Social Work Students to Host Panel Discussion on Homelessness

March 24, 2016 (Notre Dame, Ind.)—Saint Mary’s College social work students will host a community forum called "Homelessness: Finding a Road Home" on Thursday, April 7 at 4:30 p.m. in Carroll Auditorium, Madeleva Hall. This event is free and open to the public.

For the past 12 years, social work students enrolled in the course Human Behavior and the Social Environment II, taught by Frances Kominkiewicz, professor and chair of the Department of Social Work and Gerontology, have organized the annual community forum, which concentrates on issues that the South Bend community faces. Past forum topics include human trafficking, violence, issues facing the elderly, issues facing veterans, and the effect the economy has on families. This year students chose to focus on homelessness and assembled a panel of experts on the subject.

Panelists include:

• Kathy Schneider, executive director, St. Margaret’s House
• Mary Hicks, guest, St. Margaret’s House
• Brady August, director of street outreach, Youth Service Bureau (YSB)
• Aja Ellington, staff, YSB and former client of YSB’s Young Moms Program
• Matthew Insley, staff, Our Lady of the Road
• Christin Kloski, community involvement and volunteer coordinator, Center for the Homeless 

Liza Felix ’17 of California, double major in Social Work and Spanish, said planning the forum has been a great experience for students.

“Professor Kominkiewicz motivated us to be individual and collective leaders while planning this community forum. We have used a variety of our skills to find our panelists to make this a successful event for the community. Everyone has lent a hand on top of doing their own roles, and we have applied our social work education in tackling the bumps along the road,” Felix said.

 Kominkiewicz said the act of putting on the event teaches students how to bring attention to an issue and actively help make positive changes in the community.

“Social work students are educated to engage in social work practice on three levels: micro (individual), mezzo (groups), and macro (communities, organizations, and society). The intellect and skills the students bring to developing, organizing, and implementing the community forum provides them with a superb learning opportunity to simultaneously work with individuals, groups, communities, and organizations to bring about change,” she said.

The Department of Social Work and Gerontology, the Center for Women’s Intercultural Leadership, the Career Crossings Office, and Sodexo Dining Services at Saint Mary’s College and the National Center for Excellence in Homeless Services are the sponsors of this event. Saint Mary’s is a partner school with the center carrying out the National Homelessness Social Work Initiative funded by the New York Community Trust.

About Saint Mary's College: Saint Mary’s College, Notre Dame, Ind., is a four-year, Catholic, residential, women’s liberal arts college offering five bachelor’s degrees and more than 30 major areas of study, such as business, nursing, art, chemistry, and social work. Saint Mary’s College also offers two graduate degrees: a Master of Science and a Doctorate. All programs that fall under these degrees are co-educational and include a Master of Science in Data Science, a Master of Science in Speech Language Pathology, and a Doctorate of Nursing Practice. Founded in 1844 by the Sisters of the Holy Cross, Saint Mary’s College seeks, according to its mission statement, to educate students, develop their talents, and prepare them to make a difference in the world. Saint Mary’s College ranks among the top 100 Best National Liberal Arts Colleges for 2016 published by U.S. News & World Report. Follow Saint Mary's College on Twitter @saintmarys and @saintmarysnews. 

Contact for News Media: Gwen O’Brien, director of media relations, Saint Mary’s College, gobrien@saintmarys.edu (574) 284-4579

~Press release written by Cassidy Purucker ’17, a social work student helping to put on the forum.