Shack" last week with speakers each night. The simulation was for anyone who wished to attend.
It was inconvenient to have no private walls, no locked doors, no assurance of food and no vehicle.
I thought about not doing it, about changing my mind. I thought it was reasonable. But then I would come back to this thought: "Someone lives like this."
I, and the other five students in this simulation, only had to experience this for two nights. Someone has to live like this with no known end in sight. I knew when I'd have food again. I knew when I'd have a roof, a shower, a car again.
During the first night, someone came up to give us a handout. We were only there for two days and we were offered hot dogs, cookies, hamburgers, water, granola bars and more.
I wondered: what if we did this for someone who was actually homeless?
If anyone tells you sleeping on the ground's fun, it's not. Rocks and roots dug into my back. There was no 'comfortable' way to lie on the ground.
After my class ended on Tuesday, when I would normally return to my apartment to sleep, I couldn't. I felt displaced. I had no place I could go for comfort or security.
Haley Conrad said, "It was hard not having a safe place to go when I was really tired. I thought about checking out a study room to take a nap." (I wish I had.)
"There was a separation between people I just wasn't expecting," Conrad said.
Social Justice League Vice President Kara Barger said she was constantly aware that she couldn't do or have certain things.
It was harder than she expected.
"I couldn't have food," Barger said. "I got really hungry."
Along with the personal experience of homelessness, the club also offered educational sessions.
The first night, Sheyenne Kuhn, a 2015 alumnus who works at TouchPointe, came and spoke of her experience and knowledge with the homeless community.
It was overwhelming at moments to hear how deeply homelessness is rooted in our society and how the system works against many people.
What can I do? How can I help? We asked these questions more than once.
Barger said she learned to do small things to move forward.
"Those things can make a greater impact," Barger said. "Recognize people and look in their eyes. Seek to understand, whether through a conversation or just sitting with somebody."
What we did was take a step towards understanding. We took experience and we paired it with the knowledge from those who came to speak with us about the issue of homelessness.
However, like Kara Barger said, "I haven't even put a toe into what someone who is homeless experiences."