By MARIA PAPPAS
STAFF WRITER
On Jan. 27, Fordham students from both the Rose Hill and Lincoln Center campuses took a step to aid New York City’s fight against homelessness. These students volunteered with the Homeless Outreach Population Estimate (HOPE) Count, which took place through the Dorothy Day Center, in conjunction with the Department of Homeless Services of NYC.
The HOPE Count volunteers conducted a street survey that aimed to count the number of homeless people in certain areas of the city. The information that they gathered will be provided to the Department of Homeless Services and is used to distribute resources for homeless services efficiently.
Beginning at midnight, students from Rose Hill formed teams to canvass the area surrounding the Bronx campus. Some of these teams stayed out until as late as 4 a.m. In order to conduct this survey, the teams visited 17 different zones in the Bronx area.
Deanna Toffales, GSB ’16, and Tim Bouffard, FCRH ’16, both participated in the HOPE Count. Toffales and her group of volunteers canvassed the Gun Hill Road area in the northern Bronx, while Bouffard led a group of three through Bronx neighborhoods: Fairmont-Claremont Village, Foxhurst and Morrisania.
Both groups of volunteers faced the frigid New York temperatures that have plagued this past month. Toffales says that the temperature was the biggest shock of the night. Even though she had five layers of clothing on, she noted that “[She] still had to stop and attempt to defrost after being out for a mere two hours.”
Toffales stated, “The thought of someone having to spend the night in that kind of weather brought tears to my eyes. Thankfully, my group did not encounter anyone homeless in the three 20-block radius that we covered.”
Despite the cold, Bouffard said that “Having the satisfaction of knowing that I played a small part in helping to eradicate the epidemic of homelessness in NYC made it completely worth it.”
Toffales found that her experience working at the Dorothy Day Center has opened her eyes to community service opportunities like the HOPE Count. In the past, Toffales has participated in various events in conjunction with the Dorothy Day Center. Additionally, she has been a part of the Midnight Run, which GO! sponsors. However, Toffales said, “as incredible as [the Midnight Run] was, HOPE Count definitely surpassed it.” Toffales found that taking time out of her busy schedule was rewarding, saying, “it was an incredibly humbling experience for me.”
Bouffard also felt that participating in the HOPE Count was an enriching experience for him and his team. He said, “the HOPE Count was a fantastic experience. It truly embodies the Jesuit motto of ‘men and women for others.’”
