Homeless connect with UK students: Panel allows campus discussion about causes of homelessness

John+Moffett+%28Left%29+and+Rodney+Lee+%28Right%29+walk+along+Lexington+street+explaining+what+it+is+like+to+be+homeless.+Monday%2C+November+17%2C+2014+in+Lexington.+Photo+by+Joel+Repoley

John Moffett (Left) and Rodney Lee (Right) walk along Lexington street explaining what it is like to be homeless. Monday, November 17, 2014 in Lexington. Photo by Joel Repoley

By Cheyene Miller

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Growing up in Lexington, Rodney Lee’s parents encouraged him to stay away from homeless people, saying that they were dirty and only wanted money for drugs and alcohol.

But Lee’s perception of homelessness changed the day he was evicted from his apartment and became homeless himself.

“It got to the point where I wasn’t aggressive enough to keep paying the rent,” the 46-year-old explained to a room full of students in the UK Student Center Monday night.

Lee spoke about the slump in his life that ended with him spending a year living on the streets.

“I didn’t really know what I was getting myself into,” Lee said. He stressed to the students that just because someone is homeless, that doesn’t mean they can’t make the most out of a bad situation.

John Moffett, a 45-year-old Cincinnati native who has been homeless for 14 years, shared the sentiment, though he said that at times there are benefits to living a simpler life.

“We have a kind of bond,” said Moffett, who ventures through the doors of the local shelters on a daily basis.

Lee and Moffett spoke as part of UK’s new “Streetvoice Art” exhibition, which features pieces that depict life on the streets of Lexington and other major cities.

The exhibition was the result of a partnership between UK Community Art Education and members of the Street Voice Council, an organization of individuals who are currently experiencing homelessness or have in the past.

Students from art and visual studies lecturer Marty Henton’s art education course met with members of the council on a weekly basis over a four-week period at the Community Inn, a housing shelter on Winchester Road run by the Catholic Action Center and Emmanuel Apostolic Church.

The students working on the art pieces had the chance to learn the stories of council members like Lee, who said that society often labels the homeless with unfair stereotypes.

“Some of them do have bad traits, but that doesn’t speak for all of them,” said Lee, who noted that his homeless friends treat him with far more respect than his friends with homes. He added that he currently has both a job with an Amazon warehouse and a home.

Several of Henton’s students also spoke at the event.

“We all kind of broke bread together,” said anthropology senior Addie Towery, who worked on the “Streetvoice Art” exhibit.

Towery later paraphrased what one of the council members had told her about being viewed as a homeless man.

“‘I just don’t want people to look at me like I’m a monster,’” Towery said.

Lee challenged the students that if they wanted a better understanding of what it’s like to be homeless, to “go to one of these shelters and spend the night.”

Moffett then encouraged the students to treat homeless people with dignity.

“Speak to them just like you would a classmate,” Moffett said.