6 GROUNDCOVER NEWS HOUSING EQUITY DECEMBER 29, 2023 Washtenaw County lends an ear to those with lived experience Within Washtenaw County there is a department dedicated to bringing equality to all of its citizens. Part of the Racial Equity Office’s mission statement reads, “We are … spearheading the charge of (racial equity) policy, addressing existing inequities in the county and ultimately making Washtenaw County a more equitable place to live and work.” Department Director Alize Asberry Payne says that her work on racial equity also encompasses those who are impacted by other inequities such as housing. In an effort to reach those who are unhoused, Payne formed a recent event giving special focus to those with lived experience. Also known as epistemic privilege, this line of thinking gives recognition to those who have lived through a crisis as being the experts in sharing their knowledge about it. Payne also prioritized compensating the panelists for their time and effort which is often overlooked. There were three participants on the panel entitled, Housing Equity: Co-Creating a vision for Housing Equity in Washtenaw County — Centering the Voices of Lived Experience. Each unhoused panelist shared their unique experiences on the homeless struggle LIT KURTZ Groundcover vendor No. 159 in front of an audience of social workers and commissioners who gathered to gain a more firsthand account of what it means to live unhoused in the county. The panel included Rebecca Bongo who spoke from the perspective of the working homeless living a van life. Another participant was Gia Powers, a mid-twenties individual who has been housing-insecure for about the past year. I was the third person on the panel, having lived a decade unhoused following a mass layoff of teachers in the school district where I had previously worked. The panelists’ lives outside of mainstream housing were diverse, each reflective of different lifestyles and demographics. Rebecca Bongo was the only panelist who holds down a full-time mainstream job, while sleeping in her van. She expressed that her Commissioner Justin Hodge moderated Housing Equity panel featuring speakers Gia Powers, Rebecca Bongo and Elizabeth "Lit" Kurtz. “world changed” in 2018 and that she has “criss-crossed” the country several times in what she calls her “rig,” trying to figure things out. Of the many questions posed by the moderator, an important one asked panelists which available resources in the county for the unhoused are most beneficial. Powers was quick to praise Solidarity House in Ypsilanti which she credits with “saving her life.” Each panelist agreed that Fed Up Ministries is taking steps in the right direction by providing a menu that is more like restaurant fare than food designed for “the homeless." The general consensus and praise was towards organizations who are providing a more humanizing for those who are unhoused rather than those who tend to treat unhoused people like numbers and statistics. The Delonis Center generated the least favorable response from panelists, with Bongo noting that many individuals are unable to cope with the cramped quarters and other restrictions of shelter life. Her sentiment may shed light in the feelings of many who are experiencing homelessness in a new 21st century world where people who are unhoused are still looked upon as drags on society and too often lack places to be in the daytime due to a lack of day shelters. Having lived a decade without see PANEL next page
7 Publizr Home