| December 4, 2019 | Juan Ibarra | editor-in-chief |
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According to the Tarrant County Homeless Coalition, approximately 2,000 people in Tarrant County are homeless or living in traditional housing emergency shelters.
In honor of Hunger and Homelessness Week, TR Campus hosted a resource fair to provide information and inform students about multiple organizations offering help and support others in need.
Organizations such as Catholic Charities of Fort Worth, My Health My Resources and the Gladney Center for Adoption lined the hallway of Main Street on TR Campus Nov. 21.
“We wanted to put on this resource fair to let students know what resources we have on campus and in the community that can support them,” director of student conduct and prevention education Tim Cason said.
MHMR representative Adam Cruz said he believes the partnership between TCC and MHMR is important to inform people about the problems in the community.
“I know a lot of the homeless population don’t even know that some of these resources are out there,” Cruz said.
He said if more attention is given to the issue of homelessness and how to combat it, then there will be a higher chance of someone finding the help they need.
MHMR offers programs such as crisis residential units for adults to be monitored and given counseling as well as training of community reintegration skills. The organization also provides short-term treatment for adults and adolescents at risk of psychiatric crises.
“The world is so fast-paced that we forget about the others and our neighbors that are living right there on the streets,” Cruz said. “That’s what it’s all about.”
One of the goals of the resource fair was to bring attention to the different situations people can be stuck in, according to Cason.
“Distress and crisis look different for each student,” he said.
Cason explained that the resource fair was planned after having conversations with faculty, staff and students about the needs of students.
Different departments helped to put together the resource fair by giving students prepared kits. Health services distributed packages that included soup and a mug while student activities assembled kits with reusable water bottles and hygiene products.
“It was a grassroots effort with talking to students, faculty and staff about what they needed,” Cason said.
If students know that they or someone they know need services and are experiencing any crisis, they should report it to the CARE team, Cason said.
Another organization available for students was the Gladney Center for Adoption, which helps place children into prospective families and assists pregnant women placing their children up for adoption.
“There is a lot of college-aged students that might be in a situation where they find themselves pregnant,” Gladney representative Julia Marrero said. “We think it’s important to educate them on their options.”
TR student Yolanda Smith walked through the fair and spoke to several representatives. She said MHMR had useful information and that events like the resource fair are beneficial for everyone to bring awareness to people who may not understand a topic.
Smith cited a previous suicide prevention fair and how she learned and started to understand depression and suicide more because of the event.
“Even if you don’t get anyone other than like one or two people, that is still one or two people that you reached that you wouldn’t have reached at all,” Smith said.
