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People seeing people

Denormalizing Homelessness, One Voice at a Time

Dancing in Place

3/17/2022

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Under the warm sun in early June we sat on a blanket in the park and talked with our friend Lindsey. She commenced her story by sharing an event from her childhood that continues to resonate with her today. “Growing up, there was some good and bad love. My first memories are with my aunt and uncle, but I thought they were my mom and dad. In kindergarten, they [my aunt and uncle] said we’re not your mom and dad. My mom was in a bad domestic violence situation. She had traumatic brain injuries. I was not even two when that happened. After the accident, she was in a coma so I went to live with my aunt and uncle. When she woke up, she didn’t remember anything. She had to relearn how to walk, talk, and write. My aunt and uncle gave me back to my mom, but she went back to bikers, sex, and drugs.”

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Displaced

2/23/2022

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This week we bring you another unscripted podcast. We will discuss the multifaceted layers of displacement as is relates to homelessness. We often think of displacement when we refer to the physical displacement of humans, yet physical displacement carries multiple complexities. 

Our podcasts remain rooted in research, our experiences, and the stories others who work alongside the homeless community and those who experience homelessness share with us.

Please take time to listen to this month's podcast to understand a bit more about how displacement  affects those experiencing homelessness. 

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Untangling Worth

2/16/2022

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​As rays of sunlight beamed down on our faces in early August, we joined Artemis in a conversation that offered a different perspective on homelessness. “My childhood was hell. That is the only way to describe it. I started my life with my biological parents. Then I was in the foster care system for some time, and ended up with my adopted parents. I have siblings that are both biological and adopted. I have lived all over. Apparently I was born in Iowa, but my first memories are in Utah. I have been in La Crosse for a while now.”

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Cornerstones

2/9/2022

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A draft billowed through the old wooden door of the coffee shop and the wind howled in late March of 2021. We sipped hot coffees while Sister Karen guided us through her winding journey of working with those experiencing homelessness in La Crosse.  “In 2011, I was looking for something and I started to be more present at the Warming Center. What really touched me was knowing people who were experiencing homelessness. I had never really thought about homelessness until I saw people lining up in order to get a place to sleep. I respect and am in awe of someone who can live in a situation of such uncertainty, lack of safety, and basic human needs.”

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Our Wellbeing

1/26/2022

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Homelessness combined with mental illness represents our topic for the week. We bring you this topic through our very first unscripted podcast. Our earlier podcasts remained scripted and felt somewhat rigid. As we continued to listen to other podcasts we noticed the conversational elements, and thought we would try talking to each other.

Similar to our previous podcast, we conducted research on our topic and thought through the flow of the podcast. We also discovered ways to fold in stories from our ongoing experiences working with those who identify as homeless. 

Please take time to listen to this month's podcast to understand a bit more about how mental illness plays a role in some people's lives who experience homelessness. 

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Wandering Soul

1/19/2022

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The sun beamed across the sky on a warm midmorning at the end of August. We sat down at a damp metal table and a light humid breeze touched our faces. We conversed with our newfound friend, Shedrick. His deep brown eyes tell their own story and his kind smile welcomes us everytime we see him. He commenced his story by sharing about his childhood. “It was violent. I was born in the projects. I was always hearing gunshots. That’s how you survive. ​

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Learning from Elementary Students

12/9/2021

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We challenged students to consider a time when they felt hopeless. We asked them to reflect silently on a piece of paper. For some students, hopelessness resulted in their lego set breaking and not knowing how to find new parts. Other students shared they felt hopeless when they did not know if they would have food at home. ​

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On My Wings

11/24/2021

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We sat under a blooming Serviceberry tree in May while the wind billowed over us and a story from Le Anne found a home in our hearts. “I come from a pretty big family. There were 13 of us and back then the dads went to work and moms stayed home and took care of the cooking and cleaning and things like that. Eventually my parents divorced. I was 12 years old and it was hard. Our dad would come pick us up on the weekends so we could still see him. When I was 17 years old, my youngest brother was diagnosed with a brain tumor and eventually passed away when he was 13. That is where my caretaker role took root...



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My Outdoors Heart

11/10/2021

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The large snowflakes delicately fell in late February as we listened to Bryan's calm, welcoming, voice recall his life’s events. “I was born in Watertown, New York and grew up at the foothills of the Adirondack mountains. I moved up there when I was seven. It was a good childhood. I was outside all of the time and it didn’t matter what time of year it was. I was just an outside person whether it was hunting, fishing, skiing, or snowshoeing, or hockey, a whole lot of hockey. I have three older sisters and a younger brother. I thought it was a great childhood. I had great parents. My parents were always busy. They ran a hotel. We kind of got to sneak around there as kids. Me and my brother would go places we weren't supposed to around the hotel. We got away with what we could.”


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It's Time to Return

11/4/2021

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This time in the life of our organization marks a new season. We took a break from stories to reorganize our vision and our commitment to the community. Over the past few months we continued to collect and transcribe interviews, receive and distribute donations for the homeless community, and think through the next steps for People Seeing People. We remain committed to sharing stories from those in the homeless community and those who support the community. While taking a step back from the public platform, we brainstormed avenues for how People Seeing People can learn from the stories we disseminate and seek to create change at a preliminary level. These changes include using our educational backgrounds to research, write, and implement curriculum in schools with a focus on food insecurity, needs and wants, access to resources, developing relationships, and more. Stay tuned for more information. We will continue with our stories starting next week. Together, we must embrace our differences and seek to understand others through stories, perspectives, and empathy. 

We also want to take a moment to recognize a few milestones our organization captured over the course of the last year. Thirteen months ago we posted our first story. Since that time 24 stories captured the perspectives and lives of those currently experiencing homelessness, those who experienced homelessness in the past, and those who support the homeless community. These stories comprised 821 recorded minutes or over 13 hours of interviewing and over 52 hours of transcribing interviews. We remain committed and passionate about denormalizing homelessness in our community by sharing stories. 

With Sincere Gratitude, 
People Seeing People

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