Students coexist with homeless on downtown ASU campus

By Rudy De La Torre, Adrienne Forgette, Melissa Langlois and Meghann Peterson

Arizona State University boasts an urban setting that features a vibrant culture, easy transportation and plenty of real world experiences--all the elements of city living. One thing students won’t see, however, in an ASU brochure is homelessness.

Yet for students on campus, encountering the homeless is a daily urban reality.

Melody Mitchell, a Starbucks store manager on the ASU campus, has had many encounters with the homeless.

"Yes, we do encounter a lot of homeless people off the street. We have a complimentary water station so a lot of them just come in and get the water," Mitchell said.

Maranda Thompson, a rising ASU senior health solutions major, commutes to campus using the light rail and has run into colorful characters.

"One proceeded to sing to me Guns N' Roses Paradise City at the top of his lungs just belting it out," Thompson said.

According to the "Homeless in Arizona" annual report in 2012 published by Department of Economic Security, the homeless population in Phoenix increased 11.2 percent, second only to New York City. 
With this increase, student interactions with homeless people on or near campus are likely to rise. While encounters with the homeless can be uncomfortable or scary to students like Thompson or employees like Mitchell, not all interactions are negative. 

Barney Cherneff patrols the park adjacent to the ASU campus in his wheelchair rounding up homeless people and bringing them to Central Arizona Shelter Services.

"What I do, I take them to CASS up the street, about a half mile up the street, and I check them in there, and they do the rest," Cherneff said. Cherneff said he has volunteered thousands of hours working with agencies like CASS.

A man who calls himself Chicago frequents the park across campus wearing silver mesh clothing that he made out of soda tabs. While he faces many challenges living on the street in triple-digit temperatures, one challenge he does not face is a lack of humanity.

"Civility is something you have to learn and not everyone has learned it," Chicago said.  "We need random acts of kindness everywhere we can go."
-30-

Shade is at a premium in the heat of the ASU Downtown Phoenix campus. 
(Photo by Rudy De La Torre)

Barney Cherneff explains how he helps the homeless in Civic Space Park across from campus.
(Photo by Rudy De La Torre)