Homelessness: Open Table, Arizona Nonprofit, Gets People Off Of Streets With Help Of Focus Groups

Instead of just handing out a meal and a bed for the night, one advocacy group is also doling out concrete advice to help Arizona’s homeless population.

The Open Table is empowering those who live on the streets of Phoenix by pairing them with a group of volunteers who have life-skills tips to share. The participants share their expertise in areas including education, finance and healthcare, and meet once a week for eight months to a year, azfamily.com reports.

Open Table founder, Jon Katov, believes humanizing homelessness is what’s been missing from past efforts.

"This is the 44th year of the poverty rate not changing a bit except going up... we are missing so much of the human potential," Katov told the news source.

That's the kind of potential the group found in Lavette Hutchinson, a mother of three who was homeless on and off for five years. During her eight months with the nonprofit, Hutchinson got a job, visited the doctor and dentist, and found affordable housing, azfamily.com reports.

She admits there are more obstacles, but she is finally feeling hopeful.

“I've just been going around in circles and in circles. And it has to end," Hutchinson said of her struggles with homelessness. "It’s gonna end here with me."

To learn more about the Open Table, click here.

Comments

[sunflwer1975]

02:28 PM on 05/15/2012

half*

[sunflwer1975]

02:27 PM on 05/15/2012

there are 12 million empty houses and not even have as many homeless... there we go.

[thudula]

07:49 PM on 05/14/2012

Email Political Candidates. CONTACT ROMNEY and REPORTERS.
DEMAND WALK- IN SHELTERS FOR HOMELESS LEFT IN THE STREET TO DIE.

ASK CLERGY TO HELP with Housing for STREET HOMELESS.

[moremoneyfortherich]

05:33 AM on 05/15/2012

Mitt Romney is a private sector business man --- he holds not public office

[Care 2 Blare]

06:53 PM on 05/14/2012

Mr. Romney tells wealthy people at a fund raiser that HUD will be one of the first agency's to disappear. Romney needs to walk in this women's shoes for awhile.

[tmmjvm]

09:12 PM on 05/14/2012

what does HUD have to do with her being homeless?

[kristiemaureen]

10:27 PM on 05/14/2012

The Dept. of Housing and Urban Development is the primary entity providing States with funding to construct and run affordable housing programs. Without HUD programs like Section 8 these families would never find housing that was affordable. That's what it has to do with "this"

[moremoneyfortherich]

05:37 AM on 05/15/2012

good, close it down --- the market will then be forced to reduce the inflated price of housing -- if no one is renting properties than the price of the house decreases

[Care 2 Blare]

11:16 AM on 05/15/2012

You truly have no clue about low income housing.

[rssllbll55]

03:38 PM on 05/14/2012

I hope this lady makes it. I know her struggle and pain. I lived in Phoenix for seven years and I struggled when I was there. There aren't many African Americans living in Phoenix yet the majority of those who do... are struggling and there doesn't appear to be much hope and or help; especially if your homeless. This type of community out-reach is a wonderful example of what can be done but, getting there fully and completely seems unlikely considering Arizona's efforts to dismantle those programs currently in place these activists would need to ensure their success are being cut from the states budget.

[Helen Behd]

09:40 AM on 05/14/2012

Go to YOUTUBE and type in Alternative Housing and see all the ideas for cheap/green/affordable housing. No one should be homeless in this country.

[heshmalesh]

01:52 PM on 05/15/2012

yes, but those are ideas that would actually tackle the problem and this is America. The government doesn't "really" want to help the homeless, nor do most Americans. IF they did we might have gotten somewhere at this point

[Helen Behd]

04:19 PM on 05/15/2012

Well I got news for ya buddy, homelessness is happening to people that have never ever experienced the problem. It's everyone's problem now.  The average citizen is being screwed by the banks, the mortgage  & credit card companies, the local town government, the big government. It's time people took back their power to find solutions to the problems that plague this country.  

[Helen Behd]

09:38 AM on 05/14/2012

Alternative housing ideas have hit the mainstream big time in the last 2 years. NO ONE should be homeless in this country. Repurposed & renovated shipping containers/railroad commuters cars/tiny houses have expanded to suitable, transportable & affordable housing for people living below the poverty line. The problem is that the "powers that be" will not set aside land and areas for these types of alternative housing. In other words, NOT IN MY NEIGHBORHOOD. Having a home is the basic requirement for any human being. Please start to campaign for alternative housing. The Tiny House/Alternative Housing Movement is starting and will continue as we find solutions to homelessness & the created housing fall out. Want to change society? Start with your voice & your energy to help make a change.

[lofttypeofaview]

08:55 PM on 05/14/2012

However alternative housing doesn't make sense when there are so many empty homes available that shouldn't be empty but are because of the greed of the banks.

[Helen Behd]

08:57 AM on 05/15/2012

Yes, good point but no one will allow anyone to live in these empty homes because they are owned by the banks now.  We need green/inexpensive/transportable/energy efficient homes that can be owned by the lower/middle class. McMansions are sitting empty for a reason, the last dinosaur of a greedy and evil banking/mortgage system - meant to enslave the average Joe. Campaign for Alternative Housing, it's coming.