Coalition for People in Need

Danielle Mader

I volunteered at the Coalition for People in Need in Charleston.  The CPN is a place where individuals in need can come for assistance in an emergency.  The Coalition provides services like giving vouchers for food and the remaining fifty dollars of rent.  There are stipulations for receiving this assistance and it has to be an emergency situation.   The Coalition also has a small pantry of everyday items like shampoo, diapers and laundry detergent.   The individual seeking services is welcomed to take 2 or 3 of these just to help them get through for a little while. 

The Coalition for People in Need directly correlates to class.  The individual’s seeking assistance are typically people who are living in poverty.  The difficulty of pulling oneself out of poverty was very apparent at the Coalition.  A lot of these individual’s would have missed rent and the money would be piling up.  Once they find a way to get enough money for rent it cannot be spent on rent that is due during the current month because they have to use to pay their debt, meanwhile the debt is continuing to pile because they couldn’t pay the current month’s rent.  It is very difficult to be able to find assistance for dire situations like this.  The coalition cannot even assist with rent when the individual has back payments. 

When I interacted with the other volunteers it allowed me to network and get my name out to people who are affiliated with human service organizations.  I gained insight from the other volunteers about what to expect from work in the human services field and some of the difficulties that they have accounted in their professional careers and through their volunteer experiences. 

The affect that the Coalition for People in Need has on the community is quite positive.  The Coalition may not reach everyone who is in need in the community,  but it has a good effect on those it serves.  The CPN helps the community by providing assistance to people who are in urgent need of assistance just to make it through the next couple days.  I have no doubt that the Coalition has helped individual’s avoid homelessness. 

I enjoyed my time volunteering at the Coalition.  It made me happy to be able to give assistance to people when they are in a really scary place.  Not having enough money is terrifying, and when it involves children it is even more terrifying.  Working here just reiterated the point that you never know who is in need, need is not always visible.  People struggle with finances for a variety of reasons, most of which are out of their control.  Some people may never need assistance, some might have a crisis once in their life when they have to get help, and for others this might be a regular routine.  Never judge someone who you don’t know.