1 00:00:01,520 --> 00:00:04,760 Speaker 1: This week's episode, ISSI Body, Yes I Am Clothing. Yes 2 00:00:04,800 --> 00:00:07,800 Speaker 1: I Am Clothing is an apparel and accessory brand designed 3 00:00:07,800 --> 00:00:12,119 Speaker 1: to inspire and empower. Launching twenty sixteen, founder and designer 4 00:00:12,200 --> 00:00:15,760 Speaker 1: Michelle Kadoor was on admission to remind others and herself 5 00:00:15,800 --> 00:00:19,000 Speaker 1: to step into their power and own their greatness. I 6 00:00:19,160 --> 00:00:22,119 Speaker 1: am are the two most powerful words for what you 7 00:00:22,200 --> 00:00:26,400 Speaker 1: put after shapes your reality, Own your story, and bring yourself. 8 00:00:26,920 --> 00:00:29,920 Speaker 1: Use promotional colde Yes I Am twenty to receive twenty 9 00:00:29,960 --> 00:00:34,400 Speaker 1: percent off until May thirty one. In addition, I am 10 00:00:34,440 --> 00:00:38,560 Speaker 1: hosting one of my workshops, virtually, the Professional Homegir Coloring Book, 11 00:00:38,720 --> 00:00:42,400 Speaker 1: Color and Self, on March nineteenth from one pm to 12 00:00:42,560 --> 00:00:45,760 Speaker 1: three pm Easter. If you are interested, please click the 13 00:00:45,800 --> 00:00:48,640 Speaker 1: link in the show notes below to register. You will 14 00:00:48,760 --> 00:00:53,120 Speaker 1: receive the PhD Coloring Kit, which includes one PhD coloring book, 15 00:00:53,360 --> 00:00:56,959 Speaker 1: color pencils, and some other goodies. Literally, y'all, there are 16 00:00:57,080 --> 00:00:59,440 Speaker 1: only four seats left, so don't be the wine hearing 17 00:00:59,480 --> 00:01:02,880 Speaker 1: about it, be the one talking about it. Okay, and 18 00:01:03,080 --> 00:01:07,120 Speaker 1: last but not least, miss this. You can now purchase 19 00:01:07,160 --> 00:01:10,880 Speaker 1: the Professional Homegirl Coloring Book and novel bookstore. I am 20 00:01:10,920 --> 00:01:14,240 Speaker 1: so excited, about this because this is home so please 21 00:01:14,280 --> 00:01:16,640 Speaker 1: make sure to support your girl. I hope you all 22 00:01:16,680 --> 00:01:20,160 Speaker 1: enjoyed this week's episode, and as always, thank you so 23 00:01:20,280 --> 00:01:27,400 Speaker 1: much for supporting the kid. Until next time, everyone later, Welcome. 24 00:01:28,920 --> 00:02:02,400 Speaker 1: You are now listening to the Professional Professional Hey, Professional 25 00:02:02,480 --> 00:02:04,320 Speaker 1: Home Girls is the kid of the name from the 26 00:02:04,320 --> 00:02:07,720 Speaker 1: PSD podcast, the only place where you would hear interviews 27 00:02:07,760 --> 00:02:10,760 Speaker 1: from black women anonymously on stories that will enlighten and 28 00:02:10,840 --> 00:02:13,680 Speaker 1: expand on taboo topics. Now, if you hear someone that 29 00:02:13,760 --> 00:02:16,880 Speaker 1: sounds familiar, mind the business that pays you child. If 30 00:02:16,919 --> 00:02:20,040 Speaker 1: you like the PhD podcast, please rate, review and subscribe 31 00:02:20,040 --> 00:02:23,920 Speaker 1: on Apple Podcasts. Please five star reviews only. Hold me Down, 32 00:02:23,919 --> 00:02:26,600 Speaker 1: Don't Hold Me Up. 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Now, please keep in mind that 42 00:02:54,560 --> 00:02:56,680 Speaker 1: all of my guests are noness So let's again this 43 00:02:56,760 --> 00:03:00,640 Speaker 1: week's episode. So I am super excited about this week episode. 44 00:03:01,280 --> 00:03:04,600 Speaker 1: So I've been knowing of my guests for a few 45 00:03:04,680 --> 00:03:08,040 Speaker 1: years and we recently met in person because we have 46 00:03:08,120 --> 00:03:10,840 Speaker 1: a mutual friend and we were able to get to 47 00:03:10,880 --> 00:03:14,359 Speaker 1: know each other over dinner. And over dinner we were 48 00:03:14,360 --> 00:03:17,600 Speaker 1: discussed it's like to work in a shelter and I 49 00:03:17,639 --> 00:03:19,440 Speaker 1: was like, oh, no, girl, we gotta do an episode. 50 00:03:20,880 --> 00:03:25,160 Speaker 1: So to my guests, how are you feeling. I'm feeling good. 51 00:03:25,200 --> 00:03:30,919 Speaker 1: I'm excited right either shut some light on what's happening. Yes, 52 00:03:31,120 --> 00:03:34,160 Speaker 1: I'm super excited. And you know I told if I 53 00:03:34,200 --> 00:03:37,160 Speaker 1: told you this. But for this year, my goal is 54 00:03:37,200 --> 00:03:41,120 Speaker 1: to highlight more professionals and especially those that are making 55 00:03:41,120 --> 00:03:44,640 Speaker 1: a difference in marginalized communities. So I really do appreciate 56 00:03:44,680 --> 00:03:49,400 Speaker 1: you taking the time to speak with me today. No problem. 57 00:03:49,440 --> 00:03:51,640 Speaker 1: So what were your thoughts about shelters before you just 58 00:03:51,680 --> 00:03:55,920 Speaker 1: started to work at one? Um, I don't think I 59 00:03:55,960 --> 00:03:58,440 Speaker 1: had any thoughts. It was kind of just like you know, 60 00:03:58,520 --> 00:04:02,560 Speaker 1: you hear things. It's always just like, um, you're going 61 00:04:02,600 --> 00:04:05,200 Speaker 1: on the shelter so you can get Section Aid and 62 00:04:05,280 --> 00:04:09,000 Speaker 1: move into your apartment. So that was pretty much all 63 00:04:09,040 --> 00:04:14,840 Speaker 1: I knew. I never really thought about shelters never m 64 00:04:15,360 --> 00:04:18,039 Speaker 1: And how long have you been working at one? I've 65 00:04:18,080 --> 00:04:20,919 Speaker 1: been working in the shelter system five years going on 66 00:04:21,080 --> 00:04:24,160 Speaker 1: five years? Oh wow? And what type of you'allter do 67 00:04:24,240 --> 00:04:27,520 Speaker 1: you work at? So? I work at a MICA shelter 68 00:04:28,160 --> 00:04:33,440 Speaker 1: for homeless women. So MICA is mental illness chemical um imbalanced, 69 00:04:33,520 --> 00:04:38,320 Speaker 1: so basically women who are struggling with mental illness and 70 00:04:38,360 --> 00:04:43,159 Speaker 1: substance abuse addictions. Mm hmm. And it was the age 71 00:04:43,200 --> 00:04:44,920 Speaker 1: group of the women that can live in a shelter. 72 00:04:46,080 --> 00:04:49,920 Speaker 1: So from my shelter, it ranges like the youngest I've 73 00:04:49,960 --> 00:04:53,040 Speaker 1: had is probably n The youngest I have right now 74 00:04:53,160 --> 00:05:00,800 Speaker 1: is nineteen. The oldest is about eighty yeah eighty wow. 75 00:05:01,560 --> 00:05:03,039 Speaker 1: So how many when make it live in the shelter 76 00:05:03,160 --> 00:05:05,640 Speaker 1: or living in the shelter that you work in. So 77 00:05:05,960 --> 00:05:12,240 Speaker 1: my shelter, our our max is one oh four, that's 78 00:05:12,240 --> 00:05:16,360 Speaker 1: all people. The My previous shelter was two hundred. So 79 00:05:16,400 --> 00:05:20,359 Speaker 1: it really just it really varies, I guess on the 80 00:05:20,400 --> 00:05:23,960 Speaker 1: space though, right yeah, I mean my building is my 81 00:05:24,040 --> 00:05:29,120 Speaker 1: shelter is very small. But it's still is it definitely holds, 82 00:05:29,200 --> 00:05:32,599 Speaker 1: so it's one oh four and then some shelters have 83 00:05:32,720 --> 00:05:38,200 Speaker 1: two fifty. So it just really depends and I guess 84 00:05:38,200 --> 00:05:40,240 Speaker 1: it depends on the amount of people that live in 85 00:05:40,240 --> 00:05:43,039 Speaker 1: the shelter. That's that's how they determined the amount of 86 00:05:43,040 --> 00:05:47,600 Speaker 1: workers that need that's needed. Well shelter system, the shelters 87 00:05:47,600 --> 00:05:52,640 Speaker 1: are always understaffed, so that determination, I don't know who's 88 00:05:52,680 --> 00:05:58,120 Speaker 1: making it, but it's always understabbed. So just um, well 89 00:05:58,160 --> 00:06:00,919 Speaker 1: I know from for me, for my to the company 90 00:06:00,920 --> 00:06:04,560 Speaker 1: I work for, they are cheap. They don't pay and 91 00:06:04,680 --> 00:06:09,440 Speaker 1: most um, most shelters, most providers, they really just don't pay. 92 00:06:09,640 --> 00:06:13,920 Speaker 1: And then a lot of times people they are not 93 00:06:14,320 --> 00:06:17,040 Speaker 1: aware of what they actually signed up for. So what 94 00:06:17,080 --> 00:06:20,200 Speaker 1: I what you signed up for is not what you're getting, right, 95 00:06:20,640 --> 00:06:24,400 Speaker 1: So it's just like you may you may be hired 96 00:06:24,440 --> 00:06:27,160 Speaker 1: to do this, and then you coming in in is 97 00:06:27,200 --> 00:06:29,599 Speaker 1: World War three every single day. So I'm hired to 98 00:06:30,320 --> 00:06:32,920 Speaker 1: work in the houses department, but I'm coming in and 99 00:06:33,000 --> 00:06:35,159 Speaker 1: I'm breaking up fights every day. So a lot of 100 00:06:35,200 --> 00:06:37,440 Speaker 1: times people can't handle it and they're just like you 101 00:06:37,440 --> 00:06:40,920 Speaker 1: know what, I quit or they get attacked something happens 102 00:06:41,240 --> 00:06:44,359 Speaker 1: between them and a client, and it just changes this 103 00:06:44,640 --> 00:06:46,640 Speaker 1: perspective and they're just like, you know what, I'm out 104 00:06:46,640 --> 00:06:50,080 Speaker 1: of here. I mean that can be a lot mm hmm. 105 00:06:51,160 --> 00:06:53,080 Speaker 1: But I would think that, I mean, we're gonna talk 106 00:06:53,120 --> 00:06:56,080 Speaker 1: more about you and your position and how working to 107 00:06:56,680 --> 00:06:58,960 Speaker 1: the shelter effects to you. But I would think that 108 00:06:59,000 --> 00:07:00,920 Speaker 1: if one person has take in this field, that they 109 00:07:00,960 --> 00:07:06,680 Speaker 1: have to know that this particular job comes with a lot. Yeah, you, 110 00:07:06,839 --> 00:07:11,360 Speaker 1: I mean, so when I signed up for it, I 111 00:07:11,400 --> 00:07:13,200 Speaker 1: didn't think it was gonna be all of this, right. 112 00:07:13,320 --> 00:07:16,720 Speaker 1: I was just I was just looking for So I 113 00:07:16,800 --> 00:07:18,400 Speaker 1: used to be at E. M. T. And I was 114 00:07:18,480 --> 00:07:20,840 Speaker 1: just looking for a way out because I was tired 115 00:07:20,880 --> 00:07:24,040 Speaker 1: of driving an ambulance. So I was just like, you 116 00:07:24,080 --> 00:07:27,160 Speaker 1: know what. I was working to church one day and 117 00:07:27,240 --> 00:07:31,040 Speaker 1: I saw a sign that was by my church that 118 00:07:31,120 --> 00:07:33,560 Speaker 1: they were hiring and all this kind of stuff they're doing, 119 00:07:33,600 --> 00:07:37,360 Speaker 1: like a in person mass hiring. So I just went 120 00:07:37,480 --> 00:07:39,360 Speaker 1: and I told them like listen, I'm talking of driving 121 00:07:39,360 --> 00:07:43,360 Speaker 1: an ambulance and I wanna just come inside and work somewhere. 122 00:07:43,640 --> 00:07:46,840 Speaker 1: So I really had no idea and I was going 123 00:07:46,920 --> 00:07:50,200 Speaker 1: to right and but but I've worked in mental and 124 00:07:50,400 --> 00:07:52,760 Speaker 1: I've worked in mental health before, like I've worked in 125 00:07:52,840 --> 00:07:55,239 Speaker 1: group homes. I've done all of that, so I wasn't 126 00:07:55,280 --> 00:08:00,440 Speaker 1: as apprehensive. But somebody who has no experience, they're really thinking. 127 00:08:00,680 --> 00:08:06,200 Speaker 1: So like the secretary, she may not have any experience 128 00:08:06,240 --> 00:08:10,000 Speaker 1: working in the mental health feel but she's coming in thinking, Hey, 129 00:08:10,040 --> 00:08:14,160 Speaker 1: I'm gonna just be pushing papers, ordering supplies, doing whatever, 130 00:08:14,720 --> 00:08:17,880 Speaker 1: and then it turns out to be something else that 131 00:08:17,960 --> 00:08:21,680 Speaker 1: they did not bargain for. Mm hmm. So it just 132 00:08:22,120 --> 00:08:25,320 Speaker 1: it becomes so you try to you can try to 133 00:08:25,360 --> 00:08:29,320 Speaker 1: be prepared, but you're never prepared. You could never be 134 00:08:29,360 --> 00:08:32,160 Speaker 1: prepared now when it comes to living in the shelter, 135 00:08:32,280 --> 00:08:34,320 Speaker 1: like what are some of the requirements, because like can 136 00:08:34,400 --> 00:08:36,480 Speaker 1: you just walk in and say I need somewhere to stay? 137 00:08:36,840 --> 00:08:40,640 Speaker 1: So you have to so that those things, those kind 138 00:08:40,679 --> 00:08:44,040 Speaker 1: of things that only applies if we're like under cold 139 00:08:44,080 --> 00:08:48,119 Speaker 1: blue or cold red, meaning if it's extremely cold outside 140 00:08:48,480 --> 00:08:52,000 Speaker 1: or if it's extremely hot. Anybody can walk into a 141 00:08:52,840 --> 00:08:56,200 Speaker 1: um New York City on shelter and say listen, I 142 00:08:56,240 --> 00:08:59,280 Speaker 1: need somewhere to stay, and we cannot turn them away. 143 00:08:59,600 --> 00:09:02,720 Speaker 1: But they usual process is, especially when it comes to 144 00:09:03,160 --> 00:09:06,520 Speaker 1: a mental health facility, you have to go to there's 145 00:09:06,559 --> 00:09:10,920 Speaker 1: two assessment shelters. There's one in the Bronx on Franklin 146 00:09:11,000 --> 00:09:15,320 Speaker 1: Avenue and then their yeah it's one. It's one in 147 00:09:15,360 --> 00:09:20,360 Speaker 1: the Bronx and then there's one in Brooklyn on Williams. 148 00:09:20,400 --> 00:09:23,200 Speaker 1: So those are assessment shelters. So you start out there. 149 00:09:23,600 --> 00:09:27,040 Speaker 1: That's where you do your main intake. You go there 150 00:09:27,120 --> 00:09:29,199 Speaker 1: and they assess you for a few days and they 151 00:09:29,240 --> 00:09:31,320 Speaker 1: try to figure out where it would be the best 152 00:09:31,360 --> 00:09:34,600 Speaker 1: fit for you to go to get the help that 153 00:09:34,640 --> 00:09:39,320 Speaker 1: you need. Mm hmm. And I the money to take 154 00:09:39,320 --> 00:09:44,120 Speaker 1: the train and stuff, right, No, So so if you 155 00:09:44,240 --> 00:09:48,280 Speaker 1: have income, you're responsible for your own transportation. So most 156 00:09:48,320 --> 00:09:51,679 Speaker 1: of the clients who have mental illness and not instructive 157 00:09:51,720 --> 00:09:55,640 Speaker 1: is their income, maybe social Security due to their disability. 158 00:09:56,440 --> 00:10:00,400 Speaker 1: Other other ladies, they may have just public assis stamps, 159 00:10:00,600 --> 00:10:03,680 Speaker 1: which is cash assistance, and when you're in the shelter. 160 00:10:05,440 --> 00:10:07,839 Speaker 1: When you're in the shelter, you only get twenty two 161 00:10:07,920 --> 00:10:11,959 Speaker 1: fifty every two weeks for cash you get too, It 162 00:10:12,000 --> 00:10:14,920 Speaker 1: makes absolutely no sense. You get two hundred and fifty 163 00:10:14,920 --> 00:10:17,679 Speaker 1: dollars in food stamps, but you only get twenty to 164 00:10:17,840 --> 00:10:20,800 Speaker 1: fifty in cash. So if you're somebody who's living in 165 00:10:20,800 --> 00:10:23,800 Speaker 1: the shelter. And let's say like you're a student, or 166 00:10:24,040 --> 00:10:26,440 Speaker 1: you work in part time, or you're going back and 167 00:10:26,480 --> 00:10:29,360 Speaker 1: forth to take care of your kids or whatever. You 168 00:10:29,440 --> 00:10:33,840 Speaker 1: have to basically survival for forty five a month. Wow, 169 00:10:34,320 --> 00:10:39,080 Speaker 1: And it makes no sense because they our shelter, you 170 00:10:39,120 --> 00:10:41,480 Speaker 1: get three meals a day, but they're giving you two 171 00:10:41,559 --> 00:10:44,160 Speaker 1: hundred and fifty and food stamps and you can't cook 172 00:10:44,240 --> 00:10:49,680 Speaker 1: inside our facility the food stamps exactly, so you're pretty 173 00:10:49,720 --> 00:10:53,280 Speaker 1: much eating eating sandwiches. So it just really depends. You 174 00:10:53,320 --> 00:10:56,000 Speaker 1: have some clients who just eat sandwiches or day. You 175 00:10:56,080 --> 00:10:58,480 Speaker 1: have some clients who cash their stamps in at the 176 00:10:58,520 --> 00:11:01,240 Speaker 1: local corner stores. You have some clients who are using 177 00:11:01,280 --> 00:11:04,600 Speaker 1: their food stamps to portas drugs. So it just really 178 00:11:04,640 --> 00:11:08,880 Speaker 1: depends on the individual and how long can a person 179 00:11:09,000 --> 00:11:14,760 Speaker 1: stay as long as they want to mm hmm as 180 00:11:14,840 --> 00:11:20,400 Speaker 1: long as they want to. So weach so because because um, 181 00:11:20,440 --> 00:11:23,080 Speaker 1: because they are they have a mental So I know, 182 00:11:23,400 --> 00:11:25,400 Speaker 1: I don't know how it is at the gem POP 183 00:11:25,440 --> 00:11:28,960 Speaker 1: shelters is the general population shelters, so for individuals who 184 00:11:29,000 --> 00:11:32,440 Speaker 1: may not have a mental illness or a substance abuse, 185 00:11:32,480 --> 00:11:35,360 Speaker 1: but they may have something more medically wrong with them, 186 00:11:35,360 --> 00:11:38,640 Speaker 1: but I know for mental health you have you can 187 00:11:38,679 --> 00:11:41,400 Speaker 1: still like I have clients. I have clients who have 188 00:11:41,800 --> 00:11:44,880 Speaker 1: thirty years shelter histories, right, and all they do is 189 00:11:44,920 --> 00:11:47,079 Speaker 1: get transferred from shelter to the shouts, to the shelter 190 00:11:47,080 --> 00:11:52,720 Speaker 1: to the shelter mm hmm. And at this point I 191 00:11:52,720 --> 00:11:54,960 Speaker 1: would probably think that they just okay with that, right, 192 00:11:55,120 --> 00:11:57,199 Speaker 1: I mean, especially if they have mental health issues or 193 00:11:57,240 --> 00:12:01,000 Speaker 1: substance abuse, So they're okay with it because you know, 194 00:12:01,080 --> 00:12:04,760 Speaker 1: that's the way the system designed it. So it's it's 195 00:12:05,000 --> 00:12:12,199 Speaker 1: very it's troubling because they get this. So if you 196 00:12:12,280 --> 00:12:14,760 Speaker 1: have a client who's getting Social Security, they're getting nine 197 00:12:14,800 --> 00:12:17,120 Speaker 1: hundred dollars a month if they have a mental illness, 198 00:12:17,240 --> 00:12:19,760 Speaker 1: and if they have the dual diagnosis of having a 199 00:12:19,800 --> 00:12:22,920 Speaker 1: mental illness and having a substance of these issues and 200 00:12:22,960 --> 00:12:25,840 Speaker 1: they're not on medication, they're taking that money and they're 201 00:12:25,840 --> 00:12:28,439 Speaker 1: buying drugs. As soon as the first hit they out, 202 00:12:28,480 --> 00:12:31,120 Speaker 1: they're getting their drugs. They're doing what they do, and 203 00:12:31,160 --> 00:12:33,400 Speaker 1: once all the money is spent, they come right back 204 00:12:33,400 --> 00:12:37,920 Speaker 1: to the sheets and it's the same. Right. So it's 205 00:12:37,960 --> 00:12:41,319 Speaker 1: like you you become so wrapped up into that world 206 00:12:41,360 --> 00:12:43,920 Speaker 1: that you're not noticing. Year one just went by, year 207 00:12:43,960 --> 00:12:46,360 Speaker 1: two just went by, year three just went by. And 208 00:12:46,480 --> 00:12:50,760 Speaker 1: now you're institutionalized. Now you're complacent. So getting out of 209 00:12:50,760 --> 00:12:53,880 Speaker 1: shelter is no longer a priority because you're telling me 210 00:12:54,000 --> 00:12:57,040 Speaker 1: that I get to live somewhere for free, I get 211 00:12:57,080 --> 00:12:59,240 Speaker 1: three meals a day when I need it. I get 212 00:12:59,280 --> 00:13:03,400 Speaker 1: to keep all my money, and y'all can't turn me away. 213 00:13:03,520 --> 00:13:05,240 Speaker 1: So you're telling me that you want me to trade 214 00:13:05,320 --> 00:13:09,480 Speaker 1: all of that in to go to somebody's building, pay rent, 215 00:13:09,800 --> 00:13:13,760 Speaker 1: pay utilities, not have access to all my funds, not 216 00:13:13,840 --> 00:13:15,640 Speaker 1: be able to do whatever it is that I want 217 00:13:15,640 --> 00:13:18,559 Speaker 1: to do with my money. To them, it doesn't make sense. 218 00:13:18,559 --> 00:13:20,680 Speaker 1: So they're saying, so what if I have to deal 219 00:13:20,679 --> 00:13:23,319 Speaker 1: with living in the room with twelve other women? So 220 00:13:23,360 --> 00:13:25,640 Speaker 1: what if I have to do because in their mind 221 00:13:25,720 --> 00:13:32,800 Speaker 1: they're saying, okay, right exactly, and even if they so, 222 00:13:33,000 --> 00:13:34,800 Speaker 1: even if they have to have a curfew, So like 223 00:13:34,840 --> 00:13:37,680 Speaker 1: there's a curfew, you gotta be in for your bed 224 00:13:37,720 --> 00:13:42,400 Speaker 1: by ten o'clock. For most of them, who cares during 225 00:13:42,400 --> 00:13:44,720 Speaker 1: the winter it's too cold to be outside. Some'thing just 226 00:13:44,760 --> 00:13:48,600 Speaker 1: come inside anyway, summertime. A lot of people lose their 227 00:13:48,600 --> 00:13:52,800 Speaker 1: beds constantly. And then what do you mean gona lose 228 00:13:52,800 --> 00:13:56,760 Speaker 1: their beds? So if you come, if you come in after, 229 00:13:57,240 --> 00:14:00,079 Speaker 1: if you come in after curfew, so say so, we 230 00:14:00,120 --> 00:14:03,960 Speaker 1: don't give like passes. You only get passes like late 231 00:14:03,960 --> 00:14:07,480 Speaker 1: passes are overnight passes. If you're working other than that, 232 00:14:07,600 --> 00:14:10,720 Speaker 1: it's no like we you saw clients Style would come 233 00:14:10,760 --> 00:14:12,520 Speaker 1: and say, oh, my sister wants me to watch our 234 00:14:12,600 --> 00:14:16,400 Speaker 1: kids um Friday night, So I can't. I can't make 235 00:14:16,440 --> 00:14:19,400 Speaker 1: curfew right, you can't get a bed for you can't 236 00:14:19,400 --> 00:14:22,520 Speaker 1: get a pass for that. So if you come in, 237 00:14:22,680 --> 00:14:25,480 Speaker 1: pass curfew and best sign it where you have to 238 00:14:25,480 --> 00:14:28,600 Speaker 1: physically wake up at ten o'clock sign for your bed. 239 00:14:28,720 --> 00:14:31,440 Speaker 1: If you come in pass um past best sign, and 240 00:14:31,480 --> 00:14:34,080 Speaker 1: you run a risk of losing your bed. So that 241 00:14:34,120 --> 00:14:37,080 Speaker 1: means we take all your property, whatever you have in 242 00:14:37,120 --> 00:14:39,560 Speaker 1: your lockers, whatever you have on your on your bed. 243 00:14:39,640 --> 00:14:42,720 Speaker 1: We bag everything up, tag it up, put it in 244 00:14:42,760 --> 00:14:45,800 Speaker 1: a closet somewhere, and then you have to wait. You 245 00:14:45,800 --> 00:14:48,720 Speaker 1: have to wait until the whole bed sign is done, 246 00:14:48,840 --> 00:14:51,520 Speaker 1: until the whole count is done, and then you have 247 00:14:51,560 --> 00:14:54,080 Speaker 1: to wait to see if there's any new clients coming 248 00:14:54,120 --> 00:14:57,080 Speaker 1: in and then you can possibly get your bed back. 249 00:14:58,520 --> 00:15:01,800 Speaker 1: So can you explain how, like how the rooms are 250 00:15:01,840 --> 00:15:04,400 Speaker 1: like set up, because I can imagine I'm thinking, like 251 00:15:04,440 --> 00:15:06,280 Speaker 1: I'm trying to think of it in my brain. You know, 252 00:15:06,280 --> 00:15:07,880 Speaker 1: I've never been inside of a shelter, but I would 253 00:15:07,920 --> 00:15:11,240 Speaker 1: assume that there was like like everybody can't go to 254 00:15:11,320 --> 00:15:14,040 Speaker 1: a certain point where where the women sleep at right 255 00:15:14,240 --> 00:15:17,280 Speaker 1: unless you have access to it, I mean my shots. 256 00:15:17,480 --> 00:15:21,920 Speaker 1: So it's just it's like dormitory style. So it's just like, um, 257 00:15:21,960 --> 00:15:25,800 Speaker 1: it's big rooms where it may be like eight eight 258 00:15:25,840 --> 00:15:29,560 Speaker 1: beds in one room, two beds here, ten beds here, 259 00:15:30,040 --> 00:15:33,080 Speaker 1: but I mean everybody is like I could go into 260 00:15:33,160 --> 00:15:35,800 Speaker 1: your room, you can go into my room. There's like 261 00:15:35,840 --> 00:15:40,480 Speaker 1: a community bathroom. And then I was just that's that's 262 00:15:40,520 --> 00:15:44,720 Speaker 1: the shutter. Mm hmm. So what are some requirements to 263 00:15:44,720 --> 00:15:46,560 Speaker 1: work there? Because I would assuming that you would have 264 00:15:46,600 --> 00:15:50,360 Speaker 1: to have like certain characteristic traits, so you just need 265 00:15:50,480 --> 00:15:54,640 Speaker 1: to it's good pains, but but for the most part, 266 00:15:54,720 --> 00:15:59,640 Speaker 1: you just need to have a high school diploma and 267 00:16:00,000 --> 00:16:04,000 Speaker 1: and yeah, that's about it. I mean it depends like 268 00:16:04,040 --> 00:16:05,840 Speaker 1: if you if you're gonna be a case manager, and 269 00:16:05,880 --> 00:16:08,800 Speaker 1: stuff you have to have like a bachelor's degree or whatever, 270 00:16:08,840 --> 00:16:12,160 Speaker 1: because you can't really tell people's qualities until you actually 271 00:16:12,240 --> 00:16:17,320 Speaker 1: start working. Mm hmm, So you can't really base it 272 00:16:17,320 --> 00:16:20,360 Speaker 1: over that. Everything is kind of like education based. So 273 00:16:20,480 --> 00:16:24,160 Speaker 1: what can you bring to the table? Mm hmm. And 274 00:16:24,240 --> 00:16:27,920 Speaker 1: I'm just curious who funds the shelters because the reason 275 00:16:27,920 --> 00:16:29,240 Speaker 1: why I asked is when I do like a lot 276 00:16:29,320 --> 00:16:31,920 Speaker 1: of research and I was looking into a voluntineery at shelter, 277 00:16:32,360 --> 00:16:36,200 Speaker 1: the reviews pretty much with saying how these shelters are 278 00:16:36,240 --> 00:16:41,040 Speaker 1: not up to standards. They're not. So my shelter is 279 00:16:41,080 --> 00:16:43,960 Speaker 1: funded by the Department of Homeless Services, the New York 280 00:16:43,960 --> 00:16:46,920 Speaker 1: City Department of Homeless Services, which is how most of 281 00:16:46,960 --> 00:16:53,800 Speaker 1: the shelters our Funday, And um, yes, so I worked 282 00:16:53,840 --> 00:16:55,880 Speaker 1: the company I work for. You can have companies that 283 00:16:55,920 --> 00:17:00,160 Speaker 1: are like not for profit that are for profit. It's 284 00:17:00,200 --> 00:17:04,960 Speaker 1: just pretty much it just really depends. So how often 285 00:17:05,000 --> 00:17:07,719 Speaker 1: are inspections then, because if the shelter is not up 286 00:17:07,720 --> 00:17:09,400 Speaker 1: to standard there, it's not safe for people to live 287 00:17:09,440 --> 00:17:11,720 Speaker 1: there or for people to work there, right, so we're 288 00:17:11,760 --> 00:17:14,720 Speaker 1: doing some inspections. Is done twice a year. We actually 289 00:17:14,800 --> 00:17:19,520 Speaker 1: had our inspection today something. Ye, inspections are done twice 290 00:17:19,560 --> 00:17:22,600 Speaker 1: a year, I mean every so often you will have 291 00:17:22,840 --> 00:17:27,840 Speaker 1: like National Grid or f D and wise. You know, 292 00:17:28,480 --> 00:17:31,960 Speaker 1: sometimes people will compete their head in or if the 293 00:17:32,160 --> 00:17:35,119 Speaker 1: ladies put in a complaint with the Coalition for the Homeless, 294 00:17:35,560 --> 00:17:38,399 Speaker 1: they would come in and you know, just observe and 295 00:17:38,440 --> 00:17:42,320 Speaker 1: see like what's actually going on. But most shelters you 296 00:17:42,400 --> 00:17:45,119 Speaker 1: have to physically like be having a client live in 297 00:17:45,200 --> 00:17:49,040 Speaker 1: like filth in order for it to be deemed inhabitable. 298 00:17:49,920 --> 00:17:52,199 Speaker 1: And that's really not the case because if you have 299 00:17:52,720 --> 00:17:56,560 Speaker 1: if you have like a housekeeping staff, if you have um, 300 00:17:56,600 --> 00:17:59,080 Speaker 1: if you have people who take care of the building, 301 00:17:59,240 --> 00:18:02,160 Speaker 1: it's never gonna look like the building is not being 302 00:18:02,200 --> 00:18:05,040 Speaker 1: taken care of. But then you also they also take 303 00:18:05,080 --> 00:18:08,040 Speaker 1: into account that these are again women who are suffering 304 00:18:08,080 --> 00:18:11,440 Speaker 1: with mont mental illness, so they may not keep their 305 00:18:11,520 --> 00:18:15,560 Speaker 1: spaces as clean. So you can't hold that to the 306 00:18:15,600 --> 00:18:18,840 Speaker 1: four of of the staff. You can't hold that to 307 00:18:18,840 --> 00:18:21,800 Speaker 1: the four of the building of the provider. So it's 308 00:18:21,840 --> 00:18:25,320 Speaker 1: just it's so many layers. Do you think there's would 309 00:18:25,320 --> 00:18:27,320 Speaker 1: be more expections throughout the year, because twice a year 310 00:18:27,440 --> 00:18:33,880 Speaker 1: is nothing um no, only because like I said, when 311 00:18:33,920 --> 00:18:38,440 Speaker 1: you're dealing with women who have mental illness and drug addiction, right, 312 00:18:39,040 --> 00:18:42,840 Speaker 1: they keeping Now, you have some clients who are like 313 00:18:42,960 --> 00:18:46,880 Speaker 1: super clean, very meticulous, keeping the area every day, making 314 00:18:46,960 --> 00:18:49,040 Speaker 1: up their bed, doing all these and then you have 315 00:18:49,160 --> 00:18:51,560 Speaker 1: other ones who they don't care if they gotta finish 316 00:18:51,600 --> 00:18:54,040 Speaker 1: sheet on the bed, they don't care if they if they, 317 00:18:54,160 --> 00:18:56,360 Speaker 1: if they sometimes they may want to sleep on the floor, 318 00:18:56,400 --> 00:18:58,879 Speaker 1: They're gonna sleep on the chair. So it's just like 319 00:18:59,000 --> 00:19:02,600 Speaker 1: to do constantly inspections, it wouldn't make any sense because 320 00:19:02,640 --> 00:19:05,119 Speaker 1: you just really never know what you're gonna get because 321 00:19:05,119 --> 00:19:07,880 Speaker 1: you're dealing with a hundred of women who are all 322 00:19:07,960 --> 00:19:12,639 Speaker 1: suffering from some type of mental illness. And if they 323 00:19:12,680 --> 00:19:16,639 Speaker 1: if they in their psychosis, then you can't really expect 324 00:19:16,720 --> 00:19:18,800 Speaker 1: that they're gonna be trying to keep areas tidy, to 325 00:19:18,920 --> 00:19:21,560 Speaker 1: keep areas clean, and the staff they really do the 326 00:19:21,600 --> 00:19:25,760 Speaker 1: best that they can. But when you're battling a mental illness, 327 00:19:25,920 --> 00:19:30,040 Speaker 1: there's just that's a whole different kind of beasts. And 328 00:19:30,119 --> 00:19:34,840 Speaker 1: I can only imagine how every day it's a different day. Yeah, 329 00:19:35,040 --> 00:19:40,520 Speaker 1: I mean, like we have we have our slow moments. 330 00:19:40,680 --> 00:19:42,840 Speaker 1: We have at this some days and not come into 331 00:19:42,840 --> 00:19:45,480 Speaker 1: work and ain't not going on just like, thank Jesus, 332 00:19:45,600 --> 00:19:47,879 Speaker 1: I'm just sit in my office and be cool. And 333 00:19:47,880 --> 00:19:51,040 Speaker 1: then there's other days with you know, I'm looking at 334 00:19:51,080 --> 00:19:53,320 Speaker 1: women who are twice for my mother's age, and I'm 335 00:19:53,400 --> 00:19:56,400 Speaker 1: yelling at them because they don't overdose, Like I got 336 00:19:56,440 --> 00:19:59,159 Speaker 1: clients who are You walk into the building and you 337 00:19:59,280 --> 00:20:02,840 Speaker 1: just you read an incident reports or you're just hearing 338 00:20:02,880 --> 00:20:04,840 Speaker 1: things because you know, a lot of times the clients 339 00:20:04,840 --> 00:20:06,679 Speaker 1: they will come down and tell you what's going on 340 00:20:07,480 --> 00:20:10,720 Speaker 1: because we can't even though it's a twenty four hours 341 00:20:11,200 --> 00:20:16,639 Speaker 1: facility where we're we're staffed twenty four hours, you can't 342 00:20:16,720 --> 00:20:20,280 Speaker 1: catch everything. And then because you're dealing with clients who 343 00:20:20,400 --> 00:20:23,480 Speaker 1: have such lengthy shouts of histories, they know how to 344 00:20:23,520 --> 00:20:25,840 Speaker 1: do what they're gonna do when they want to do it. 345 00:20:25,960 --> 00:20:30,080 Speaker 1: So the system exactly, so a lot of times we 346 00:20:30,200 --> 00:20:33,840 Speaker 1: have to rely on the clients to come down and 347 00:20:33,920 --> 00:20:36,879 Speaker 1: let us know, like listen, y'all need to check on 348 00:20:36,960 --> 00:20:39,359 Speaker 1: this one because this is what's going on, or I 349 00:20:39,400 --> 00:20:42,080 Speaker 1: saw it is and I saw that and then we 350 00:20:42,200 --> 00:20:45,840 Speaker 1: just gotta take it from them. Mm hmm. Can you 351 00:20:45,880 --> 00:20:49,720 Speaker 1: speak more about your position and responsibilities on a daily basis. 352 00:20:50,720 --> 00:20:56,440 Speaker 1: So I am seeing housing coordinator where I'm responsible for 353 00:20:57,160 --> 00:21:00,600 Speaker 1: basically finding housing for the homeless women's So we we 354 00:21:00,760 --> 00:21:04,119 Speaker 1: deal with two types of housing programs, which is a 355 00:21:04,200 --> 00:21:10,199 Speaker 1: supportive housing and UM city felps city felps housing. So 356 00:21:10,280 --> 00:21:15,960 Speaker 1: supportive housing is housing for individuals who have mental illness 357 00:21:16,160 --> 00:21:20,880 Speaker 1: and or substance abuse. They're specific providers out there who 358 00:21:21,080 --> 00:21:25,600 Speaker 1: who have apartments, who have rooms, who have actual complete 359 00:21:25,600 --> 00:21:32,440 Speaker 1: buildings where they're responsible for housing homeless individuals who may 360 00:21:32,520 --> 00:21:36,000 Speaker 1: need extra support. So that's gonna be case management, on 361 00:21:36,160 --> 00:21:40,240 Speaker 1: site medication monitoring, those type of things. So that's what 362 00:21:40,359 --> 00:21:43,960 Speaker 1: we mainly pushed because a lot of times our clients 363 00:21:45,119 --> 00:21:47,679 Speaker 1: they've been a shout for so long that you know, 364 00:21:47,840 --> 00:21:51,239 Speaker 1: it's like you forget, like I taught my clients all 365 00:21:51,240 --> 00:21:55,879 Speaker 1: the time. Even sometimes I will forget, like oh snaple'ly 366 00:21:55,880 --> 00:21:58,760 Speaker 1: gonna pay my life bill. Oh my god, it's time 367 00:21:58,840 --> 00:22:01,480 Speaker 1: for my phone better get paid, you know. So it's 368 00:22:01,880 --> 00:22:04,160 Speaker 1: it's like, can you imagine you've been living in show 369 00:22:04,240 --> 00:22:06,879 Speaker 1: to three years where you ain't you haven't had to 370 00:22:06,880 --> 00:22:09,919 Speaker 1: worry about paying no utility bill, you haven't had to 371 00:22:09,960 --> 00:22:13,520 Speaker 1: worry about paying your rent. So being a supportive housing. 372 00:22:14,200 --> 00:22:17,280 Speaker 1: It just adds a little extra level of support. So 373 00:22:17,320 --> 00:22:20,560 Speaker 1: with supportive housing, you can either live in a studio 374 00:22:20,840 --> 00:22:23,840 Speaker 1: or you can do a shared apartment. So the shared 375 00:22:23,840 --> 00:22:29,040 Speaker 1: apartment looks like two bedroom unit. Um, you have your 376 00:22:29,080 --> 00:22:32,200 Speaker 1: own room, I have my own room. We shared bathroom, kitchen, 377 00:22:32,200 --> 00:22:37,960 Speaker 1: and living room. Studio units, that's just it's just a studio. 378 00:22:38,440 --> 00:22:40,960 Speaker 1: And and one thing that I always try to make 379 00:22:41,040 --> 00:22:44,960 Speaker 1: mention to my clients is that supportive housing doesn't look 380 00:22:44,960 --> 00:22:47,320 Speaker 1: how we used to look in the past. So now 381 00:22:47,400 --> 00:22:51,159 Speaker 1: supportive hous what do you mean by that? So people 382 00:22:51,320 --> 00:22:56,119 Speaker 1: used to have this conception of supportive housing, like where 383 00:22:56,160 --> 00:22:59,679 Speaker 1: people is just in your business and staff had just 384 00:22:59,720 --> 00:23:04,040 Speaker 1: come up pushing your door, opening your door whatever. Supportive housing. 385 00:23:04,119 --> 00:23:06,679 Speaker 1: A lot of programs are now in a lot of 386 00:23:06,680 --> 00:23:10,199 Speaker 1: these affordable housing buildings. So a lot of the housing 387 00:23:10,280 --> 00:23:15,560 Speaker 1: connect buildings that people are applying to it has sections 388 00:23:16,080 --> 00:23:20,399 Speaker 1: strictly for supportive housing. So that may be like through CANBA, 389 00:23:20,560 --> 00:23:23,400 Speaker 1: through the Block Institute. So it's no longer like these 390 00:23:23,440 --> 00:23:27,199 Speaker 1: little rundown studio apartments where you're getting you're getting like 391 00:23:27,600 --> 00:23:32,920 Speaker 1: quality apartments, brand new apartments, brand new things, fully furnished 392 00:23:33,359 --> 00:23:36,560 Speaker 1: and you know it and then it comes with Sometimes 393 00:23:36,560 --> 00:23:40,520 Speaker 1: it may come with Section eight. Sometimes it just really 394 00:23:40,560 --> 00:23:43,560 Speaker 1: depends when the provider of what they're offering. So we 395 00:23:43,720 --> 00:23:48,800 Speaker 1: just kind of push it because I firmly believe that 396 00:23:48,840 --> 00:23:52,560 Speaker 1: everybody needs to help a step, help get into that 397 00:23:52,680 --> 00:23:56,160 Speaker 1: next step, and to just throw them out there. I've 398 00:23:56,160 --> 00:24:00,119 Speaker 1: had so many clients returned back. Do you think but 399 00:24:00,240 --> 00:24:03,520 Speaker 1: for one, what you're just described sounds like the lottery 400 00:24:03,600 --> 00:24:06,719 Speaker 1: to me, and for those who don't live in New 401 00:24:06,800 --> 00:24:09,480 Speaker 1: York the lottery, I'm pretty sure other states have it. 402 00:24:09,560 --> 00:24:11,480 Speaker 1: But the lottery is like you can live in a 403 00:24:11,520 --> 00:24:15,359 Speaker 1: really nice luxury building and pay a fraction of the 404 00:24:15,359 --> 00:24:18,560 Speaker 1: price that they're asking for other people that pay in rent, right, 405 00:24:19,160 --> 00:24:21,080 Speaker 1: So that's what it's suning to me. But I also 406 00:24:21,200 --> 00:24:24,560 Speaker 1: felt like, for all the people who've been in the 407 00:24:24,680 --> 00:24:28,760 Speaker 1: shelters for like thirty plus years and so on, do 408 00:24:28,840 --> 00:24:32,679 Speaker 1: you like the shelter kind of handicap them? Absolutely? The 409 00:24:32,760 --> 00:24:35,439 Speaker 1: shelter is the biggest hen be cap see the thing is, 410 00:24:35,640 --> 00:24:40,560 Speaker 1: but it's designed to do that. So for me, I'm 411 00:24:40,600 --> 00:24:43,960 Speaker 1: just in a place now where I'm feeling more helpless 412 00:24:44,040 --> 00:24:48,720 Speaker 1: than helpful because it's just kind of like when you 413 00:24:48,840 --> 00:24:52,280 Speaker 1: have clients who even even my clients who have two 414 00:24:52,440 --> 00:24:57,720 Speaker 1: year history, they become so complacent there's no accountability in 415 00:24:57,760 --> 00:25:03,600 Speaker 1: the shelter system whatsoever. Actually with mental health and thinking 416 00:25:04,400 --> 00:25:08,120 Speaker 1: that there's no programs or anything to help get them 417 00:25:08,200 --> 00:25:12,520 Speaker 1: started or get them in the habit of being more responsible. Right, 418 00:25:13,359 --> 00:25:17,320 Speaker 1: it's not. It's like it's like a yes and no 419 00:25:17,560 --> 00:25:21,320 Speaker 1: with that right, because it's like again that plays into 420 00:25:21,400 --> 00:25:26,879 Speaker 1: the whole building being understaffed, underfunded, people not willing to pay. 421 00:25:27,400 --> 00:25:33,840 Speaker 1: So it's just like we try. So each client has 422 00:25:33,920 --> 00:25:38,399 Speaker 1: their own case manager and they do individualized live living 423 00:25:38,480 --> 00:25:41,199 Speaker 1: plans so I l p s. They do those with 424 00:25:41,280 --> 00:25:44,560 Speaker 1: the clients where the clients established what they want their 425 00:25:44,640 --> 00:25:49,120 Speaker 1: goals to be while they're in shelter. But a lot 426 00:25:49,160 --> 00:25:52,640 Speaker 1: of times, like I said that mental illness plays such 427 00:25:52,680 --> 00:25:56,560 Speaker 1: a big part and the substance plays an even bigger part. 428 00:25:57,000 --> 00:26:00,719 Speaker 1: So when you have and then it becomes um repetitive 429 00:26:01,200 --> 00:26:03,320 Speaker 1: because now when you have a client who has been 430 00:26:03,359 --> 00:26:06,480 Speaker 1: in shelter a year, two years, they've heard the same 431 00:26:06,520 --> 00:26:10,440 Speaker 1: song and dance, all right, they've heard it you I'm 432 00:26:10,480 --> 00:26:15,160 Speaker 1: not I'm coming in. And then somebody like me when 433 00:26:15,160 --> 00:26:18,760 Speaker 1: I started in the shotter system. I was twenty seven? 434 00:26:19,520 --> 00:26:22,159 Speaker 1: What do I know about being homeless? Right? What do 435 00:26:22,200 --> 00:26:25,240 Speaker 1: I know about dealing with a mental illness and drug addiction? 436 00:26:25,640 --> 00:26:28,520 Speaker 1: And here, Riley, am you trying to tell me? I'm 437 00:26:28,640 --> 00:26:34,639 Speaker 1: I'm tasked with having to tell somebody who's my mother's age, like, listen, 438 00:26:35,119 --> 00:26:37,240 Speaker 1: maybe you should do this, maybe you should do that, 439 00:26:37,359 --> 00:26:39,480 Speaker 1: or why don't you try these resources? Or why don't 440 00:26:39,480 --> 00:26:42,600 Speaker 1: you try those resources? They're not checking for me. They're 441 00:26:42,640 --> 00:26:45,239 Speaker 1: looking at me like a little girl. What then are 442 00:26:45,240 --> 00:26:49,440 Speaker 1: you talking about? Like listening to you? And then a 443 00:26:49,520 --> 00:26:51,800 Speaker 1: lot of them would say you ain't saying nothing I 444 00:26:51,880 --> 00:26:55,879 Speaker 1: haven't heard before. So then I lose me stuck in 445 00:26:55,880 --> 00:27:00,159 Speaker 1: a place like, well, so what should I say? You 446 00:27:00,160 --> 00:27:02,639 Speaker 1: know what I'm saying. So at this point, I'm just 447 00:27:02,760 --> 00:27:05,520 Speaker 1: at a place where I'm learning to meet my clients 448 00:27:05,560 --> 00:27:08,960 Speaker 1: where they at. Um. I don't I don't push too 449 00:27:09,040 --> 00:27:13,359 Speaker 1: much on those who I know they're not I could 450 00:27:13,359 --> 00:27:16,840 Speaker 1: look at the clients chart and I'm like, this person 451 00:27:17,000 --> 00:27:21,560 Speaker 1: is not going anywhere period. You can just tell, I 452 00:27:21,640 --> 00:27:24,879 Speaker 1: can just tell. And it's and especially now we're in 453 00:27:24,880 --> 00:27:29,400 Speaker 1: this whole post COVID world where the services everything is virtual, 454 00:27:29,680 --> 00:27:31,720 Speaker 1: everything is and you know, a lot of times when 455 00:27:31,760 --> 00:27:34,880 Speaker 1: you have clients who who are dealing with mental illness, 456 00:27:35,320 --> 00:27:39,640 Speaker 1: they need that in person, they need that, they need 457 00:27:39,640 --> 00:27:42,800 Speaker 1: that sort of stability because you have to remember, then 458 00:27:43,040 --> 00:27:45,120 Speaker 1: a lot of them they're not capable of keeping their 459 00:27:45,119 --> 00:27:50,280 Speaker 1: phones on, they're not capable of maybe maintaining of dealing 460 00:27:50,320 --> 00:27:54,040 Speaker 1: with the iPhone and and doing you know, video calls 461 00:27:54,160 --> 00:27:55,840 Speaker 1: or all those kind of things. And then you have 462 00:27:55,920 --> 00:27:58,120 Speaker 1: to deal with living in the shelter system where somebody's 463 00:27:58,119 --> 00:28:00,680 Speaker 1: always trying to steal your stuff. Some nine times, I'll 464 00:28:00,720 --> 00:28:02,640 Speaker 1: tell your phone get stolen, you can't get a new 465 00:28:02,640 --> 00:28:05,240 Speaker 1: one because you're only living on forty five a month, 466 00:28:05,520 --> 00:28:07,960 Speaker 1: so you can't afford to buy a new one. And 467 00:28:08,000 --> 00:28:10,880 Speaker 1: then it just becomes a cycle. So now it's like 468 00:28:11,080 --> 00:28:13,200 Speaker 1: you're telling me I gotta go virtual, but I don't 469 00:28:13,240 --> 00:28:17,080 Speaker 1: have no phone to contact you. My case manager she 470 00:28:17,160 --> 00:28:20,159 Speaker 1: can't let me use her dust phone because she got 471 00:28:20,359 --> 00:28:22,600 Speaker 1: she got thirty other claims that she gotta meet with. 472 00:28:23,280 --> 00:28:25,399 Speaker 1: So then it's just like, all right, the services is 473 00:28:25,440 --> 00:28:27,719 Speaker 1: gonna go to the wayside, like it's I'm it's all right, 474 00:28:27,840 --> 00:28:31,480 Speaker 1: It's okay, I'll come, I'll catch the next one, you know, 475 00:28:31,520 --> 00:28:34,360 Speaker 1: what's so funny. When I was working on this on 476 00:28:34,359 --> 00:28:38,160 Speaker 1: our conversation, I didn't even think about the pandemic. And 477 00:28:38,160 --> 00:28:39,959 Speaker 1: it's so funny that you brought that up. Because I 478 00:28:40,000 --> 00:28:43,120 Speaker 1: was reading an article that went viral about this girl 479 00:28:43,640 --> 00:28:49,000 Speaker 1: her brother suffers from mental health issues, and she was saying, 480 00:28:49,040 --> 00:28:52,000 Speaker 1: how like she's a well, like she's I don't think 481 00:28:52,000 --> 00:28:55,000 Speaker 1: she was famous, but like she has money honestly, so 482 00:28:55,320 --> 00:28:57,920 Speaker 1: she wanted up her brother all the other stuff. But 483 00:28:58,880 --> 00:29:01,160 Speaker 1: because of where he was at mentally, he wasn't able 484 00:29:01,200 --> 00:29:04,960 Speaker 1: to understand what was going on in the world, which 485 00:29:05,040 --> 00:29:08,720 Speaker 1: was the pandemic. So how does the pandemic affect the shelters? 486 00:29:09,560 --> 00:29:13,480 Speaker 1: So but I think don only imagine that there had 487 00:29:13,520 --> 00:29:16,560 Speaker 1: to be an influx on more people trying to get in. 488 00:29:17,400 --> 00:29:20,400 Speaker 1: It was definitely an influx. And then what happened is 489 00:29:20,440 --> 00:29:26,360 Speaker 1: we ended up moving into hotels. So because studying data 490 00:29:26,400 --> 00:29:29,720 Speaker 1: and want there was a lot of complaints being made 491 00:29:29,800 --> 00:29:32,480 Speaker 1: to the Coalition for the Homeless about you know, we're 492 00:29:32,520 --> 00:29:34,800 Speaker 1: too close in the in the building and all that 493 00:29:34,880 --> 00:29:37,959 Speaker 1: kind of stuff. So we ended up moving into hotels, 494 00:29:38,600 --> 00:29:42,160 Speaker 1: which they the ladies, they loved it because now I mean, 495 00:29:42,160 --> 00:29:46,840 Speaker 1: I have a exactly. So now I have my own room. Well, 496 00:29:47,120 --> 00:29:49,280 Speaker 1: some some of them had their own room, but then 497 00:29:49,360 --> 00:29:52,280 Speaker 1: most of them had to share, so they still it's 498 00:29:52,600 --> 00:29:55,040 Speaker 1: still like two people to a room, but then you 499 00:29:55,080 --> 00:29:57,280 Speaker 1: have your own bathroom, you have a TV, you have 500 00:29:57,320 --> 00:30:00,080 Speaker 1: a microwave, you have a phradge, so all the luxury 501 00:30:00,120 --> 00:30:02,760 Speaker 1: that you don't have in the shelter you now have. 502 00:30:03,040 --> 00:30:05,280 Speaker 1: So you could bring your food in and heat your 503 00:30:05,280 --> 00:30:08,360 Speaker 1: food up. Right. So it was kind of like a 504 00:30:08,440 --> 00:30:11,320 Speaker 1: new World where the ladies is like, oh, this is bomb, Like, 505 00:30:11,440 --> 00:30:14,840 Speaker 1: we ain't going nowhere. So that's that's also contributed to 506 00:30:14,880 --> 00:30:17,720 Speaker 1: the influx because they're saying like, yo, we could live 507 00:30:17,840 --> 00:30:21,360 Speaker 1: like this, and again we ain't paying over it. If 508 00:30:21,400 --> 00:30:23,360 Speaker 1: I want to run the air or night, I could 509 00:30:23,360 --> 00:30:25,240 Speaker 1: do that, and I know I'm not getting no bill 510 00:30:25,320 --> 00:30:27,240 Speaker 1: at the end of the day. If I want to 511 00:30:27,240 --> 00:30:28,560 Speaker 1: sleep at the light, I don't want to sleep at 512 00:30:28,560 --> 00:30:30,440 Speaker 1: it off. If I'm gonna keep the heat on all day, 513 00:30:30,480 --> 00:30:32,720 Speaker 1: I could do that. If I want to watch my TV, 514 00:30:32,880 --> 00:30:36,920 Speaker 1: I could do that. So it was it definitely aided 515 00:30:36,960 --> 00:30:41,160 Speaker 1: to the whole lack of accountability thing because it was 516 00:30:41,200 --> 00:30:44,560 Speaker 1: just like there was this there became this expectation. So 517 00:30:44,680 --> 00:30:48,040 Speaker 1: now you have housekeeping coming around ever ever so often, 518 00:30:48,400 --> 00:30:51,840 Speaker 1: cleaning up your room, cleaning up your bathroom, they vacuum in, 519 00:30:51,920 --> 00:30:56,600 Speaker 1: they you got. Um, we had like a laundry service 520 00:30:56,640 --> 00:30:59,200 Speaker 1: and neighborhood laundry service that was coming to the hotel 521 00:30:59,640 --> 00:31:03,080 Speaker 1: picking up the ladies laundry, washing it, folding it, bringing 522 00:31:03,080 --> 00:31:07,880 Speaker 1: it back to the hotel. So they became super comfortable. 523 00:31:08,560 --> 00:31:12,520 Speaker 1: And I think that just it contributed to the laziness. 524 00:31:13,040 --> 00:31:16,520 Speaker 1: It contributed to this whole theory of you need to 525 00:31:16,560 --> 00:31:20,080 Speaker 1: do this for me. You got a tightled it exactly. 526 00:31:20,920 --> 00:31:24,640 Speaker 1: Mm hmmm, damn, I wish that was the hotel for free, 527 00:31:25,600 --> 00:31:31,680 Speaker 1: right and then somebody watching my clothes exactly. So in 528 00:31:31,760 --> 00:31:35,480 Speaker 1: what ways does your job affect you? Because you were 529 00:31:35,520 --> 00:31:38,160 Speaker 1: this a five year so I don't Yeah, I heard that. 530 00:31:40,600 --> 00:31:46,600 Speaker 1: I'm definitely right now. I'm definitely jaded. I'm definitely jaded, 531 00:31:47,000 --> 00:31:51,720 Speaker 1: Like because I've been doing this for so long. I 532 00:31:51,800 --> 00:31:54,800 Speaker 1: know how to speak to my clients, I know how 533 00:31:54,800 --> 00:31:57,720 Speaker 1: to speak to my staff, I know how to interact 534 00:31:57,760 --> 00:32:00,400 Speaker 1: with my staff, I know how to interact with with 535 00:32:00,640 --> 00:32:06,040 Speaker 1: upper management. Um. But I'm definitely in a place now 536 00:32:06,080 --> 00:32:08,600 Speaker 1: where I'm like all right, I'm over this because I 537 00:32:08,720 --> 00:32:11,120 Speaker 1: see the lot and I see that nothing is being 538 00:32:11,160 --> 00:32:13,680 Speaker 1: done about it. So at this point in my life, 539 00:32:13,800 --> 00:32:17,160 Speaker 1: I'm like, I can't continue to contribute to this. So 540 00:32:17,280 --> 00:32:22,600 Speaker 1: even like today we had our big inspection and they 541 00:32:22,680 --> 00:32:25,440 Speaker 1: kept calling me to the floor because the clients were 542 00:32:25,520 --> 00:32:28,720 Speaker 1: piste off, right, I said to my team before we 543 00:32:28,880 --> 00:32:32,160 Speaker 1: before we even hit the dorms, I started, listen, the 544 00:32:32,200 --> 00:32:35,240 Speaker 1: most important thing when you go up there, you're not 545 00:32:35,920 --> 00:32:38,760 Speaker 1: you say good morning. Listen, ladies, you give them the 546 00:32:38,760 --> 00:32:43,560 Speaker 1: whole rundown about what's about to happen. So how it works, 547 00:32:43,560 --> 00:32:46,080 Speaker 1: as we go into the dorms, we take all the clutter, 548 00:32:46,240 --> 00:32:49,320 Speaker 1: so whatever property that they have on their lockers, whatever 549 00:32:49,320 --> 00:32:52,480 Speaker 1: they have underneath their bed, we tag it, we bag it, 550 00:32:52,920 --> 00:32:55,200 Speaker 1: and then we come around. We give them new sheets, 551 00:32:55,600 --> 00:33:00,320 Speaker 1: new kids, new new feminine hiking products, like all blank kids. 552 00:33:00,360 --> 00:33:02,600 Speaker 1: We give them everything new. But a lot of the 553 00:33:02,720 --> 00:33:06,320 Speaker 1: ladies were like, we live here, and y'all trying to 554 00:33:06,360 --> 00:33:09,440 Speaker 1: make it seem like we don't live here. M hmm. 555 00:33:10,120 --> 00:33:11,960 Speaker 1: And a lot of the staff is like, listen, we're 556 00:33:12,000 --> 00:33:14,520 Speaker 1: just doing our job. We gotta do this, we gotta 557 00:33:14,560 --> 00:33:16,280 Speaker 1: do this. And I went up there and I just 558 00:33:16,440 --> 00:33:19,280 Speaker 1: was like, you know what, ladies, listen, I get it. 559 00:33:19,680 --> 00:33:22,960 Speaker 1: Y'all do live here. You shouldn't have to pull all 560 00:33:22,960 --> 00:33:25,720 Speaker 1: your blankets off and pull all your pull all your 561 00:33:25,720 --> 00:33:28,640 Speaker 1: pillows off, and put all your little trinkets away, all 562 00:33:28,720 --> 00:33:31,160 Speaker 1: your me mentos when you live like this three hundred 563 00:33:31,200 --> 00:33:33,520 Speaker 1: and sixty four days out the year and then here 564 00:33:33,560 --> 00:33:36,440 Speaker 1: coming this one day and we're turning y'all that I 565 00:33:36,440 --> 00:33:39,280 Speaker 1: gotta pack it away and they don't want to, and 566 00:33:39,320 --> 00:33:42,160 Speaker 1: they shouldn't have to. So I just feel like my 567 00:33:42,240 --> 00:33:45,360 Speaker 1: experience in the shelter it shows like I know how 568 00:33:45,400 --> 00:33:48,280 Speaker 1: to talk to them, and I have my empathy. My 569 00:33:48,400 --> 00:33:51,040 Speaker 1: empathy is always there. Working in the show to system 570 00:33:51,360 --> 00:33:56,160 Speaker 1: has definitely increased my empathy for people, especially my clients. 571 00:33:56,240 --> 00:33:58,800 Speaker 1: My patients not so much because I'm not gonna lie 572 00:33:58,880 --> 00:34:04,040 Speaker 1: I that my staff tells me that I have fantastic patients, 573 00:34:04,120 --> 00:34:06,240 Speaker 1: and a lot of my friends they're always like, yo, 574 00:34:06,360 --> 00:34:08,959 Speaker 1: I don't know how you do it, And in my mind, 575 00:34:09,040 --> 00:34:11,759 Speaker 1: I'm just like, listen, I'm just doing it. I've been 576 00:34:11,800 --> 00:34:14,160 Speaker 1: doing it for so long. It's just it don't even 577 00:34:14,200 --> 00:34:17,000 Speaker 1: seem like I'm doing anything. I'm just doing what I 578 00:34:17,080 --> 00:34:20,279 Speaker 1: know to do. But it's definitely made me jaded in 579 00:34:20,320 --> 00:34:24,160 Speaker 1: the way of I see the lack and I don't 580 00:34:24,200 --> 00:34:27,520 Speaker 1: want to be a part of it anymore because I'm 581 00:34:27,560 --> 00:34:31,920 Speaker 1: just like no, I like, I can't contribute to this anymore. 582 00:34:32,840 --> 00:34:35,120 Speaker 1: And it hurts me because I'm just like Yo, I 583 00:34:35,160 --> 00:34:38,160 Speaker 1: got I got clients my grandmother's age living in here. 584 00:34:38,400 --> 00:34:40,880 Speaker 1: I have. I had one seventy four year old woman. 585 00:34:41,680 --> 00:34:45,719 Speaker 1: She was scheduled for a house an interview for a 586 00:34:45,840 --> 00:34:51,160 Speaker 1: studio in Coney Island, probably like two weeks ago. We 587 00:34:51,440 --> 00:34:55,640 Speaker 1: was good. The day of the interview came, she came down, 588 00:34:55,719 --> 00:34:58,800 Speaker 1: she said, oh, by the way, I'm not doing an interview. 589 00:34:59,480 --> 00:35:02,640 Speaker 1: I'm like, why. So I go to my director and 590 00:35:02,680 --> 00:35:05,440 Speaker 1: I said, listen, we gotta we gotta meet and we 591 00:35:05,520 --> 00:35:09,720 Speaker 1: gotta figure out what the problem is. So this lady, 592 00:35:10,200 --> 00:35:12,640 Speaker 1: she don't wrote down the whole list of why she 593 00:35:13,000 --> 00:35:15,320 Speaker 1: why she don't want to go to the She said, 594 00:35:15,640 --> 00:35:20,200 Speaker 1: the there's no close library. There's no close supermarket, mind you, 595 00:35:20,719 --> 00:35:24,840 Speaker 1: just the week before we had googled everywhere with the 596 00:35:24,960 --> 00:35:28,360 Speaker 1: local library. Is how she's gonna get there to directions everything, 597 00:35:28,360 --> 00:35:30,759 Speaker 1: And she was cool with it, and she looked me 598 00:35:30,880 --> 00:35:33,319 Speaker 1: dead in my face and said to me, I would 599 00:35:33,400 --> 00:35:36,400 Speaker 1: rather diet up stairs than to take the studio and 600 00:35:36,520 --> 00:35:39,680 Speaker 1: Coney Allen. And when she said out to me, it 601 00:35:39,800 --> 00:35:44,040 Speaker 1: triggered me so bad because I'm like, this, that might 602 00:35:44,080 --> 00:35:48,719 Speaker 1: actually be a reality. Right, You're not You're not You're 603 00:35:48,719 --> 00:35:51,120 Speaker 1: not young. And it's not to say young people don't 604 00:35:51,160 --> 00:35:53,919 Speaker 1: die early, but I'm just saying, you're you're seventy four. 605 00:35:54,719 --> 00:35:58,600 Speaker 1: And she's already been attacked unprovoked at that She's already 606 00:35:58,640 --> 00:36:02,600 Speaker 1: been attacked twice in the past and in in that 607 00:36:02,680 --> 00:36:08,080 Speaker 1: past month. So I'm just like, you would rather stay here, 608 00:36:09,400 --> 00:36:12,560 Speaker 1: not knowing when somebody's just gonna box you upside your head, 609 00:36:14,000 --> 00:36:16,520 Speaker 1: then to be in in your own place. And it's 610 00:36:16,600 --> 00:36:21,719 Speaker 1: just it's this whole fear of being alone. Yeah, you know, 611 00:36:21,760 --> 00:36:25,319 Speaker 1: when you was talking about about how the ladies felt 612 00:36:25,320 --> 00:36:26,920 Speaker 1: and had to pass all the ship up and stuff, 613 00:36:27,239 --> 00:36:29,279 Speaker 1: I was thinking, like, damn, I can only imagine how 614 00:36:29,280 --> 00:36:31,880 Speaker 1: traumatizing it is for them to even to do that 615 00:36:32,000 --> 00:36:35,480 Speaker 1: twice a year, because maybe it remind them of how 616 00:36:35,480 --> 00:36:40,280 Speaker 1: they got to where they are now, exactly she said. 617 00:36:40,560 --> 00:36:43,799 Speaker 1: Um one of the ladies was saying to me, like, 618 00:36:44,080 --> 00:36:47,240 Speaker 1: you're not parking at my stuff, Like we're human beings. 619 00:36:47,360 --> 00:36:49,560 Speaker 1: You're not taking my stuff. You're not just gonna throw 620 00:36:49,600 --> 00:36:51,720 Speaker 1: it away. And I feel like a lot of times, 621 00:36:51,920 --> 00:36:54,960 Speaker 1: even as staff, we tend to forget like this is 622 00:36:55,000 --> 00:36:58,560 Speaker 1: all they have, right, like this is this is it 623 00:36:58,719 --> 00:37:01,880 Speaker 1: for them. So if we so, a lot of times 624 00:37:01,960 --> 00:37:04,960 Speaker 1: we meet a lot of resistance with the clients because 625 00:37:05,320 --> 00:37:08,720 Speaker 1: when we pack them up, our facility is so small 626 00:37:08,880 --> 00:37:11,799 Speaker 1: there's not a lot of space to store things. So 627 00:37:11,880 --> 00:37:14,160 Speaker 1: when we take their property. So if a client gets 628 00:37:14,160 --> 00:37:16,080 Speaker 1: packed up, if you have you come in the show, 629 00:37:16,160 --> 00:37:19,760 Speaker 1: so you have a bed, Fine, you have all your property. 630 00:37:19,800 --> 00:37:21,839 Speaker 1: And one night you say, you know what, I think, 631 00:37:21,840 --> 00:37:23,680 Speaker 1: I'm gonna just stay by my me and house tonight. 632 00:37:24,040 --> 00:37:26,120 Speaker 1: I'm cool because let me tell you something. All my 633 00:37:26,160 --> 00:37:29,320 Speaker 1: clients they they got men, they got women, they got everybody. 634 00:37:29,320 --> 00:37:31,120 Speaker 1: And I'll just be like, what am I doing wrong? 635 00:37:31,880 --> 00:37:37,080 Speaker 1: So we we always so they always like, um, so 636 00:37:37,239 --> 00:37:39,600 Speaker 1: if we pack, we so you say, okay, you know what, 637 00:37:39,600 --> 00:37:41,359 Speaker 1: I'm gonna stay by my me and house tonight. I'll 638 00:37:41,400 --> 00:37:44,360 Speaker 1: come back tomorrow for my bad Okay. Fine, So we 639 00:37:44,440 --> 00:37:46,480 Speaker 1: go to your bed and you got all your stuff 640 00:37:46,560 --> 00:37:49,279 Speaker 1: and everything is in your lockerp we pack everything up. 641 00:37:49,800 --> 00:37:53,080 Speaker 1: You have seven days from the data we pack your 642 00:37:53,120 --> 00:37:58,359 Speaker 1: stuff up, you have seven days to either retrieve your 643 00:37:58,400 --> 00:38:02,880 Speaker 1: property or of find like the outside storage unit. Like 644 00:38:02,920 --> 00:38:05,279 Speaker 1: if you have too much clutter, too much stuff and 645 00:38:05,400 --> 00:38:08,320 Speaker 1: it can't all fit into your locker, you have seven 646 00:38:08,400 --> 00:38:11,719 Speaker 1: days from the time that we take your property in 647 00:38:11,880 --> 00:38:14,800 Speaker 1: order to um get it back. And then after the 648 00:38:14,960 --> 00:38:18,120 Speaker 1: seven days, it gets discarded. And when I say discarded, 649 00:38:18,280 --> 00:38:19,800 Speaker 1: we take it and we're throw it in the trash. 650 00:38:20,440 --> 00:38:25,080 Speaker 1: Mm hmmm. So that's the reason why they'd be so hesitant, 651 00:38:25,360 --> 00:38:29,680 Speaker 1: because there's been so many different occasions where we've taken 652 00:38:29,760 --> 00:38:33,960 Speaker 1: property and it's going in the trash. So now you're saying, 653 00:38:34,280 --> 00:38:37,720 Speaker 1: a lot of it may be people, pictures of people, kids, 654 00:38:38,080 --> 00:38:42,840 Speaker 1: birth certificate, social security cause ideas. It could be whatever 655 00:38:42,960 --> 00:38:46,400 Speaker 1: little mementos just from life that from the life that 656 00:38:46,440 --> 00:38:49,160 Speaker 1: they live, and it all ends up in the trash. 657 00:38:50,160 --> 00:38:52,280 Speaker 1: But I'm also thinking, like, I know, we're not supposed 658 00:38:52,280 --> 00:38:55,239 Speaker 1: to get attached to like material things, but like you know, 659 00:38:55,320 --> 00:38:59,759 Speaker 1: we're grow one man. We have accumulated a lot of things, right, 660 00:39:00,000 --> 00:39:02,640 Speaker 1: but I can only imagine living in the shelter with 661 00:39:03,400 --> 00:39:07,040 Speaker 1: the few things that I have, and like it's a 662 00:39:07,080 --> 00:39:10,600 Speaker 1: possibility that I can lose it, right, and that adds 663 00:39:10,640 --> 00:39:15,399 Speaker 1: to the anxiety of the women because it's just like you. 664 00:39:15,840 --> 00:39:18,040 Speaker 1: It becomes oh my gosh, I don't want to I 665 00:39:18,080 --> 00:39:20,239 Speaker 1: don't want to miss my bag. I'm in in late. 666 00:39:20,800 --> 00:39:24,439 Speaker 1: So then it's like and then the unfairness is that 667 00:39:24,960 --> 00:39:27,480 Speaker 1: if you don't have a good relationship with some of 668 00:39:27,520 --> 00:39:30,440 Speaker 1: the staff in the in the if you have a 669 00:39:30,480 --> 00:39:33,000 Speaker 1: good if you have a good relationship with some of 670 00:39:33,000 --> 00:39:35,759 Speaker 1: the staff who may be responsible for like doing the 671 00:39:35,840 --> 00:39:39,240 Speaker 1: packups and stuff like that, they may let you slide. 672 00:39:39,920 --> 00:39:43,600 Speaker 1: But if you don't, then you're gonna get your stuff 673 00:39:43,640 --> 00:39:47,799 Speaker 1: taking and then that's when that's when behaviors come out. 674 00:39:48,360 --> 00:39:51,880 Speaker 1: That's when people that's when the clients start to attack 675 00:39:51,920 --> 00:39:55,279 Speaker 1: the staff. That's when it becomes violent because now it's 676 00:39:55,320 --> 00:39:58,360 Speaker 1: just like the only the only little bit that I have, 677 00:39:58,640 --> 00:40:02,160 Speaker 1: you took it, and you're telling me that I can't 678 00:40:02,200 --> 00:40:04,200 Speaker 1: get my stuff. So if it's like a Friday night 679 00:40:04,320 --> 00:40:06,560 Speaker 1: or something, you're telling me I can't get my stuff 680 00:40:06,560 --> 00:40:10,759 Speaker 1: back to Monday or Tuesday, and then there's a possibility 681 00:40:10,840 --> 00:40:13,040 Speaker 1: that my stuff, all my stuff ain't gonna be there, 682 00:40:13,120 --> 00:40:16,799 Speaker 1: ain't gonna be accounting for so that's where all the 683 00:40:16,880 --> 00:40:20,319 Speaker 1: hostilities coming at. Because the girls they are, they are 684 00:40:20,440 --> 00:40:24,120 Speaker 1: very attached to the little that they have. How often 685 00:40:24,360 --> 00:40:26,560 Speaker 1: how many times do you say you saw fights at 686 00:40:26,560 --> 00:40:33,160 Speaker 1: your job? Every day? Every day? This every day from 687 00:40:33,280 --> 00:40:36,600 Speaker 1: on the walking so I get to work at eight o'clock, um, 688 00:40:36,680 --> 00:40:39,080 Speaker 1: and on the walk every day there is there's a fight, 689 00:40:39,320 --> 00:40:41,400 Speaker 1: is a the day. In the whole way, they're yelling 690 00:40:41,440 --> 00:40:45,799 Speaker 1: about something. Somebody wants, something, somebody stole from somebody, there's 691 00:40:45,920 --> 00:40:49,120 Speaker 1: something and you just gotta be like and sometimes I 692 00:40:49,200 --> 00:40:51,520 Speaker 1: just said my office and I'm like, oh, y'all gotta 693 00:40:51,600 --> 00:40:56,640 Speaker 1: stop this yelling, Like y'all really have to stop yelling, like, 694 00:40:56,800 --> 00:41:01,360 Speaker 1: just relax because I always so I'll tell my style. 695 00:41:01,440 --> 00:41:05,839 Speaker 1: It's very easy for us. Some something so small can 696 00:41:05,880 --> 00:41:10,160 Speaker 1: turn into something so big very quickly. Mm hmmm. And 697 00:41:10,200 --> 00:41:12,640 Speaker 1: if we just if I if I have a client 698 00:41:12,719 --> 00:41:15,480 Speaker 1: come into my office and they say, oh, I need 699 00:41:15,520 --> 00:41:17,600 Speaker 1: a residency letter, can you type it up for me? 700 00:41:17,840 --> 00:41:19,880 Speaker 1: It's nothing for me to take the five minutes and 701 00:41:19,920 --> 00:41:21,680 Speaker 1: type it up for them and give it to them. 702 00:41:21,719 --> 00:41:24,240 Speaker 1: Because a lot of times when you tell these crimes, 703 00:41:24,239 --> 00:41:27,560 Speaker 1: they don't like here or no, they don't want to hear. No, 704 00:41:27,719 --> 00:41:32,680 Speaker 1: they think that they are a priority. Can you blame them? Right? Right? 705 00:41:33,640 --> 00:41:36,440 Speaker 1: They think that they are the priority. They think that 706 00:41:36,960 --> 00:41:40,399 Speaker 1: I once I walk into the room or ey's gotta 707 00:41:40,440 --> 00:41:42,560 Speaker 1: be on me and whatever I need, it's your job 708 00:41:42,600 --> 00:41:45,040 Speaker 1: to get it for me. And sometimes it's just well, 709 00:41:45,080 --> 00:41:48,879 Speaker 1: most times it don't work like that because the way 710 00:41:48,960 --> 00:41:51,680 Speaker 1: I so with me, my style is I don't mind 711 00:41:51,680 --> 00:41:54,399 Speaker 1: helping you out, but you won't wait like I'm not. 712 00:41:54,520 --> 00:41:56,879 Speaker 1: I'm not jumping to do nothing. Now. If I could 713 00:41:56,920 --> 00:41:59,719 Speaker 1: do it, and it's it ain't no big deal, Like 714 00:41:59,760 --> 00:42:02,520 Speaker 1: if is gonna take me two seconds, no problem. But 715 00:42:02,680 --> 00:42:04,759 Speaker 1: it's just that a lot of times the girls they 716 00:42:04,760 --> 00:42:09,439 Speaker 1: have these chips on their shoulders and everybody just want 717 00:42:09,480 --> 00:42:11,560 Speaker 1: what they want when they want, and I don't play 718 00:42:11,600 --> 00:42:14,440 Speaker 1: that like, no, it's not it's not gonna work like that. 719 00:42:14,520 --> 00:42:16,799 Speaker 1: And then when you but when you don't give them 720 00:42:16,920 --> 00:42:19,920 Speaker 1: their way, you run the risk of them following the 721 00:42:20,040 --> 00:42:24,480 Speaker 1: complaint against you. So now you gotta answer to the 722 00:42:24,560 --> 00:42:27,120 Speaker 1: big voices, and everybody want to know, well, why didn't 723 00:42:27,120 --> 00:42:29,200 Speaker 1: you or how can you or why you're not And 724 00:42:29,239 --> 00:42:34,439 Speaker 1: then it's just like I'm trying mm hmmm, So how 725 00:42:34,480 --> 00:42:36,399 Speaker 1: hard is it not to get too close to a case, 726 00:42:36,440 --> 00:42:40,240 Speaker 1: because I can only imagine, like with the the woman 727 00:42:40,280 --> 00:42:42,520 Speaker 1: that was old enough to be both by our grandmothers, 728 00:42:43,200 --> 00:42:46,920 Speaker 1: I can only imagine how heartbreaking that is to hear 729 00:42:46,960 --> 00:42:49,680 Speaker 1: her say I rather die upstairs and then pretty much 730 00:42:49,760 --> 00:42:53,719 Speaker 1: be alone. I mean, the reality of the situation is 731 00:42:53,760 --> 00:42:56,640 Speaker 1: they teach you coming in like don't get attacked, blahlah 732 00:42:56,640 --> 00:43:00,160 Speaker 1: blah whatever. But everybody has their favorites, everybody has their 733 00:43:00,280 --> 00:43:02,920 Speaker 1: clients who they like, you know what I'm bringing. I 734 00:43:03,040 --> 00:43:05,840 Speaker 1: may bring you some clothes tomorrow, or I'm gonna sneak 735 00:43:05,880 --> 00:43:10,040 Speaker 1: you a little sandwich, or we all we all have 736 00:43:10,200 --> 00:43:13,439 Speaker 1: been in so it's it's not it's not that it's 737 00:43:13,440 --> 00:43:16,160 Speaker 1: not hard to get attached, but you just have to 738 00:43:16,200 --> 00:43:20,480 Speaker 1: be mindful that it's still worked. And then you you 739 00:43:20,640 --> 00:43:23,359 Speaker 1: can't get too attached because then you start to take 740 00:43:23,400 --> 00:43:27,080 Speaker 1: things personal. So I feel I felt like for me 741 00:43:27,640 --> 00:43:31,080 Speaker 1: because I've been working in shelter for so long, I 742 00:43:31,239 --> 00:43:33,560 Speaker 1: know how to draw that line now where it's just 743 00:43:33,600 --> 00:43:38,319 Speaker 1: like whatever whatever. But when I first started, it was 744 00:43:38,360 --> 00:43:40,960 Speaker 1: just like, but why you don't Like when I first started, 745 00:43:41,040 --> 00:43:44,560 Speaker 1: I was like, I'm running upstairs, I'm going to get 746 00:43:44,640 --> 00:43:47,600 Speaker 1: clients on the days of day interview. I'm saying, let's 747 00:43:47,640 --> 00:43:50,839 Speaker 1: pick out your outfit. I'm coming in extra early, like 748 00:43:50,840 --> 00:43:53,560 Speaker 1: like you goods, you have everything you need. And then 749 00:43:53,719 --> 00:43:57,440 Speaker 1: it becomes taxing because now I want the apartment for 750 00:43:57,560 --> 00:44:01,279 Speaker 1: you more than you want it for yourself. So I 751 00:44:01,400 --> 00:44:04,799 Speaker 1: become so close to the situation where it's like I 752 00:44:04,840 --> 00:44:06,840 Speaker 1: could do all of that and then the client won't 753 00:44:06,840 --> 00:44:09,480 Speaker 1: show right, So now I'm piste off and I'm yelling 754 00:44:09,520 --> 00:44:11,680 Speaker 1: at the client because I'm like, well, why would you 755 00:44:11,680 --> 00:44:13,279 Speaker 1: make me come up stairs and help me pick our 756 00:44:13,360 --> 00:44:15,120 Speaker 1: office and all this kind of stuff and you knew 757 00:44:15,160 --> 00:44:19,160 Speaker 1: you wasn't gonna come down. You know, it gets to 758 00:44:19,160 --> 00:44:23,960 Speaker 1: a point where you forget that that's the client exactly, 759 00:44:23,960 --> 00:44:27,960 Speaker 1: somebody on the street exactly. So so you know, when 760 00:44:27,960 --> 00:44:30,239 Speaker 1: it was getting to that point, of course, my supervisors 761 00:44:30,400 --> 00:44:34,319 Speaker 1: like scale it back, like relaxed, like you don't need 762 00:44:34,360 --> 00:44:37,799 Speaker 1: to be this is what they do. The client is 763 00:44:37,840 --> 00:44:41,440 Speaker 1: only doing exactly what they're supposed to be doing. So 764 00:44:41,640 --> 00:44:44,120 Speaker 1: now when I see it, So now when I get 765 00:44:44,160 --> 00:44:48,680 Speaker 1: an email for a particular client for how's an interview, 766 00:44:48,920 --> 00:44:51,440 Speaker 1: I already know this person ain't gonna show up. I'm 767 00:44:51,440 --> 00:44:54,160 Speaker 1: not even gonna waste my time. I'm not I'm not 768 00:44:54,200 --> 00:44:56,399 Speaker 1: gonna go up in I'm not gonna talk to them 769 00:44:56,400 --> 00:44:58,759 Speaker 1: and engage about it. I'm not doing this. I'm not 770 00:44:58,880 --> 00:45:01,680 Speaker 1: doing that because I already know what the outcome is 771 00:45:01,719 --> 00:45:05,520 Speaker 1: gonna be. Mm hmm. So I may try to switch 772 00:45:05,560 --> 00:45:07,839 Speaker 1: them out with somebody else. I may try to find 773 00:45:07,880 --> 00:45:11,760 Speaker 1: somebody else who fits the criteria and say, Okay, well 774 00:45:12,120 --> 00:45:15,400 Speaker 1: maybe they could, maybe this person could go instead of 775 00:45:15,440 --> 00:45:18,080 Speaker 1: that person. But it's to the point now in the 776 00:45:18,080 --> 00:45:23,319 Speaker 1: shelter system where it's it's really bad. In the shelter system, 777 00:45:23,360 --> 00:45:26,279 Speaker 1: it's really bad. It's to the point where nobody wants 778 00:45:26,320 --> 00:45:32,080 Speaker 1: to go nowhere, and then the few that do, the 779 00:45:32,200 --> 00:45:36,000 Speaker 1: few that do, we are met with so much resistance 780 00:45:36,760 --> 00:45:42,319 Speaker 1: from the Department of Homeless Services, like it's just it's 781 00:45:42,440 --> 00:45:44,680 Speaker 1: it's it's not good. So when I was talking about 782 00:45:44,680 --> 00:45:48,040 Speaker 1: like the studios and the shared apartments, so in order 783 00:45:48,080 --> 00:45:50,239 Speaker 1: for you to qualify for a studio, you have to 784 00:45:50,280 --> 00:45:55,359 Speaker 1: be in the shelter for a year straight mm hmm. 785 00:45:56,320 --> 00:46:00,840 Speaker 1: So this is when the institutionalized gets set sent because 786 00:46:00,880 --> 00:46:03,399 Speaker 1: you're trying to get to that year and then by 787 00:46:03,440 --> 00:46:05,600 Speaker 1: the time you get to that year, you've become so 788 00:46:05,680 --> 00:46:10,600 Speaker 1: complacent that it's like, uh, it's okay. If I don't 789 00:46:10,640 --> 00:46:14,600 Speaker 1: get nothing, I'm all right. And why right A year 790 00:46:14,680 --> 00:46:18,640 Speaker 1: is long? Yeah, because they say three hundred and sixty 791 00:46:18,680 --> 00:46:22,680 Speaker 1: five days means that you have been chronically homeless. So 792 00:46:22,800 --> 00:46:29,680 Speaker 1: that that is why those people qualify for the studios 793 00:46:30,239 --> 00:46:33,120 Speaker 1: versus somebody who make So I have clients who've been 794 00:46:33,160 --> 00:46:36,960 Speaker 1: there like nine months, working clients, you know, people who 795 00:46:37,040 --> 00:46:39,120 Speaker 1: keep the area clean. They come to all they meet 796 00:46:39,160 --> 00:46:41,719 Speaker 1: is they do what they've gotta do, and they keep 797 00:46:41,719 --> 00:46:44,080 Speaker 1: coming to me, and they're like, yo, I want to 798 00:46:44,120 --> 00:46:46,759 Speaker 1: get out of here. And all I could offer them 799 00:46:46,880 --> 00:46:49,920 Speaker 1: is a shared apartment, and they looking at me saying, well, 800 00:46:49,960 --> 00:46:53,279 Speaker 1: I don't want to share, and I'll be trying to 801 00:46:53,280 --> 00:46:56,080 Speaker 1: sell them on the whole idea. But what do I 802 00:46:56,160 --> 00:46:59,080 Speaker 1: look like, me being a grown adult who I don't 803 00:46:59,080 --> 00:47:01,480 Speaker 1: want to share my own an apartment either. I mean 804 00:47:01,640 --> 00:47:04,239 Speaker 1: except for the fact that I have children, but I 805 00:47:04,239 --> 00:47:06,839 Speaker 1: don't want to share my own apartment either. So you 806 00:47:06,840 --> 00:47:10,040 Speaker 1: want me to tell another another thirty something, your old woman, 807 00:47:10,320 --> 00:47:15,560 Speaker 1: that she needs to share somebody who's working, somebody who's 808 00:47:15,600 --> 00:47:18,200 Speaker 1: doing what she needs to do. Is about her business 809 00:47:18,239 --> 00:47:20,520 Speaker 1: on top of her stuff, bringing it all her pace stuff, 810 00:47:21,080 --> 00:47:23,319 Speaker 1: making all her meet is with her cakes manager, not 811 00:47:23,360 --> 00:47:25,640 Speaker 1: giving no problems in the shower to you want me 812 00:47:25,680 --> 00:47:27,279 Speaker 1: to look this lady in the face and tell her 813 00:47:27,560 --> 00:47:30,440 Speaker 1: all I can work for you is a studio. I 814 00:47:30,440 --> 00:47:35,399 Speaker 1: mean it's a shared apartment. Mm hmm. And in order 815 00:47:35,440 --> 00:47:38,239 Speaker 1: to get about you, in order to get the city 816 00:47:38,280 --> 00:47:39,840 Speaker 1: felps about you, you gotta be in the show to 817 00:47:40,000 --> 00:47:42,680 Speaker 1: for ninety days and you have to have active income. 818 00:47:44,560 --> 00:47:49,080 Speaker 1: What eliminates a lot of people exactly? But it does, right, 819 00:47:49,280 --> 00:47:53,840 Speaker 1: it doesn't it does. It would be those same ones 820 00:47:54,560 --> 00:47:57,480 Speaker 1: who don't have no income. They're not coming to know 821 00:47:57,680 --> 00:48:01,120 Speaker 1: me in but it it be done. That's following all 822 00:48:01,160 --> 00:48:03,719 Speaker 1: these complaints against me and my staff saying we're not 823 00:48:03,800 --> 00:48:05,640 Speaker 1: helping them. We are doing that for them, we don't 824 00:48:05,680 --> 00:48:08,000 Speaker 1: want them to leave, blah blah whatever. But you're not 825 00:48:08,040 --> 00:48:11,319 Speaker 1: doing what you gotta do. You're not getting You're not 826 00:48:11,440 --> 00:48:13,640 Speaker 1: even coming down and saying, yo, can you open a 827 00:48:13,680 --> 00:48:16,400 Speaker 1: p A case for me? Can open a public assistance 828 00:48:16,440 --> 00:48:19,080 Speaker 1: case for me? Can you help me apply for Social Security? 829 00:48:19,560 --> 00:48:23,000 Speaker 1: You're just walking around the building aimless payhandling when you 830 00:48:23,120 --> 00:48:27,440 Speaker 1: can and you're just cool with life, not on no medication, 831 00:48:27,960 --> 00:48:33,799 Speaker 1: not getting any services, and you're just good. M hm. 832 00:48:34,320 --> 00:48:38,680 Speaker 1: The lack of accountability and inshot system is damaging. It's 833 00:48:38,719 --> 00:48:42,320 Speaker 1: extremely damaging because I'm seeing younger and younger coming that 834 00:48:42,480 --> 00:48:50,760 Speaker 1: doing now. I'm seeing nineteen twenty one, twenty three girls 835 00:48:50,800 --> 00:48:55,439 Speaker 1: who ain't even, who haven't even, who experienced so much 836 00:48:55,520 --> 00:48:58,520 Speaker 1: life and haven't even had the chance to just be 837 00:49:00,160 --> 00:49:06,080 Speaker 1: a girl. And I'm my clients, they are severely traumatized. 838 00:49:06,520 --> 00:49:10,440 Speaker 1: Like I have women who replay, who will stand right. 839 00:49:10,840 --> 00:49:13,280 Speaker 1: I have clients who will sit right in my office 840 00:49:13,360 --> 00:49:16,360 Speaker 1: and will talk to me and will answer every question 841 00:49:16,600 --> 00:49:20,680 Speaker 1: and then laps right back into their trauma and be 842 00:49:21,000 --> 00:49:27,400 Speaker 1: and and be screaming and yelling no, stop, don't repeating conversations, 843 00:49:27,520 --> 00:49:31,000 Speaker 1: replaying conversations. And he's a young girls, and even for 844 00:49:31,080 --> 00:49:33,120 Speaker 1: the older ones too, and it's just like, where's the 845 00:49:33,160 --> 00:49:40,560 Speaker 1: hope work? And and I'm not, I'm not I'm not 846 00:49:41,239 --> 00:49:43,919 Speaker 1: somebody where I'm just gonna Like there's been so many 847 00:49:44,000 --> 00:49:46,359 Speaker 1: times where I'm like, I'm not placing this client because 848 00:49:46,400 --> 00:49:50,239 Speaker 1: she's not ready, and I'm getting pulled into meetings and 849 00:49:50,280 --> 00:49:52,399 Speaker 1: I'm getting but wha but you know, we gotta make 850 00:49:52,400 --> 00:49:54,239 Speaker 1: the number. But you know, we gotta do this and 851 00:49:54,280 --> 00:49:56,840 Speaker 1: we gotta do that. And I'm just like, this person 852 00:49:56,920 --> 00:49:59,399 Speaker 1: is not ready. They will go out there and they 853 00:49:59,440 --> 00:50:01,360 Speaker 1: will fail, and I will see them back here in 854 00:50:01,480 --> 00:50:08,520 Speaker 1: three months guarantee. Mm hmm. This concludes part one of 855 00:50:08,600 --> 00:50:12,320 Speaker 1: this week's episode. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, 856 00:50:12,320 --> 00:50:14,200 Speaker 1: please make sure to email me a hello at the 857 00:50:14,239 --> 00:50:19,000 Speaker 1: PhD podcast dot com. And until next time, everyone, Later,