Voices For Change

New Year's Podcast! Check it out to get a better understanding of what 2021 means to those experiencing homelessness.

Click the play button to listen to our New Year's Podcast featuring our community members, music by Guitar Mark, and the voices behind People Seeing People.

Audio: strumming the guitar, from Guitar Mark
Welcome to our New Year’s Podcast. I’m Gracie Quinn, one of the voices behind People Seeing People, and I’m Charlotte Roberts, the other voice behind our platform. We are taking a break from our weekly story to share with you some thoughts from those who currently identify as homeless, previously identified as homeless, and those who work with the homeless population. Our work with People Seeing People commenced with a single idea—sharing stories.

New Year's Podcast
Click the play button to listen to our New Year's Podcast featuring our community members, music by Guitar Mark, and the voices behind People Seeing People.

Audio: strumming the guitar, from Guitar Mark
Welcome to our New Year’s Podcast. I’m Gracie Quinn, one of the voices behind People Seeing People, and I’m Charlotte Roberts, the other voice behind our platform. We are taking a break from our weekly story to share with you some thoughts from those who currently identify as homeless, previously identified as homeless, and those who work with the homeless population. Our work with People Seeing People commenced with a single idea—sharing stories.

It seems fitting that we start with a story of our own. Several months back, we sat down to do some research on numbers, on facts, on the truth. I typed into Google “How many homeless people are in La Crosse?” To my surprise, a clean, cut number appeared on my screen. Forty-two was the number staring back at me. I took a double take and checked the date, July 2019, the source, a local news station. We were confused by this number so we kept digging. As the brief article continued, we discovered the number was collected by counting the number of homeless people outside on one night. Imagine our surprise. What about those who faced eviction and stay in hotels? How about the number of homeless people sleeping in tents or crashing with friends? The number 42, a point in time count that only considers those who fit the stereotypical definition of homeless, often defined as those who sleep in the park.

To provide a bit of national contextualization of homelessness, the Continuums in Care National Alliance to End Homelessness found, “Homelessness is significantly defined by gender. Sixty percent of all people experiencing homelessness are male. Amongst individuals, the numbers are starker—70 percent are men and unaccompanied male youth.” In addition to these gender statistics, stats on the unsheltered homeless claim, “Far too many people in America sleep outside and in other locations not meant for human habitation. This group includes more than 200,000 people (37 percent of the overall population). Among individuals experiencing homelessness, the numbers are more dire—1 in 2 are unsheltered.” Finally, “Compared to the previous year, homelessness increased by 3 percent in the 2019, a Point-in-Time Count. This marked the third straight year of national-level increases.”

Audio: music, from Guitar Mark

In a year, 2020, that brought many challenges, we wanted to know what our newfound friends had to say of their hopes and dreams for the New Year. Their answers filled us with bittersweet hope.

Asking those experiencing homelessness what they wanted to see in the New Year revealed a sense of unity. We heard messages of honesty and heartbreak. In response to the question, “What would you like to see in the New Year?,” one individual blatantly stated “nothing.” Silence filled the air, he took a deep breath, looked at us, and quietly said, “my son.” Since this encounter represented our first meeting, we were both taken aback by his honesty. As our kind friend Jesi once said, “Why would they trust us if the people that were supposed to love them the most abandoned them?” A New Year’s wish can mean a lot of different things for people facing some of the hardest battles, but their voices speak volumes.

Audio: voices of people’s wishes for the New Year

Audio: music, from Guitar Mark

As an education student at UW La Crosse, I’m often tasked with writing assignments that I would want to implement in my future classroom. For one of my recent writing assignments, I needed to write a free verse poem. Rather than writing just any poem, I wanted to write what was on my heart. I wrote this poem to better encapsulate what homelessness looks like from an outside perspective and then shifts to paint an image of the harsh realities of life on the defense.

Audio: poem from Gracie
Hands deep in pockets,
Torn jacket,
Sharp wind,
Fierce love,
Teary eyes,
Snowflakes dancing,
A system,
Broken,
A person,
All people?
Yes.
Different choices?
Yes.
Less deserving?
No.
Love differently?
No.
A park to me,
A home to them,
One decision,
One moment,
The difference,
Between my bed,
And hard cement,
A system,
Broken.

Gracie’s poem brings to light an even greater sense of unity and life’s complexities. It remains easy to forget, in the midst of a system based on achievement, that people need each other and compassion. We must remember that we share common experiences even in the face of our seemingly different journeys. Hearing these wishes from others makes the commonalities of our desires all the more real.

Audio: voices of people’s wishes for the New Year

Through these experiences, with People Seeing People, I often find the gratitude and humor the most moving. Generally, when we think of homelessness we paint a picture of sadness and despair, yet we forget that joy also represents part of the picture--a smile, hugs, a kind word, a story, crazy squirrels, laughter, and being present in each other’s company. Charlotte and I have made so many friends by just listening and helping within our means. When we all take time to offer what we can, even just a smile, the world finds a little more kindness.

As a reminder People Seeing People, hopes to offer insight into the lives of others and spark a change so that advocacy and empowerment will be at the cornerstone of our community.

From us, at People Seeing People, Happy New Year! We wish for a year of compassion, empathy, and positive change that lasts for years to come. May you shine a light for others and search for kindness in all.

Audio: strumming the guitar, from Guitar Mark

Again, I’m Gracie Quinn, and I’m Charlotte Roberts. Thank you for listening. Music for this podcast was provided by Guitar Mark, our friend and one of our former interviewees.

Audio: fade out, with Hallelujah from Guitar Mark
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Artist’s Note: Life deals us all different cards, we hope that 2021’s cards are full of positivity and love!