Members of the new AU Homelessness Awareness organization (AUHA) are seeking official club recognition while they advocate for the homeless in the D.C. area.
This student-run group consists of 12 members and promotes awareness and education within the campus community, according to Dominic Cucciarre, a sophomore in the School of Public Affairs and the organization’s president.
While they are not an official club on campus, they have been able to get on their feet through support from the Residence Hall Association and an Eagle Endowment grant of $500, according to Cucciarre.
“We want to potentially expand into a club on campus,” Cucciarre said.
Becoming a club, a process that involves the approval of the Student Activities staff, would make running the organization much easier, whether it be paying for events or simply reserving a room to hold meetings, Cucciarre said.
“I don’t think our status right now as a student organization and not a club affect our ability to promote awareness and to hold events, the process by which that occurs just would be easier [if we were a club],” Cucciarre said.
AUHA currently feeds the men at St. Luke’s shelter located on Calvert Street in Northwest D.C., a place of transition for homeless people attempting to re-enter mainstream society.
AUHA will also be involved in AU’s Homeless Awareness week. The week kicked off on Nov. 16 with a presentation in the School of International Service Building from Keith McHenry, the founder of Food Not Bombs, a philanthropic group focused on ending hunger, poverty and the destruction of the environment.
Students from AUHA, the SPA Leadership Program and Student Government’s Community Service Coalition will also be collecting money for the National Coalition for the Homeless. In addition, they will be raising awareness for hunger and homelessness issues throughout the week, according to their event page.
Through Facebook promotions, email lists and info sessions, AUHA also hopes to expand its membership.
“The more passionate people you have on any project or working for any cause, the greater effect you’re going to have, and that’s what we want,” Cucciarre said. “We want to get as many passionate people we can.”
