My spring break travels took me to some of the poorest neighborhoods of Philadelphia for an alternative spring break organized by Empty The Shelters. My goal -- to develop a better understanding of the homeless problem.

I sit 3 feet from cardboard and pieces of a wooden skid burning in a rusting trash can, shaking with cold. A beautifully renovated apartment building with 23 empty units rises behind me in one of the "blighted" sections of north Philly.

Thousands of crack vials and a three foot high wall that had already served as a bathroom stall for me once that night, surround a single piece of playground equipment in a park across the street. Occasionally, the sound of a gun shot echoes down the street.

Kensington Welfare Rights Union leader lies wrapped in blankets on a lawn chair and plays disc jockey while Larry, Nick and Scott try to out do each other dancing. I have joined these people from the union, organized by and for poor people. They try to rally neighborhood support on a petition that will hopefully influence the government to provide subsidies making "low-income housing" affordable.

I want the adventure of spending a night in one of the poorest, most dangerous, parts of Philadelphia. But as the night wore on, I began to see how strong and talented my companions were. They were people who had to struggle to stay alive, never mind the American dream of success to those who have ability.

After the union members went to sleep around 3 a.m., most of them for the first time in days, a man from the neighborhood, stayed awake with the other students and myself. The man insisted I wear one of his coats, over my own, and Cheri wear the other. He wrapped blankets around us and kept the fire going. He entertained us with stories, but what got to me the most, he said would take a bullet for any one of us -- he had nothing to live for, he believed as college students, our futures were bright.

In the morning, as we were preparing to leave, I insisted he let me wrap two blankets around his shoulders. I told him, "You took care of us all night, let me do this for you." My friends and I headed back to a house in a nicer section of town, a man went to sleep in a car and then spent the day sitting in the rain for the right to an apartment.

My concern for homeless people has grown from an intellectual understanding and motivation to a personal motivation. When I discuss poverty issues and as I fight for change, I fight those people's rights to not only survive, but to have the opportunity to become self-supporting, successful people.