Latest / What’s Up, Wake / The Other Side of Raleigh: Tyree Dudley Shares the Stories of Raleigh’s Unhoused Community
Transcript
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RWRNC.com. [00:00:54] Speaker 3: Winter is coming. Make sure your car is ready with Cary Car Care. Family owned and operated, they'll keep you safe on the road all season long. Give us a call at 919-380-0040 to schedule your winter service today. Or visit us at carycarcare.com. Cary Car Care, it must be right or we'll make it right. [00:01:53] Speaker: tiny, quick one. Okay. Sometimes the people who need to be seen the most are the ones we walk right past. People experiencing homelessness have stories and struggles that can easily become invisible in the rush of everyday life, but one local organization is working to change that by standing on the other side of silence and bringing forward the stories that often go unnoticed. Just a couple weeks ago, I had a guest on What's Up Wake! talking about the Triangle Parade of Homes, an event showcasing new homes featuring the latest designs. It's an interesting juxtaposition, that conversation being about dream homes and today's episode about helping people who are dreaming of having a roof over their heads. Today, I'm joined by Tyree Dudley from the Other Side of Raleigh, an organization dedicated to connecting our unhoused neighbors, helping bring dignity, compassion, and hope to some of the most vulnerable members of our community. [00:02:49] Melissa: Welcome, Tyree. Before we get into the mission of The Other Side of Raleigh, tell us a little bit about yourself. You were coming in here and you mentioned that you are a brand new neighbor to Raleigh. I am, I am. So first and foremost, thanks for having me. [00:03:02] Tyree Dudley: I'm happy to be here. Um, my name is Tyree. I'm originally from New Jersey. Um, I'm probably now about like seven to eight months here in Raleigh and I love it. I, I hate to say it to everyone that loves me in New Jersey, but I'm never coming back. Oh, we'll keep you. No, I, I'm happy to be kept- We will keep you for sure. But, um, Raleigh's a really amazing place- Mm-hmm ... and I'm just excited for everything that it has for the future, for sure. So what brought you to Raleigh, and has your original plan ch- changed in any way? It did, right. So me coming to Raleigh, so I do marketing and branding for a lot of different, um, high-end customers in New Jersey and New York, and, um, my goal was to expand the business. So I used this thing called ChatGPT, which happens to be my best friend, right? Yeah. So my best friend told me, "Hey, Raleigh North Carolina's a, is a, is a fast-growing environment when it comes to entrepreneurs and within the next five to 10 years, you know a- Can you tell your best friend to, to cut off the spigot though? [00:03:56] Melissa: You know, so funny. Because we're running out of room. Believe it or not, I, I would love to because now I'm seeing every, every time I'm here, I see nothing but New Jersey license plates- Oh, yeah ... New York license plates. Yeah. So I'm like, "It's not just me," right? But I end up coming down here and, you know I didn't know anyone, right? [00:04:09] Tyree Dudley: No friends, no family, just took the risk, right? So, um, me being a entrepreneur, I said I'm gonna get a part-time job, right? I started working for a security company, um, downtown Raleigh. And in the midst of me working downtown Raleigh, I was working in a place called Moore Square. Mm-hmm. Moore Square, I've noticed in that area, um, there's a really big unhoused community. Mm-hmm. And y- you're there every day, right? I'm there every day. I'm working, I'm working, and what I started to notice was, you know, there would be really amazing events that would take place in Moore Square and Moore Square's a great place, by the way. I love Moore Square. The events they have are awesome. Um, but what I noticed, you know, they'll have really big events and the community members that normally just be there, right, I would just see them, you know, kinda get pushed to the background, right? Yeah. And not because it was intentionally, but that's just something that they would do, right? And I started to build a relationship with them and, you know me having that marketing background, I'm like, "Well, what can I do?" One thing I do know how to do is brand, right? Market. You know, I'm really big in- Yeah ... in, in filming, so. Tell stories. Tell stories. Mm-hmm. That's it. So I told the first person's story and it got 130,000 views on Instagram. Um, and but the most im- That's no easy feat- No, for sure ... too, yeah. For sure. And, and the greatest thing about it is outside of the views, the comments were amazing, right? Mm-hmm. Because the community member told their needs and the community r- like returned everything that they asked for right away. Yeah, yeah. And that's when I knew like, okay, this is something that I need to be doing. And that's, I think that's when I first came upon the page, The Other Side of Raleigh. [00:05:43] Melissa: I was of s- of course scrolling- Yes ... Instagram. And came across Amanda Lamb. Yes. Which is, she's a, a Raleigh institution in and of herself. We all know her from the news and- Yes ... and she's not just the news. She's, she's everywhere. Right. We, um, we, we definitely claim Amanda Lamb. I love Amanda. She is amazing, for sure. Well, and she was interviewing an unhoused person that, that I guess was in the Moore Square area. Yes. And hearing their side of the story, which is not something we always get a chance to hear. And I mentioned in my introduction about how we're just so used to walking by people on the street. We're not used to stopping and, and hearing what's going on in a person's life. [00:06:30] Joe Woolworth: Yes. And that's what you were doing. So we talked about the spark that got you started with doing this. I wanna know... I also wanna know about the, the name The Other Side of Raleigh, because it immediately made me curious, and I wanna know what, what you mean by that. Right. Um, so The Other Side of Raleigh, I think that, you know- In every city, right? [00:06:53] Tyree Dudley: But specifically Other Side of Raleigh, right? When, when I moved to Raleigh as someone who's never been here, right- Mm-hmm ... I, I was so lost, especially coming from a, a really big city, right, where everything is just so aggressive and so loud, right? Yeah. To come to Raleigh where it's a growing city and it still has its Southern hospitality features to it, right? Yeah. When I came here I was just like, "Wow." So I didn't even know that that exists here, right? I didn't even... I couldn't imagine it because it was just such an amazing environment, right? So for me, um, I moved to, in, in an area called North Hills. So North Hill's a really great environment, right? So when I went downtown, and d- downtown is also a great environment as well, right? Yeah. If you don't know, you won't know. And one thing I can say about the community members, they're very respectful, right? It's, it's not like another city where it's aggressive or it's, or it's rough. It's, like, you know, community members that understand their situations a- a- and they're operating in this environment- Mm-hmm amongst people who are, you know, continuing their regular day, their regular routine. Yeah. So The Other Side of Raleigh, it came out because I'm like, "Wow, this is the other side." Like, people might not know. And being that the nonprofit organization is growing, I've learnt that there's people that just don't know that this exists. There's some people that are oblivious to this taking place in this community, right? And I... Something that you said earlier, right? A lot of people walk past, but I feel like what The Other Side of Raleigh is about is trying to bridge that gap, right? Yeah. Because there's people, as we see, that wants to help. Yes. But they don't know how to help, right? Yes. And then there's people that wanna ask for help. They don't, they don't know how to ask for help. So when you're, when you have people that's walking past each other, whether it's a millionaire walking past a community member or vice versa- Mm-hmm ... they don't know how to stop and engage, right? They don't know what that looks like. So the goal of The Other Side of Raleigh is to bridge that gap and be able to say, "Okay, guess what? To anyone that needs help, these are the resources." Whether it's, you know the Carter Clinic, whether it's Oak City Cares. Whatever it may be, these are the options, right? And then to our, you know, community that's functioning, you know, what happens is we wanna say, "Hey." How to com- how to help, right? Yes. And I think that people really want to help, and I think that's what's great about this community. [00:08:53] Melissa: What do you think that people get wrong about homelessness and the idea of, um, people ex- experiencing extreme hardships? [00:09:06] Tyree Dudley: I think what people misunderstand is that- It can happen to anyone. [00:09:11] Melissa: Yes. [00:09:11] Tyree Dudley: Right? Um, you know- [00:09:13] Melissa: most of us are, I, I read one paycheck away- [00:09:17] Tyree Dudley: That's correct ... [00:09:18] Melissa: from, from not being able to pay our rent. [00:09:21] Tyree Dudley: That is correct. Yeah. You know, so I think that's one step. I think that, you know, depending on, you know, circumstance, some people could feel like, hey they made the wrong steps, or they don't wanna work. Mm-hmm. Right? Or they don't wanna change their lives, right? Yes. They're just doing this because guess what? In Raleigh, it is fortunate that, you know, a lot of people do support. There are a lot of great nonprofit organizations- Mm-hmm ... that are helping, right? That are willing to help, that are coming to give food. But at the same time, you know, we are out there, me, Amanda Marissa, you know, our team, we're out there talking to the community, and we're realizing, you know, things happen to where it was unexpected. Right? You get people that's working, everything's working out, they lose they job, they lose everything, and, and I can only imagine what that can feel like, right? You had someone who everything was working, they're thriving. You know, she was a wife. Her husband accidentally... Well, I don't wanna say accidentally, but unfortunately passes away. Mm-hmm. He was the breadwinner. You know, she was stuck. She didn't know what to do. You know, and then to try to adjust in an environment where you've never been homeless, this just happened to you, what do you do? So I think that mis- understanding is just judging it, right? And not knowing who this person is or, or what they went through or how they got there. [00:10:26] Melissa: I think that's what makes your, your mission and your social media page so fascinating, is that I, I guess I've never really stopped to think I, that I, I wish I knew the stories behind each individual person because every story is so different. [00:10:45] Joe Woolworth: Yes. [00:10:46] Melissa: I, I saw one person that was interviewed, um, that has a mental health background. [00:10:52] Joe Woolworth: Yes. [00:10:53] Melissa: And, and we've seen in recent years and decades over time that, um, we don't have a lot of mental health resources- Right ... in this country anymore- Right ... and certainly not in this area the way that we used to. [00:11:06] Tyree Dudley: That's correct. [00:11:06] Melissa: Um, and, and there was another lady that, or I think it was a gentleman, he was taking care of his parents. [00:11:14] Tyree Dudley: Yes. Yep. [00:11:15] Melissa: And, and once his, his father passed away, um, he was having a hard time getting back to, into his life- [00:11:23] Tyree Dudley: Yeah ... [00:11:23] Melissa: pre-caretaker days. [00:11:24] Tyree Dudley: That's correct. [00:11:25] Melissa: So it's, it's just, it's all sorts of stories that you really don't think about, and it just, it's a way to stop and think. [00:11:33] Tyree Dudley: Yes. I agree. And, and you just can't judge anyone, right? Mm-hmm. And I think that's why just helping, you know, and, and doing what we can, it matters because you just never know anyone's situation, and like you said, we're all just one paycheck away from being in that same situation, you know? So- And [00:11:45] Melissa: not to mention, rent prices have skyrocketed. [00:11:48] Tyree Dudley: Yes. [00:11:49] Melissa: I know it's... I'm sure it's the case in New Jersey- Absolutely ... but it's certainly the way here, the, the case here too. So- I [00:11:54] Tyree Dudley: agree ... [00:11:55] Melissa: that it, it's all a, a big picture, but with micro stories. [00:12:00] Tyree Dudley: Yes. Yes. Mm-hmm. And, you know, one thing I can say, the community helps. [00:12:06] Melissa: Yeah. [00:12:06] Tyree Dudley: The community wants to help. Yeah. And I think that's what's so interesting for me about Raleigh, right? They wanna help, right? I, I'm telling you, anything that we ask for, anything that we promote, you know, anything that we're doing, you know, any story that we post, bare minimum, at least one person's like, "Hey." We had some- we had one kid who's like, "Hey, I just want a skateboard," right? Mm. Um, literally someone brought him a skateboard that very next day. [00:12:28] Joe Woolworth: Oh. [00:12:29] Tyree Dudley: Right? Yeah. Um, we had a community member who did a video and, um, a dentist reached out because unfortunately in that video, you know, her teeth wasn't- Mm ... you know, done, right? She had some missing teeth. Literally, a dentist reached out like, "Hey, we, we wanna help her smile." That's incredible. "We're gonna do it for free." And they did it for free. Wow. And they did an amazing job, an amazing job. And, and it's just been growing, and it's just like, you know, I know I said my original purpose of coming out here was to do marketing and branding. Mm-hmm. But I feel as though God brought me here to do this. [00:12:57] Melissa: Yeah. You had, you had a bigger purpose. [00:12:58] Tyree Dudley: Yes. Mm-hmm. Absolutely. Absolutely. [00:13:01] Melissa: How did you meet Amanda Lamb? How did she become part of this story? [00:13:05] Tyree Dudley: So, so Amanda Lamb is now, um, officially on our board which is amazing. Great. Right? Um, so no different than you, to be honest. Yeah. Right? Amanda said she was scrolling and she saw, you know, um, one of our stories, and she reached out immediately, right? When we reached out, we met at a coffee shop, and we connected ever since that moment, and Amanda has been just such an amazing spirit. She's definitely for the people. She volunteers, you know, for another nonprofit called, um, A Place at the Table. I've been there with her, and, and, you know, she's just for the people. And that connection has been great, right? We've been working ever since. You know, her knowledge of the community being that, you know, she's been in this community, you know, working, you know, 30 years plus. You know, I'm not sure if she's originally from here, but- Mm-hmm ... she's been in this community, so, you know, if you're looking for someone who's gonna be a tour guide, she's the one. [00:13:56] Melissa: Tell us about how you feel like it's making a difference for each individual person that is interviewed and has a chance to tell their stories. I can imagine, you know, it's, we're talking on the other side of things that how it, how it's making a difference for me hearing their stories. But what do you think it's doing for them? [00:14:18] Tyree Dudley: To be honest, it's making them feel seen. Mm-hmm. Right? It's making them exist again. It's making them- [00:14:23] Melissa: And isn't that what we all want? And that's [00:14:24] Tyree Dudley: the [00:14:24] Melissa: goal. We all want to, to feel seen. [00:14:26] Tyree Dudley: That's it. Yeah. Right? To be heard, right? Mm-hmm. To, to, to feel like I'm human, to feel like, you know I deserve a second chance, right? Like you're [00:14:31] Melissa: important to someone. [00:14:32] Tyree Dudley: I... Right. Yeah. And, and it matters. Mm-hmm. And, and, and that's something I've noticed, right? Something as small as a skateboard, right? Guess what? I see this kid all the time. He- Aw ... every time he see me, gives me a hug, right? [00:14:41] Joe Woolworth: Yeah. [00:14:41] Tyree Dudley: You know, um, literally, you know, s- and there's a lot of things that take place off of camera, right? The things that's just natural whereas, you know helping them with food or, you know, hygiene, things like that. 'Cause sometimes some people don't wanna be on camera. They don't want, they don't want to, you know, tell their stories, but they still need help. And one thing I notice is they just appreciate, you know, being able to get a hug from a person who they may look at, you know, as, hey, this guy might be someone of a high stature. You know, even with Amanda Lamb, right? Amanda's out there and she's hugging people. [00:15:09] Melissa: Yeah. [00:15:09] Tyree Dudley: Literally, she's hugging people. There's no barrier between who I am and who you are. We are all in here together. And, and as, as a team, how can we grow? [00:17:14] Melissa: you mentioned the Southern hospitality, and I'm just to- so happy to hear that. You know, I'm, I'm a Raleigh native, and I'm, I'm proud of being Southern, and that's one thing that we're good at. We're gonna take care of our people. [00:17:27] Tyree Dudley: Yes, yes. [00:17:28] Melissa: And I'm, I'm glad to hear that even though- Mm ... we've grown by leaps and bounds, we're still taking care of- [00:17:34] Tyree Dudley: Absolutely ... [00:17:34] Melissa: our, of our neighbors. [00:17:35] Tyree Dudley: I... Listen, Raleigh has been an, an amazing place for me, and you saying that is nothing but truth, and I'm from New Jersey- Mm right? I'm from an environment, not to take anything away from my city, but I feel like the city is so big, right? Yeah. New York and New Jersey, 'cause they kinda treat them like they're, they're- Mm-hmm ... their neighbors, they're, they're brothers and sisters, right? Yeah. But the, but the city is so big that, you know, sometimes things can go unnoticed, right? Mm. Mm-hmm. I feel like here, you know- I don't wanna say that this is a new thing. I don't know how, how, how long, you know, the, the unhoused community have existed or how much it has grown, but what I can say is literally every day there's people out there helping. Different nonprofit organizations, different communities, you know, that's just here to help, right? Yeah. And for me, The Other Side of Raleigh was to showcase that, right? So even though we're showcasing it from a unhoused community aspect- Mm ... you know, we've partnered with, you know, Oak City Cares, right? We've partnered with the Carter Clinic. We've partnered with, you know Healing Transitions. These are, are, are, i- you know, these are really big nonprofit organizations that's already been in the community. For [00:18:34] Melissa: a while, [00:18:35] Tyree Dudley: yeah. For a while, you know? Mm-hmm. And our goal is not to compete or compare, but to showcase that, hey, these are other, you know, nonprofits in the community that's willing to help, right? Mm-hmm. Because you'll be surprised how many people just don't know that they exist. [00:18:48] Melissa: Yeah. [00:18:49] Tyree Dudley: Right? And these, these nonprofit organization has been in our community for a really long time, but what they don't have is that reach on social media. [00:18:57] Melissa: Yes. [00:18:58] Tyree Dudley: Right? And I feel like social media is a big reach, right? So- It is ... with us having that platform to showcase it, it helps everyone. So it's just an amazing experience, and we're happy to be a part of it. [00:19:09] Melissa: One thing that really caught my eye is something that you did recently called the Community Makeover? [00:19:16] Tyree Dudley: That is correct, yes. [00:19:16] Melissa: And you're about to have another one. [00:19:18] Tyree Dudley: Yes. [00:19:18] Melissa: Can you tell us what Community Makeover is? [00:19:21] Tyree Dudley: So Community Makeover, um, it was an event that we did, um, where we got a Sprinter, um, and we took 10 community make- um, I'm sorry, 10 community members five females, five male and we just wanted to give them a day to feel seen. Mm-hmm. So we got their hair done or hair cut, right? Um, we got them new clothes, changed their wardrobe, and we took them out to eat. You know, they was able to, um, m- drive around in the Sprinter, right? So get that executive experience, you know, while we were on the Sprinter. They were just amazing, right? Mm-hmm. They were just happy. They was happy to be seen. They was happy to be around people, so with our volunteers- Each community member had, um, a volunteer with them, right? So they were helping them shop with their clothes, you know- Yeah ... recommending what shoes they should wear, you know, what hairstyle. So it was just an amazing experience for them to just feel normal, right? I feel like, of course, right, housing is important, right? Food is important. These things are, are necessities. But at the same time, just going out and, and being a part of society and not being judged- Yeah ... and being able to put on something new or, you know, being able to eat something and, and not have to worry about what, what the, what the price is on the menu. Yeah. It made a difference for them, and I, I assure you to see... So it was my birthday, by the way, so that was actually my birthday present. Nice. Right? Yes. So it took place, I believe July 16th. My birthday was July 18th. Mm-hmm. So to give back to them for my birthday was, was amazing, and it was the greatest gift I can get, I've ever gotten. Mm-hmm. Just to see how appreciative and just how happy they were for things that we tend to, you know, not care about as, you know, regular people in society, I guess. [00:20:56] Melissa: Yeah. Not, and not even just not care about, but really not think about. [00:20:59] Tyree Dudley: Not think about. Yeah. That's correct. [00:21:01] Melissa: Yeah. [00:21:01] Tyree Dudley: That's right. Yeah. [00:21:01] Melissa: So what was it like- To witness the people going into the makeover versus watching them leave after that day. [00:21:10] Tyree Dudley: You, you saw it, right? They didn't know what to expect. [00:21:13] Melissa: Mm-hmm. [00:21:13] Tyree Dudley: Right? So it was new, right? They're getting into this bus, right? Mm-hmm. They're like, "What's going on?" Right? Yeah. It's early in the morning, so it's like 8:00 in the morning- Mm ... where we all met. So everyone's tired, everyone's like, "What's gonna happen?" And here's the fun part about this. The community members didn't know each other, right? So we had t- lemme now... Maybe two or three might have, you know, seen each other- Mm-hmm ... in crossings, but there was no friends, right? So this was- Gotcha ... a random group of 10 people that we, you know, selected and, and it was, it was just based on who was agreed at that time, right? Mm-hmm. So these people didn't know each other and literally as the day progressed, they became friends. Mm. Everyone knew each other, right? The, um- [00:21:50] Melissa: Which that can mean a lot- [00:21:51] Tyree Dudley: Absolutely ... [00:21:52] Melissa: you know, living out o- on the streets. Yes. Like, to have a friendly face- [00:21:56] Tyree Dudley: That's correct ... [00:21:56] Melissa: that you [00:21:57] Tyree Dudley: know. I agree. [00:21:57] Melissa: Yeah. [00:21:58] Tyree Dudley: I agree. And, and, you know, um, when they went to the different stores that we went to, everyone made them feel accepted, right? Mm-hmm. And I just sh- as the day progressed, everyone became family. And at the end of it, it was amazing. Like, no, we couldn't stop smiling. We were playing music. Everyone, we allowed everyone to play their favorite song, so we were all, you know, getting exposed to different types of music- Oh, yeah from each of the community members. And afterwards it was great, right? So afterwards something that actually made me cry because, you know, we're just having a good time, having a good time, so we're about to go back to the final stop where we're dropping everybody off, and they sung Happy Birthday. I was unaware of it. Aw. So that, it was just an emotional great experience. And I'm excited to do it again, for sure. [00:22:36] Melissa: Yeah, you're doing it again later this week. [00:22:38] Tyree Dudley: That is correct. [00:22:39] Melissa: Will it look different? Are you, are you changing the, the platform, or are you just gonna keep it the same? [00:22:44] Tyree Dudley: Well, we're gonna keep it the same, but we're gonna go to different places, right? Okay. Um, we're gonna add some, some cool things. You know. [00:22:49] Melissa: Because the people that are... You're taking them to, like, the barber shops, the hair salons- Yes ... nail salons. They're also doing this without cost. Is that [00:22:58] Tyree Dudley: correct? That is [00:22:58] Melissa: correct. Yes. [00:22:59] Tyree Dudley: Yes. They're volunteering their services 100%. That's, [00:23:01] Melissa: that's amazing. [00:23:01] Tyree Dudley: Yep. So, you know and when it comes to, like, food, they're giving us an extremely great discount. Mm-hmm. Right? So, um, y- like I said, the community is great, and we're excited for the next one, you know and it's gonna be fun for sure. [00:23:14] Melissa: I have interviewed some incredible helpers in our community. You've mentioned a few already. Yes. Maggie Kane at Plates at The Table, she is unbelievable. She's [00:23:22] Tyree Dudley: great. She's awesome. [00:23:24] Melissa: Yeah. And Andre Anthony, I'm not sure if you've met him yet. I have not. He's from Neighbor Up. [00:23:28] Tyree Dudley: Okay. [00:23:29] Melissa: Neighbor Up is located, I think, technically in Cary. Okay. But they're kind of Cary, Apex area. Okay. But y- you would love him. Um, and I'll soon be talking to Spencer Hathcock. Okay. I don't know if you've met Spencer. He is right near Moore Square. He is Neighbor to Neighbor. [00:23:45] Tyree Dudley: Okay. [00:23:46] Melissa: There are so many do-gooders in our community, which I love. My question is, I don't think there's a shortage of people wanting to do good things, but the powers that, at be in our government, what could they be doing more about our unhoused situation? [00:24:09] Tyree Dudley: I mean, I- [00:24:09] Melissa: What are they doing right? What are they doing wrong? [00:24:11] Tyree Dudley: Well, I feel as though, you know, it's to do what we're doing on a, on a bigger scale, right? Mm-hmm. Because we're, you know, a lot of the, um, doers are doing what we can on a smaller scale, right? Yeah. We don't have the capital to really change, you know, what we want to, right? A lot of us, if we could, we would, you know, house as many people as we can. Mm-hmm. Right? But it's, it's political, right? So, you know when it comes to the capital, I think that if they would put an eye on it, right? Guess what? We're putting an eye on something, and we're getting 1.2 million views monthly, right? Imagine if, you know, our government was to come in and put their eyes on it, can you imagine what those views would turn into? Yeah. Could, would, can you imagine, you know, how much help we would get, or they would get? You know what I mean? Now we're talking more than a m- more than the millions we can count, right? Yeah. Yeah. So, you know, um, I think that it's just really to stop acting like it doesn't exist, right? To stop hiding as if, you know, it's not a real thing. Out [00:25:01] Melissa: of sight, out of mind. [00:25:02] Tyree Dudley: Right. [00:25:02] Melissa: Yeah. [00:25:02] Tyree Dudley: Like, you know, because, because- When [00:25:03] Melissa: it's right on their doorstep ... it's [00:25:05] Tyree Dudley: here, you know? [00:25:05] Melissa: Yeah. [00:25:05] Tyree Dudley: It's here, you know, so we have to work together as a team, and I think- Mm-hmm it's something that we can control for sure. [00:25:12] Melissa: I wish, and maybe, maybe there is, and I'm just unaware, but I wish there was, like, a group, call it a, a board or some sort of group, like, like the people I've mentioned and yourself, that would go and, and meet with our leaders and inform them of the things that you guys are doing and suggest ways that we can, you know, make a difference on a bigger scale. No, [00:25:32] Tyree Dudley: absolutely. You know? And, and I don't wanna take away from, you know, the leaders that are already taking advantage- Yeah ... and putting their hands 'cause there are, you know- [00:25:39] Melissa: And I, I hope they are. [00:25:40] Tyree Dudley: No, for sure. But again, it- [00:25:41] Melissa: There's so, there's so much, and that's why I'm not, I'm not elected to- [00:25:45] Tyree Dudley: No, for sure ... in [00:25:46] Melissa: any capacity because it, it is, it's overwhelming with all, all the needs in, in a, in a community. Right. But, you know I've... This is not something that's gonna go away. [00:25:55] Tyree Dudley: No, for sure, right? Mm-hmm. And, and it's gonna, it's, it's gonna grow, right? Because guess what? Mm-hmm. As we grow, when you're talking Raleigh, right? Raleigh's growing so fast. Yeah. And, and I'm new to the, you know, to the city- Mm-hmm ... but I'm watching it grow. But what happens is when you have these bigwigs that are coming in, and they're, and they're buying land, right? Mm-hmm. And they're gonna buy... What happens is you're gonna push more people out. Yeah. Right? Because you're gonna buy more land, and when you buy more land- Rent goes up ... rent goes up. Yeah. Right? So this will be a continuation, right? So the goal is just, you know, I can't... You know, Rome wasn't built in a day. Mm-hmm. Right? But anything that we can do, let's do it, right? I think that's, that's really important. So, you know, even with the nonprofit, right, it was, it was scary. It was scary because- It took off so fast. [00:26:36] Joe Woolworth: Mm-hmm. [00:26:36] Tyree Dudley: And it was like, "Whoa, whoa, whoa, that wasn't the plan." Yeah. I was just trying to do something, you know? Work [00:26:39] Joe Woolworth: the brakes. [00:26:40] Tyree Dudley: Right. Oh, right, and, and, you know, what I've learnt is, speaking with Amanda, you know, day by day. [00:26:45] Melissa: Yeah. [00:26:45] Tyree Dudley: Day by day. What can we do day by day, right? Because it's unfortunate, we, we, we... Unfortunately we can't change everything, right? Mm-hmm. Unfortunately there will be some people that may be even against what we're doing- Mm-hmm ... you know, potentially. And I'm not saying that we've heard that or we was told that, but- Mm-hmm ... just, you know, hypothetically speaking, it's possible. So our goal is just to take it day by day, and anybody that's willing to help our community, we're willing to help them and we're willing to jump in. So if you guys need help, l- we're coming to help, right? If there's a problem, if we can solve it by any means, we're g- we're gonna do what we can, for sure. [00:27:12] Melissa: Well, and all the people that I mentioned, it, it does seem to me everybody kind of has their niche. M- Maggie and, and Oak City Cares- Yes. They're food. Neighbor to Neighbor- Yes ... they're kind of a mentoring program. You guys are telling the story behind the people. [00:27:28] Tyree Dudley: Yes. [00:27:29] Melissa: So you're, you're really all taking a, a piece of the problem and, and working together to solve it as a whole- Yes ... it seems. And one thing I really appreciate about you, and I will not say this about everyone- [00:27:42] Tyree Dudley: Okay. [00:27:43] Melissa: is that you are coming with an outside perspective. [00:27:46] Tyree Dudley: Yes. [00:27:47] Melissa: You're coming with, with, um, a, a, a new look at, at it as not being someone from here. [00:27:54] Tyree Dudley: Yes. [00:27:54] Melissa: So you're able to look at it in a different way, maybe how you, um, perceive things in New Jersey, how... And you're coming in here and, and seeing that, yeah, this is a problem, but now I can kind of see it in a different way- [00:28:09] Tyree Dudley: Yes [00:28:09] Melissa: and what can be done. [00:28:10] Tyree Dudley: Absolutely. [00:28:11] Melissa: What I can do about it. For [00:28:12] Tyree Dudley: sure. Yeah. Because how about this? And I've, this is my, you know, first rodeo in this nonprofit world, right? This was not in my... I never thought of this, right? This is not something I planned on doing. But it [00:28:23] Melissa: is, it is amazing what God can put in your path. [00:28:25] Tyree Dudley: Absolutely. Yeah. Right? It, it's amazing. Yeah. And believe it or not, what made me wanna help is seeing the people in the community helping. Mm-hmm. Right? You know, in New Jersey, I'm not saying that people don't help, right? It's just visually that wasn't on my radar, right? Yeah. I was, I was oblivious. Mm-hmm. Right? I, and, and where I'm from, right? You know, so and when we're speaking the other side of Raleigh, I think the good thing is, think the good thing is now my goal is to make it bigger than the other side of Raleigh, right? My goal is to say the other side of Cary, the other side of, you know, Apex. There's so many other sides, right, worldwide. So, you know, how far can we go, right? But our goal is to start it here in Raleigh and, and, and, and hopefully we can make it back to the other side of New Jersey if possible, right? I, I, you know, but the goal is to help the world or as much people as we can. [00:29:08] Melissa: There's not any shortage of people that are also wanting to help. How can we be involved? [00:29:15] Tyree Dudley: I think this is it, right? I think you guys are doing it right now, right? By just bringing, you know, those doers on, you know, to your platform and, and being willing to expose, you know, that people wanna help or the people that are being helped, right? So I think this is helping enough, right? Being honest, right? Mm-hmm. Being, being transparent that this does take place in our community and not being afraid to share the reality of what's really going on where we live. [00:29:38] Melissa: If we have this same conversation five years from now, what would you love to be able to tell me that has changed or any difference you've been able to make in these five years? [00:29:49] Tyree Dudley: Wow. Um, that's a interesting question. I love it. Um, I feel like in the next five years I would love to have this conversation and say that, hey, we've helped over, you know... I, I don't wanna put a fake number, right? But, over X amount of people, right? We've been able to get some housing going. I [00:30:04] Melissa: mean, you can't even name the number because you've already surpassed what you've envisioned from the beginning- [00:30:10] Tyree Dudley: Yes [00:30:11] Melissa: In just a few months. [00:30:12] Tyree Dudley: Absolutely. Yeah. Right. So, you know, I just wanna, I just wanna be able to say, "Hey, listen, we came to this community, you know, as guests," right? Not knowing what was gonna happen, and we've been able to make a difference in, in multiple different people's lives, and we wanna keep doing it, for sure. You know, and, and whatever that entails when it comes to the future, we're here for. You know, we, we're here to stay, 100%. I, [00:30:32] Melissa: I think when you're in a nonprofit, the nonprofit world like you are and that you've thrown yourself into, you really don't know what to expect. You don't. Because you have to take it day by day. [00:30:41] Tyree Dudley: Yes. Mm-hmm. Yes, yes. Day by day. Most importantly, you know, it just has to be in you, right? Yeah. It has to be something you wanna do, you know? Mm-hmm. Um, a lot of people that we're around, we're not in it for a paycheck. There is no paycheck, right? Mm-hmm. Um, you know, we're here doing this hands on the ground, you know, spending our own capital at this current time, you know and we're here for the people. So whatever we can do to make sure that the people is where they need to be, even if it's one person, right? It makes a difference and it matters. [00:31:05] Melissa: Do you take donations? Do you, do you take volunteer sign-up? Yes. How, how is this working? [00:31:10] Tyree Dudley: Yes, so on our website, um, theothersideofraleigh.org, we do take donations. You can go to the website. We also have a sign-up sheet for volunteers there as well. Um, so absolutely go to the website and you can help as much as you can if you would like to. Um, I know we're gonna be giving away a car soon, right? Really soon in the future, we're gonna do it for Christmas. So, That's incredible that's [00:31:31] Melissa: gonna [00:31:31] Tyree Dudley: be really cool. So if anyone want to help and donate for that. You're like [00:31:33] Melissa: Oprah. [00:31:34] Tyree Dudley: I wish. You [00:31:34] Melissa: get a car. [00:31:35] Tyree Dudley: You get a car. You get... Just one car. Just one car. For that, just one car for that. Just one for now. One [00:31:38] Melissa: for [00:31:38] Tyree Dudley: now. Yes. One for now. Yes. So, you know, we wanna help you know, someone. Mm-hmm. We'll do, um, we'll, we'll, we'll get a group of community members to give us their names. We'll do, you know put it into a raffle and we'll pull that name out. We're gonna give them that car- Wow ... on Christmas. So, you know if anyone wanna help- Yes ... You know, get that vehicle with us- Mm-hmm ... right? We would be glad to have you guys be a part of that for sure. [00:31:59] Melissa: You know, there's, there's so many times that I hear people that, that want to make a change, and then I meet people like you that see a need and go for it. [00:32:07] Tyree Dudley: Yes. [00:32:07] Melissa: So thank you. [00:32:08] Tyree Dudley: Thank you for having me, and thank you for seeing it. It matters. [00:32:10] Melissa: Absolutely. And tell everybody where we can follow you on social media, especially to hear these incredible stories that people are telling. [00:32:17] Tyree Dudley: Absolutely. So you're gonna go to Instagram, TikTok or any platform YouTube is going to be as is The Other Side of Raleigh. Um, you can also go to our website, theothersideofraleigh.org and that's where you'll find us for sure. [00:32:30] Melissa: Great. Thank you, Tyreek. [00:32:31] Tyree Dudley: Thank you so much. Thanks for having me. [00:32:32] Melissa: Absolutely. [00:32:33] Tyree Dudley: Okay.