The System Remix

Episode 1 - Access & Assessment

• Fly In Action • Season 1 • Episode 1

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The System Remix Podcast flips the script on youth homelessness. This is where youth voices take the mic, myths get challenged, and real solutions take center stage. We break down how Florida’s homeless response system works and the impact on the youth experiencing it in the present. Whether you’re a young person, an ally, or just ready to learn, each episode sparks action, builds community, and fuels bold change, so every young person has a place to call home. 

SPEAKER_00

The views and opinions expressed are those of the speakers and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of any entities that they may represent.

SPEAKER_06

Hello, everybody, and welcome to episode one of the system remix podcast. I'm your host, JW, and I'm joined here with Dominique. Vanessa Lundy. Yes, mean. So dope. So nice to have y'all on. Thank you so much. I mean, you could be anywhere on a what is today? Uh Thursday. Okay. You could be anywhere, but you are here. So thank y'all so much for coming in and being a part of this conversation. Again, I'm your host, J2B, and welcome. Welcome to our podcast. This podcast is going to be all about system work. So improving the way in which the homeless response system operates and having like conversations around that to see if there's ways that the system could be shifted. Um, I have the pleasure of working here with these two lovely women, Dominique and Vanessa, here at the Homeless Services Network. Shout out to HSN. Uh the Homeless Services Network, for those of you who don't know, is a network in the Central Florida area that essentially receives funding and then puts it out into the community for other service providers to apply for. We do trainings, we do continuous quality improvement, things like that. Vanessa and Dominique actually work with our triage team, and they're gonna tell us a little bit more about that. But before we get started, I'm gonna do a little bit of an icebreaker. So I'm gonna start off with you, Dominique. What do you do? And let's do a little weather check. How you doing? How you doing today?

SPEAKER_05

I'm doing pretty good. My name is Dominique. I do work at the lovely HSN as a triage specialist. We do assessments day in and day out to talk with people and make sure you know we get them the services that we can get.

SPEAKER_02

That's so dope. And what about you, Vanessa? So I am also a triage specialist on the access team here at the Homeless Service Network. I mean, yeah, we're on the front lines. We're kind of like the front door at HSN, right? So anybody calling into the two-on-one hotline service, if you're in need of housing options, um if you're in crisis, we are basically the respondents to that. We try to help um guide you to community resources. So that's what we do every day, all day. And we're in person on Fridays at the United Against Poverty Center. So you can always come see us in person too.

SPEAKER_06

And what about you, Yasmin?

SPEAKER_04

Hi, my name is Yasmin, and currently I'm in the Youth Action Society um cohort, and I work alongside the homeless services network, and we kind of just give feedback on to help better the system overall. And I'm, you know, currently still in my community and trying to make a difference within my community.

SPEAKER_06

You mentioned the Youth Action Society. What do you do with yes?

SPEAKER_04

So we do it's so much fun. Last year it was like an where we kind of integrate ourselves in the community to advocate for youth homelessness, and we kind of give feedback to the homeless services network to better the system for youth and young adults. We're kind of like lived experience. And since I've lived through homelessness as being a youth, I can kind of give that type of feedback on how to better the system for other youth that are probably going through the same things that I went through.

SPEAKER_06

Thank you for being very transparent here as a fellow member. I know I asked you that question like I was an outsider. As your fellow member, I mean, uh, HSN has really given us a voice, right? Like to share that perspective. And though we are youth and we're advocating on youth homelessness because brighter days is a grant that actually our community was awarded a few years back, you know, began to integrate our feedback into this project. We were awarded $8.4 million in our local community for Orange, Oceola, and Seminole County. Yes. I mean, so awesome. All for youth homelessness, correct? Yes. All for youth homelessness. Yes. And $8.4 million has gone such a long way in housing so many youth and young adults in our local community. But HSN, they receive many different streams of funding so that they can support people who are unhoused and like whether that's supportive services, any intersectionalities that come with being unhoused, HSN is essentially that main provider for it. So I think they call it the COC, right? Continuum of care, the continuum of care. The continuum of care. Essentially, it's a I don't want to say a wraparound of services because that was a program within itself, is to wrap around a person, right? That they can be supported in their transition, whether that's to housing or while they are housed, right? There are other skills that maybe they will need, such as employment or education or, you know, anything. Maybe they have children.

SPEAKER_05

Exactly. Financial literacy, I know.

SPEAKER_02

How to save. That's one thing that I think of a lot of people in certain communities they look over is how to save, how to make sure you're saving up for your bills, paying your bills on time. That is very hard for people. And I mean overlooked that. And that's how a lot of people get to fall behind, right? And the conveniences, your car may break down or somebody may be get sick. But it's that saving component, trying to make sure you're ahead of your bills on time with your bills so that you don't end up owing and owing and owing. And that's how we see a lot of those evictions happen, right? Or that back rent start to stack up and people fall start to fall into homelessness.

SPEAKER_06

You guys are on the front line, Dominique and Vanessa. I would like to ask some questions for you guys about access and assessment, a bit for maybe those who don't know about what you guys do. Question because you you stated that you guys go to United Against Poverty. Sometimes you guys do the face-to-face, but most of your work that you do is over the phone when people call in and they're needing those immediate supports. When someone first calls in or comes into UAP, what does that first conversation usually look like?

SPEAKER_02

So as soon as they come through the door at UAP, at United Against Poverty, we're what we call a one-stop shop, right? So you could come in and have a conversation with us about housing options, or you can go to the clinic that's there, or you can go sign up for food stamps also and employment workshops, all those different types of resources in the same building. We even have a huge grocery store, okay? Connected, yes, connected to the back. So you can even come in and get a free bag of groceries if you are unhoused at the moment, so you can have that to take with you. But essentially, that first conversation, you walk through the door, you're talking to one of the members on our team, so there's about six of us, but usually in office, we keep it to about three because of space. Um, and we're having that open conversation. What's going on with you? Can you tell me a little bit about your current housing situation? And we try to create a route of what they can do or what programs they might be able to fit into and connect them to those resources, as well as making sure that if they do, um if they are eligible to get into any housing programs, we connect them to those resources as well. So we are kind of like that middleman, right? We're gonna plug you in. Groceries, plug you in, daycare, McKinney, McKinney Vinto to get them kids to and from school so mom doesn't have to worry about that. Work, health care, free phones, mailboxes, clothes, laundry, y'all. Like a lot of people who are unhoused, they don't have ways to wash your laundry because a laundromat charges, right? So things like that, everyday resources, we're gonna connect you to all that before you walk out the door. Long-term housing, though, that's on a wait list everywhere.

SPEAKER_05

Yeah, and we try to be very upfront about that. Just be very transparent about the fact that, hey, the programs are operating at capacity. So, but here are some other resources that we can give to you so that you know we can make sure you're okay in the meantime while we're waiting for these programs to have availability. So that's what we have those conversations and compensate as well.

SPEAKER_02

And one thing I really like, it's the connection service that we have too, or what we call the reunification. So if you had family down south or up north or anywhere, you know, in the country and you just need to get to them, right? And you know you can be stable with family. We do those services as well. So we try to reunify families, we try to connect you to stable ground so you don't have to sit here and wait on our wait list, right?

SPEAKER_01

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02

So those different types of tactics, we really try to just triage it. That's good hence the title. Yeah. So whatever best suits your situation at that moment, we try to create some kind of pathway. So by the time you leave our offices, you have some kind of tangible tool or option to move forward.

SPEAKER_05

Yes. Yes. I always tell my clients, I don't want this to be your only option. I want you to have other avenues that you can look into. So a lot of times I will, like Vanessa said, explore, okay, well, do you have family? Is someone able to help you out until you can get back on your feet, that type of thing. If not, I straight up I tell them coalition, I we have two contact sources for that, like directly. And so if there's space there, you know, we just try to direct them where we can in that moment. But also give them the tools to look into it while they're waiting at that time.

SPEAKER_06

And Yasmin, as a person who's weighted on that list, right, like myself, like you can attest to that weight can be an anxiety inducing.

SPEAKER_02

Ruling.

SPEAKER_04

Oh my gosh. It's it's when you're a youth where you don't have family or someone to go to or someone to rely on, there's not much to to divert you because you're literally just depending on yourself. So it's not it's more so the anxiety of okay, where am I gonna go? Where am I gonna sleep? Am I gonna be in danger? It's more so like a safety than it is I want to be housed, I want to be helped, and I hope this is true. Because most of the times when you see these services out in the community, sometimes it's a scam. So the anxiety of is this legit? Is this for real? Are you guys gonna help me? You're side-eyeing these people. Are you for real? Are you real? Real is any of this real? It's all a simulation. This sounds this is too sweet for me. And so I waited, I think, almost a year to get my services because of the c the capacity of youth that were also in my situation. So when I finally got my apartment and all the services, I was like, oh my god, I feel like a weight is off my shoulders, but I still had to wait just like anybody else did. So there was definitely a fear of, am I really gonna be helped?

SPEAKER_06

You know? And that's kind of a reason behind doing the system remix podcast is because we want to speak about these issues, like how the system works, but also just to think about some other ways where we can improve that process because resources don't last forever.

SPEAKER_02

There's a cap on it all, right? Nothing is always forever. You know what I mean? The money ends at some point. So especially in Florida, the apartment units end, right? Yes. There's only so many affordable housing units that you can even put people in because if they can't afford it, we're putting you in an apartment you can't afford. We pay your rent for a year, what's gonna happen after that? So true, you're gonna be right back right back to homelessness. So we don't have capacity a lot of the times, right? And I think that's something I like uh I love this podcast, Jada, and what you're doing specifically too, because getting that information out there so people know, Yasmin, like you said, like, am I gonna get help? Do you guys really help? I feel like a lot of people come into Dominique's office, right, and they say the same thing, like y'all don't really help us, right? Like this program isn't gonna help. They think it's a scam. And they think it's a scam. Like y'all are just saying I give housing. What you need my information for? Things like that. But the truth is, there is a greater need than there are resources. Yes. That is just what it is. And we can't put you in apartment one that you cannot afford. So there are things that we have to make sure we cover before we can even get you into said apartment. So true. So that's one thing I would say to clients or anybody listening, or anybody going through, you know, um on the brink of going through homelessness, right? Is the reality is these resources work, but they are at capacity. So when you come in, I always tell my clients, the best thing you can do is get your name on everybody's list. Absolutely. Absolutely. Yeah. Get your name on everybody's list. It can only benefit you. There's no negative that can come from that. It can only, you're only in line for when those resources do become available. You know, so it's those things I I would want to vocalize to people when they are going through situations and looking for help through organizations to know that it's not anything they're doing incorrectly. It's not anything that the worker or the advisor is telling you and they don't care and you're falling through the cracks. That's not the case. There is more need than there is resources.

SPEAKER_06

There is a housing scarcity problem going on crisis.

SPEAKER_04

Yeah, everything's the reality of it. Because like I was also a service provider and a participant at the same time when I was interning for HSN, and I really saw the reality of the back-end work, and I really had two different sets of point of views in terms of being a participant and a worker, and I was wow, we're at capacity. This is how many more resources can I give out? There were people reaching out to me, oh look, I'm homeless, I'm homeless, and I'm over here like this is as much as I can do, and I am in the same situation as you, whether you believe some people didn't even believe that I was in the same situation as them. And I'm like, Yes, I am. I got this intern job by the grace of God. Okay, amen.

SPEAKER_06

And that's that's so real. I wanted to ask also, you guys speak to people sometimes in some of their most vulnerable positions they've either ever been in, or it's just like a continued struggle that they're in. I love that you said continue to put yourself on every list, right? Like diversify, put yourself out there, even like connect with your local service providers because you never know. There may be a bunch of people who tell you, no, we don't have anything, you know, there's nothing available, but you never know who you ask, and they may have one resource that is available. I had this happen the other day, and it was actually able to help my grandmother. Like, you know, yes, like it she she had been backed up on some rent because they they processed her rent incorrectly. She has social security and section 8. So that in itself, they you know, there's things going on right now, that's all I'll get into, but they're they're changing the way that people are receiving resources. And someone reached out to me and they needed a resource. And although we didn't have anything readily available for them at that point, I was able to give them this one resource out I was able to help my grandmother. And so we spoke about this last time, right? Like um connecting with your local churches, right? They have benevolence funds, there's so many resources out there that can potentially help you, you know? So always feel free to, if you know us, right, feel free to reach out to us. But I have a question for you guys like when people reach out and you guys are trying to provide them with supports, but there sometimes isn't anything currently available. How do you balance giving people hope while also being transparent about wait times and limited resources?

SPEAKER_02

Well, transparency is key, and like we try to be upfront with them. Like the wait time is this. That's how we start off our conversations, right? Like just to let you know the wait time for rapid rehousing or permanent supportive housing, or even for our veterans, SSVF. And we're SSVF, because veterans are a government-backed program organization, they have a lot more dollars. There has been veteran homelessness eradicated in some states, like literally nonexistent anymore.

SPEAKER_05

I wish we could follow that. Yeah. I wish we could follow that just for all homelessness. Not we can start with the veterans, because obviously they serve the country and everyone deserves a home. And that is our creed. That's our creed.

SPEAKER_06

So everybody makes their way home. Exactly.

SPEAKER_02

Just for transparency's sake, we try to at least be up front about the wait time. Get that up front. I don't think in the nonprofit realm, I feel like sometimes we love to fluff, right? Because we always want to be gentle with the way we approach people. We want to make sure they have a dignified experience when they're speaking to us. But I feel like the way you can respect somebody and their time and to make sure they have their dignity is to tell them the truth. To be honest with them about the wait time, the expectations, which you can and cannot get here when you leave here. We try to be as honest about that as possible because from then, at least they know for sure. But if I come back, I know what I'm gonna get. And if if I go to this resource, I know it's gonna happen for sure. Now I know it's not niceties, it's not politeness. I know I can go to an emergency shelter at Family Promise in the meantime. I know I can go wash my clothes, assault center. I know I can sign up my kids from McKenny Vento so I can go to work so they can drop off my kids to and from school and put them in after-school programs, right? So I can get a free phone through assurance. So we can fill in some of those gaps for you while we're while you're waiting, right? To enter one of the programs or while you're trying to gather your things back together to get back on your feet. We try to fill in some of those gaps. I think that giving people a realistic perspective gives them hope. Because now they view that as tangible help. It's not words, it's not a pat on the back or a smile or I'm I feel so bad. I'm so sorry. It's none of that. It's, hey, this is your situation. I got you. Here's what we can do X, Y through Z. I think that helps. People leave, they sit, they stand a little taller when they leave.

SPEAKER_05

They do.

SPEAKER_02

Because they, okay, no, no, I can go. I've been, I haven't had a shower in weeks. Let me go get a shower. I didn't think about that. Let me go, I could get new clothes before I leave here. Let me get some new shirts, some pants. I got groceries, so I now I know I'm good for the next three days. So maybe I'm not stressed about food right now. And now that may have opened up my schedule to go look for work. You know what I'm saying? Like just those little things, they help.

SPEAKER_06

I love what you said about the veteran homelessness being basically eradicated in certain places. Yep. I wanted to ask: if you had a magic wand and you could add one resource to the system tomorrow, what would it be? And why?

SPEAKER_05

You want me to say the obvious? Yeah, sure. Yeah, go ahead. Go ahead. If I had one resource, I really do think that we can all agree that we need more affordable housing, not just housing. It does need to be affordable because uh a lot of the times the people that we talk to they do have jobs that they can't get in. Uh another thing I would eradicate if I could is uh evictions. No, that is a barrier because people have not maybe not decent, but it's is good enough money to get in someplace and keep it, but that eviction stops them. And that's what's keeping them in this space that they don't have to be in. And I know that's not for everybody, but if I could eradicate some things or wave a magic wand and have things appear and disappear or or even reappear, I can have your your bills erased, you know, and then just start over. Credit. What? You got a set of people. You're good to go. You can buy a house. You need to keep it though. Yeah, you're over. I mean it's that magic wand right now. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02

I double, I second that. Definitely affordable housing units and reduced barriers, like Dominic was saying, like those evictions. And listen, I have a I have a I have two opinions on evictions. Because I understand it, right? This is somebody's property, they rented it to you. If you destroyed it and you're not paying or keeping up from it, you should, you owe that person. They trusted you with their property, right? They didn't have to do that. And they did that. But at the same time, it's those evictions, the way they stain your record. Because it's not just, if you, if you own, if you broke something in somebody's apartment and things like that, if you were intentional about destroying stuff, an eviction is rightfully so, right? Or whatnot. But a lot of the times it is that fall behind rent because somebody got sick and is getting treatment or whatnot. And those things are unfair because if I'm poor, what am I supposed to do about that? If I'm not making enough and I'm working three jobs, but the bills of society are elevating, but not but my pay is not, what am I supposed to do about that? And that speaks to making two to three times the rent. How is this an affordable housing unit, but I need to still make two to three times the rent? It doesn't equate. It's just those things, right? More affordable housing units, low barriers, so people are able to get in.

SPEAKER_06

Thank you. Thank you for sharing. What about you, Yasmin?

SPEAKER_04

I would say credit, because my credit is, let me tell you something. I'm still building credits. Because nowadays you need credit for every single reason. Like it's crazy. Now I'm trying to build my credit and try to really get myself to a place where I can be self-sufficient. And I feel like there should be more, especially in schools, how to teach you to be self-sufficient, how to teach you how to be prepared for the adult world. Because sometimes I, you know, wasn't blessed to have parents to teach me how to be self-sufficient to guide me through life in the way that I would be ready as an adult. So if there can be resources to where there's a mentorship program where we can teach kids how to navigate the resources that are given to them and how to be self-sufficient, because you can give someone resources, you can give someone the tools to succeed, but that doesn't mean they know how to use it. Do you know what I'm saying? You can give someone a car, but that doesn't mean they know how to drive it. You can give someone money, but that doesn't mean they know how to spend or how to use it. I was once that youth where I didn't know what I was doing, and I had to sit there and figure it out on my own. And I wish I had someone to guide me. That's what I would do. I would be like that big sister. Like, you know what? Let me help you.

SPEAKER_05

So more mentors.

SPEAKER_06

Mentors, yeah. More mentors. Well, you well, y'all want to hear what I would do. What would you do? I would bring more money. Show me the money. Make it rain. Bring us the money, okay? I also feel like a lot of people are discounted because of either A, their situation. Situation. And I mean in an employment sense, right? And really now that I think about it, in many ways, but I think there's so many people who aren't given those opportunities because we live in a very is who you know place as well. And like honestly, in some things that works, but in other things, like we need to survive. Exactly. And I'm thinking there are so many people who have different employment opportunities, and like if you can extend them to someone who's maybe not in the best situation, and they're qualified, right? Even if maybe they're not the most qualified, but if you can support, if you see some some like you know what, I see something in this person. Please, please, please extend those opportunities to these people. Like, there are so many people who are either like a paycheck away from being unhoused or literally are, and don't even know where a next paycheck is gonna come from. So and also, it's not giving people a hand out, give them a hand up.

SPEAKER_02

My thing is everybody is teachable. We all had to learn. We all went through the school system here in America. We all are teachable. We've been literally programmed to be teachable into some capacity. But that was another point, Jada. I'm glad you brought that up because that's a conversation that is a hard truth that we have to have with our clients as well when they come in, right? Nowhere in America will your rent ever be paid for the rest of your life. This is a hand up, not a handout. So there is a deadline that comes with this. We have to make sure in the midst of this aid that you're able to be self-sustained. You know, so you have to be able to keep a job. Don't pay your money because your rent is getting paid. Are you saving that? That, like you said before, Yasmin, that mentor to teach you financial literacy about saving and tomorrow, because yes, right now it's good with the help of a program or somebody or a relative or whoever you may have been diverted to, but what about tomorrow? You know what I mean? So when clients come in and I'm like, you're on a wait list and you're not working, we're gonna get you a job because you have to work. You have to have an income. So it's just sometimes putting out those hard truths in plain view so they can understand, like, yes, there is help out here, but it's in tandem with you two. It's action and then help. You know, we really try to double down on because again, no program is going to pay your rent for the rest of your life. You have to at some point be in the routine of being self-sustainable.

SPEAKER_04

Another thing I like to point out is when you are in these types of programs, the anxiety of, oh my God, one day they're not gonna pay my bills, so I have to do this, I have to do this, every day that you go, because it's only two years, is a day closer to that date that they don't pay your bills. So it's just like you have to do whatever you can to be self-sustainable, have money, and get your credit up, do whatever you need. So by the time that they're like, hey, you're up, you have to be able to pay that $14.50 a month. You gotta be able to pay that light bill, the groceries, and all of that. So the anxiety of it leading up to it is also so stressful.

SPEAKER_06

Stressful. And we spoke a lot about a lot of great things today. We spoke about credit, we spoke about money, we spoke about resources. I also wanted to put a resource out there for anybody listening. There's something called Operation Hope. They're a nonprofit. They essentially will support you with getting your credit up. They have a first-time home buyer's class, they have a small business workshop where they can get you connected to grants and things of that nature. I would highly recommend anybody who is currently trying to build their credit or they're trying to look into building a home. There are first-time home buyers assistance grants out there. If you're under a certain threshold, you can get $40,000 to $70,000 to put down on a house.

SPEAKER_02

Habitat for Humanity. Absolutely. Hans of Central Florida. Okay. They're an affordable housing search program. They literally provide you with case management if you're looking to buy a home or credit repair or even apartment searches. That's my favorite tool. So I always tell my clients, go to hands of Central Florida. You punch in your first and your last name, how much you make a month, if you got an eviction or not, and you put in the zip code on where you're looking to live, and it'll spit out a fact sheet of 15 to 20 different housing options that are all either low income or affordable units. So at that point, I tell my clients, chip it down to your top three. Then you go and you research those top three, and then I try to divert them to those rental assistance programs to get them through the door because that's faster than waiting on, waiting in a line for 15 months, right? For a program that is still at capacity. Yeah. So those are some of the diversion conversations that we have with clients as far as when it comes to home ownership or looking for apartments and all that other stuff, fixing your credit. It's it starts at someplace, but there's programs for all of these different necessities, all these different reasons.

SPEAKER_06

Good. Thank you for sharing that. I didn't know Hands of Central Floor. I feel like I've heard that before. I know that they did that. So I'm learning new things today, too. Okay. Hello. And I mean, all of these resources are free, right? Like you don't have to pay for them. You can show up and like go and get some supports, which is awesome. And wait, I have a resource. Yes, please.

SPEAKER_04

Okay, so for those people who have been homeless and want how I got my high school diploma is through the county that city that you live in, Orange County, there's a program that the government gives to Orange County, and they have a high school program that you can do for free. And you can do it at your own pace from your computer. And almost every county in Florida does that. So if you go to your go to your library, say, hey, do you guys have a high school program and nine times out of ten, they're gonna have it. And you just have to sign up, they interview you, and then you have a free high school program. It's free. So yeah, that's how I got mine.

SPEAKER_06

Yeah, Yasmin, you brought up the library. Even the library has a maker space, they have a laser engraver in there, they have a um flowing machine, they have a podcast booth, they have a photography section, they have an editing section.

SPEAKER_04

Yep. You want to be a lot of the library downtown Orlando. Girl, girl, if you go to the computers, if you go to the computers, they have literally the most high-hand editing videos section. So you can even go to the library, come get this video edited, and it's brand. That's what I did, girl.

SPEAKER_03

Okay. You need to be one of those mentors that you were talking about. That's that's the that I'm trying to do that. And as a mentor in training.

SPEAKER_06

In training, it's just we live in a time where it's not a traditional follow-a-career path kind of society that we're living in. For some people, they will do that, they will retire in those careers happily ever after, right? But some people are gonna have to find some unconventional ways of making income. Absolutely. And I mean, think about getting like some wooden pallets, and that's what I wanted to do, and like engraving it with lasers, right? And you're just selling them. I see people. No, Jada is infatuated. This is gonna be her next new hotel. It's my next hustle. You're gonna get some time. Yeah, because I don't have no time to do any of that right now. But I just think the library is cool because the things that even Yasmin and I named off, that's not all they have. They have many things that you can earn skills, but they will literally do an orientation with you. They'll show you how to use the equipment, they'll give you some ideas, even of what you can do.

SPEAKER_02

I think the library does language classes for Haitian Creole and Spanish, and they teach you how to use the computer for the elderly and things like that. Um, you can sign up for food stamps at the library, like and they'll help you do that. All of those things. All this is free. It's free.

SPEAKER_06

$3.99.

SPEAKER_02

You just got mine, it's the $99. For the free speech. But for real, and it's just so hard to believe that, too, right? Because sometimes people don't think of the library as a useful resource. It's just a library. But I'm telling you, if you are in need of assistance, if you are going through crisis, go into these places. Yeah, put the pride aside. You never know unless you put yourself in a position to get help.

SPEAKER_04

When you walk into the library, there's literally all the they even have free social workers to help you with your life. You can even ask them and they will even tell you the amount of resources that they have. How are you doing? Christian.

SPEAKER_06

Yeah, um, Christian, Mr. Ghost just walked in. Mr. Ghost just walked in my bombastic side eye. But yes, I mean a multitude of resources, okay. So, to close out our podcast episode, okay, I wanted to just do a call to action, everybody. We have spoken about many things during this episode. But one big thing, I just think we could be doing so much more to support our local community. There's so many other ways we can support our community, whether that's with your time, whether that's donating to even local organizations that provide clothing, right? Or food. There's so many organizations that could use resources and all they need is just people that are willing. There are so many ways that people can give. And another way that I feel like if you are able to give, we get funding from the government, but those resources eventually dry up. And they're so restricted, y'all.

SPEAKER_02

It's not like we can all the things that we would love to do and all the dollars we like to put in this area and that area, it is very hard to do because with government dollars, they are very restricted to specific and certain causes, right? So we always need more help. We always need more dollars.

SPEAKER_06

Yes, agreed, right? Like these resources come to an end. So if you are someone who's listening and you're like, you know what? These resources have either helped me in the past, or I know someone that can benefit from this, or you just are able to give, please give, give all you can. Okay, the homeless services network, wherever we post this, we will put some kind of link to donate. Again, if you're able to give. If you're not able to give, keep supporting us, keep listening to our podcast, share it with someone you know, share it with your friends, your family, even someone who may be in need. Give them some hope. You know what I'm saying? That they're out here that can help them. There are there's always a way. They may be going through adversity for what may feel like forever, but there's always a solution to any problem. I'm a firm believer in that. So, again, if you can give, please give, even if you're not in the Florida area. You can also give to local homeless services organizations in your community. Again, in any way that you're able to. Yes, go ahead.

SPEAKER_02

And I know that we'd love to hear some feedback if you have been through any of our services or you have any insight or advice you'd like to expound upon for the youth experiencing homelessness in our central Florida area. Call in, leave a comment, give us feedback on how that was for you, or maybe some advice that might help the next person listening as well. So I love that. But Jada, shout out to you. Shout out to you. Shout out to Jada for putting this in the city.

SPEAKER_04

But I also feel like I also feel like there should be some type of like resource centers. I need this, I need that, and then we have all those resources lined up. This is the person you need to contact. So it could be easier because I feel like a lot of people don't know where to look for resources. But if there's this, I feel like that'll be so much easier, especially when you're homeless. You don't know where to look. You don't even know. I didn't even know that HSN, Homeless Services Network, by the way, existed until I brought an opportunity. I spoke in front of this organization of fancy event. This is my first fancy event, y'all. And I spoke in front of people about my life and what I went through, and I made people cry and laugh, and then that's how I met the CEO of HSN, which is Martha R. I didn't even know she was the CEO. She's so humble, and I spoke to she's like, Oh, I know about this group that can really help you. And then that really changed the trajectory of my life and where I'm at now with Yaz. Hey man, and my apartment.

SPEAKER_05

So that is divine timing. No, it really is. Beautiful.

SPEAKER_04

Because I didn't even know who I was speaking to. And you never know where you're at, and you never know who you were gonna speak to. And I usually am in situations where I connect with people and I don't even know who I'm speaking to. I think I was at an event and I met you. I didn't even know who you were. I was like, hey girl. It's me, Vanessa, by the way. I have people come up to me, like, oh, you remember me from what event? I'm like, I'm sorry. Yeah, I'm sorry.

SPEAKER_05

They remember you, you made an impact. I did.

SPEAKER_04

Every time I go into the office, someone's like, hey, I remember you. I remember you. And I'm like, I'm sorry, I don't know you.

SPEAKER_06

And I feel like these are even great examples of what happens when you do extend that hand to somebody, right?

SPEAKER_02

Like, or when you put yourself in a position to receive.

SPEAKER_06

Or when you put yourself in a position to receive because I was there.

SPEAKER_04

Listen, I put in a vulnerable position to always be open to constructive criticism, to be malleable and to connect as much as I could, even if I wasn't even trying to connect. I was being myself, my most authentic self in spaces that can help me grow.

SPEAKER_06

People saw that.

SPEAKER_04

And they're, I remember you, you're awesome. And I'm thank you. Yes, because you are awesome. Thank you. Come on now.

SPEAKER_02

You push that door up until you open it. She's like, okay, y'all gonna let me in.

SPEAKER_04

Yeah, no, literally, I came in confidently and I was like, This is who I am, and I took up space and people saw that.

SPEAKER_02

They appreciated it, they wanted you to. Yes, and that's why I tell people, and we were talking about that earlier. Clients, don't let your pride get in the way of your foundation, right? Yeah, don't let your pride get in the way of your progress. If you need help, reach out. This is exactly why our resources are here. And yes, I mean, I think you said something earlier about if there was like a resource center that people could go to. That's what we call our hubs. That's again, that's our one-stop shops, right? Like United Against Poverty over here in downtown Orlando, or the Hope Center in Kissimmee, or Samaritan Resource Center on the east side of Orlando.

SPEAKER_05

I was like, Samaritan Resource, that sounds exactly like what she's saying. Yeah. I do think there need to be more locations. Yeah. And for everyone to have a consolidated resource list. So true. Just uh the consolidated list of every resource that is in the central Florida area so that people have that one-stop shop. Yeah.

SPEAKER_06

And I mean, this is exactly what the Youth Homelessness System Improvement Grant is. It's a grant that is brought to our local community in tandem with Brighter Days, which is the Youth Homelessness Demonstration Program. That's the name that we gave, it was Brighter Days. That is what this grant is supposed to be for. We applied for it, we were awarded $1.3 million for this grant. But that's what that's what this is all supposed to be for, right? Because again, once that funding is gone, what are we left with? We are left with hopefully some tangible solutions that we created, right? While this grant was here. So we're hoping that we can find different ways. We're right now trying to work on a COC-wide continuum of care-wide resource map that people can actually, that will be maybe like a physical map, right? We're still brainstorming on this, but maybe something digital, right? Because there's a hub, but something that gets updated regularly.

SPEAKER_02

Because we have a list, right? Yeah, we have a list, and that list does get, we try to keep it updated as much as possible. And that list is kind of like what you all are talking about. It's what we call our resource guide. So it is a hard copy, a tangible list. It's like 15 to 20 pages, y'all. It is expensive. It's everything you need: food, shoes, clothes, laundry, health care, phones, mailboxes, all those different things compiled in that list. Now, obviously, we can always do a better job by expanding our resources and adding to that. Because we don't know all the resources between the Tri-County area from Osceola Seminole to Orange County. We can always add more, and this podcast is perfect to be vocal and invite other partners to come partner with us so we can add you to our list and our clients have more resources to lean into. So true. We have, right? We there's a template for all of this. We have a resource guide, right? We have a resource center, what we call our hubs. Now, the point is to make them better. Yeah.

SPEAKER_06

They already encompass so much, but I think you brought up a great point because it's not like HSN, what they do is literally the connection between different service providers in the community. But it's so vast. There's so many opportunities for even other agencies to apply for grants. And I'm wondering if there's maybe a way that we can send out some kind of mass blast or we send people out to literally go do some kind of outreach at these different organizations that maybe we don't have the closest connection to, so that we can be aware of all that they provide to the community. So these are great ideas of ways that we could expand.

SPEAKER_04

I feel like, you know, those mass platforms like Instagram, TikTok, what else do we use? Snapchat's a little bit, Facebook, Facebook. Making it more modern. I feel like make it more modern because let's be for real. When I was homeless, do you really think I'm gonna sit there and read a whole seven pack of a resource guide? I'm not. So I need something now. And when you're in a position to be homeless, you're homeless, you need something immediately. Now, what can you help me with this and this? So I feel like being more hands-on when it comes to certain what do you need? What is the issues that you're having? And based on the things that you're telling me, I feel like this and this, this will work for you right now. Because giving them a packet and saying, hey, here you go, it's it's depressing because it's like, do you really care about me? You know?

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, and then that's what we try to emphasize here, right? Like like Jada mentioned earlier, HSM, we do provide those training programs to our partner programs. Because the way we have our conversations is we don't let you walk out there with packets. We talk about what you need. Can you tell the the first thing we say is can you tell me a little bit about your housing situation? So from there we can pinpoint, oh, you can't go to work because your kids are at home all day, you have toddlers. We're gonna get you on 4C. And then we're gonna get you on McKenny Vento so they can go to school. Now your schedule's freed up, and now you have time for work. And where can you go to work? UAP does a work program. Come sign up here. So we try to give a brief plan where we circle the best resources possible that can be of most immediate help on top of emergency shelter because we know we don't have affordable housing units to take clients into. We have to divert you to an emergency shelter or two family members if that's available. But that is our most convenient shelter at the moment, as far as resources and what you're going through in life. We're gonna try to pinpoint you to the things that matter to you specifically before we give you a guide. But it is, again, that's where we have to work in tandem. It's that hand up where you have to also, maybe you don't want to read it, but look it up. Take that one thing that we circled and look into it. And then you have to go there because the truth is, so many clients come see us. Nobody's gonna be able to get back out to all of y'all. The call volume is through the roof. Yeah. So I always tell my clients, go in person. Yeah, go in person. That's the best way you're gonna get all your questions answered. Because nobody's trying to ignore you. There's so many people calling in at once. How do we it's six of us on a team for the whole tri-county area.

SPEAKER_05

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02

So it's that type of volume, right? That's why I say it's good to be honest and when you set an expectation at the door and we can explain how the program works, because then people understand. And with understanding, you're able to build a plan and then you can move forward with dignity. And I think that's better for people.

SPEAKER_06

And thank you guys again. Thank you so much for coming on today and sharing your perspectives and giving the people listening a little bit better of an idea of what you guys do. You Yasmin, you gave some insight on Yaz, even your perspectives, right? Coming from people who genuinely knowing y'all, I know that you guys care about doing this work. And I've come across a lot of people in this field, so I feel like I'm a pretty good judge of character.

SPEAKER_04

I feel like Yaz, there's a lot of see, I didn't even know Yaz existed. I feel like that should be broadcast a lot more because Yaz really changed my life inside and out. I feel like a lot of people think when you say youth action society, people think, oh, there's a group of people sitting at a t-No, it's not. So you would recommend people to get involved with yes, I've done public speaking. I've been in meetings with CEOs, and my voice has been heard. I've given recommendations that I've seen firsthand, it emoted me and made me grow as a person. I feel like I've grown and I'm still growing. I've I spoke to a congressman. That's crazy. I interviewed a congressman. I was in his office. And and I've been on the news multiple times. I've been West 2 News, Orlando Senadyl. Spectrum. Spectrum. Spectrum News. And she you saw it? My house, I was four hours before they came, I was cleaning the I was cleaning. But I was in there on my knees and my toes. I was deep clean. Deep clean, and I was doing my makeup. I was like, I'm not about to because sometimes people call me to do random. I think with West 2 News, it was random. I wasn't prepared. I had my my regular clothes on with my little messy bun, and I'm like, oh my god, I'm about to go on the news. I'm about to do me that again. So I did my little makeup, you know what I'm saying? And the lady that interviewed me, she thought it was so cool that we even did a meeting outside of the news, and she wants to work with me in the future. So I made a connection. Yeah. I made a connect. I made a connection with the West 2 news lady. I made a connection with the Spectrum news lady. I have so many different connections. I made a connection with the CEO of SALT. It's so much bigger than just Yaz. It's a community of people that want to see you grow and succeed.

SPEAKER_06

Hey man.

SPEAKER_04

I want to see you win.

SPEAKER_06

And if we're listening to this, no, we want to see you win. Whether you're unhoused, whether you're not, whether you're on the brink of say, don't give up. Never give up. There's always a solution to any problem. If you learn anything from this podcast, there are options out there, there are resources out there, and there are people who care. What's something you'd like to leave the listeners with?

SPEAKER_05

You kind of just took the words out of my mouth. I was just like, keep going. Don't give up. Even though it might seem hopeless at that time, there's there's always resources. There's always something out there to assist with getting you back on your feet, getting you back on track. So my baseline, my thing is do not give up. There's always something out there for you guys. So good.

SPEAKER_02

Well, you gotta co-sign that. I love exactly what she said.

SPEAKER_04

I was saying, even with Yes, all these resources did not come to me. I actually had to put in the work. So it wasn't like it was just, hey, here no, they were like, Here, here's a resource, this is what you're gonna do, and it's up to you to do it. Yeah, you had the willingness. You I had the willingness to be like, I want to be at a a better version of myself, so I did and I took and I applied it. So when we're saying, Hey, keep going, that's it's real.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, it's real.

SPEAKER_04

You gotta put your feet in there and dive and swim. With all the other fishing.

SPEAKER_05

We can only give you the resources. You have to do the work. Yes. We give you the tools, you do the work. Absolutely. So we gotta meet each other halfway. Yeah. We're gonna get you there.

SPEAKER_02

We're gonna work together. That's the point. It's the hand up, right? I'm reaching down, you're reaching up, and at some point we're gonna be shaking hands at the end of the day. Yeah, we're gonna be shaking hands. That's so true. Persevere. Put yourself in a place of progress.

SPEAKER_06

That's so good. And thank you guys again for coming on today. Thank y'all so much for being here. Again, we want to leave our listeners with the call to action. If you can, volunteer with local homeless serving agencies such as HSN or our partner agencies, right? If you can help, please help. If you can donate, please donate. Monetary gifts are impactful for our local community and it does help real people. Okay, please, if you can, please give. There was a woman actually who came to one of our partner agencies, Covenant House, and she now is a multimillionaire in New York City. She has a daughter, and when she was 15, she went to Covenant House. They serve basically you the young adults who are experiencing homelessness. And to make a long story short, again, she's a multimillionaire now, and she actually gave a huge donation to Covenant House a few years ago. Shout out to her. Um I don't I know her name, but I won't say her name on air just in case she may not want it to be out there. But I mean, shout out to her. She went and she made something of her life, and that was an organization that was actually able to be there in a time where she was so unsure about herself. So it was such an honor to hear her story. And you never know what gifts or monetary donations that you provide, who that can help and who's life that can change, not only for that time period, but their future and their generations to come, you know, that can stabilize somebody's life. If you can donate food, clothing, even hygiene supplies. We have a bunch of local organizations. You're more than welcome to reach out to us. And if you're a person who can hire people or you can give training opportunities, internships, etc., offer them, offer those job and training opportunities for people who are rebuilding their lives. You never know whose life you can change from providing them with an opportunity. So thank you guys so much for being on today. Thank you for listening. We'll be back super soon. And this was the System Remix Podcast. We'll see you then.

SPEAKER_03

That's perfect.

unknown

Yep.