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PHOENIX
Vol. 3 Issue No. 4 FEB. 3, 2015
Sunnyvale helps the homeless during hard times by Ashley Chavez Managing Editor
Here in Sunnyvale, our local emergency assistance agency, Sunnyvale Community Services (SCS), aims to aid Sunnyvale’s homeless population by giving them the resources they need to overcome everyday obstacles. Homelessness is a countrywide issue that is ever-increasing. It is especially dangerous to be homeless during the winter due to the unpredictable and potentially harmful weather. This season, a statewide directive was issued to all emergency assistance agencies to serve as warming centers for the homeless. SCS opened its doors as a warming center to any homeless clients, giving them access to coats, gloves, blankets, sleeping bags and warm beverages. This year, Sunnyvale’s armory on Maude Ave. was inactive, leaving the homeless population that migrate to this area nowhere to stay overnight. While emergency assistance agencies are not able to provide overnight shelter, in the event of a chronic situation, SCS will work to direct the client to a more appropriate agency that can get them the help they require. Case Manager David Hernandez works primarily with the homeless clientele at SCS. Any homeless per-
Ashley Chavez | The Phoenix
SLEEPING bags and other warm clothing is stored for the homeless at Sunnyvale Community Services.
son can utilize the warming center and its resources, but more permanent assistance can be offered to a registered homeless client. According to Hernandez, SCS specializes in people who have just recently become homeless and are having trouble with the transition. Generally, people who have lost their homes overnight can’t make the transition alone; that is where SCS can help. “This is a new experience to them,” Hernandez said. “Homelessness was just thrusted upon them. It’s a shock.” According to Hernan-
dez, SCS aims to help their clients create long-term plans that will benefit them and their future. “[We want] them to feel safe, to feel that this is a good choice, that they will be OK,” Hernandez said. “You have to remove that fear, the fear that comes with homelessness.” While SCS cannot provide permanent housing, in the event of major illness that could potentially put others in danger at a shelter, the agency will work to provide a place for them to heal. The agency is able to put a client in a motel if they are in a severe situa-
tion that without a proper place to heal could result in immediate harm. This allows the agency to work with the county to evaluate how to further approach the situation. The agency can only go to a certain extent and cannot make decisions for a client. “I have to respect the clients’ decisions,” Hernandez said. “I have to respect their dignity and their selfworth.” Oftentimes, clients might not need a permanent solution, just the resources to get them through the night. However, there are
also instances when clients might feel helpless and lost. In these instances, Hernandez digs deeper, looking at all of the underlying factors and working to find the best possible solution and offer the steadiest guidance. It is important to SCS that each case is approached with flexibility because each case differs greatly between clients. Transportation and technology are factors that any average citizen relies on constantly, but does not come easily to the homeless. “They are up against barriers that a lot of us won’t even face or know very little about,” Hernandez said.
Hernandez describes the homeless population in Sunnyvale as “diverse” despite the negative stigma that surrounds the issue of homelessness. “You immediately picture somebody with raggedy clothes, somebody with missing teeth, somebody that smells like body odor and alcohol,” Hernandez said. “But I would like people to work towards changing that mindset. It can affect anybody.” According to Hernandez, SCS has dealt with clients who are engineers and work at high-end companies like Google. “They [can] lose everything,” Hernandez said. “By the federal definition they are homeless, but by the way they’re dressed you wouldn’t know.” “A lot of these families who are becoming homeless overnight, it’s completely out of their control,” Hernandez said. “It’s not because they chose not to go to work or because they picked up bad [habits] like drinking or smoking.” Without the support of the community, SCS would not be able to assist their clients the way that they do. Anyone can donate food and other resources to the agency, which will then be passed on to the people in Sunnyvale who need it most.
Different options in experiencing high school by Sonya Jindal News Editor
The Fremont Union High School District (FUHSD) offers various programs that allow students to enroll in college level classes and further their passion in challenging themselves intellectually and independently. Middle College and College Now are two programs that many Fremont High School students apply for and attend. Middle College provides students with the opportunity to explore challenging new educational options by taking college courses. Middle College is open only to incoming juniors and seniors due to the fact that the programs require maturity that underclassmen may lack. Students take all their classes at the De Anza Community College campus, earn high school and college credit si-
multaneously and complete their requirements for high school graduation while exploring their individual interests through a diverse college curriculum. According to fuhsd.org, Middle College students are required to take two high school courses each year (taught by FUHSD teachers) to satisfy high school graduation requirements. Juniors take an integrated course in American literature and US history, while seniors take Contemporary Literature as well as semester courses in economics and US government. Middle College is ideal for students who prefer a quieter working environment and want to focus more on their studies. “I feel like I’m in charge of my own learning and I am treated as an adult,” Amit Rachman said, a senior enrolled in Middle College. “I wouldn’t
recommend it to everyone, obviously, but I think people who desire to experience a college environment, want to challenge themselves academically, or even just want to take specific classes that are not available at their high school would really benefit from the program and enjoy it,” Rachman said. These students receive one-on-one support from the Middle College advisors, who assist them with course planning and academic development, and additional support from an on-site guidance counselor. They also have access to services and opportunities at De Anza College, from tutoring to clubs, to student government. Students enrolled in this program are still able to attend events hosted by their previous school, such as dances, games and rallies. They are still part of their
home high school and able to be a part of the experience. College Now is a program only for FUHSD high schools, where high schoolers have the option of spending their senior year at De Anza and taking classes as a real college student. College Now is only eligible for seniors, seeing as how they only take college classes within the program. This program is more fast paced and requires tenacious work from students. This program is an educational option for FUHSD seniors to earn up to one year of college credits while completing FUHSD high school graduation requirements. College Now allows the students an opportunity to complete a minimum of nine college courses, making it possible to earn a bachelors’ degree in less time by taking up to
21 units a quarter. Unlike Middle College students, this program doesn’t give a chance for students to involve themselves in their high schools sports teams and clubs. “I’d recommend it only to people who trust themselves to be good, responsible students given all the independence you would get as normal college student,” Ronen Burd said, senior and current student enrolled in the College Now program. “It’s also really interesting because we can choose our professors and class times, so I feel like I really understand a lot about college and being an independent student in an environment where teachers give students lots of responsibility and where classes go a lot faster since it’s quarter system,” Burd said If you are interested in applying for Middle College,
students and their parents must attend the information session held in Conference Rooms A & B in the Hinson Campus Center on the De Anza College campus scheduled for Feb 12. Students should arrive at 6 p.m. to write an application essay and parents should arrive at 7 p.m. Following that will be an interview and application process in April with decisions coming out in May. Applications can be found at http://www.fuhsd. org/MIDDLEcollege in the right hand column. College Now applications can be found at http:// www.fuhsd.org/COLLEGEnow. If you are still skeptical on whether you would like to apply, attend the parent/ student informational meeting on Feb. 5 at 6 p.m. in Conference Rooms A & B in the Hinson Campus Center at De Anza College.