UWM Students Volunteer with Milwaukee Homeless Community

Every Tuesday night from 6 to 11 p.m., UW-Milwaukee sophomore Alexis Neri, 20, spends her time working as a volunteer with homeless youth at Pathfinders Youth Shelter. Each week she arrives at the shelter, located at 1614 East Kane Place, a big cream-colored house with bright blue trim on Milwaukee’s East Side, in time to help prepare dinner. 

According to their website, “Pathfinders is Wisconsin’s oldest and one of Milwaukee’s most comprehensive and effective service providers for runaway, throwaway, and homeless young people.” 

“Each week when we arrive we get a ‘run down’ on who the youth are and what specific things we are monitoring them for,” Neri, Assistant Advocate for homeless youth said. “Examples being self harm, language, and suicide.” 

Pathfinders reported that 4,155 Milwaukee students experienced homelessness in 2015. The shelter offers emergency housing for eight kids, ages 11 through 17, as well as individual supportive housing services for young adults ages 18 though 25. The staff focus on four core initiatives: housing and shelter, education, family engagement, and youth empowerment. 

“I felt God calling me to put time into something bigger than myself,” Neri said. “So I went to the UWM volunteer center and asked about the programs they work with.”

To become an Assistant Advocate, the applicant must be 18 years old or older, have a high school diploma or equivalent, have experience or interest working with teens and their families, have a non-judgmental attitude, be willing to work cooperatively and accept supervision. Pathfinders also offers internship positions as well as service learning opportunities.

Neri reveled that the application process was very complicated, but “in a good way”. To become a volunteer at Pathfinders, the applicant must submit a volunteer application, pass a Wisconsin Caregiver Background Check, provide three letters of reference, complete an interview with the Volunteer Manager, attend a two-hour orientation, and complete the program specific training process on site. 

“The biggest thing I look for in an applicant is interest in working with youth and young adults,” Pathfinders Volunteer Manager Susan Raines said. “It doesn’t take experience, but it does take interest.”

According to the Corporation for National and Community Service, when it comes to college student volunteer rates, Wisconsin ranks fourteenth in the country. In Milwaukee, UWM’s Center for Community-Based Learning, Leadership, and Research provides different volunteer opportunities throughout the city for students, faculty and staff. 

“We definitely get the most college volunteers from UWM, and most come from the social work program,” Raines said.

CCBLR Program Manager Michelle Stromme reported that, in the past year, UWM students, faculty, and staff have logged over 60,000 hours of service in Milwaukee.

“We drive UWM students to The Gathering meal program every Friday morning throughout the year, including summer, winter break, and spring break,” Stromme said. “Students help to prepare and serve breakfast to Milwaukee’s homeless community downtown.”

In April 2018, Wisconsin Hope Lab conducted the largest national survey assessing the basic needs of university students. The report is titled Still Hungry and Homeless in College. The researchers found that 36 percent of college students were housing insecure in the past year, while 36 percent of were food insecure in the 30 days before taking the survey.

“The University put out a survey last year about food insecurity for UWM students, and found that roughly half did not have enough food at some point in their enrollment,” Stromme said. “There is now a UWM Food Pantry available to students, and our office served on the planning committee.”

According to CNCS, Wisconsin ranks third in the United States when it comes to overall volunteering. The CNCS website reports that 35.3 percent of Wisconsin residents volunteered in 2015, contributing $4.6 billion of service.