Homelessness: It Could Happen to Anyone, Even My Dad
From: Blunt Youth Radio Project
Length: 00:04:17
When Blunt member Iris SanGiovanni was eight years old, her dad became homeless for six months after her parents divorced. A few years later, she had the chance to talk with him about his experience.
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Piece Description
When Blunt member Iris SanGiovanni was eight years old, her dad became homeless for six months after her parents divorced. A few years later, she had the chance to talk with him about his experience.
Transcript
INTRO: In the current recession, I've heard about many people who have lost their jobs and can no longer afford their mortgages. It seems now more than ever, people are on the verge of being homeless. A lot of people think of homeless people as panhandlers, drunks, and just plain crazy. But my own dad was homeless.
Back in 2004, my dad was homeless for six months right after he and my mom got divorced. I was around eight at the time, and my sister was six. Just recently, I met up with my dad in a park in downtown Portland, and I asked him about his experience and what kinds of people he met when he was homeless.
Read the full transcript
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Sarah Zabel
Posted on August 21, 2010 at 04:43 PM | Permalink
"Homelessness" Review
Iris SanGiovanni sets out to disprove the common stereotype of homeless people, who are usually unfairly characterized as dirty, unmotivated, and/or wasteful. I think it is a relevant issue, because a lot of misunderstanding exists regarding homelessness. As Iris says, there truly is no single mold that homeless people fit into. They come to the streets from different backgrounds with different reasons for becoming homeless. Because the narrator made connections to her own life as a teenage girl dealing with materialism, I think the piece seemed stronger and more mature. Be cautious of talking too fast during narration, though. Plus, there’s no need to include the recorded questions from an interview if you have already introduced the topic in narration. Overall, both the narrator and interviewee are well-spoken, and the piece brings up important issues that deserve consideration. Iris’ father concludes that, “We’re all one of two bad happenings away from being homeless.” It certainly is something for all of us to think about.