Interning at Bethany House Services was a one of a kind experience. I had no background in neither homelessness nor social work prior to beginning my work here, so this was a great opportunity to become familiarized with such things. Bethany House Services is an emergency shelter that provides housing for approximately 25-30 women and children. It accepts both single women and women with children. The shelter then provides the women with assistance in regards to finding affordable, long-term housing, medical referrals if necessary, employment information, and life-skills and parenting classes. Monday through Thursday evenings the women and children are provided with warm, home-cooked, nutritious meals.
My primary job was to help run the office; the office is staffed by a social service worker 24 hours a day, 365 days a year to provide any assistance that the shelter guests may need, including offering emotional support, providing toiletries and other essential items, and making sure the house is running smoothly. It also involves answering the phones and monitoring the door as the shelter is a secure facility. I helped in a variety of other ways too, such as chaperoning field trips to Kings Island, COSI, and the Children's Museum of Indianapolis. I also organized a water fun-day for the children in the shelter, which included a children's pool, slip n' slide, sprinkler, and water guns. They certainly enjoyed themselves and I was happy to bring an afternoon of fun to their lives.
One of the most important aspects of my internship was gaining experience in interacting with the homeless population. It was interesting to see how so many different factors can contribute to homelessness and that the primary reason is a lack of affordable housing. It was also important for me to gain an understanding of all the different resources that are available. As a future physician, it will be helpful to understand the system and to be able to give advice to my patients if necessary. Lastly, the internship afforded me the opportunity to learn how to gain the trust and confidence of people who have been through trying times, are frightened, and are reluctant to open up. That is definitely a skill that will serve me well in the future.