Trojan Shelter at USC. Photo: Trojan Shelter / Courtesy
By: Gabriela Hernández / Special for Real America News 07 from January 2021
Serie: ‘Odyssey of students with insecure housing: getting a degree when you are homeless’
Fifth article of six:
Hannah Mulroe grew up in Chicago where her father runs a shelter for the homeless. You know first-hand what having access to a shelter can mean to someone without a permanent place to call home.
You are now in your final year at the University of Southern California (USC) studying Industrial and Systems Engineering, and is also co-director of Trojan Shelter, a program for a growing number of homeless students on campus.
What makes Trojan Shelter unique is that it is a completely student-run program. Mulroe says he started his freshman year in college after studying a course called “Nonprofits and Public Interests.”
The president and founder of the Bruin Shelter, also known as “Students 4 Students,” made a presentation of their mission to that class. At that time, two classmates who would become co-founders of the Trojan Shelter asked how they could help accomplish that mission.
Hannah Mulroe, student and one of the founders from the hostel. (Gabriela Hernández) The president and the founder advised them to will start their own hostel.
The classmates organized a team of eight students to start, including Mulroe. They spent the entire year together doing research, recruiting volunteers, and laying the groundwork to start the program.
Mulroe says his team feels fortunate that St. Mary’s Episcopal Church in Koreatown offered their space to rent the Trojan Shelter at a reduced price near the USC campus.
All expenses are met through donations and fundraisers funds for the shelter. The program provides a bed, three meals and a place to bathe and study for up to six residents among the 18 and the 26 years of age for an entire school year guaranteed.
“But on the other hand, we encourage people to talk with his social worker and find another home sooner, ”Mulroe said. “We also encourage people to do what is best for them.”
Mulroe added that due to the pandemic, “we have had to reduce our capacity to three beds to allow more physical distance. We also offer an isolation room if one of those students has to quarantine. ”
When the Trojan Shelter opened in November 2019, some 45 students requested shelter through Students 4 Students, connected to the Bruin Shelter. The team maintains an ongoing waiting list, recommending referrals to other programs for those unable to accept due to lack of space.
Mulroe says several students from other universities have contacted the Trojan Shelter to see if they can reproduce the program. The council members are writing a description that can serve as a model.
“I would say that our first definitive step was to gather a strong team of students willing to work together on this, ”Mulroe said. “In our case, there were eight of us working together, and we divided the tasks so that we could take charge of this great project as a team.”
He also added that we have to gather volunteer students, make sure the rental space meets building code standards, find good resources, and know how to fundraise.
Mulroe plans to go home to Chicago after graduation and helping college students there create programs similar to the Trojan Shelter. Having students directly involved, regardless of the size of their contribution, inspires him to believe that his generation can overcome the crisis of homelessness in the country.
These articles will be published in Real America News from January 4 to 9. You can also read them on the internet at Real America News.com and in English at elnuevosol.net. (Translation Patricia Ramos)
Gabriela Hernández
Gabriela Hernández and is an undergraduate student at the State University of California at Northridge. Her career is in television journalism with a specialization in journalism in Spanish. “I enjoy reporting on entertainment news and hope to one day work in the entertainment field in Spanish. In my free time, I enjoy spending time with my family and connecting with nature. ”