Agency Serving a Vulnerable Population. Research Paper

Helping Up Mission, Maryland
Name
Institution
Due Date
Helping Up Mission, Maryland
In spite of being one of the richest countries in the world, the U.S. still has a significant percentage of its population as homeless. Of this percentage, women are 216,211 while men are 332,925 (HUD 2018 Continuum of Care Homeless). People often try to find a connection between homelessness and drug addiction. Some say that drug addiction leads to homelessness. However, there are those who believe that the above is a way for people to discredit the homeless people and blame them for what they are going through. Michael’s House (2020) reports that there are people who make some wrong choices in life and therefore, end up homeless. However, the article continues to indicate that at times, life can deal one more than they can handle. So, it is cruel to blame people who choose to use drugs to help deal with their pain. As Michael’s House reports, “addiction is both a cause and a result of homelessness.” The agency I chose deals with individuals who suffer from addiction and homelessness. Helping Up Mission seeks to assist individuals who are willing to take on a journey that will last for a year. The main reason why I chose this agency is that I knew someone who was once an addict and they eventually ended up homeless. However, as expected, society cast him aside and blamed him for how he was and his state. The man struggled to get food, shelter, and clothing. Even though I was young, I could see how people treated him and our parents warned us not to get close to him lest we get infested with louse. Eventually, the man was hit by a car and died with no one by his side and everyone pointing their fingers at him. The story of this man stuck with him for a while and when I came to know about Helping Up Mission, I felt bad for the man because at last, I found people who could help him. However, this was too little too late. I believe society needs to get back to being there for each other. There is a need to borrow the African term Ubuntu which means we are all in this together. People should be there for each other. Fight for each other, live, love, and laugh together. Brotherly love should not be limited to Philadelphia only but should be a mantra by which everyone lives. Helping Up Mission is doing the above and hence my decision to have it as my agency of choice.
Helping Up Mission is an old establishment whose inception was in 1885. For 135 years, the agency has been working hard to spread the message of love and helping individuals in the city of Baltimore. According to the Baltimore Business Journal (2018), the organization currently “500 men in various programs.” With Robert Gehman as the Chief Executive Officer, the organization is indeed striving to make a difference in the world by working to improve the lives of the homeless people in Baltimore. The agency’s mission reads: “Helping Up Mission provides hope to people experiencing homelessness, poverty or addiction by meeting their physical, psychological, social and spiritual needs” (helpingupmission.org). The core values of the agency include Christianity, community, integrity, accountability, empowerment, and innovation...