WWU to participate in National Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week with pair of events Nov. 17 and 19
Western Washington University is hosting two online events as part of National Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week, which is an annual program designed to raise awareness about the problems of hunger and homelessness in the United States.
Western’s events will feature speakers who will talk about the experiences of both students and non-students experiencing housing and food insecurity. Speakers will also share insights about their own experience of homelessness, along with stories of their involvement with efforts in Washington to combat homelessness. These events are free and open to the public and will be accessible online via Zoom to all who register in advance.
On Tuesday, Nov. 17 from 11 a.m. to noon, Frankie R. Pfister will present “Facilitating the Transition from Street Culture to Academic Culture,” drawing from surveys of youth who have experienced homelessness, as well as Pfister’s own experience implementing and evaluating a post-secondary access intervention based in homeless youth resource centers. This session will provide an overview of street culture and explore how the experience of homelessness impacts educational goals and post-secondary access and retention for young people. Pfister will also share her own story about achieving academic success in the face of significant challenges.
When Pfister was a college student, she slept on couches or in her truck, and while she did not think of herself as "homeless," she understood that college was especially challenging without a safe, quiet place to sleep or study. She failed her first semester of college, but later earned two master’s degrees in Psychology, and now teaches college courses and operates a nonprofit supporting LGBTQ+ youth. She is the creator of the Next Step Project, a shelter-based college access program for homeless youth, and has and presented her research all over the U.S.
On Thursday, Nov. 19 from 1-2 p.m., Charles Adkins will give a talk about his experience as a college student and as a successful advocate for students who are experiencing housing and food insecurity, and he will also welcome a panel of Western Washington University students who will share their own stories about their experiences of homelessness.
As a registered lobbyist and enrolled member of the Yurok Tribe, Adkins focuses on local and state advocacy. He was a delegate to the 2016 & 2020 Democratic National Convention, and has served on several boards, including the Children’s Campaign fund and the board of the Washington Student Association. One of his proudest career achievements is authoring and successfully lobbying for the passage of Senate Bill 5800, which launched a pilot program for colleges to provide additional assistance for homeless and food insecure students.
In 2020, 43.1 million Americans live below the poverty level; 549,000 Americans are homeless on a typical night; 42 million Americans are at risk of suffering from hunger and 1 in 5 children in the U.S. live in poverty. Offered as part of National Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week, these events are sponsored by the Western Success Scholars and Off-Campus Living programs and are intended to inform and educate people about the problems of hunger and homelessness in the United States. These events are also made possible through funding and support from the Senate Bill 5800.
To register for these events, please see the WWU Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week event listing. If you have questions or need additional information, please contact Dong Vo, resident director, at vod@wwu.edu or (360) 650-2268.