ruby-walker.github.io/portfolio.html at master · ruby-walker/ruby-walker.github.io · GitHub

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    <h3 style="font-size: 1.6em; margin-top: 25px; margin-bottom: 1em;">
      <u><i>Writing Samples</i></u>
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          <p style="
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              ">
            <b>Changing Attitudes of Social Workers Towards LGBTQ Clients and
              Colleagues (Introduction Section)</b>
          </p>
          <p style="font-size: 1em; margin-bottom: 0.5em;">
            In a sweeping effort, for-profit, non-profit, and public
            organizations across the United States are making efforts to
            become more LGBTQ-inclusive. Leaders at all of these organizations
            know that their workplace policies, attitudes, and cultures have a
            large effect on the employees they recruit as well as the
            customers or clients they work with. Major corporations, such as
            Amazon, now consider local LGBTQ protection laws as important
            factors while selecting potential sites for expansion. It is clear
            that LGBTQ inclusion is something that organizations strive for -
            but how do they get there?
          </p>
          <p style="font-size: 1em; margin-bottom: 0.5em;">
            The Allegheny County Department of Human Services has been
            nationally recognized for its innovative practices towards LGBTQ
            inclusion. DHS provides a wide range of services, including
            services for older adults; mental health and drug and alcohol
            services; child protective services; at-risk child development and
            education; hunger services; emergency shelters and housing for the
            homeless; non-emergency medical transportation and services for
            individuals with a diagnosis of intellectual disability. The
            organization employees approximately 500 caseworkers, supervisors,
            and administrators.
          </p>
          <p style="font-size: 1em; margin-bottom: 0.5em;">
            The study at hand will examine grant-mandated survey data on
            knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors towards LGBTQ people from 145
            DHS employees in 2013 and 285 DHS employees in 2017. Our research
            questions include whether there was an overall improvement in
            LGBTQ cultural competency over this time, which content areas saw
            the largest improvement, which content areas employees still
            struggle with, and which programs or events employees attribute
            their growth to. There will also be a qualitative question asking
            employees what programs they would like to see in the future. We
            will also examine how employees’ own sexual orientation and gender
            identity, as well as their race, affect responses.
          </p>
          <p style="font-size: 1em; margin-bottom: 0.5em;">
            This research is incredibly important, particularly with the focus
            on social workers as their attitudes can have drastic consequences
            on their LGBTQ clients - including LGBTQ youth who have likely
            experienced trauma related to their sexual orientation or gender
            identity even before entering the child welfare system and are at
            high risk for being removed from placements if their sexual
            orientation or gender identity is discovered by their new
            caregivers. A similar study, African American and white child
            welfare workers' attitudes towards policies involving race and
            sexual orientation, was conducted by Jayaratne et. al in 2008, but
            no new studies have been conducted in the midst a decade of
            immense changes to our nation’s political and social climate on
            LGBTQ issues.
          </p>
          <p style="font-size: 1em; margin-bottom: 0.5em;">
            Our time points of 2013 and 2017 offer the unique opportunity to
            examine attitudes at equal points before and after the Supreme
            Court legalization of same-sex marriage in 2015. This will also be
            one of the first studies to examine social workers’ attitudes
            towards transgender and gender nonconforming people, offering time
            points before “transgender” was a normal part of American lexicon,
            and after a wide range of political and social events publicizing
            the struggles of transgender Americans.
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          <p style="
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              ">
            <b>Letter of Tenant Demands</b>
          </p>
          <p style="font-size: 1em; margin-bottom: 0.5em;">Dear Mr. Scott,</p>
          <p style="font-size: 1em; margin-bottom: 0.5em;">
            I am writing as a representative of Serve the People - Pittsburgh
            to demand justice for the residents of your apartment building
            located at <i>[redacted]</i>. We have received messages from two
            concerned community members about the surprise eviction of these
            residents. Several of these residents have lived in the building
            for over a decade. Most are low-income older adults, who had
            planned on living out the rest of their days in this building.
          </p>
          <p style="font-size: 1em; margin-bottom: 0.5em;">
            One resident, Robert, is a veteran suffering from late-stage
            leukemia. Robert explained to us that you had promised to help him
            find a new apartment, but have offered no help since making said
            promise. Another resident, Rose, told us she is worried about
            moving all her belongings in time since she has been busy lately
            organizing her son’s funeral. One more resident, Marlin, is
            currently #5 on a waiting list for nearby Section 8 housing, and
            nervous he will not be approved before the March 31st deadline.
            Almost every resident we spoke to expressed concerns that you
            would not return their security deposits.
          </p>
          <p style="font-size: 1em; margin-bottom: 0.5em;">
            We have worked with residents to produce the following demands:
          </p>
          <ol>
            <li>
              A thirty day extension to the original eviction date of March
              31st
            </li>
            <li>Return of all security deposits</li>
            <li>
              Help with moving, including labor expenses and renting of a
              truck
            </li>
            <li>
              An affordable new lease for Robert in one of your other
              buildings
            </li>
          </ol>
          <p style="font-size: 1em; margin-bottom: 0.5em;">
            We also spoke to residents about several issues with the living
            conditions inside the building. One ex-resident, Devon, was forced
            to leave early after your renovation crew began creating loads of
            dust that was hurting his 1 year old child. One resident mentioned
            a broken faucet, leaky ceilings, and black mold. Robert said his
            hot water fuse goes out every 15 minutes, so he must wake up early
            to turn on the hot water heater for a shower.
          </p>
          <p style="font-size: 1em; margin-bottom: 0.5em;">
            After a quick tour of the building, we were able to get
            photographic and video evidence of disgusting walls and floors in
            public areas, exposed wiring, a broken resident door lock,
            mailboxes with no locks, and a fire exit that would not open
            because something was blocking it from the outside of the
            building.
          </p>
          <p style="font-size: 1em; margin-bottom: 0.5em;">
            We at Serve the People - Pittsburgh hope that by adding our
            collective voice we can reach you and work towards a speedy
            conclusion that will avoid any further escalation. Due to the
            nature of the situation, we kindly ask that you respond within 48
            hours.
          </p>
          <p style="font-size: 1em; margin-bottom: 0.5em;">
            You can reach us at <i>[redacted]</i>. Thank you.
          </p>
          <p style="font-size: 1em; margin-bottom: 0.5em;">Sincerely,</p>
          <p style="font-size: 1em; margin-bottom: 0.5em;">
            Ruby Walker, Serve the People - Pittsburgh
          </p>
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