Wendy Adams has lived 14 years of her life without a place to call home.
On Thursday night, Adams, 55, answered questions about being homeless in front of 38 people at Gator Wesley Foundation.
This is the second year the foundation is participating in National Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week.
Adams was a college graduate before she became homeless.
Some people who are homeless have college degrees, but it is still difficult to find a job, said Ali Schmitz, the student organizer of the event.
Schmitz, a 20-year-old UF journalism junior, and her team have been promoting the event since early October. They’ve promoted it through social media, word-of-mouth and handing out flyers on the Plaza of Americas and around Turlington Hall.
Four panelists spoke to the audience about topics including shelter living and stereotypes about homelessness.
Holly Dammann, a 21-year-old intern for the foundation, said she hopes the event changes perceptions of homeless people.
“People say they are lazy, uneducated and don’t want to work,” Dammann, a UF family youth and community sciences senior, said. “I hope when everyone leaves here they ignore those stereotypes and look at homelessness differently.”
The Helping Hands Clinic partnered with Gator Wesley Foundation to put on the event.
Jeanne Dickman and has been the program assistant for the Helping Hands Clinic for a year and a half.
Dickman said it only takes one step to become homeless, but it takes thousands of steps to escape homelessness.
Ramine Dehgan has been to jail more than 120 times and slept all over town. He told the audience being homeless isn’t easy.
“All I’m trying to do is be happy, but it’s tough,” he said.
One issue the panelists agreed upon was the lack of safety and care at shelters.
“It’s (Grace Marketplace) supposed to be a safe place. It’s not a safe place,” Adams said.
When someone asked what she thought about being called homeless, she responded, “At least we have a title. At least we are somebody.”
