VCU magazine (1991-01)

              JANUARY/FEBRUARY 1991 VOLUME 19, NUMBER 4
A publication for alumni of the Academic and Medical College of Virginia Campuses of Virginia Commonwealth University
You Are
Invited ...
REUNION '91
AND THE
PRESIDENTIAL
INAUGURATION
(See pages 4-5)
Lessons from the Street: VCU and the Daily Planet
by Judith C Warrington
As an urban university yeU shares the
streets with the city's homeless. Being
"neighbors" has formed a solid
relationship between the University
and a resource center for street people
called the Daily Planet.
Since 1969 the agency has been
serving the needs of Richmond's
homeless. Located
on the comer of
Canal and Belve­dere,
the Daily
Planet is the ad­ministrative
office
and managing
agent for the Street
Center, nine
different programs
whose services
including counsel­ing.
meals, urban
survival skills, and
employment. On a
more personal
level it is a place
where people who
have fallen be­tween
the cracks
of society can find
acceptance, under­standing,
and
support.
According to Sheila Crowley '78
MSW/'76 BSW, executive director of
the Daily Planet, between 150 and 200
people a day, about 5,000 different
people a year, use their services.
Unlike shelters that provide temporary
housing, the Daily Planet works
toward long-term solutions rather than
one night's sleep.
"The goal of the Daily Planet is to
increase a person's capacity to de­velop
a stable life, to improve the
quality of life through a support
system," Crowley explains. "For some
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this is simple. They are just down on
their luck. But some relationships with
the Daily Planet last for years, others
the rest of their lives."
There is no typical consumer, as
the people who use the center are
called. They range in age from 18 to
80-plus. Eighty percent are men,
single, unaffiliated, and lonely. Sixty­two
percent are homeless. About half
have problems
with alcohol. One
thing they all have
in common is
extreme poverty.
Phil Erickson
'79 MSW, deputy
director of the
Daily Planet, talks
about things most
of us take for
granted, but from
the viewpoint of a
homeless person.
"Having a trash
bag means the dif­ference
between
dry or wet posses­sions.
But who's
going to hire you
with your posses­sions
in a trash
bag? Here at the
Daily Planet we
have lockers where people can store
their stuff. We manage escrow ac­counts
so people can save money.
We're an address to receive benefits, a
place to be reached for jobs. We have
showers and a laundry. Simple things
basic to survival."
The tie between YCU and the Daily
Planet goes beyond shared streets.
There is a bond of dedication and
involvement. Of the 24 full-time staff,
eight hold a master's of social work
degree from YCU, one a bachelor's,
and one a psychology degree. This
year there are nine graduate and
undergraduate interns working at the
Daily Planet. A number of students
make up the part-time staff.
In addition to students from the
School of
Social Work,
the time and
talent of
students from
rehabilitative
counseling,
mass commu­nications,
and
art have made
a difference at
the Street
Center. As a
recent project,
a yeu film
Slleila Crowley '18, '1&
class created an orientation video for
consumers. Each year the yeu Jazz
Orchestra holds a benefit concert for
the Daily Planet.
Alumni, current and retired faculty,
and administrative staff of the Aca­demic
and MCY Campuses serve on
the agency's board of directors. Each
has been drawn to the Daily Planet by
a different personal reason.
Jane Carlson, assistant director of
development, serves on the board.
Her experience with the Daily Planet
has been extremely positive. "They
deal with issues I'm inte rested in,"
says Carlson. ''I'm glad I can do
something to have an impact on the
Ffed Ellis 16
community
where I live."
Fred Ellis
'66BSmass
communica­tions
has
served on
the board of
directors since
1980. He be­came
involved
in the plight
of the city's
homeless
through his
church located in tbe Fan. Counting
his own blessings, Ellis says, "You
have to do something for the commu­nity,
to be able to put something back
in." He encourages ot\lers to become
aware of the needs of organizations
like the Daily Planet and get involved.
Donations and volunteers are always
needed and welcomed.
Of the Daily Planet's annual
budget, one third comes from the
United Way. An additional 42 percent
of the budget
comes from
state and
federal grants,
and the
remainder is
from the
donations of
churches, civic
organizations,
and individuals
in the Rich-mond
area. Phil Ericbon 'J9
Social work
as practiced by
the Daily Planet is far removed from
textbook cases and by-the-book gov­ernment
assistance programs. Crowley
sums up the experience by saying, "At
the Daily Planet we are social workers
who entered the field because we are
committed to the poor. This is a crea­tive
place to practice, nonbureaucratic.
' It's a real honor to have the opportu­nity
to practice the trade in a way that
meets people's neeqs. Sometimes, it's
so real it's raw."
Judith Warrington is a freelance writer
in Richmond.
Alumni Portraits by Doug Buerlein.
Photograph of Daily Planet by Kevin
Schindler.
Nonprofit Organization
U.S. Postage
PAlO
Permit No. 869
Richmond, Virginia
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