Changing Perspectives

Described as “eye-opening,” “sobering,” “life changing,” “extraordinary,” the experience of meeting and getting to know homeless people has drastically changed the hearts and opened the minds of hundreds of students at Mercy College of Health Sciences.

As part of the “Caring in a Diverse Healthcare Environment” course taught by Dr. Joe Moravec, professor of theology and philosophy, and Dr. Margaret Richey, former associate professor of nursing, each semester Mercy students have partnered with Joppa to learn about homelessness and visit homeless camps.

All Mercy students in degree programs are required to take the caring course that combines classroom instruction in the philosophy, theology and caregiving theory with six hours of face-to-face service learning.

“We want our students to be exposed to the most needy and vulnerable in our society to learn to empathize with those they may see as scary or undeserving,” Dr. Moravec says. “If we can learn to unconditionally love, serve and care for them, then we’ll be ready to care for the rest of humanity.”

Dr. Richey says caring for and ministering to the homeless requires a lot of patience.

“People who are homeless or formerly homeless have had many wounds to their spirits. To care for their medical needs, we need to walk beside them and personalize our support in nonjudgmental ways like Jesus did,” Dr. Richey explains.

“There’s a lot of pressure on the homeless to overcome their obstacles to suit society’s standards,” Dr. Richey says, “but low wages, fewer unskilled job opportunities, lack of insurance, and convoluted government support systems, in addition to mental and physical health issues, can make ‘working their way out of it’ nearly impossible for them.”

“Ignorance is the biggest breeder of fear,” says Dr. Moravec, “and when you meet those different from you, human to human, you lose your prejudices.”

During the trips to camps, the homeless often give the students tours of their dwellings and share their stories and concerns. The powerful nature of these encounters comes through in the reflection papers the students write.

“I had assumed all of the homeless lived in canvas tents with piles of wood stacked around. . . but the people who constructed the shacks and buildings had obviously put skill and pride into what they did. They put more effort into their dwellings than I have into anything in my life,” one student wrote.

Another said, “I was blown away by their ability to find the basic necessities and make do with the little amount of possessions they had. This experience allowed me to open my eyes and heart, and showed me how to be compassionate.”