VOA慢速英語: 社區(qū)活動中心幫助了貧民區(qū)的女人們
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Community Center Helps Women on Skid Row
Many homeless people live in the “Skid Row” area of Los Angeles, California.These men and women have no permanent place to live. Skid Row is a place where many social service groups can be found. They work to help the homeless find work and a place to live. One such organization works with women.
Skid Row is like no other place in Los Angeles. The homeless fill its sidewalks at all time of the day.
Yolanda Waters has a job as a barista. She prepares and sells coffee. But she was once homeless and spent time in Skid Row.
“It is the place where everybody is dumped. If you do not ask for help, youare not going to get helped. For people to be looking at you like you are nothing, treating you like you ain’t worth nothing -- that is the hard part.”
Ms. Waters received help from the Downtown Women’s Center. The center trains homeless women and helps them find work so they can live in a place of their own. It shows them how to create candles, greeting cards and other products. The program teaches the women to arrive on time, complete a project and work in a group.
Joe Altepeter is head of vocational education at the center.
“Rebuilding self esteem, developing relationships with individuals. Chronichomelessness, when you are living on the streets you become isolated. Sothis is an opportunity to really deal with those issues.”
He adds that about one-fourth of the 58,000 homeless people in Los Angelesare women. The high cost of housing is one reason they do not have a permanent place to call home.
Poor women are more at risk of being homeless. Many homeless women struggle with mental problems or have been abused.
The center gives them advice, health care and support.
“They come into the workshops, they might not have a community of friends or a support network, but they are entering this safe and the supportive environment, which offers that for them.”
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Homeless Women on LA’s 'Skid Row' Find Hopeful Future |
The things the women make are sold at the Downtown Women’s Center, and at Bloomingdale’s, a store selling high-priced goods. Each handmade craft has a sign showing where it was made.
Kathy Suto works at Bloomingdale’s. She says the store has sold many of thecrafts the women have made. She says she hopes other businesses will sellthem.
“We have been very pleasantly surprised. It is something. I am now workingto get the other five Bloomingdale’s stores in the Los Angeles market just tostart carrying it as a part of their assortment.”
Yolanda Waters did not enjoy making crafts. But she did like making drinks in a small restaurant at the Downtown Women’s Center. After training there, shegot a job. Now, she has an apartment home, and a reason to get out of bed.
“It feels unreal because sometimes I think when I wake up ‘Is it real? Do I have this real job that I really love?’”
I’m Jonathan Evans
Elizabeth Lee reported this story from Los Angeles. Christopher Jones-Cruise wrote it for VOA Learning English. George Grow was the editor.
______________________________________________________________
Words in This Story
dump – v. to leave or unload (something or someone) quickly or withoutconcern
self esteem – n. a feeling of having respect for yourself and your abilities
chronic – adj. happening or existing most of the time
isolated – adj. separate from others
workshop – n. a class or series of classes in which a small group of peoplelearn the methods and skills used in doing something
carry – v. to have something in a store and ready to be sold; to keepsomething available
assortment – n. a group or collection of different things or people
How are homeless women in your country helped? We want to hear from you.Write your thoughts in the comments section.
Community Center Helps Women on Skid Row
社區(qū)活動中心幫助了貧民區(qū)的婦女
Many homeless people live in the “Skid Row” area of Los Angeles, California.These men and women have no permanent place to live. Skid Row is a place where many social service groups can be found. They work to help the homeless find work and a place to live. One such organization works with women.
許多無家可歸的人生活在加利福尼亞州，洛杉磯的貧民區(qū)。這些男男女女們沒有永久的居住場所。在貧民區(qū)你會發(fā)現(xiàn)許多的社會服務(wù)組織。他們?yōu)闊o家可歸的人找工作以及住所。其中一個這樣的組織是專門針對婦女。
Skid Row is like no other place in Los Angeles. The homeless fill its sidewalks at all time of the day.
貧民區(qū)不像洛杉磯的其他地方。那些無家可歸的人總是在人行道上游蕩。
Yolanda Waters has a job as a barista. She prepares and sells coffee. But she was once homeless and spent time in Skid Row.
Yolanda Waters的工作是咖啡師。她負責準備以及銷售咖啡。但是以前她就整日游蕩在貧民區(qū)的街道上。
“It is the place where everybody is dumped. If you do not ask for help, youare not going to get helped. For people to be looking at you like you are nothing, treating you like you ain’t worth nothing -- that is the hard part.”
那是個似乎每個人都被拋棄的地方，如果你不主動尋求幫助，你就不會得到幫助。最困難的是對于人們來說，你什么都不是，甚至不值一提。
Ms. Waters received help from the Downtown Women’s Center. The center trains homeless women and helps them find work so they can live in a place of their own. It shows them how to create candles, greeting cards and other products. The program teaches the women to arrive on time, complete a project and work in a group.
Waters女士得到市區(qū)女子中心的幫助。女子中心培訓無家可歸的女人，幫助她們找工作，以便于他們能自食其力。培訓包括怎樣制作蠟燭、賀卡以及其他的一些工藝品。告訴她們要按時上班，完成任務(wù)，在組織上工作。
Joe Altepeter is head of vocational education at the center.
Joe Altepeter是中心職業(yè)教育的負責人。
“Rebuilding self esteem, developing relationships with individuals. Chronic homelessness, when you are living on the streets you become isolated. So this is an opportunity to really deal with those issues.”
“重建自尊，發(fā)展與其他人的關(guān)系。當你生活在街道上時你會變得孤立，因此這是你真正處理那些問題的機會。”
He adds that about one-fourth of the 58,000 homeless people in Los Angeles are women. The high cost of housing is one reason they do not have a permanent place to call home.
他又說道，在洛杉磯58000無家可歸的人中有四分之一是女人。住房成本高是她們沒有永久居住場所的一個原因。
Poor women are more at risk of being homeless. Many homeless women struggle with mental problems or have been abused.
貧苦的女人更容易無家可歸。許多女人有精神疾病或者曾經(jīng)遭受虐待。
The center gives them advice, health care and support.
中心給了她們建議，醫(yī)療保險和支持。
“They come into the workshops, they might not have a community of friends or a support network, but they are entering this safe and the supportive environment, which offers that for them.”
“進入工作場所，她們可能沒有朋友或者支持網(wǎng)，但是她們進入的這個安全，充滿助人為樂氛圍的環(huán)境會影響她們。”
The things the women make are sold at the Downtown Women’s Center, and at Bloomingdale’s, a store selling high-priced goods. Each handmade craft has a sign showing where it was made.
這些婦女制作的物品會在市區(qū)女子中心以及一個叫Bloomingdale’s的一個專門賣高價商品的商店進行售賣。
Kathy Suto works at Bloomingdale’s. She says the store has sold many of the rafts the women have made. She says she hopes other businesses will sell them
Kathy Suto在Bloomingdale’s工作。她說店里已經(jīng)賣出去許多她們制作的商品。她希望更多的行業(yè)可以賣她們的產(chǎn)品。
“We have been very pleasantly surprised. It is something. I am now workingto get the other five Bloomingdale’s stores in the Los Angeles market just tostart carrying it as a part of their assortment.”
“我們感到很驚喜。真的太棒了。我現(xiàn)在正在準備去其他五個Bloomingdale’s商店工作。
Yolanda Waters did not enjoy making crafts. But she did like making drinks in a small restaurant at the Downtown Women’s Center. After training there, shegot a job. Now, she has an apartment home, and a reason to get out of bed.
Yolanda Waters不喜歡制作手工藝品，但是她喜歡在市區(qū)女子活動中心的一家小飯店里制作飲品。在經(jīng)過培訓后，她得到了一份工作?，F(xiàn)在她有了家，也有了起床的原因。
“It feels unreal because sometimes I think when I wake up ‘Is it real? Do I have this real job that I really love?’”
感覺有點不真實，因為有時候你醒來會想“這是真的嗎”?我真的有一份自己很熱愛的工作嗎?
I’m Jonathan Evans
我是Jonathan Evans。
Elizabeth Lee reported this story from Los Angeles. Christopher Jones-Cruise wrote it for VOA Learning English. George Grow was the editor.
______________________________________________________________
Words in This Story
dump – v. to leave or unload (something or someone) quickly or withoutconcern
self esteem – n. a feeling of having respect for yourself and your abilities
chronic – adj. happening or existing most of the time
isolated – adj. separate from others
workshop – n. a class or series of classes in which a small group of peoplelearn the methods and skills used in doing something
carry – v. to have something in a store and ready to be sold; to keepsomething available
assortment – n. a group or collection of different things or people
How are homeless women in your country helped? We want to hear from you.Write your thoughts in the comments section.
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