SNC Advocating for the Homeless

September 29, 2016

St. Norbert College (SNC) faculty, staff, and students have had a long history in serving and advocating for the homeless in our area. Dr. Karina O’Malley, a retired Sociology faculty member, engaged her students in establishing the first shelter in Green Bay in 1986. Now there are over seven shelters, including three emergency shelters, and SNC contributes time, talent, and donations to many of these.

More recently, SNC teamed up with the local Catholic Diocese to help support the area’s newest emergency shelter, St. John the Evangelist Homeless Shelter. In 2012 SNC staff got the approvals needed to provide emergency overflow housing for St. John’s residents on our campus when students are off during winter break. In 2014-15, St. John’s shelter had three SNC staff members serving on their advisory board and numerous students, staff, and faculty volunteering throughout the year.

Several SNC groups serve at St. John’s. As part of new student orientation, a First Year Experience group helped clean the shelter as part of “Into the Streets,” a program that introduces new students to service in our community. In January, the SERV (Students Embracing the Responsibility to Volunteer) group prepared and served breakfast to guests on a snowy morning during winter break. In spring semester, volunteers from an academic service learning course in the Theology helped build relationships with guests and even participated in the shelter’s spring talent show. In 2014-15, St. John’s Shelter reported that they served 386 individuals and assisted 57 of them to move into their own apartment. St. Norbert volunteers helped support this success.

In addition to partnerships with St. John’s Shelter, SNC tries to live its mission of “radical hospitality” by volunteering at other shelters as well. Student organizations volunteer time, provide educational opportunities, and collect items or raise money. SNC’s Housing office supported students in two service houses and one suite of 8 sophomores in the Michels Residence Hall Service program who provided child care or family programs every week throughout the school year at the Freedom House family shelter. This allowed the parents to attend classes to learn skills to improve their future success.

SNC Habitat for Humanity students served over 1200 hours in the Habitat Restore and on build sites to provide decent affordable housing. They also raised awareness and money through Shackathon, an overnight event where students sleep outside in November to learn more about the need for affordable housing. The SNC TRIPS program hosted four alternative break trips that helped build houses or serve resident’s of homeless shelters.

Five students served meals and built relationships with men living at “Our Brother’s Place” a shelter in Philadelphia founded by the Norbertines. Three students helped build a house in St. Lucia as part of the Good News Program, which is also supported by the Norbertines. Eleven students helped Habitat for Humanity build homes and resell usable construction supplies at the Habitat Restore in Little Rock. And, 10 students rehabbed homes for elders with Christmas in Action, a nonprofit in Spartanburg that helps people with disabilities stay in their own homes. Many of these students supported these organizations after their trip by raising money or staying in touch with people they met. Others joined our Green Bay Habitat for Humanity or other housing organizations.

Overall 93 people from SNC served over 1500 hours benefiting an estimated 2500 people. In addition, many campus members are also part of the SNC campus parish which serves monthly meals at a local shelter and partners with the Ecumenical Partnership for Housing which provides transitional housing for local families. Responding to issues related to housing and homelessness are embedded throughout the SNC experience. This effective practice is an example of the college’s motto, “To teach by word and example.”

Learn more about St. Norbert’s TRIPS program

Learn more about SNC’s award-winning Sturzl Center for Community Service and Learning

Paragraph reprinted from their 2014-15 President’s Honor Roll application