1 00:00:18,73 --> 00:00:21,87 This is community form a community service of Can T.V. 2 00:00:22,25 --> 00:00:23,22 I'm your host long got 3 00:00:23,23 --> 00:00:28,12 a list of them this despite the recent strikes for the rights of people in the Q 4 00:00:28,13 --> 00:00:32,43 communities there are issues that don't make the headlines today we're going to 5 00:00:32,44 --> 00:00:37,45 discuss the problem of youth homelessness in the Q community because I would have 6 00:00:37,46 --> 00:00:41,63 enough the of project fears is here to talk about how this organization is working 7 00:00:41,64 --> 00:00:46,25 to reduce homelessness in this population Welcome thanks so much thanks for having 8 00:00:46,26 --> 00:00:51,82 me great let's start by talking about this organization and you're one you're the 9 00:00:51,83 --> 00:00:58,58 founder So tell us about that what inspired it why start this oh OK I only started 10 00:00:58,59 --> 00:01:03,09 back up so I am the founder where at grassroots collective 11 00:01:03,10 --> 00:01:08,55 a social worker is youth advocates and also young people who have come together to 12 00:01:08,56 --> 00:01:14,69 organize to create affirming transitional housing here in Chicago and I think the 13 00:01:14,70 --> 00:01:19,07 primary inspiration is the need right so I was working as 14 00:01:19,08 --> 00:01:24,66 a social worker no matter at what point I was connecting with young people whether 15 00:01:24,67 --> 00:01:29,72 it's for housing or you know health or case management always came back like I need 16 00:01:29,73 --> 00:01:35,67 a stable safe secure place to live and we really believe that like housing first is 17 00:01:35,68 --> 00:01:40,70 a really great way to gain access to you know other resources that we need to sell 18 00:01:41,02 --> 00:01:46,30 I saw that need all of us saw that need and I collected like that some of the fear 19 00:01:46,31 --> 00:01:52,32 assessed most knowledgeable people that I knew in Chicago and we created this the 20 00:01:52,33 --> 00:01:58,99 seed of our collective OK. But what I'm still curious what specific. 21 00:02:00,86 --> 00:02:05,39 Experiences led to the creation of this you you mentioned before the show that you 22 00:02:05,40 --> 00:02:11,74 had taken some people would yourself yeah absolutely. You know I have experience 23 00:02:11,75 --> 00:02:16,27 when I first moved to Chicago I didn't know anyone I came with sort of 24 00:02:16,31 --> 00:02:23,01 a few hundred bucks and where actually directly from Costa Rica where I was living 25 00:02:23,02 --> 00:02:29,36 in moving around there and teaching and so I came here to sort of start 26 00:02:29,37 --> 00:02:32,32 a new chapter with the aim of like 27 00:02:32,33 --> 00:02:38,14 a course securing work and that didn't happen immediately I you know experience 28 00:02:38,15 --> 00:02:42,76 a pretty traumatic event when I first got here that left me really precarious Lee 29 00:02:42,77 --> 00:02:44,51 housed and in 30 00:02:44,52 --> 00:02:49,05 a really tough situation I was eating at the food pantry I was really struggling 31 00:02:49,25 --> 00:02:49,96 and so was 32 00:02:49,97 --> 00:02:55,31 a really rough moment and sort of in that time in in healing I connected to queer 33 00:02:55,32 --> 00:03:00,48 community and to one of our leadership team members whose name is Jackie Boyd and I 34 00:03:00,49 --> 00:03:05,23 found queer community I found healing I found like affirmation and then you know 35 00:03:05,27 --> 00:03:10,95 eventually it was stable we housed and and had this you know space both like sort 36 00:03:10,96 --> 00:03:15,76 of emotionally hard spaces and also physical space to share with other people and 37 00:03:15,77 --> 00:03:19,53 I'm like well I'm here now also of course it makes sense that it's my 38 00:03:19,54 --> 00:03:23,97 responsibility to community. For young people that I met who are experiencing 39 00:03:23,98 --> 00:03:29,64 homelessness issues in the home to host them so my partner and I at the time hosted 40 00:03:29,65 --> 00:03:33,42 kids for probably about five years on and off just a houseful 41 00:03:33,43 --> 00:03:39,50 a teenager eating all my food have. And it was really enriching for us to sort of 42 00:03:39,86 --> 00:03:45,64 parent and affirm in ways that maybe they hadn't you know sort of gotten before and 43 00:03:45,68 --> 00:03:50,27 I'm just really grateful for what queer community has given me so it makes sense 44 00:03:50,28 --> 00:03:55,49 for us collectively to to put it back in. A very. 45 00:03:57,43 --> 00:04:02,50 Spiritual and touching and loving environment that you helped create for these 46 00:04:02,51 --> 00:04:09,02 individuals is that good analysis I hope so they Yeah I mean I think 47 00:04:09,37 --> 00:04:15,83 again because I was given affirmation and healing I'm much more capable 48 00:04:15,84 --> 00:04:20,64 to create the space and hold the space for other people to hopefully achieve those 49 00:04:20,65 --> 00:04:27,63 things as well one curious it sounds like these very hopeful and homey environment 50 00:04:27,64 --> 00:04:33,30 that you create Where do the main fears come from Project Here's why that that face 51 00:04:33,31 --> 00:04:40,04 that clinched fist Well you can be loving and fear simultaneously right. A fierce 52 00:04:40,72 --> 00:04:45,71 because that's what we feel like our community is these young people are not you 53 00:04:45,72 --> 00:04:51,33 know well sometimes they are victims and survivors but they're not weak or sort of 54 00:04:51,57 --> 00:04:56,61 powerless they are really resourceful they have survived this far they've you know 55 00:04:56,62 --> 00:05:03,46 found ways to to thrive in spite of like really you know troubling times so these 56 00:05:03,47 --> 00:05:08,21 young people are fierce our community is fierce to us it conveys power and 57 00:05:08,22 --> 00:05:13,65 resilience and you know attacking the worlds and I'm HA's it away so and the power 58 00:05:13,66 --> 00:05:18,81 face you know comes from this beautiful history of civil rights movement because I 59 00:05:18,82 --> 00:05:22,55 thought of John Carlson Tommie Smith in one nine hundred sixty eight when I when I 60 00:05:22,56 --> 00:05:28,58 saw your global Well many iterations of power right itself from the black power 61 00:05:28,59 --> 00:05:32,91 movement women if you used it other political movements have used it to convey this 62 00:05:32,92 --> 00:05:39,09 like solidarity and power and we feel like doing something with and for community 63 00:05:39,76 --> 00:05:46,76 is an incredibly powerful thing sell we have beers. So talk about the 64 00:05:46,77 --> 00:05:53,62 ferocity in of being resourceful How big is the problem of homelessness in our 65 00:05:53,63 --> 00:06:00,26 city. There are. Fewer services or so many government cutbacks has that 66 00:06:00,27 --> 00:06:05,29 contributed to the problem and what are you seeing in your own work unfortunately 67 00:06:05,33 --> 00:06:08,97 homelessness in Chicago is and has been really pervasive for 68 00:06:08,98 --> 00:06:12,94 a while I know when I first moved here it was sort of the end of like the ten year 69 00:06:12,95 --> 00:06:18,45 plan to end homelessness instated by daily at the time which involved like 70 00:06:18,46 --> 00:06:24,61 a shutting down of some emergency shelters with the intention of I think creating 71 00:06:24,62 --> 00:06:28,57 more longer term solutions but those longer term solutions didn't happen and so 72 00:06:28,58 --> 00:06:28,86 there was 73 00:06:28,87 --> 00:06:35,32 a sort of gap. Currently of course homelessness is still an enormous issue and BT 74 00:06:35,33 --> 00:06:40,58 folks are consistently over represented in populations of homelessness Why is there 75 00:06:41,34 --> 00:06:45,57 I think there are quite a few reasons similar to the reasons why I'll be T.Q. 76 00:06:45,58 --> 00:06:50,67 Folks are overrepresented in out of home care in incarcerated populations there are 77 00:06:50,68 --> 00:06:55,94 these additional layers of things that folks often face in addition to sort of race 78 00:06:55,95 --> 00:07:00,75 class all this other stuff in there you have gender discrimination based on gender 79 00:07:00,76 --> 00:07:06,97 identity or presentation based on sexual orientation you know limited access to 80 00:07:07,23 --> 00:07:13,05 whether it's employment other resources education you know getting forced out of 81 00:07:13,06 --> 00:07:17,57 the home because they're sort of ideological or religious you know contention 82 00:07:17,58 --> 00:07:21,75 around their identity so there's there's just a layer of just basically 83 00:07:21,76 --> 00:07:26,71 a right of like and not an equitable society and then this additional layer of 84 00:07:27,26 --> 00:07:32,22 issues of surrounding sexual identity gender identity so there are more of those 85 00:07:32,23 --> 00:07:34,20 folks here in the city and there are 86 00:07:34,21 --> 00:07:38,27 a lot of folks who are working to address it particularly in kind of emergency or 87 00:07:38,28 --> 00:07:41,95 overnights but he says but there's just not enough space there are far more young 88 00:07:41,96 --> 00:07:47,82 people than there are services and beds so we just want to want to join with those 89 00:07:47,83 --> 00:07:49,67 folks to continue making 90 00:07:49,68 --> 00:07:55,68 a dent in what is an enormous problem citywide actually nationwide and by young 91 00:07:55,69 --> 00:08:02,04 people you. You mean minors eighteen or below eighteen or eighteen above where 92 00:08:02,05 --> 00:08:07,41 exactly do you does your work fit well the problem of course right is across all 93 00:08:07,42 --> 00:08:10,25 ages there are thousands and thousands of C.P.S. 94 00:08:10,26 --> 00:08:13,57 Students who are currently homeless and still somehow managing to get school and 95 00:08:13,58 --> 00:08:18,76 family so it's really complex but for what we have the capacity to do particularly 96 00:08:18,77 --> 00:08:23,31 around like issues related to like guardianship and these kinds of things we're 97 00:08:23,32 --> 00:08:29,14 looking specifically at young adults eighteen to twenty five because they've either 98 00:08:29,15 --> 00:08:34,07 exit of the system or they're old enough to you know be legally an adult right they 99 00:08:34,08 --> 00:08:39,11 can engage in services with us we would love to like maybe extend that once or more 100 00:08:39,43 --> 00:08:44,12 established to younger teens maybe sixteen and not right but it involves some 101 00:08:44,13 --> 00:08:50,58 licensing of things OK So you being more well established talking about that your 102 00:08:50,69 --> 00:08:56,90 young organisation so you had this inspiration from your own personal life and 103 00:08:56,91 --> 00:08:57,13 about 104 00:08:57,14 --> 00:09:03,41 a year ago you said or even before that you said I need to start this organisation 105 00:09:03,92 --> 00:09:08,73 which would most fulfilling about this process of starting 106 00:09:08,74 --> 00:09:15,49 a new organisation Oh well well I'd say that it's been in process for 107 00:09:15,50 --> 00:09:20,89 a couple of years yet harnessed it actually was born out of the gate sort of master 108 00:09:21,74 --> 00:09:25,12 in my Master's program I did a proposal for 109 00:09:25,13 --> 00:09:28,81 a project and I had some terrible name for it but it was essentially the same 110 00:09:28,82 --> 00:09:32,14 concept it was a fierce No I'm not here it's for 111 00:09:32,15 --> 00:09:36,78 a home in which we could supply you know resources services free housing so that 112 00:09:36,79 --> 00:09:40,60 was in my Master's program so it's been several years now but around two years ago 113 00:09:40,61 --> 00:09:43,86 is when I started sort of getting everything together in terms of like what it 114 00:09:43,87 --> 00:09:47,88 would look like structurally looking into actually establishing 115 00:09:47,89 --> 00:09:49,92 a five zero one c three and then 116 00:09:49,93 --> 00:09:53,85 a couple of years ago I invited our An initial leadership team which involved five 117 00:09:53,86 --> 00:10:00,68 of us to get started really from. Absolute thin air so everything has been pretty 118 00:10:00,69 --> 00:10:05,43 fulfilling in regards like the process like an incredible learning experience I 119 00:10:05,44 --> 00:10:09,28 have I don't think I can learn any more than in this role because we started from 120 00:10:09,29 --> 00:10:14,15 nothing how to establish everything along the way. You know just in building 121 00:10:14,16 --> 00:10:20,10 a collective how our collective functions democratically and sustainably fund 122 00:10:20,11 --> 00:10:26,18 raising the legal aspects of the social and marketing aspects and then like the use 123 00:10:26,22 --> 00:10:31,92 recruitment and involvement piece so it's been pretty beautiful not easy and I'm 124 00:10:31,93 --> 00:10:34,38 not going to pretend like you were and so it's been 125 00:10:34,39 --> 00:10:39,28 a whole ton of work and we all have like full time jobs in addition to this because 126 00:10:39,29 --> 00:10:43,83 this is unpaid for all of us unpaid totally and how many hours is it take out of 127 00:10:43,84 --> 00:10:48,99 your oh week oh man I I don't I haven't kept track of I think I would like start 128 00:10:49,00 --> 00:10:53,34 only if I did but I think it's safe to say that all of us have put in like 129 00:10:53,35 --> 00:10:59,21 thousands of hours into the project and definitely maybe twenty hours every week 130 00:10:59,25 --> 00:11:06,05 potentially even into the work but we really believe in it so I think despite like 131 00:11:06,06 --> 00:11:10,58 that you know the kind of stress it can create occasionally is it's really worth it 132 00:11:10,86 --> 00:11:17,57 and the community response is so enthusiastic and generous that it also like 133 00:11:17,58 --> 00:11:23,37 feeds that excitement and every step we take is more legitimising and makes us sort 134 00:11:23,38 --> 00:11:27,53 of think yeah this was totally worth it this is the right way to go so tell me 135 00:11:27,54 --> 00:11:33,14 about this community support they're supporting you financially you're not from 136 00:11:33,18 --> 00:11:36,29 also from my research I learned that you're not you know want to depend on 137 00:11:36,42 --> 00:11:40,55 government funding correct will answer my question first little know the support 138 00:11:40,56 --> 00:11:44,75 from the community and why you're not seeking government funding after that OK So 139 00:11:44,76 --> 00:11:50,02 the first how is the community supporting as you. Lot of in every way and community 140 00:11:50,03 --> 00:11:54,70 members are giving us their very valuable time first of all to help us to table to 141 00:11:54,71 --> 00:11:59,81 help us fundraise to help us. Plan events help us actually find housing like hit 142 00:11:59,82 --> 00:12:05,00 the streets and find these homes and also the community is funding us we are almost 143 00:12:05,01 --> 00:12:09,75 exclusively community funded funding we don't we've done crowd funding we've done 144 00:12:09,76 --> 00:12:13,52 individual course we do individual giving we do fundraising events and we do sort 145 00:12:13,53 --> 00:12:18,07 of fund raising campaigns we sort of had it from every way that we can but our sort 146 00:12:18,08 --> 00:12:19,82 of primary seed is that we are 147 00:12:19,83 --> 00:12:24,58 a collective so people pay in every month and ideas that we can be 148 00:12:24,59 --> 00:12:28,09 a sustainable as possible so we make sure that we're really accountable to the 149 00:12:28,10 --> 00:12:31,55 young people once were established in the home folks give us 150 00:12:31,56 --> 00:12:37,15 a donation every month we're all doing it as well as well as their time so that how 151 00:12:37,16 --> 00:12:40,95 much time are you getting from these community members to visit what they can give 152 00:12:41,33 --> 00:12:46,87 us some folks give time and money some folks give money only time we really welcome 153 00:12:46,88 --> 00:12:51,85 and are grateful for anything without risk and hearing because folks are busy and 154 00:12:51,86 --> 00:12:56,24 it's important so you know anywhere from you know five to twenty hours 155 00:12:56,25 --> 00:13:01,46 a month potentially and anywhere from ten dollars all the way up to billions of no 156 00:13:02,44 --> 00:13:06,98 to whatever they can give so it really allows for folks to hopefully feel invested 157 00:13:06,99 --> 00:13:13,74 but also to get involved without too many obstacles to doing that OK and well the 158 00:13:14,35 --> 00:13:18,67 question of government funding why limit that were closed at all for I'm sure 159 00:13:18,68 --> 00:13:22,58 a lot of people said maybe you should apply for this grant or this group you should 160 00:13:22,59 --> 00:13:26,95 talk to this person then maybe they could secure help secure something we haven't 161 00:13:27,05 --> 00:13:31,36 had anyone say that because we're all sort of on the same page and we're all like 162 00:13:31,37 --> 00:13:37,51 long time nonprofit workers and social workers I've been in this sector for about 163 00:13:37,52 --> 00:13:42,19 a decade now and I've worked within those parameters and you know of course it can 164 00:13:42,20 --> 00:13:47,29 be useful right but government funding also you know sort of in states 165 00:13:47,33 --> 00:13:51,31 a lot more parameters in terms of how you can use the money and how responsive you 166 00:13:51,32 --> 00:13:55,69 can be more not to your community and when you're in action you're seeing things 167 00:13:55,70 --> 00:13:59,11 and hearing things where. Young people are telling you this doesn't work for me or 168 00:13:59,12 --> 00:14:03,40 we find it like this really could be better but when you have government funding 169 00:14:03,41 --> 00:14:07,24 and certain parameters you may not be able to respond as quickly and authentically 170 00:14:07,25 --> 00:14:11,54 as you want to so with doing this we can we can make the age whatever we want we 171 00:14:11,55 --> 00:14:15,50 can have whatever kind of cooperate of living standards we want it's really about 172 00:14:15,51 --> 00:14:21,11 autonomy for us and being responsive to our communities and you mentioned earlier 173 00:14:21,12 --> 00:14:26,83 that you hope to expand to your service to sixteen and up at some point we would 174 00:14:26,84 --> 00:14:29,98 love to yeah and that would require some licensing with D.C. 175 00:14:29,99 --> 00:14:32,86 If some guardianship stuff so it would take 176 00:14:32,87 --> 00:14:38,81 a lot more. You know sort of legal maneuvering where we want to really get solid 177 00:14:38,82 --> 00:14:43,43 and get our best practices established with this first group of folks but yeah we 178 00:14:43,47 --> 00:14:47,26 really have big big dreams for this this is only when you're one ready so we're 179 00:14:47,27 --> 00:14:53,56 really ready. To dig into the work and then hopefully expand so it's your one your 180 00:14:53,57 --> 00:14:57,62 fund raising you're getting the word you're you're growing you're putting 181 00:14:57,63 --> 00:15:03,11 a lot of time in. But you said the purpose is to provide 182 00:15:03,12 --> 00:15:05,64 a home for folks do you have 183 00:15:05,65 --> 00:15:12,60 a home yet we are on it. We sort of miraculously beautifully the community has 184 00:15:12,61 --> 00:15:17,59 helped us raise enough this year to actually purchased so we've been working with 185 00:15:17,65 --> 00:15:22,73 the city planners obviously also been working with real estate agents to identify 186 00:15:22,77 --> 00:15:28,03 sort of forfeitures foreclosures and otherwise abandoned multi-unit and then also 187 00:15:28,07 --> 00:15:31,93 make single family homes so we've been on several outings or field trips as we call 188 00:15:31,94 --> 00:15:37,44 them to go find the perfect space we're still looking we have the fund sort of that 189 00:15:37,45 --> 00:15:41,52 we need but we really want to make sure the space is going to work for the folks in 190 00:15:41,53 --> 00:15:47,03 that we're looking at Garfield Park South Shore and Austin because of accessibility 191 00:15:47,04 --> 00:15:51,94 to transit sort of already existing queer communities and some service gaps also 192 00:15:51,95 --> 00:15:52,08 there's 193 00:15:52,09 --> 00:15:56,38 a ton of of buildings right there are thousands across the city that are are not 194 00:15:56,39 --> 00:16:00,79 productive and I think communities are pretty excited to like how folks come in and 195 00:16:01,27 --> 00:16:04,80 do something productive with the space and those communities seem to be 196 00:16:04,81 --> 00:16:09,47 a little more open and you know willing to engage in that way so we're going to buy 197 00:16:09,48 --> 00:16:11,36 one building at a time were you planning to buy 198 00:16:11,37 --> 00:16:16,11 a few Well I mean we'd love to buy all the buildings but initially like we're 199 00:16:16,12 --> 00:16:20,28 starting small We're going to buy hopefully if three flat is what we're really 200 00:16:20,29 --> 00:16:26,47 looking for yeah we'd like to be able have two flats of housing one accessible room 201 00:16:26,48 --> 00:16:31,70 on the bottom floor and then office space for other grassroots non-profits so low 202 00:16:31,71 --> 00:16:35,28 cost but also to help us offset our costs with 203 00:16:35,29 --> 00:16:40,98 a donation for them so three flight would be ideal and then once again we have our 204 00:16:41,06 --> 00:16:44,41 best practices established things are running really well we're doing right by our 205 00:16:44,42 --> 00:16:48,70 young folks that we want to replicate the program across the city across the city 206 00:16:48,83 --> 00:16:53,74 so tell me what you mean by best practices. Well best practice is this you know 207 00:16:53,75 --> 00:16:59,73 sort of social work it concept of of what's best for the participants evaluating 208 00:16:59,74 --> 00:17:03,33 the programming to make sure it's achieving its goals to make sure it's respecting 209 00:17:03,34 --> 00:17:07,57 people's autonomy and rights so it's going to take some maneuvering this is sort of 210 00:17:07,58 --> 00:17:10,06 a new model that we've established with like 211 00:17:10,23 --> 00:17:13,92 a hybrid of different programs that we thought were great so it's going to take us 212 00:17:13,93 --> 00:17:15,16 a little maneuvering 213 00:17:15,17 --> 00:17:19,22 a little time to make sure that we're you know doing the best possible work that we 214 00:17:19,23 --> 00:17:25,89 can do. And. What's been the greatest challenge to this in this year one 215 00:17:26,58 --> 00:17:31,04 and I think past city is one because like I said we all have 216 00:17:31,31 --> 00:17:37,49 a full time gig so we have probably four meetings that month just basically when 217 00:17:37,50 --> 00:17:42,00 meeting someone every week there's some kind of meeting and then additional work 218 00:17:42,01 --> 00:17:44,09 just on our own so I think a pastie can be 219 00:17:44,10 --> 00:17:47,71 a challenge as were so ready to make all these things happen but there are only so 220 00:17:47,72 --> 00:17:48,17 many hours in 221 00:17:48,18 --> 00:17:53,42 a day and then funding because we're not looking for those big government grants 222 00:17:53,43 --> 00:17:55,48 and honestly wouldn't qualify for 223 00:17:55,49 --> 00:17:59,97 a lot of things we don't have paid staff so I think funding has been you know what 224 00:17:59,98 --> 00:18:04,49 we've worked really hard for and just sort of Mansion capacity and sustainability 225 00:18:04,50 --> 00:18:09,17 so that folks you know are engaged but don't feel burnt out don't feel you know 226 00:18:09,18 --> 00:18:13,87 totally exhausted and and just keeping folks in Gauge consistently because it's 227 00:18:13,88 --> 00:18:14,56 your one and you have 228 00:18:14,57 --> 00:18:20,81 a lot of it seems like it's the year of setting the phone nation. I'm sure there 229 00:18:20,82 --> 00:18:20,84 are 230 00:18:20,85 --> 00:18:27,37 a lot of folks that have come to you Well I know somebody that. Places the how do 231 00:18:27,38 --> 00:18:29,81 you respond at this moment is 232 00:18:29,82 --> 00:18:34,60 a bogus ations who questions you as if someone is currently in need of housing so 233 00:18:34,61 --> 00:18:37,06 we really honest about what sort of where we are with 234 00:18:37,07 --> 00:18:41,57 a you know that is an absolutely real need here are some resources that we have 235 00:18:41,94 --> 00:18:46,41 there somewhat limited but we are all engaged with other organizations some of 236 00:18:46,42 --> 00:18:50,23 which do provide drop and services and housing so we provide resources and 237 00:18:50,24 --> 00:18:54,26 referrals and just leveled. I know where we are in the process as we're hoping to 238 00:18:54,27 --> 00:18:59,80 actually open our doors by next winter but next winter while this we have to wear. 239 00:19:00,89 --> 00:19:05,00 Well whatever spot that we choose never any and we're hoping to actually secure the 240 00:19:05,01 --> 00:19:08,81 building on next couple of months and do you know you have an idea because you 241 00:19:08,82 --> 00:19:12,00 mentioned several neighborhoods and he does in the neighborhood have 242 00:19:12,38 --> 00:19:17,99 a greater chance of getting your your house or it's really going to depend on that 243 00:19:18,00 --> 00:19:22,53 magical space but in my opinion. I really am 244 00:19:22,54 --> 00:19:28,19 a fan of Garfield Park for really easy access to trains and transit and kind of 245 00:19:28,20 --> 00:19:33,35 like what seems to be like a fairly new move to revitalize and and there are 246 00:19:33,36 --> 00:19:37,48 a lot of resources there as well but any of those neighborhoods I think could 247 00:19:37,49 --> 00:19:41,16 potentially serve our youth really well that neighborhood also just happens to have 248 00:19:41,17 --> 00:19:46,70 the highest sort of concentration of empty or you know unused space you also 249 00:19:46,71 --> 00:19:51,24 mentioned that well when you have this house we're going to have other non-profits 250 00:19:51,25 --> 00:19:57,60 working with you because I'm and I'm sure that it's necessary so. How how does an 251 00:19:57,61 --> 00:20:02,48 organization like yours help connect individuals because it's not just homelessness 252 00:20:02,49 --> 00:20:06,85 we know we all have issues and folks who are homeless probably have another set of 253 00:20:06,86 --> 00:20:12,04 issues that they're having to deal with and work through you know and. So how do 254 00:20:12,05 --> 00:20:13,53 you connect them you know you might have 255 00:20:13,54 --> 00:20:18,22 a nonprofits in your building but what if you don't how do you make that connection 256 00:20:18,88 --> 00:20:24,60 what we do our best I think we'll do our best to refer folks because I think why 257 00:20:24,64 --> 00:20:27,06 Project fears has worked so well and such 258 00:20:27,07 --> 00:20:32,64 a short time in terms of reach is because we've all been working in community in 259 00:20:32,65 --> 00:20:39,21 Chicago for you know five ten years we're all deeply invested in community so we 260 00:20:39,22 --> 00:20:43,52 have folks who are in the legal field folks or who are in clinical practice health 261 00:20:43,53 --> 00:20:50,49 care providers you know case manager has all kinds of different you know areas 262 00:20:50,53 --> 00:20:56,79 in the community all over the city which gives us this great position to be able to 263 00:20:57,20 --> 00:20:57,58 you know when 264 00:20:57,59 --> 00:21:01,53 a young person comes to us and says I need this like oh I know these three people 265 00:21:01,57 --> 00:21:05,06 who I know are going to treat you with this back and I from your identity so I 266 00:21:05,07 --> 00:21:09,49 think will utilize all of the really fierce people that are already in community 267 00:21:09,50 --> 00:21:11,27 doing the work and like I said 268 00:21:11,28 --> 00:21:14,57 a lot of us are already working kind of those spaces I think will use those 269 00:21:14,58 --> 00:21:19,59 connections to help usher folks to where they need to be because success for us 270 00:21:19,60 --> 00:21:24,28 would be for these young folks to access income education whatever else they need 271 00:21:24,40 --> 00:21:28,41 while they're in our home to transition to and dependence successfully Right 272 00:21:28,42 --> 00:21:33,94 definitely. A kind of Wonder Woman return actually to one of the first questions I 273 00:21:33,95 --> 00:21:35,18 asked you would ask it 274 00:21:35,19 --> 00:21:40,66 a little differently tell me the story of someone you said that for five years if 275 00:21:40,70 --> 00:21:40,93 for if 276 00:21:40,94 --> 00:21:47,77 a room accordingly you and your former partner were taking. Were housing folks tell 277 00:21:47,78 --> 00:21:53,82 me the story. So when you really really touched you and Hella you know you helped 278 00:21:54,01 --> 00:21:58,07 to forward in their life they were very critical moment in your life when they were 279 00:21:58,51 --> 00:22:03,57 didn't know where to go or would do when you stepped in to help create change there 280 00:22:03,57 --> 00:22:08,50 . And I sure there are a lot of them but well no I feel really has 281 00:22:08,51 --> 00:22:13,33 a tend to sort of tell anyone else's story because it's certainly their story and I 282 00:22:13,34 --> 00:22:17,69 don't consider myself sort of the agent of change these young folks created the 283 00:22:17,70 --> 00:22:21,52 change they needed for themselves but certainly but I hope provide the space you 284 00:22:21,53 --> 00:22:27,58 know you do what you can and also it is all of the young folks touched me deeply 285 00:22:27,81 --> 00:22:33,21 and I loved having them in my space even when I didn't have much space sort of you 286 00:22:33,22 --> 00:22:37,47 know stand on the sofa like I said eating all my food I love to cook for people who 287 00:22:37,48 --> 00:22:42,85 eat all my food. But they you know like I said I'd rather I'd rather give 288 00:22:42,86 --> 00:22:43,59 a general than 289 00:22:43,60 --> 00:22:47,10 a specific cite he did feel for anyone to feel like I was exploiting their story 290 00:22:47,11 --> 00:22:48,09 but I had 291 00:22:48,22 --> 00:22:54,51 a lot of young folks who had experienced sexual other kinds of trauma. Did not have 292 00:22:54,55 --> 00:23:00,51 family of origin support at all and found themselves either on the street staying 293 00:23:00,52 --> 00:23:05,83 on the bus staying in the underpass or staying with people who were using them in 294 00:23:05,84 --> 00:23:12,01 a way as they were really not respectful or sort of exploiting them and so they 295 00:23:12,02 --> 00:23:13,18 were able to at least for 296 00:23:13,19 --> 00:23:17,44 a short time come somewhere where they knew they were going to be asked anything of 297 00:23:17,45 --> 00:23:22,15 them that made them uncomfortable to either do or earn their keep in any way they 298 00:23:22,16 --> 00:23:27,00 knew that their identity pronouns all these things would be respected and that they 299 00:23:27,01 --> 00:23:32,07 would be cared for unconditionally I think that is something that every human 300 00:23:32,25 --> 00:23:37,89 deserves for the key word your semen conditionally Yeah one final question we're 301 00:23:38,53 --> 00:23:45,19 basically out of time. It's project for your Chicago are there plans to move out of 302 00:23:45,20 --> 00:23:51,62 the city out of Illinois to other places your Hoosier. I am by origin guilty 303 00:23:51,85 --> 00:23:58,73 guilty will. My SO. Tell us about your plans to hopefully move out of the city 304 00:23:58,74 --> 00:24:03,20 and provide this elsewhere yet we would love to take over the world now we would 305 00:24:03,21 --> 00:24:09,06 love to once we replicate here in Chicago homelessness is not an issue limited to 306 00:24:09,07 --> 00:24:12,78 Chicago it exists the whole nation wide and there still are 307 00:24:12,82 --> 00:24:16,53 a ton of resources that are really affirming especially to trans and gender 308 00:24:16,54 --> 00:24:21,86 nonconforming folks across the across the country so we would love to take project 309 00:24:21,87 --> 00:24:26,09 for Chicago on tour and we'd love to do a project first maybe 310 00:24:26,10 --> 00:24:28,35 a New Orleans project faced maybe in D.C. 311 00:24:28,91 --> 00:24:29,55 Anywhere where there's 312 00:24:29,56 --> 00:24:33,92 a need and sort of gaps in service we would love to be able to provide 313 00:24:33,93 --> 00:24:38,56 a support group that's well I wish you luck with that and I hope you do achieve it 314 00:24:38,82 --> 00:24:43,65 thanks so much thanks for having me thanks for coming out today and to your 315 00:24:43,66 --> 00:24:46,18 audience thank you for joining this community forum is 316 00:24:46,19 --> 00:24:48,13 a community service of Can T.V. 317 00:24:48,39 --> 00:24:52,14 If you're not profit organization would like to work with can't be called three one 318 00:24:52,15 --> 00:24:57,22 two seven three eight one four zero zero and ask for nonprofit services tune into 319 00:24:57,23 --> 00:25:01,74 community forum every Saturday at seven thirty pm and can be twenty one I'm 320 00:25:01,75 --> 00:25:03,55 hungover sort of on this thanks for joining.