Prospective Suitcasers,

This semester’s updated application is now available Fall-2010-Suitcase-Class-Application. Remember to turn them in to 570 University Hall before 4PM on Wednesday, September 8. Additionally, you are required to go on at least one tour as part of your application.

Here are the tour times:

• Monday: Youth Clinic: 7PM, 7:30PM, 8PM -> Meet in front of the Recreational Sports Facility
• Monday: Women’s Clinic: 7:30PM, 8PM, 8:30PM -> Meet in front of the Recreational Sports Facility
• Tuesday: General Clinic: 7PM, 7:30PM, 8PM -> Meet at Sproul Fountain

Please direct all questions regarding the application process to suitcaseclass AT gmail.com

Thanks for your interest and patience!

Suitcase Clinic is calling all majors to apply!

The Suitcase Clinic is a student group that operates three multi-disciplinary clinics each week and offers free services to the bay-area homeless and low income communities since 1989. The Suitcase Clinic offers health care, medicines, vision screening, wellness activities, legal advice, dinners, foot-washing and the services of a chiropractor, a hair stylist and massage therapist free to the public.

We are run on an all-volunteer basis by undergraduates, medical and optometry students, and volunteer professionals from a number of fields. Seventy percent of our clients are homeless. Our General Clinic runs every Tuesday night, and our Women’s and Youth Clinics run Monday nights.

What you can do as part of Suitcase Clinic:

• Give more than spare change to the homeless on the streets of Berkeley
• Gain exposure to law, public health, public policy, and social welfare
• Meet community leaders who work to alleviate poverty locally
• Advocate to end hunger and homelessness in sustainable ways

If you are interested in volunteering, we offer a 2 unit P/NP class though which you will receive training, as well as learn more about the homeless population and the problems they face. It is HMS 98/198 (Thursdays 5-7PM) and we meet starting Thursday, September 9th in 130 Wheeler.

If you are interested in learning more about applying, there are two info sessions: Thursday, September 2 from 5-7PM in 130 Wheeler, and Friday, September 3 from 5-7PM in 130 Wheeler.

Application Process:
1)      You must fill out an application which can be downloaded here

• Turn in applications to 570 University Hall by 4PM on Wednesday Sept 8, 2010
• You must complete at least one  tour of one of our clinics before you turn in your application. Thus, this means the earliest you should be turning in your application is Tuesday morning.

2)      Tours: You must attend at least one tour as part of your application

Tour times:

• Monday: Youth Clinic: 7PM, 7:30PM, 8PM -> Meet in front of the Recreational Sports Facility
• Monday: Women’s Clinic: 7:30PM, 8PM, 8:30PM -> Meet in front of the Recreational Sports Facility
• Tuesday: General Clinic:  7PM, 7:30PM, 8PM -> Meet at Sproul Fountain

3)      You will be notified about the status of your application on Wednesday, Sept. 8 by 10PM through phone call or email.

NOTE: If you have put yourself on the waitlist, please remove yourself. It will not grant you admission to the class.

If you have any questions at all, feel free to email: suitcaseclass@gmail.com

Thank you!
Class Coordinators

Come find us on Sproul Plaza on Thursday, August 26th. Members of The Suitcase Clinic will be on hand from 5:30PM to 9:00PM to answer questions about our organization. Feel free to stop by our table to learn more about us and how you can become a part of the next generation of Suitcasers.

We hope to see you there!

Dear Applicants,

Some changes have been made regarding this year’s summer training. Read on for the latest updates.

Training Update

1) The training dates have been adjusted. The first two days of training will now be June 26 and 27 (this is to better accommodate more students who aren’t available on June 19 because Summer Session C doesn’t start until June 21).

2) Part 2 of the training will still be on the same dates (July 17 and July 24).

Tour Update

1) Now that the tours are before the training, we hope that all of you who are interested attend our tours. These tours will help you decide whether or not you would be interested in some of the work we do on-site at the Suitcase Clinic. Please read the post below for more information on where to meet.

2) If you miss the tour you can still apply, and if you are accepted you can take a quick tour when you go shadow; however, going on the first tour is preferred.

Application Update

1) This scheduling change means that the application deadline will be extended until June 23rd at midnight!

2) You can still turn applications in to 570 University Hall to the Suitcase Clinic mailbox or email us at suitcaseclass@gmail.com

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Dear Prospective Summer 2010 Volunteers!

Basic Information

1) There is only going to be ONE 4-day training this summer extended over the course of a month.

2) The training dates are June 26, June 27, July 17, and July 24. YOU MUST ATTEND ALL 4 DAYS!!! No exceptions!!! If you are unable to be in Berkeley during this entire month we suggest you apply during the Fall or Spring semesters. This is because in between June and July we will require you to go to clinic every week to shadow and casework, so you really just have to be in town Monday, Tuesday, and Saturday.

3) Each day will be a span of 6 hrs (10am-4pm) in which you will have 1 hr to have lunch.

4) There is going to be a class fee of $50. You must bring this on the 1^st day if you are accepted. Write a check out to ASUC – Suitcase Clinic. You can also bring cash but we prefer that you write a check. Your contribution will help keep our clinics open and services in place as well as pay for your reader.

Location

Day 1 (June 26): 70 Evans

Day 2 (June 27): TBD

Day 3 (July 17): 220 Wheeler

Day 4 (July 24): 220 Wheeler

What is Suitcase?

Suitcase Clinic is service-learning organization dedicated to training competent caseworkers who can staff the Suitcase Clinic’s three drop-in centers (Youth Clinic Monday nights, Women’s Clinic Monday nights, General Clinic Tuesday nights), empowering students who are passionate about ending homelessness, and exposing future leaders in medicine, law, social welfare, academia, or politics (that’s you!) to a philosophy of humanization, cooperative learning, and social justice. This however, is NOT A CLINICAL EXPERIENCE in terms of diagnosing, doing tests, or providing medical services. It is a clinical experience in terms of how you interact with clients. The work that you’ll be doing is mainly advocacy work and providing social services.

Training Details

Part 1: June 26 and 27

We will be training you on how to volunteer as caseworkers and learn the necessary skills to work in clinic. We will also go over the requirements. The following Monday and Tuesday we will be giving tours of the clinics. The second Monday and Tuesday you will be required to go shadow a current volunteer!

Part 2: July 17 and 24

We will be covering issues related to homelessness and learn/think about potential ways to advocate for our clients. Topics include healthcare, criminalizing homeless people, history of homelessness, housing, mental illness and substance abuse and more. There will be activities and hopefully some guest speakers.

Throughout this summer training we may have socials during the weekends in between to help you get to know other volunteers!

Application Process

There is going to be an application process this summer. Since we are reducing the number of trainings this summer you will all be required to fill out a brief application HERE. The application is due promptly at midnight on Wednesday, June 23. Send your applications to suitcaseclass@gmail.com. We will probably accept somewhere between 45-55 applicants. The application is in a word document so you may have to fuss around with the format when you type in your information. We apologize for this. If you would like to print out a copy and turn in a hand written version you must turn that in by 3:00pm to 570 University Hall on Wednesday, June 17. Ask the front desk lady (Denise) if you can go to the back and put the application into the Suitcase Clinic mailbox.

Tours Meeting Location

Everyone is welcome to attend and we hope that you do! This will help you decide whether or not you want to be part of the Suitcase Clinic and see a part of what we do on-site.

1) The Youth and Women’s tour will be on Monday (June 21st) at 7:00pm, 7:30, and 8pm. Meet in front of the RSF and sign in.

2) General Clinic will be on Tuesday (June 22nd) at 7:00 pm, 7:30pm, and 8pm. Meet in front of Sproul Fountain.

The Benefit Dinner is on Saturday, April 24th, 2010 at the historic Hotel Shattuck Plaza in Downtown Berkeley. We would like to thank all of the organizations for generously donating the silent auction items!

In an effort to promote awareness of poverty among students and other members of the community, the Suitcase Clinic, Cal Habitat, and Cal Corps Public Service Center are hosting a poverty alleviation conference on April 11th from 4 to 8 PM in UC Berkeley’s Pauley Ballroom. The goal of this event is to not only provide more insight into the issues that cause and perpetuate poverty, but also to empower individuals with opportunities to make poverty more manageable in society.

In addition, a panel comprising of members of the homeless community and experts on topics concerning poverty will discuss the issues of representation, education, healthcare, and housing and their effects on the homeless population.  An art gallery will be a large part of our program as well, and various student groups, organizations, and homeless people will provide art that pertains to homelessness.  Last but not least, we welcome and encourage the students, faculty and staff of UC Berkeley and other campuses, members of the homeless community, and members of the entire Berkeley community to attend the event.  It will introduce channels for the community to get involved in ameliorating the problems faced by homeless and low income individuals and families.

Hey all!

I just wanted to pass along the awesome news that Berkeley’s SECTION 8 VOUCHER PROGRAM WAITING LIST is finally open. This is a REALLY BIG DEAL because it only opens every 4-6 years (last time was in 2006). It’s only open from 6am MARCH 1st til 6pm MARCH 5th.

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE tell your clients about this opening because we really need to get the word out quickly. If you don’t know anything about Section 8 here is a really short blip:

Section 8 is a government subsidized housing program. When the waitlist opens, people who apply are put into a lottery system. For the next 4-6 years they go through this waitlist offering vouchers to those that they can find. (A lot of people never get off the waitlist and even if their name is finally reached–it is often impossible to find them) Once they have this voucher they can use it at any housing place that accepts Section 8. Click here for more information.

Clients must apply online. The website is not currently up, but will eventually be findable through this site. You can also find this through the Berkeley Housing Authority website.

I’ve also heard that if people (especially with disabilities) need assistance with filling out the application they can go to the Center for Independent Living at 2539 Telegraph (near Dwight). Their phone number is 510-841-4776.

Please please please pass this information along to all volunteers and clients (possible announcement before clinic starts). Because the waitlist will be open next week during clinic hours, it might be a good idea to have extra volunteers/computers available in case people want help applying.

Thanks everyone,

Alex (C.A.R.E. Coordinator)