Update on Jenny – Movin’ On Up!

Last week I wrote about Jenny, the homeless girl with the 1000 watt smile. I’ve been working closely with her for the past week and have a few very good things to report! First and foremost we’ve got a very solid lead on getting her into a perfect housing situation through Movin’ On Up.

Movin’ On Up (http://www.movinonup.org/) is based in Novato and helps emancipated foster kids with their housing and education, preparing them for independence and success in the world. It’s a unique two year program that will allow Jenny to go to school and not have to worry about paying the rent or for food. It is exactly what Jenny needs, and hopefully she will be accepted into the program. There is a spot opening up soon and she’s put in an application.

I initially learned about Jenny through Ambassadors of Hope and Opportunity (http://www.ahoproject.org) when their founder Zara Babitzke sent out an email asking for help and the email was forwarded to me by Kathleen Murphy, a Bradley Real Estate agent who also helps the homeless. In the email I read that Jenny is a product of the foster care system, and I know some great people in the Marin foster care system, so I thought I might be able to make some inquiries and possibly come up with a solution. Two days later at the Marin Swim League Championships I spoke with Carol Ihlenburg, a truly magnanimous foster mom in Terra Linda who also has a daughter on the Terra Linda Orcas. Carol suggested Movin’ On Up, which has fast become Jenny’s best hope for housing.

Currently Jenny is staying at the Mill Street Emergency Shelter in San Rafael, but it’s been very difficult for her. Staying at a homeless shelter is not an easy thing to do, and it’s not necessarily desirable either but it is an alternative to sleeping in the streets. We are fortunate to have this safety net in San Rafael.

In order to stay at Mill Street yesterday Jenny received a TB test through the Ritter Center (http://www.rittercenter.org). Ritter is perhaps the largest organization serving our economically disadvantaged, and it's another example of one of the few, essential safety nets here in San Rafael. Jenny had no money for the TB test, and nowhere else to turn.  

While Jenny has been at Mill Street I’ve been able to help her through the involvement of my Facebook community, Homeless and Precarious Faces (https://www.facebook.com/MarinHomelessFaces). A bike had previously been donated to the cause and I was holding onto it. Every other bike I had given to San Rafael’s Downtown Streets Team (http://streetsteam.org/) but this one I held onto because I knew I could find someone special for it. Jenny has truly appreciated the freedom and mobility the bike has afforded her. I get a wonderful feeling when I hear Jenny talk about 'her' bike, and what it's meant to her. 

Another member of my Facebook community, Safi Town donated clothing and cosmetics to Jenny on Thursday. Safi’s generous and thoughtful donation made a huge difference to Jenny who has so little in her life including summer attire. This entire experience with Jenny has led me to ask the question, what can I do?

There are too ways to ask the question. One is rhetorically with your hands up in the air, in a helpless manner. The other is how I asked myself when I saw Zara’s email. What can I do, as in what resources are available to me and how can I make a difference in Jenny’s life?

If I had a wish that could come true I would have everyone ask themselves that same question, in that same manner when they have the opportunity to help our indigent citizens. We’d all put thought into how we could make a difference in the lives of these less fortunate people, and we’d put the best intended thoughts into action. I’m certain that in time we’d help a lot of people like Jenny find a way off the streets.

A lot of people spend a lot of time debating what to do about homelessness. A Political Science major in college I know enough to I try steer clear of the politics of Marin County homelessness. What I do is simple, I try to help where I can and I like to write about those experiences. This has inspired people like Safi and others to help where they can too. I hope that this will inspire you too.