Barnard, City Partner To Fight Homelessness

Advocates from around the city joined students for dinner and a discussion on homelessness Thursday night.

The meeting kicked off a collaboration between Barnard and New York Cares, a nonprofit organization that coordinates volunteers for projects around the city.

"We wanted to focus on how to build the most resources," said Will Simpkins, who works in the New York City Civil Engagement Program in the Office of Career Development at Barnard.

The goal of the collaboration, Simpkins said, is to give students the resources to participate in community service. While 90 percent of first-years enter Barnard with some community service experience, only 20 percent volunteer during their time here, he said.

He also said he hopes that students will stay involved with the program after they graduate.

Melissa Grober, a representative for New York Cares, said her organization is looking forward to working with Barnard-the first school with which it has agreed to collaborate.

"We're trying to expose volunteers to issues of importance in New York City while also engaging a broader population of students," she said.

Thursday's dinner and discussion, the inaugural "Focus On" event, was designed to provide both educational and networking opportunities. Students from Barnard and Columbia mingled with representatives from New York Cares, the New York City Housing Authority, and the New York City Department of Homeless Services.

At the event, officials discussed causes of and strategies for alleviating homelessness.

"There are many factors that cause homelessness," Jay Bainbridge, assistant commissioner of policy and research, said. "But the solution is housing."

Other speakers illuminated problems the homeless face.

"Some of the solutions are extremely simple," said Kim Hopper, a medical anthropologist at Columbia's Mailman School of Public Health.

"Becoming homeless isn't just a question of what happens to an individual, but also what happens to his support network."

Abby O'Leary, BC '07, the chief coordinator for the Project for the Homeless, said the event provided her with opportunities to speak with other community members throughout the city.

"I hope ... [the collaboration] will get people more involved," she said.