4 GROUNDCOVER NEWS HOUSING JULY 28, 2023 HOUSED: Gary Jackson, Alcoholics Anonymous and being responsible for oneself Groundcover News: Tell us about your journey to housing. Gary Jackson: I was born in Detroit and raised in Belleville. I had an unmanageable life for a while. I was drinking and panhandling, being mean to people — generally just unhappy. I tore up cars. My alcoholism played a big part in my life. I worked steadily for most of my life — several different jobs — but the drinking made it unmanageable. The alcohol took a big toll. When my mother and father died in the 90s, I was lost. I’m the youngest of eleven siblings, but I couldn't rely on my brothers or sisters. We were grown; I had to fight it out on my own. I went back and forth between Detroit, Ann Arbor, Kalamazoo — in and out of county jail, hospitals — thankfully never prison. I was homeless off and on last year. I stayed with my brother for some time but that didn’t work out. I had to get a foundation in my life. Most recently, I became homeless because of a bad relationship in Kalamazoo; it was not healthy for me. I’ve been in Washtenaw County since January 3 of this year. I am in my 60s and I knew I had to get it in my head that I have to quit this. I didn’t know where my life was going until I turned around and got into recovery. I started in the 80s, but I couldn't stick with it. If I had, I would have had 30 years of my life back. that. Thankfully I already had my social security card and ID because that would have added on more waiting time. I needed references and had to fill out a large application. And the whole time I had to save my money. You need to have your finances in check. I worked multiple jobs. All of that required motivation and LINDSAY CALKA Publisher I moved into Hospitality House Ypsi in January which helped me stay motivated. Hospitality House is a Catholic Worker house in Ypsilanti. It motivated me to want my own space; I wanted to be responsible for myself. I had to bite the bullet, humble myself, save my money, set goals to move on. I started to lead Alcoholics Anonymous meetings there in January, and have kept it up since. I want to show other people it works, even where I come from. I’m proud and I’m thanking God I’m staying focused. GCN: What was the biggest barrier that you faced in obtaining housing? GJ: I was afraid I would lose my life. How many chances would God give me? I used Section 8 — which required a lot of coordinating with the Robert J. Delonis Center and my caseworker. I had to have proof of my birth certificate — which I didn’t have — so I had to order a birth certificate and wait for follow through. GCN: What is an unexpected, positive thing that most people expect when transitioning into housing? GJ: First, comfort. I wasn’t out in the cold anymore, sleeping outside. That was painful for me. How much pain could I take? Being homeless was a blow to the head. Second, keeping myself clean and fresh. I don’t have to go days without washing anymore. That’s a big plus: keeping my hair combed, brushing my teeth, keeping my hygiene up. It feels good to open my closet and see clothes and shoes to choose from. GCN: What pieces of advice would you give to people who are experiencing homelessness? GJ: If it's alcohol or drugs — any addiction that’s hindering you — you’ve got to change. I’m not gonna tell you to stop, but you’ve got to change. You’ll be tired of living the way you are living. You will feel good about yourself and will be more open to help — and helping others. It’s not easy. But there is help out there. Pay for the roof over your head first. Jackson organizes the AA meetings at Solidarity Hall on Tuesdays and Fridays 6-7 p.m. Then light bills, food, whatever. But housing first. GCN: What’s next for you? GJ: Right now I’m working part time at Michigan Medicine and the Salvation Army. I’m saving my money and building my credit up. My hospital bills accumulated, but I’m working on clearing them. Also, I am working on getting a car. My goal is to keep working, saving, and move up. I can’t wait to make an even bigger step. It’s only up from here. A quick history of housing segregation in the U.S ANNIKA BURMAN Groundcover contributor Most of us grew up in segregated neighborhoods, in segregated schools, with heavily racialized life experiences. On the surface, it should not be like this since the Civil Rights Act, passed in 1964, prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex or nationality. However, many of us have realized that in actuality, government policies have continued to incentivize segregation, and individual biases have made it even more difficult to create an integrated, equitable society. Many people are surprised to hear that the United States was less residentially segregated in the 1890s than it is currently. Although racism was rampant, Black people and white people were more likely to live together, interacting on a daily basis for the sake of their career and relationships. Everything changed after the Great Migration in the 1910s. Over the next six decades, six million Black Americans moved north or west in pursuit of better job prospects. These poor Black families funneled into northern cities like Chicago, New York City and Detroit en masse, scaring white families into moving out of diversifying neighborhoods. White families used multiple tactics to keep Black people from moving into their neighborhoods, such as threats of violence, actual violence and policies by newly-founded Neighborhood Improvement Associations. One of the methods Neighborhood Improvement Associations used to enforce segregation was restrictive covenants — contracts signed by homeowners promising not to sell their property to people of color; sometimes these contracts extended across multiple generations. They also would collectively buy out Black residents to force them to leave the neighborhood after already moving in, fight politically for single-family residential zoning as opposed to apartment complexes, and they would boycott real estate agents that sold to Black people in their neighborhoods. Some real estate agents also strategically profited off of “white flight” through a process called “blockbusting.” Since segregated Black neighborhoods were overcrowded, wealthier Black families were eager to move to the outer edge of these disadvantaged neighborhoods or into majority-white neighborhoods that would afford them more opportunities and safety. Blockbusters sold properties in white neighborhoods to Black families at increased prices, profiting off of their desperation to escape neighborhoods suffering from systemic disinvestment. The real estate agent would go doorto-door informing the white residents in the area that the neighborhood was about to turn over. He would point to the Black family that just moved in across the street or Black teenagers he paid to brawl publicly that morning, then make an offer to buy their house for less than it was worth. He played into racial stereotypes in every step of the process, and Black families were the ones to suffer the most from his actions. The blockbuster knew that see SEGREGATION page 10
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