6 GROUNDCOVER NEWS OPPORTUNITY Finding opportunities for the unhoused I had only been in the Ann Arbor area for maybe a week and a half as of March 5, 2026. I have been unhoused several times in my life and none of those episodes were times I could have controlled. I have found that this area is more open-minded about people in my situation. When I asked the local volunteers about employment opportunities in the area, I was immediately referred to Groundcover News which is the only truly independent newspaper here in Ann Arbor. I quickly signed up to take their orientation and have been welcomed in with open arms. At the orientation meeting, the Director, Lindsay, invited me to the SHE TEAM women's group meeting that would occur in just a few short hours. I fell in love with the energy of this team instantly. The other members were so welcoming, and just taking that opportunity to brainstorm on different subjects to further not only ourselves, but also Groundcover, seemed so refreshing. I wondered to myself if there were any other organizations that would be just as inviting to people like me. I started a small project and it’s still ongoing so the results will either improve or decline depending on the participation of other people. It’s local to Ann Arbor only so if this is successful or if it yields the results I’m looking for, I would like to expand this project to Ypsilanti and Brighton. It basically starts with a request via a letter to interview leaders of different businesses to see if hiring unhoused persons is something they would consider. I have a form already created with different questions such as: What are their hiring practices? What would be the barriers that might prevent the unhoused from being hired? Would these persons need to have any special training or certifications? Ideally, I want to create a list of companies that could provide a safe space and opportunity for employment as well as growth to unhoused persons. Groundcover does a wonderful job providing entrepreneuri al EL CENTRAL from page 4 think it's right, and I think we should stand up for what's right, and everybody should be civil and have their rights, you know?” Ava: I've seen a lot of just plain discrimination. Like Layla said, many kids have been taken away by ICE. That one case with a five-year-old kid, he was taken by ICE. Yes. One of our teachers at Western, her boyfriend was also taken away by ICE. And ICE has RACHAEL LANIER Groundcover vendor No. 695 opportunities for those trying to get back on their feet. As many times as I have been unhoused, throughout my travels across different states, 10 in the last five years looking for work, there are stigmas and stereotypes that present roadblocks and closed doors for people in my situation. I got here because, back when I lived in Fargo, I mailed a money order for a processing fee separately from my USDA loan application to the Arkansas USDA office. The fee never made it to the office in Arkansas, so my application could not be processed. The result was instant homelessness. My daughters, our pets and I all lived in my 2008 white Chevy Suburban and shelters for around three months before being offered the most disgusting housing available in Malvern, Arkansas. Three months and I had to leave because the conditions were so uninhabitable, my daughters were getting sick. I took them back to their father in Alabama, and I DoorDashed my way in a highjacked U-Haul to Wisconsin. I am homeless again, but my daughters are safe. Arkansas proved to be the worst decision of my life. My final service animal was rehomed in Cicero, Illinois. I finally made it to Detroit — where my original plan after losing everything was to claim asylum in Canada. I tried to claim asylum but it didn’t work. I was immediately commanded to leave federal property. They weren’t letting me over that border. So, I tried to tough it out in Detroit. After eight months and two evictions, just disregarded the law. They don't even have to hardly go to training. It's just horrible what they have done to our friends and the citizens of Detroit. It seems like it’s just for their amusement. Elaina: Yes. I just think it's just very cruel … it's not right at all. And I just think by taking steps like these [today’s school walk out] in our community, even little ones like these, it helps make things like this come together and push through it, even at hard no jobs, entirely too much free labor just to have a roof over my head and a few events of being exploited, I left for Ann Arbor via the Dearborn Police department. I don’t know how Ann Arbor feels about it, having another PD drop off homeless people in their city, but those guys were so nice to me — someone who has been stigmatized for anything and everything awful; from drug addict to alcoholic to sex worker. Wouldn’t you know it, I was originally transported to Ann Arbor to their Greyhound bus station to buy a ticket out of state and I was $10 short. So, I’m now here for a little while longer. I suppose I’m trying to tell you that discrimination against the unhoused has been so strong in my life for the last three years that I was expecting Ann Arbor to be the same as Fargo, North Dakota; Fort Smith, Arkansas; Malvern, Arkansas; Little Rock, Arkansas; Fayetteville, Arkansas; Racine, Wisconsin; Chicago, Illinois; Detroit, Michigan; and Moorhead, Minnesota. With a few exceptions in Cicero Illinois, the organizations in most if not all other of those places refuse to help you. Their promises of housing, employment, resources, access to any services, were all just whispered lies on honeyed lips, to say the least. Or however that saying goes. Those organizations “manage” homeless populations, they don’t solve the problem of homelessness or provide solutions. My point is: they lied. In these other places, any attempt I made to become self-sufficient was immediately resisted. I was blocked from everything I tried. A case worker in Minnesota threatened to take my children from me if I went to work. Why? The goal was to become self-sufficient so I could afford my own housing and not be in their shelters. And for whatever reason, probably because I was homeless, none of the companies I applied to after leaving that shelter were hiring. I have an Associates of Science degree, over 25 years experience in customer service, 20 years in times when it seems like there's no faith, like everybody getting taken, the kids, the babies. Even little steps like these, they get us through the day and we fight for our people and we stand up for what's right, and that's the thing. Ava concluded, "Nobody's illegal on stolen land. Little stuff like this does a lot. It changes a lot. No matter how long it takes, it'll help." Detroit is so fortunate to have EL CENTRAL reporting on the issues that matter to the community. food and beverage, 10 years in manufacturing, 10 years in inventory and quality control, and 8 years in care giving, in overlapping jobs. I don’t understand how I could be denied employment for three years straight. I got interviews — loads of interviews, and it seemed like it all went well. But apparently it didn't and I was the only one who couldn’t see it. I’m fairly confident in Ann Arbor there are organizations like Groundcover, who want to help those who are unhoused and who want to help themselves. I just have to compile a list and disseminate it to those who are interested. This is also a big thank you to Groundcover for stopping that infamous gap in employment that seems to strike fear into the heart of every potential employer when they encounter us. The chance that we are given, this particular group with these particular sets of hardships, is indeed a godsend. I would like to see if there are any other companies out there that can be a godsend to us as well. If not, Groundcover has us covered. No harm, no foul. Declinations are also considered. We aren't forcing anyone or trying to guilt trip or shame anyone, no blasting in the paper or anything petty like that. I am just looking for other options for any of us unhoused people who really just wanna get back on our feet and get our lives on track. If there are any business owners interested in helping the unhoused, please email either me r2.lanier@ gmail.com or you can email Lindsay Calka at contact@groundcovernews. com, and ask for a copy of the letter and the questionnaire. An email containing a Word document will be emailed to your email address. You can schedule a meeting or answer the questionnaire electronically. In the meantime, I will be visiting different businesses and handing out physical copies of the invitation to schedule an interview and we will see how it goes. APRIL 17, 2026
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