Upper St. Clair graduate takes Notre Dame University’s Urban Plunge
A view of the room that Maura Boston stayed in at the East End Cooperative Ministries during the Urban Plunge, where she and other students lived as homeless people for 48 hours.
Maura Boston
When her 19-year-old daughter, Maura, a sophomore at the University of Notre Dame, said she wanted to spend some time in a homeless shelter in Mt. Washington, Karen Boston was okay with the idea.
“Before she went, I was a little concerned because of the unknown, but she is a sophomore in college and I try not to be a helicopter parent,” said Karen, who along with her husband, Jim and their son, James, 14, live in Upper St. Clair.
What Maura wanted to do was participate in Notre Dame’s Urban Plunge program, a 48-hour, one-credit winter break seminar that allows undergraduate students to do direct service, discuss social justice issues with local nonprofits and speak with people who are afflicted with urban poverty in their hometowns.
Boston, along with eight other local Notre Dame students, took part in this year’s program in Pittsburgh, which ran Jan. 5-7. This is the 37th year that Notre Dame students have participated in the Urban Plunge in the Pittsburgh area. The program is coordinated by Notre Dame’s Center for Social Concerns.
“Typically, cities are places that we go for sporting events, shopping or work,” said Melissa Marley Bonnichsen, coordinator of the program for Notre Dame. “But, there is another side of American cities. The Urban Plunge is the students’ chance to learn about poverty in their own hometowns and put faith into action.”
Boston, who is studying business and political studies, said she was initially uncomfortable about participating in Urban Plunge because of pre-conceived notions she had about the homeless and the urban poor.
But, after staying in the Mt. Mary of the Mount Rectory homeless shelter in Mt. Washington – along with visiting local nonprofits such as the Greater Pittsburgh Food Bank, Focus On Renewal, Catholic Charities Free Health Center, East End Cooperative Ministry, AJAPO and Light of Life Rescue Mission – and talking with the urban disadvantaged, she came away with a totally different perspective.
“My favorite part was staying in the homeless shelter and hearing the stories,” she said. “These people have hope. They are hopeful and most of them hold part-time jobs. This experience eliminated a lot of my perceptions.”
Maura and her classmates slept in the homeless shelter, where they had their own room. They would eat breakfast – usually cereal and coffee – with the homeless and sometimes serve them their meals. Lunches and dinners were eaten away from the shelter.
Maura said one 21-year-old woman at the shelter particularly moved her. The women, she said, had a history of substance abuse. She was originally from Indiana and had been molested by her father and was in and out of foster care. At 18, she conceived a child and found herself alone.
“She babysits and is a card dealer at the (Rivers) casino,” Maura said. “For all she has been through, she still has a positive attitude.”
Then there was the man who she met at East End Cooperative Ministry.
“He (the father) would frequently beat up and violently harm him,” Maura said. “At the age of 12, he was offered a shot of Canadian Mist by his babysitter’s boyfriend and remembered feeling like he finally had found his escape from reality. By the age of 15, he was an alcoholic and a drug addict.”
Many of the urban disadvantaged echoed the same sentiment, they grew up without a support network, she said. This could come from a lack of family, or a mentor, said Maura, noting that poverty is easy for many to turn a blind eye to.
“I would walk by and ignore (a homeless person asking for money),” she said. “Now, I will stop and talk to them.”
The Urban Plunge changed her, she said.
“Every person, me included, wants to hear words of encouragement from those around them and confide in those that we trust,” she said.
Maura also said the nonprofits she worked with during her Urban Plunge are desperate for assistance of any kind. This could come in the form of financial donations, or simply volunteering, she added.
“I saw firsthand how frustrating the system is and how underpaid nonprofit employees are,” she said. “Money and funding are huge issues. People are people. Every one of us has dignity. That is important to know.”
Karen Boston said Maura’s experience has changed her way of thinking, too.
“Maura has a good head on her shoulders,” Karen Boston said. “I encourage her 300 percent. This was a life-changing experience for her.”
Karen said the day Maura returned from Urban Plunge, she asked her daughter if she wanted to go to the mall. Maura said no because she had enough stuff, she said.
“I would like to learn more about this issue to see if I could help,” Karen said. “People should not be afraid to go outside their comfort zone. It can be exciting.”