Intern Spotlight: Alisa – Denver University
Working as an intern with CSPI is Alisa’s first experience with the population of unhoused people who are living in vehicles. Housing and social justice have always been issues Alisa is passionate about, leading them to pursue a master’s in social work so they can get more involved in developing policy around these issues. The Mutual Aid fellowship that brought them to Denver, promotes the idea that all are deserving to have to their needs met, a key value of CSPI.
Among other activities, Alisa conducts telephone intake interviews, seeing first-hand what potential parkers are struggling with and how they found themselves living in their vehicles. With so many calls every day, it is difficult to keep up with the demand of people looking for a place to park overnight. Alisa also works with folks that are interested in doing fundraising opportunities for CSPI such as a campaign to get carbon monoxide detectors for SafeLot parker’s cars.
Alisa has come to understand that people are living in their cars not because they didn’t work hard enough or can’t pull themselves up from their bootstraps, but because we live in a system that is not set up for all of us to succeed if we work hard. Many grew up with different advantages and disadvantages because of who they are and where they were born. Growing up in Albania, the gravest issue Alisa sees contributing to the homeless situation in the US is the cost and availability of health insurance for all citizens. Although there are disparities in Albania too, health care here is very discriminating and makes it hard for poor people here to manage.
What really struck Alisa the about the population that CSPI works with is that they are older people, even elderly, and have lived modestly, basically keeping up with living expenses until a crisis occurs– COVID job loss, health issue, medical bills or other unplanned expense - and they cannot keep up anymore. Some people develop chronic health issues that they have never had to deal with in their lives, and they are not prepared. Many have health issues that keep them from being able to work, and then the bills pile up. The US health system isn’t built equitably and there isn’t a sufficient support community to help. Alisa commented “these are not cracks in society, they are massive holes.”
They feel it is important to combat this by caring for our neighbors through programs like Safe Parking. Through their education at Denver University and related volunteer experiences, Alisa has been able to really study the issues, have discussions about mutual aid and how it can be incorporated into CSPI’s work to uplift and honor the humanity of the parkers. Unfortunately, organizations helping the homeless often have limited funding, so they can’t help all the people who need it, nor can they provide as extensive support services as would be most beneficial. But Alisa believes that through education and fundraising, the community can come together to help all members of society.
