Latest / Creative Roots Podcast / Who Helps the People Who Help Everyone Else? - Shaleiah Sanders | Ep. 74

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Who Helps the People Who Help Everyone Else? - Shaleiah Sanders | Ep. 74 · Creative Roots Podcast

• 0:00
  SPEAKER_01: It's like an ongoing thing for me.
• 0:01
  SPEAKER_01: And not necessarily because I'm still dealing with um unhealed trauma, but more so importantly, I'm in the community like all the time.
• 0:10
  SPEAKER_00: Some of those people, they have jobs.
• 0:13
  SPEAKER_00: They just have to find somewhere to take a shower.
• 0:16
  SPEAKER_00: They go back to, you know, their camp.
• 0:18
  SPEAKER_00: And then they get on the bus and go to work the next day.
• 0:21
  SPEAKER_01: Even though, you know, things might not go, you know, as fast as I want them to go.
• 0:25
  SPEAKER_01: I can see, you know, as moving in the right direction.
• 0:28
  SPEAKER_00: Your mentor can play on your physical.
• 0:30
  SPEAKER_00: Your mentor can play on your emotional.
• 0:32
  SPEAKER_01: Yes.
• 0:33
  SPEAKER_01: And truth in the air, let it speak.
• 0:41
  SPEAKER_00: Listen, y'all.
• 0:42
  SPEAKER_00: We are back with another episode of Creative Roots Podcast.
• 0:48
  SPEAKER_00: I sound so laid back, don't I?
• 0:52
  SPEAKER_00: I took the headphones off.
• 0:54
  SPEAKER_02: The holiday, that's why.
• 0:58
  SPEAKER_00: Welcome back to another episode of Creative Roots Podcast with Steam Stone Become Visions Grown.
• 1:02
  SPEAKER_00: I am your host, Tay.
• 1:04
  SPEAKER_02: I am the sidekick Dina G.
• 1:08
  SPEAKER_00: And that that's it.
• 1:11
  SPEAKER_00: That's all you got for today, Dina.
• 1:13
  SPEAKER_02: Oh, that's all I got for you today, Tay.
• 1:15
  SPEAKER_00: Listen.
• 1:16
  SPEAKER_00: Oh, before we get started into what may a be a deep dive into community and outreach and all the things that come with being a nonprofit, right?
• 1:33
  SPEAKER_00: I want to give a shout out to Allen Look Studios.
• 1:36
  SPEAKER_00: I would like to thank us.
• 1:38
  SPEAKER_00: Shout out to Charlotte Podcast Studios.
• 1:40
  SPEAKER_00: I would like to thank us.
• 1:42
  SPEAKER_00: And shout out to Artbox Charlotte.
• 1:44
  SPEAKER_02: I would like to thank us.
• 1:47
  SPEAKER_00: Today's episode, we are sitting with the founder of Life for the Hopeless.
• 1:56
  SPEAKER_00: This organization is literally boots on the ground in the community, helping, serving, doing.
• 2:07
  SPEAKER_00: And I'm going to let her get into it.
• 2:10
  SPEAKER_00: We're sitting here with the uh the founder, Shalia.
• 2:14
  SPEAKER_00: Lee Lee.
• 2:15
  SPEAKER_00: That's gonna be your new nickname for Lee.
• 2:17
  SPEAKER_00: That's gonna be your new nickname.
• 2:18
  SPEAKER_00: Tell everybody else they can't use it.
• 2:20
  SPEAKER_00: So Shalea, do me a favor.
• 2:23
  SPEAKER_01: Okay.
• 2:24
  SPEAKER_00: Look into that camera right there, introduce yourself, tell people who you are and what you do.
• 2:28
  SPEAKER_01: Okay, hello, world.
• 2:29
  SPEAKER_01: My name is Shalia Sanders.
• 2:31
  SPEAKER_01: I am the founder of Life for the Hopeless Foundation.
• 2:34
  SPEAKER_01: We are a nonprofit organization that focuses on spreading mental health awareness in minority and underserved communities.
• 2:42
  SPEAKER_01: The world knows me as Shalia, but the friends that we called our that we call our unhoused community call me Miss Leah.
• 2:51
  SPEAKER_00: Miss Leah.
• 2:51
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, Miss Leah.
• 2:53
  SPEAKER_00: Lily.
• 2:55
  SPEAKER_00: So um I know that this was birth from some a deep-rooted incident that happened during COVID.
• 3:07
  SPEAKER_00: And I know I didn't prep you for this, so I hope it's not too sensitive.
• 3:11
  SPEAKER_00: But something happened during COVID, and you were even on the news having a conversation about this.
• 3:22
  SPEAKER_00: I know that's where you got started.
• 3:25
  SPEAKER_00: So can you let the people know what started you on this journey to help these communities?
• 3:33
  SPEAKER_01: Um, sure.
• 3:34
  SPEAKER_01: So a lot of people may know me because I was on the news um in March of 2021 talking about the loss of my grandmother who passed away after um contracting COVID in a nursing home that created a lot of outrage with other families who experienced the same kind of loss.
• 3:54
  SPEAKER_01: What a lot of people don't know is that the drive actually started before that happened.
• 3:59
  SPEAKER_01: Um, in 2020 of February, I lost my dad from congestive heart failure.
• 4:06
  SPEAKER_01: And it was like right before like COVID really like started happening.
• 4:11
  SPEAKER_01: So that took a toll on me mentally as well.
• 4:15
  SPEAKER_01: But um, I kept on going.
• 4:17
  SPEAKER_01: And then fast forward to 11 months later, I lost the love of my life, which was my grandmother.
• 4:23
  SPEAKER_01: And um, that was unexpected.
• 4:26
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, you talk about having a video chat on the phone with her at 9 a.m.
• 4:31
  SPEAKER_01: that morning and then getting a phone call around one in the afternoon saying she's no longer here.
• 4:38
  SPEAKER_01: So it's kind of like, what do you mean, you know?
• 4:41
  SPEAKER_01: And um it took a toll on me.
• 4:44
  SPEAKER_01: Mentally, it really took a toll on me.
• 4:46
  SPEAKER_01: Um, you gotta think we were dealing with COVID, so we were in the house, unable to go anywhere.
• 4:52
  SPEAKER_01: I'm a single parent, so I'm raising a kid who's doing school at home.
• 4:56
  SPEAKER_01: So you're a mom, a teacher, um, an entrepreneur, you're trying to figure all this out.
• 5:02
  SPEAKER_01: And um, I'm like, mentally, I'm not okay.
• 5:05
  SPEAKER_01: You know, mentally I was really struggling.
• 5:08
  SPEAKER_01: And I was like, you know what?
• 5:11
  SPEAKER_01: I want to break the stigma.
• 5:12
  SPEAKER_01: Because you know, in our households, underserved communities, people like therapy is really shunned upon.
• 5:18
  SPEAKER_01: You know, um, we're starting to talk about it more now in this generation.
• 5:23
  SPEAKER_01: Our generation is um talk about about it, you'll be okay.
• 5:28
  SPEAKER_01: Um, don't go outside this household telling nobody our business, you know.
• 5:33
  SPEAKER_01: So we're suffering like internally, and I was like, I want to be better.
• 5:37
  SPEAKER_01: You know, I want to be better for myself, but I also want to be better for my child.
• 5:41
  SPEAKER_01: What does that look like?
• 5:43
  SPEAKER_01: Um how do I get to that um that positive turn, that positive turn, and I'm like, I'm gonna go to therapy, you know?
• 5:53
  SPEAKER_01: Um I'm praying about it, but I'm gonna go to therapy too.
• 5:56
  SPEAKER_01: Like, I'm gonna break this cycle in my household, you know, and I started virtual therapy, and um, I tell everybody to this day, therapy saved my life.
• 6:06
  SPEAKER_01: I tell everybody therapy was the thing that I needed, who created who I am today.
• 6:13
  SPEAKER_01: And um one thing that always sticks with me is my therapist, she said, um, in order to find life, we must have hope.
• 6:20
  SPEAKER_01: And life for the hopeless was born.
• 6:23
  SPEAKER_00: Just like that.
• 6:24
  SPEAKER_01: Just like that.
• 6:24
  SPEAKER_01: You know, it came from an idea on a piece of paper, and um it transformed, and it's still transforming into something beautiful.
• 6:34
  SPEAKER_00: So I didn't know about your dad.
• 6:36
  SPEAKER_00: Um, even over this time, still, my condolences.
• 6:40
  SPEAKER_00: I know how losing somebody that close to you can be, and it it can weigh on you.
• 6:48
  SPEAKER_00: But you did something that the majority of our community does not do.
• 6:53
  SPEAKER_00: You didn't just pray, you seeked help.
• 6:57
  SPEAKER_00: We all need it.
• 6:58
  SPEAKER_00: I don't care what anybody says.
• 7:00
  SPEAKER_00: At least go to one session.
• 7:03
  SPEAKER_00: I take that back, cause some of y'all might fold in that first session.
• 7:10
  SPEAKER_00: Go to three.
• 7:11
  SPEAKER_00: At least three.
• 7:12
  SPEAKER_00: I I feel if you go to at least three sessions and you're truthful with yourself about going open-minded, it can definitely change and shape who you become.
• 7:24
  SPEAKER_01: I agree.
• 7:25
  SPEAKER_01: I agree.
• 7:26
  SPEAKER_00: I went to therapy for um found that I had moderate to severe anxiety and depression.
• 7:33
  SPEAKER_00: Found out what the cause of it was, which was just a shocker.
• 7:37
  SPEAKER_00: And it's one of those things where you can't change people.
• 7:40
  SPEAKER_00: So you have to change yourself to fit, right?
• 7:43
  SPEAKER_00: And I was only that told two things.
• 7:45
  SPEAKER_00: It's one, can you change the outcome?
• 7:48
  SPEAKER_00: Yes or no?
• 7:49
  SPEAKER_00: If the answer is yes, strap put on them bootstraps, get out there, make that change.
• 7:55
  SPEAKER_00: But if the answer is no, wash your hands with it and don't dwell on it.
• 8:00
  SPEAKER_00: And just those eight to twelve sessions that I had, that's been how I live every day.
• 8:07
  SPEAKER_00: Can I fix this?
• 8:08
  SPEAKER_00: Yes or no?
• 8:08
  SPEAKER_00: If I can't, hey, I ain't even worried about it.
• 8:11
  SPEAKER_00: You know, so I uh what's the word?
• 8:13
  SPEAKER_00: Commend you.
• 8:15
  SPEAKER_00: Congratulations.
• 8:17
  SPEAKER_00: Because that's a huge thing, especially for to change your life, right?
• 8:21
  SPEAKER_00: So when it when you go, you know that this is a life-changing thing, right?
• 8:28
  SPEAKER_00: What is your biggest takeaway?
• 8:30
  SPEAKER_00: That and the reason I'm asking is because some people don't realize what you can actually get from therapy.
• 8:36
  SPEAKER_00: They just hear you're quote unquote going to a shrink.
• 8:39
  SPEAKER_00: Something's wrong with you mentally, something's wrong with everybody mentally.
• 8:42
  SPEAKER_00: We live in America, okay?
• 8:44
  SPEAKER_00: But what is your biggest takeaway from going to therapy?
• 8:49
  SPEAKER_01: My biggest takeaway, and by the way, like I still go to therapy.
• 8:53
  SPEAKER_01: Like, um, it's like an ongoing thing for me, and not necessarily because I'm still dealing with um unhealed trauma, but more so importantly, I'm in the community like all the time.
• 9:04
  SPEAKER_00: So you see a lot.
• 9:05
  SPEAKER_01: I see a lot, I pick up the energy, you know, and I have to continue to pour into myself for the better outcome.
• 9:12
  SPEAKER_01: I I need to pour into myself.
• 9:14
  SPEAKER_01: But I would say my biggest takeaway from therapy then was um you have a chance to rebirth yourself.
• 9:24
  SPEAKER_01: And I think in that rebirth, that period that I was going through, I became something that was beyond my imagination, that I ever that I never thought that I would be able to.
• 9:36
  SPEAKER_01: And I realized I'm not just doing this for myself, but I'm also doing it for my child.
• 9:41
  SPEAKER_01: And I might have broke, well, I know I broke some generational curses that could have been passed down to him.
• 9:47
  SPEAKER_01: So he has a better opportunity to pass that down to when he creates his own family.
• 9:52
  SPEAKER_01: And that was my biggest takeaway.
• 9:54
  SPEAKER_01: Like, I birthed something great, you know.
• 9:56
  SPEAKER_01: So I commit, I commend my therapist.
• 9:59
  SPEAKER_01: Shout out to my therapist, you know who you are.
• 10:01
  SPEAKER_01: Um, keep rocking, girl.
• 10:03
  SPEAKER_01: You doing your thing, on me.
• 10:04
  SPEAKER_01: You do your big one.
• 10:05
  SPEAKER_01: So I appreciate you.
• 10:07
  SPEAKER_00: We might have to get your therapist on here too, because we've had a few therapists here, and every therapist has taken, you know, different angles.
• 10:16
  SPEAKER_00: So let me, yeah, we'll we'll we'll connect on that.
• 10:20
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, so in the community, you see things because again, you're boots on the ground.
• 10:30
  SPEAKER_00: I don't even know if I want to even say that because of the song.
• 10:33
  SPEAKER_00: Do I want to retract that?
• 10:35
  SPEAKER_02: No, it still works.
• 10:37
  SPEAKER_02: Boops on the ground.
• 10:38
  SPEAKER_00: She out you, okay?
• 10:40
  SPEAKER_00: She out you okay.
• 10:42
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, we talked before we started rolling, and you said something that to me needs to be said.
• 10:49
  SPEAKER_00: So you're out here in the community compared to how others are sitting behind a desk.
• 10:58
  SPEAKER_00: Can you please tell people what the difference is from smacking a keyboard to you know getting these steps in?
• 11:10
  SPEAKER_01: I think people um they get the definition of a grassroots organization and a big um, I guess Fortune 500 nonprofit, like confused, right?
• 11:22
  SPEAKER_01: Because with the grassroots, like you say, like it's boots on the ground.
• 11:25
  SPEAKER_01: So I am a grassroots founder, like I'm boots on the ground.
• 11:29
  SPEAKER_01: Some days I show up and it's just me on the ground.
• 11:33
  SPEAKER_01: I'm in woods, I'm behind railroad tracks, um, I'm knee deep in the unhoused community.
• 11:40
  SPEAKER_01: And it's a lot, you know.
• 11:43
  SPEAKER_01: And you compare that to your organizations that have been around 20, 30 years where they might have started like in the community, but they've strayed away from being in the community.
• 11:54
  SPEAKER_01: So now it's I'm sending you here to get this, I'm sending you there to get that, you know, but you're not the eyes actually walking those streets to actually make sure that those people are getting the resources and the help that they need, you know.
• 12:08
  SPEAKER_01: So when we say grassroots, when we say boots on the ground, like you're looking at one of the organizations that's still out here, you know, it's a couple of them that are still boots on the ground, but it's not many, you know.
• 12:20
  SPEAKER_01: And when we talk about the impact and why people go um unserved and why the unhoused communic um community continues to rise in numbers, is because we're not really reaching the people that need that help.
• 12:36
  SPEAKER_01: You're touching the surface, but you gotta go under the surface so you can get to the root of that problem and create a solution.
• 12:43
  SPEAKER_00: Right.
• 12:44
  SPEAKER_00: Because not everybody is, well, the majority of people are not homeless by choice.
• 12:51
  SPEAKER_03: Right.
• 12:51
  SPEAKER_00: Something happened.
• 12:53
  SPEAKER_00: You know, we we see it in movies where Fortune 500 banker gets fired, loses everything, now they're on the street.
• 13:01
  SPEAKER_00: You know, you see millionaires lose everything, you know, and that's where they are because they can't afford anything, and who they used to have as their support system is no longer supporting because they're not supporting them.
• 13:16
  SPEAKER_00: Now that's a rabbit hole we're not gonna go down.
• 13:19
  SPEAKER_00: But when you see people that are in these unhoused communities, I want to, in a sense, pull back from the emotional stance because I've been there too, and I've seen, you know, we've even done prison ministry, and it's just sometimes it'll bring a tear to your eye, right?
• 13:41
  SPEAKER_00: But when you pull back that and you actually have conversations with these people, how are they responding to whatever it is that your conversation is about?
• 13:54
  SPEAKER_01: I'm gonna be honest, when I first started um the street outreach part of our nonprofit four years ago, it was it was tough, you know.
• 14:03
  SPEAKER_01: Um it was like we don't know her, like um, we're not talking to her, like we'll take what she giving us, but um no conversation at all.
• 14:11
  SPEAKER_00: Like that sounds about right.
• 14:12
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, like no eye contact.
• 14:15
  SPEAKER_01: Um you probably getting cussed, you know, like different emotions, um, different things running through their mind.
• 14:23
  SPEAKER_01: And you know, being a newbie in their community, you like, you know, why they acting like this?
• 14:29
  SPEAKER_01: You know, um, I'm trying to help, you know, and I can go back to where we are now to back then, and I'm like, I get it, you know, um, they're human just like us.
• 14:40
  SPEAKER_01: So it's so many promises that have been broken, um, so many resources that have been offered that didn't come through, you know, to where it's like no consistency, no nothing, you know?
• 14:55
  SPEAKER_01: And yeah, being in year four is like she show up for us.
• 15:00
  SPEAKER_01: We know she's gonna be here every week.
• 15:02
  SPEAKER_01: We know she's gonna bring this, we know she's gonna bring that.
• 15:05
  SPEAKER_01: So it's kind of more so like where it went to no eye contact, no communication at all, is thank you.
• 15:13
  SPEAKER_01: I love you, God sent you, you my angel, you know.
• 15:17
  SPEAKER_01: And I look at it, I'm like, they're just like us, you know, and I'm like, it could be any one of us, like any tomorrow, you know, and listening to their stories, you have a lot of vets out there, you have a lot of people that um moved, you know, thinking that they were gonna get a better work opportunity.
• 15:36
  SPEAKER_01: You know, um, you have people that were molested in their households who chose to run away and never go back for safety, you know, and it's kind of crazy where you'd be like, well, safety in the woods, but to them, yes, there's safety that that belongs to them, you know.
• 15:54
  SPEAKER_01: And it's kind of, you know, I tell people all the time, um, you can never judge a book by its cover.
• 16:01
  SPEAKER_01: Um, because I've met some of the sweetest souls on the street, you know, and we've created relationships, and I take pride in knowing that they depend on me, but I also depend on them.
• 16:16
  SPEAKER_00: That says a lot.
• 16:19
  SPEAKER_00: Not only do they depend on you, you depend on them.
• 16:23
  SPEAKER_00: That can only be said if you have a whole caring heart.
• 16:29
  SPEAKER_00: And a lot of us have that.
• 16:31
  SPEAKER_00: We just choose not to use it.
• 16:33
  SPEAKER_00: And I know that I know that does a lot.
• 16:37
  SPEAKER_00: You know, regardless of why they are there, they're there.
• 16:42
  SPEAKER_00: And you show up every Wednesday.
• 16:44
  SPEAKER_01: Mm-hmm.
• 16:45
  SPEAKER_01: Every Wednesday.
• 16:46
  SPEAKER_00: Is there a specific community you go to?
• 16:49
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, so I focus on this district, um, district one.
• 16:53
  SPEAKER_01: Um, we do district two sometimes too, but um, we do like uh people be like, it's downtown, no, it's uptown, like whichever one it is.
• 17:01
  SPEAKER_01: Um we do off of North College Street.
• 17:03
  SPEAKER_01: So let's um knee deep, like where the herb is, um now called Roof Above.
• 17:08
  SPEAKER_01: Um but we do that every Wednesday.
• 17:11
  SPEAKER_01: And I've consistently done that for the last four years.
• 17:15
  SPEAKER_01: We used to do Tuesdays, but then we switched to Wednesdays because Wednesdays we were getting um a bigger crowd to serve.
• 17:23
  SPEAKER_01: So every Wednesday I see anywhere between maybe like 96 to 120 people.
• 17:29
  SPEAKER_01: And right now we're in our uh Operation H2O because it's been so hot outside.
• 17:34
  SPEAKER_01: So summertime we switch to um snacks, hydration products, um, hydration packs, and then we'll start like our warm meals again in October.
• 17:45
  SPEAKER_01: Um, but yeah, I have excuse me, I have these four guys that I started out with um four years ago.
• 17:54
  SPEAKER_01: And um they used to just like come and be like, hey, we'll see you by yourself, we'll help you get your cooler table out and all that stuff.
• 18:02
  SPEAKER_01: And the relationship between me and those four guys have like grown tremendously.
• 18:07
  SPEAKER_01: Um they went from sleeping out aside, sleeping behind train tracks, to um to have apartments now, um, to have a bed and a shelter, you know, so we gradually work on goals together to assist them to get them to where they need to be.
• 18:24
  SPEAKER_01: But I take pride in knowing that um they have a better future and a better opportunity on the way for them.
• 18:30
  SPEAKER_01: Like one just finished trade school, so he's getting ready to get a job, you know.
• 18:34
  SPEAKER_01: So I see the work that we do, I see the good that we're pouring into the community becoming something great.
• 18:42
  SPEAKER_00: That's uh that's that's a lot.
• 18:47
  SPEAKER_00: When you know somebody is at rock bottom and you get to watch them, see them, help and assist them grow to get off the street.
• 18:58
  SPEAKER_00: I know that sends a message to others that's like you can do this too.
• 19:05
  SPEAKER_00: You don't have to be here for long.
• 19:08
  SPEAKER_00: You know, there's a way you can grow.
• 19:11
  SPEAKER_00: And you know, you think how many people at your job have come from that that won't mention it, won't talk about it because and to their defense is like it's none of your business.
• 19:24
  SPEAKER_00: But that could be anybody.
• 19:26
  SPEAKER_00: You know, that that one lady, that one guy that is out there can probably give you the best tax advice.
• 19:34
  SPEAKER_00: They just looking for somewhere to go.
• 19:36
  SPEAKER_00: I know when we would go out, uh uh, I can't even remember where it was.
• 19:44
  SPEAKER_00: I want to say something like 12th Street.
• 19:47
  SPEAKER_00: I don't remember.
• 19:48
  SPEAKER_00: I see the place, but I don't remember the names of the street.
• 19:51
  SPEAKER_00: But we would go out there and you know, some of those people they have jobs.
• 19:57
  SPEAKER_00: They just have to find somewhere to take a shower, they go back to, you know, their camp, and then they get on the bus and go to work the next day.
• 20:05
  SPEAKER_00: And so I'm saying that to let people know, like there could be somebody that is living in these areas right now at your job that you may never know about, and they may be smiling all day, every day.
• 20:21
  SPEAKER_00: These could be the people that never come to work mad, never come to work upset, yet you upset that you had to get up and drive in your car when they had to get up out of the woods in a tent and show up for work, and then they're there before you.
• 20:36
  SPEAKER_00: Now, when I think about that, it's like how selfish can you be to complain about your job when you have somewhere to stay?
• 20:48
  SPEAKER_00: You know, we complain about bills.
• 20:50
  SPEAKER_00: There's somebody that wish they could pay some bills, you know.
• 20:54
  SPEAKER_00: There are people that just don't make enough at their job and can't get another job, and that's why they're there.
• 21:00
  SPEAKER_00: You know, regardless of where it is, they don't have a place to call home.
• 21:05
  SPEAKER_00: I just had to throw that out there, cause I have a question, Shalia.
• 21:09
  SPEAKER_02: Do you see?
• 21:10
  SPEAKER_02: Um, I've been watching the news, and a big problem in Charlotte, and I guess across the nation, is the affordable housing.
• 21:18
  SPEAKER_02: Do you think that's like uh a big chunk of the issue right now?
• 21:22
  SPEAKER_02: Cause you know, you talk about the working people that are still unhoused.
• 21:28
  SPEAKER_01: Being in the community, I will say that that's a big issue right now, but I'll also say the big issue as well is okay, you create affordable housing, um, you place them in affordable housing, but you're not giving them the tools to succeed.
• 21:46
  SPEAKER_01: So here I am, I've been on the streets 12 years.
• 21:49
  SPEAKER_01: Um, you give me an apartment, I use my social security check or whatever to pay for that, but I have a bed because I've been donated a bed, but I Still choose to sleep on the floor.
• 22:02
  SPEAKER_01: I still choose to sleep in the tub because that's where I'm comfortable at, you know, and you're just you're helping me, but you're also just feeding me to the wolves to not be able to succeed.
• 22:14
  SPEAKER_01: Because I've seen where you take someone from the unhoused community, you give them an affordable apartment, you say, Hey, this is your rent, you pay this every month, and I see them eight months later back on the streets because they couldn't manage it.
• 22:29
  SPEAKER_01: They didn't have the tools financially, literacy to be able to understand what they needed to do, you know.
• 22:36
  SPEAKER_01: And then you have to think some of them um are still substance abusers, like some still are avid users, you know, and it's kind of like, well, it's crazy because what do I do?
• 22:47
  SPEAKER_01: You know, how do I how do I help this situation?
• 22:51
  SPEAKER_01: But if we're being honest, even the middle class is struggling right now.
• 22:55
  SPEAKER_01: Like one paycheck away from being unhoused, absolutely, you know, so we can create like all the unhoused apartments that we we want to or unhoused um houses for them, you know, but if they don't have the tools to succeed, then we're back at ground zero.
• 23:12
  SPEAKER_01: Right.
• 23:13
  SPEAKER_01: Thank you for that.
• 23:15
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you for the question, you know.
• 23:18
  SPEAKER_00: It's yeah, I mean then the question is how do you choose who you place in these houses, right?
• 23:27
  SPEAKER_00: Because you would think there's got to be some kind of set criteria, you know, especially for some people that end up right back on the street.
• 23:36
  SPEAKER_00: Like you said, that there needs to be that resource to say, hey, this is how you should handle your money when you move into this place, not just a waiting list.
• 23:48
  SPEAKER_00: This is your rent, there you go.
• 23:50
  SPEAKER_00: There should be something like and I don't know if it is, but like, are they attending classes to get themselves to that point?
• 23:58
  SPEAKER_00: Is there a hotline?
• 24:00
  SPEAKER_00: Is like is there something or somebody that they can reach out to?
• 24:04
  SPEAKER_01: So here's the thing.
• 24:06
  SPEAKER_01: Um, you have a caseworker.
• 24:08
  SPEAKER_01: When you go through certain programs, you assign a caseworker.
• 24:11
  SPEAKER_01: But if I'm one caseworker and my case load consists of a hundred clients and they all get a moving date within a month apart, realistically, how can I manage that caseload?
• 24:25
  SPEAKER_01: You know, and I think it comes to um, you know, a situation where you have caseworkers that are, you know, overworked, you know, overloaded with um cases.
• 24:39
  SPEAKER_01: And, you know, some cases fall, you know, beyond the wayside, you know, they go unhelped, you know, to the point where like they just give up, you know, and things just go out of whack.
• 24:49
  SPEAKER_01: And I don't necessarily think that it's the caseworkers' fault.
• 24:54
  SPEAKER_01: I think um sometimes it's time management, but it's also we need more caseworkers.
• 25:00
  SPEAKER_02: The system is broken.
• 25:01
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, you you need you need more help, and it's kind of like, well, some people don't want to work these days, you know, some people want like fast, quick, easy money, and they're like, that ain't enough to pay my bills, so I'm gonna go do elsewhere.
• 25:14
  SPEAKER_01: You know, some people just get tired of helping uh, you know, whether it's a paycheck or not, you know, and they just show up, stamp their clock, you know, time sheet, and they be out whether the work gets done or not, you know.
• 25:27
  SPEAKER_01: So like she said, like the system is broken, and unfortunately, a lot of people are still suffering from that.
• 25:37
  SPEAKER_00: Hypothetical.
• 25:41
  SPEAKER_00: If you were the one that ended, if you were the one that was supposed to be helping somebody, not you, right?
• 25:46
  SPEAKER_00: But in general, if you're the person that's supposed to be helping, you know that you're lacking with what you choose to do, right?
• 25:57
  SPEAKER_00: What happens when you're the person that needs that help?
• 26:00
  SPEAKER_00: You know, you can't really complain about the system that you helped create.
• 26:05
  SPEAKER_00: You you really can't say anything because again, you're one pay you could be one paycheck away, right?
• 26:14
  SPEAKER_00: What happens when you become that person?
• 26:18
  SPEAKER_00: And I think that's something that people don't necessarily think about.
• 26:22
  SPEAKER_00: Because again, you get sick, you don't have any sick time, your paycheck is short.
• 26:30
  SPEAKER_00: You was already late last month because you decided to do X, Y, and Z with your personal, and now you're sitting here, you gotta pay your your rent, you gotta pay your mortgage, you know, and and you gotta move.
• 26:45
  SPEAKER_00: You can't even afford a storage unit.
• 26:48
  SPEAKER_00: So all your stuff got to sit out, and now you got to go into the woods with the same people you chose not to fully serve.
• 26:59
  SPEAKER_00: And I was like, if you just sit and think about that, would I want to be out there?
• 27:06
  SPEAKER_00: You know, think about it like a police officer that puts so many people in jail, now he gotta go to the same jail with them.
• 27:12
  SPEAKER_00: You will not be received very well because you may have been those 100 people, you know, counselor, their their caseworker.
• 27:22
  SPEAKER_00: And now you gotta go to these same people for help.
• 27:27
  SPEAKER_00: That's deep.
• 27:29
  SPEAKER_01: And I'm gonna be honest, um, even though we're there every Wednesday, like serving the unhoused community, we have people that drive and come get snack bags for their kids, for themselves.
• 27:42
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and they work jobs.
• 27:44
  SPEAKER_01: They have a vehicle, but they're in need.
• 27:47
  SPEAKER_01: You know, um, with Life for the Hopeless Foundation, like we have um three-tier programs.
• 27:53
  SPEAKER_01: So, you know, uh part one of our program is serving and helping the unhoused community.
• 27:58
  SPEAKER_01: But then part two, we partner with um Title I schools in Mecklenburg County.
• 28:04
  SPEAKER_01: And that looks like um at one school we do uh a food pantry.
• 28:09
  SPEAKER_01: At another school, we do like their pet their pet rallies, their ELG prep um sessions and things like that.
• 28:16
  SPEAKER_01: And then um our program for part three is helping our vulnerable seniors.
• 28:21
  SPEAKER_01: So part of that looks like helping the seniors that were once displaced and on the streets to now have a roof above their head, a place that they can call home, but also seniors that are in um senior-living communities that um just need that extra help, you know, just need that um that one-on-one time, whether it's game night, you know, whether it's uh a mindfulness conversation about the things that they experienced like growing up, how they wish they would have had the support so they didn't pass on that, you know, generational trauma to their kids.
• 28:56
  SPEAKER_01: So um Life for the Hopes Foundation is a is a revolving door, but it all leads back to mental health because all of that, you know, um it contributes, you know, mental wellness is the key.
• 29:08
  SPEAKER_01: That's what we push these days.
• 29:10
  SPEAKER_01: So we have to make sure that we're showing up in these different, you know, components to be able to push, you know, your overall health, you know, is mental health.
• 29:21
  SPEAKER_00: Everything starts on your mental.
• 29:24
  SPEAKER_00: Your mental can play on your physical, your mental can play on your emotional.
• 29:28
  SPEAKER_03: Yes.
• 29:29
  SPEAKER_00: And you know, what what are you thinking?
• 29:32
  SPEAKER_00: What are you going through?
• 29:33
  SPEAKER_00: How are you processing what the situation is around you?
• 29:38
  SPEAKER_00: You know, like you said, you talk to some of these people like, I wish I'd have known.
• 29:42
  SPEAKER_00: Because now they know they passed on, you know, uh family, uh, what do you call them?
• 29:51
  SPEAKER_00: You give in your child childhood trauma, but you passed on generational curses, as some people put it.
• 29:57
  SPEAKER_00: And because you don't know, to you it may be normal, it may be what we do in this family type thing.
• 30:05
  SPEAKER_00: Um, just so many things that can weigh on you.
• 30:11
  SPEAKER_01: Yes, like I have a 74-year-old man that I talked into um going to therapy.
• 30:17
  SPEAKER_01: And I'm like, you know, it made me smile because I'm like, he's 74, but he's willing to try it, you know.
• 30:23
  SPEAKER_01: And I check in on him, I'm like, how's therapy going?
• 30:26
  SPEAKER_01: He's like, it's great, you know.
• 30:28
  SPEAKER_01: I wish I I would have done this back then, so you know, my relationship with my kids would have been better, you know.
• 30:35
  SPEAKER_01: But I got a chance to make the relationship better with my grandkids and my great-grandkids.
• 30:40
  SPEAKER_01: And you like, wow, you know, if everybody had that mindset, like it's never too late to become a better human, you know.
• 30:47
  SPEAKER_01: And I think that is the overall goal.
• 30:51
  SPEAKER_01: Like, if you know better, then you'll do better.
• 30:53
  SPEAKER_01: But then you have that question, well, how can I become better?
• 30:56
  SPEAKER_01: Where are those resources that will help me become better?
• 31:00
  SPEAKER_01: And then you have like grassroots organizations like me, like, let me help you become better.
• 31:04
  SPEAKER_01: So I think um once you get into it, like it's beautiful, you know, it has its trying days, but the outcome overall, like, it's beautiful.
• 31:15
  SPEAKER_00: Good, because it should be.
• 31:17
  SPEAKER_00: So let me ask this because you you say it's you, and then there's four of the guys, right?
• 31:24
  SPEAKER_00: How has the support been for the organization?
• 31:26
  SPEAKER_00: And I mean it's gotta be going pretty well because you've been doing this for you know four years.
• 31:31
  SPEAKER_00: How how has the support been?
• 31:33
  SPEAKER_00: And have you ever have you had to deal with people that's like, girl, what are you doing?
• 31:38
  SPEAKER_01: I'm gonna be honest.
• 31:40
  SPEAKER_01: Okay, so we started, I started my foundation six years ago, right?
• 31:44
  SPEAKER_01: But I started my street outreach four years ago.
• 31:47
  SPEAKER_01: Um, starting off, like it was brutal.
• 31:50
  SPEAKER_01: Every day I was like, yeah, no, I'm not doing this.
• 31:54
  SPEAKER_01: Like, I quit.
• 31:55
  SPEAKER_01: Like, I mean, I'm taking money out of my pocket, like trying to make sure, you know, one of the guys got shoes because they walk around on flip-flops.
• 32:04
  SPEAKER_01: Like, it was a struggle.
• 32:05
  SPEAKER_01: It was hard, you know.
• 32:06
  SPEAKER_01: And then you have like an organization that's new and you're trying to go into these rooms and network and get funding, and you keep getting turned down, and it's discouraging.
• 32:20
  SPEAKER_01: So then you like God, like, I don't know, like I'm gonna give up, like I don't think this is what you got for me.
• 32:27
  SPEAKER_01: Like, I'm gonna give up, you know.
• 32:29
  SPEAKER_01: But you hear that, you know, that that voice in your head is like, don't give up, stay the course, you know.
• 32:35
  SPEAKER_01: Um, we all go through rough seasons, you know, and I'm like, well, God, you know, use me as your hands and feet.
• 32:42
  SPEAKER_01: Like, show me, show me the way.
• 32:44
  SPEAKER_01: You know, and I think it was like year two where I was like, you know.
• 32:49
  SPEAKER_01: And um, out of nowhere, I remember uh checking the mailbox, and a foundation had gave us our first check for$10,000.
• 33:01
  SPEAKER_00: Oh.
• 33:02
  SPEAKER_01: And I was like, That's a big check.
• 33:04
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I was like, let me make sure like this the right, this is the right address, it's the right organization, you know.
• 33:11
  SPEAKER_01: And in that it was um uh a letter that said, um, use this to um help with your programs, and out of that I was like, I'm going to the drawing board because whatever our programs become, I want it to be beneficial to the people that we serve and the people that are you know ignored the most.
• 33:36
  SPEAKER_01: And you know, a lot of people say, you know, with so many organizations helping the unhoused community, and I'm like, well, that might be the case, but the numbers continue to increase.
• 33:48
  SPEAKER_01: And I don't know if you know it or not, but a nonprofit is really not built to um be around forever focused on the same thing.
• 33:58
  SPEAKER_01: You know, a nonprofit organization most of the time is created to solve a problem.
• 34:04
  SPEAKER_01: So once that problem is solved, you can go and create a solution to another problem.
• 34:11
  SPEAKER_01: Well, you have so many organizations um around still solving the same problem because the solution has not been, you know, met yet.
• 34:20
  SPEAKER_03: Right.
• 34:21
  SPEAKER_01: And I think um I work towards, you know, every day coming up with a solution, like a permanent solution, you know.
• 34:31
  SPEAKER_01: So yeah, some days it is hard, you know, it was a lot of funding cuts.
• 34:35
  SPEAKER_01: Um, a lot of grants were, you know, discontinued.
• 34:39
  SPEAKER_01: So some people like smaller organizations like myself, sometimes we do struggle, you know, because that budget that we had created, you know, we're not able to fund it anymore, you know, due to funding.
• 34:50
  SPEAKER_01: But then you go out and um you network, you meet people.
• 34:56
  SPEAKER_01: And I've met some great people um within the last four years who believe in our mission, who pour into me, you know, and I'm not afraid to say, you know, thank you to them, you know, because they believe in me.
• 35:10
  SPEAKER_01: And I'm gonna be honest, um a lot of my private donors, um, a lot of them are um CEOs of corporations, you know.
• 35:19
  SPEAKER_01: And nine times out of ten, that support does not come from the city or the county of Mecklenburg County, it comes from outside of that county.
• 35:30
  SPEAKER_01: And I'm grateful that they see the work that I do in Mecklenburg County to continue to pour into me when some of the support that I should get in my own county doesn't exist.
• 35:42
  SPEAKER_00: That's crazy.
• 35:45
  SPEAKER_00: The majority of support doesn't even come from the city or the county that you're doing all this stuff in.
• 35:54
  SPEAKER_00: And I see it like you're helping not just the communities that you go in, you're helping the city.
• 36:04
  SPEAKER_00: You know, you're not complaining about what needs to be done, you're out there helping to get it done.
• 36:15
  SPEAKER_00: The city is always complaining about these these camps that are set up, and their solution is or they have to move because that's private property.
• 36:27
  SPEAKER_00: My thing is why not start providing somewhere for them to be, somewhere for them to go, find some plot and say, hey, y'all can have this.
• 36:39
  SPEAKER_00: And I feel that's a whole lot better.
• 36:42
  SPEAKER_00: And I know it is it's complications and technical things that need to be done, but give them a place to be instead of sending police officers and the shares into these places that they've been in to tell them you gotta go.
• 36:57
  SPEAKER_00: Because where are they gonna go?
• 36:59
  SPEAKER_01: And not to mention, um, when they do that, it makes it so much harder on grassroots organizations like myself because we're the ones that's supplying the tents, the sleeping bags, um, the suitcases.
• 37:12
  SPEAKER_01: So they might be out applying for a job, or they might be at um one of the sites getting food or lunch or something, and they come back and their stuff is gone, right?
• 37:23
  SPEAKER_01: So you come back and that's all you have.
• 37:26
  SPEAKER_01: Like, that's the belongings that you have like in your life altogether.
• 37:31
  SPEAKER_01: And they come to us and they like, they took our tent, they took our sleeping bag, they took the suitcase that you gave us, they took all of it and threw it away while we were gone.
• 37:43
  SPEAKER_01: So what we have to do is go out and re-repurchase that same stuff that they threw away, you know, and yeah, they might say, Well, we gave them a notice that they had to be moved, or we told them that they couldn't put it there.
• 37:57
  SPEAKER_01: But mentally, it's so much already going on in their minds.
• 38:01
  SPEAKER_01: It's kind of like, well, I forgot that I was supposed to move my tent that day.
• 38:05
  SPEAKER_01: Or I forgot that I couldn't have my cart parked right here that day.
• 38:09
  SPEAKER_01: And don't get me wrong, structure is needed.
• 38:12
  SPEAKER_01: You know, structure is needed within the unhoused community as far as like trash, pickup, you know, and things like that.
• 38:19
  SPEAKER_01: But it also comes from not being able to be stable, you know, because you don't want your sleeping environment to be nasty or dirty, you know.
• 38:29
  SPEAKER_01: So that's one thing that I keep clean, you know, in their minds.
• 38:33
  SPEAKER_01: But the surrounding, everybody's not built like that mentally.
• 38:36
  SPEAKER_01: So that's when we go back to, like she said, like a broken system or not having stability or not knowing better, because believe it or not, um, you have people out there that are visible, um, impaired, um, that are blind, you know, can't see, you have um, can't hear, um, you have autistic.
• 38:58
  SPEAKER_01: Like, I've seen it all out there um in the community.
• 39:02
  SPEAKER_01: And it's kind of like they they need help, you know.
• 39:07
  SPEAKER_01: They don't, they don't know better, you know, like they're doing the best that they can do, but you can't just go stick them in a room or you know, stick them here and say, okay, this is this is where you're supposed to stay, this is where you live at now.
• 39:21
  SPEAKER_01: How is no structure being set up?
• 39:23
  SPEAKER_01: Is nobody checking in to make sure that they're okay to be able to understand, like this belongs to you, we're not gonna take it away.
• 39:31
  SPEAKER_00: There's no follow-up.
• 39:32
  SPEAKER_01: No, no, it's like here you go.
• 39:35
  SPEAKER_01: I did what I was supposed to do.
• 39:38
  SPEAKER_01: I checked off all the boxes that I was supposed to check off to make sure that I could um continue to get this funding, and boom, I don't I don't have to deal with you no more.
• 39:50
  SPEAKER_01: The system will always be broken, the numbers will always continue to increase.
• 39:55
  SPEAKER_01: The people that you helped a year ago will be back on the street if there's no follow-up, no stability.
• 40:05
  SPEAKER_00: Make you wonder why isn't there a follow-up process?
• 40:10
  SPEAKER_00: You know, and if there is, how how soon are we following up?
• 40:17
  SPEAKER_00: You know, what questions are we asking?
• 40:19
  SPEAKER_00: Because again, we're still dealing with people that still have a guard up about people being in their business.
• 40:26
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, anybody can have a guard up, you know, against somebody that they don't know.
• 40:32
  SPEAKER_00: But we've been working with you for the past couple weeks, couple months to get you to this place.
• 40:39
  SPEAKER_00: What is that relationship like?
• 40:41
  SPEAKER_00: You know, and like you said, that caseworker, they may have a hundred people that they're dealing with.
• 40:48
  SPEAKER_00: But what's what is an extra five, ten minutes to just say, Are you okay?
• 40:54
  SPEAKER_00: Is there anything else that you need before we get off this phone?
• 40:58
  SPEAKER_00: And then genuinely make that statement.
• 41:01
  SPEAKER_00: You know, I know a lot of uh organizations they kind of want to pull religion out because you don't want to offend anybody, but you know, you don't have to tell these people you're praying for them.
• 41:12
  SPEAKER_00: You know, you don't have to do any of that.
• 41:15
  SPEAKER_00: You know, but if they tell you that oh, you know, I believe in this religion or whatever, and you do too, say it.
• 41:27
  SPEAKER_00: You we know how to put things in code well enough to even on a recorded line, I don't have to necessarily say, I'm praying for you and God got you, and whatever, whatever.
• 41:38
  SPEAKER_00: But we know how to word certain things and just be like I got you.
• 41:43
  SPEAKER_00: I bet.
• 41:45
  SPEAKER_00: But what what is this relationship like as we're getting to this point?
• 41:49
  SPEAKER_00: What questions are we not asking compared to reading a script or going off of uh prompts, you know?
• 41:58
  SPEAKER_00: But I'm I'm gonna pull back from that because I don't want to make nobody mad, even though I don't care at the same time, you know.
• 42:05
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, no, I think um it's funny that you say that because I have um a lady that serves on our board, and she is always called her, she is our um our Christ and community piece, you know, like she's the the one that makes like the inspirational bags with the crosses, you know, and um always be like kind of hesitant because I'm like, I don't know, we should get them now.
• 42:32
  SPEAKER_01: Like, I don't know what they're gonna think about it.
• 42:34
  SPEAKER_01: She like, no, like they have to know like that we're out here praying for them.
• 42:38
  SPEAKER_01: Like we're not just applying them, we're also praying for them.
• 42:42
  SPEAKER_01: And um, we put we have little bags, she make up, you know, and it's crazy because now we have people that come and say, Hey, do you have the bags with the crosses in them?
• 42:51
  SPEAKER_01: You know, um, I want to give my friend one, you know, and that just sends the message, you know, like they know that they're not alone.
• 43:01
  SPEAKER_01: They know, like, um, even if I'm not where I want to be in life right now, I know that God continues to watch over me and keep me safe.
• 43:09
  SPEAKER_01: And um going back to the struggle piece is crazy because, like I mentioned, we partner with Title I schools, and we have teachers that are in need.
• 43:19
  SPEAKER_01: They need help with paying their rent.
• 43:22
  SPEAKER_01: Um, they need food resources, and you like they continue to show up every day and teach our teach our kids, and mentally they're struggling on their own.
• 43:32
  SPEAKER_01: You know, they're going through a lot on their own.
• 43:35
  SPEAKER_01: So, again, like I said, like the system is broken, like broken in all different aspects because you have middle class that work every day, you know.
• 43:44
  SPEAKER_01: Like you say, they're one paycheck away from being homeless.
• 43:48
  SPEAKER_01: You have parents who work every day and they're in extended stays because they can't afford to pay average rent, you know?
• 43:58
  SPEAKER_01: And it's do I Choose to go and pay out this money for this apartment, or do I pay this hotel and make sure that we have a stable car to get back and forth to where we need to do?
• 44:09
  SPEAKER_01: But in reality, we like it's no way that they should be in a position where they have to choose.
• 44:15
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, it shouldn't be a choice.
• 44:16
  SPEAKER_00: Shouldn't have to be a choice.
• 44:18
  SPEAKER_02: Shale, I would like to commend you for, you know, not giving up because I was going to ask you that question.
• 44:25
  SPEAKER_02: Um, how do you not give up?
• 44:27
  SPEAKER_02: But you gave an example of you received the check in the mail, you know what I'm saying, and it motivated you.
• 44:32
  SPEAKER_02: I think sometimes in life it's it's hard to keep your motivation going, especially when you hit these brick walls.
• 44:38
  SPEAKER_02: But I commend you for, you know, pushing through and thank you and carrying on.
• 44:44
  SPEAKER_02: What where does your inspiration come from?
• 44:47
  SPEAKER_02: Outside of maybe the funding or things like that, but those days that you want to stop, where do you find your inspiration?
• 44:54
  SPEAKER_01: I think it's the success stories.
• 44:57
  SPEAKER_01: Um, it's me thinking about the four guys who, you know, I met that were down at the bottom, you know, and being able to witness them rise up, you know, because I'm like, this could be my son, you know.
• 45:11
  SPEAKER_01: So I think about the success stories, but not only that, um, I think about my son who watches what I do.
• 45:18
  SPEAKER_01: I think about my son who actually comes out in the community and assists with what I do, who has befriended kids that are living in shelters and sleeping in the cars, you know.
• 45:29
  SPEAKER_01: Um, that's the bigger picture.
• 45:31
  SPEAKER_01: Like that's the motivation to say, hey, one day the goal is to be able to have my own community space to be able to give even more resources.
• 45:41
  SPEAKER_01: But you got to start somewhere.
• 45:43
  SPEAKER_01: You know, and me starting somewhere was six years ago, but to see that I'm continuing to evolve, to see that, you know, even though, you know, things might not go, you know, as fast as I want them to go, I can see, you know, us moving in the right direction.
• 45:59
  SPEAKER_01: So I think that that's what keeps me going.
• 46:01
  SPEAKER_01: But I'm not gonna lie, like I probably quit like once a day in my head all the time.
• 46:09
  SPEAKER_01: But I think about the people that are depending on me.
• 46:12
  SPEAKER_01: You know, I think about the elderly man who I know who's gonna be waiting on me on, you know, every Wednesday, who only want two honey buns.
• 46:22
  SPEAKER_01: You know, I think about the lady who's gonna ask me, like, if I have a box of dove soap, you know, it's small things to me, but it's big things to them, you know, that makes them happy, you know.
• 46:35
  SPEAKER_01: And, you know, I think about like my son and I got sick um last year, and I still went out there to serve, and I started crying when I was serving them, you know, because I was thinking about my son, and they say, Well, what's wrong, Miss Leah?
• 46:50
  SPEAKER_01: You know, and I started to tell them about my son, and the line went from being straight to them forming a circle around me, and they started praying for my kid.
• 47:02
  SPEAKER_01: You know, that's the things that we don't see, that we don't witness every day.
• 47:06
  SPEAKER_01: And I'm like, God, I thank you for the village that I didn't know that I needed.
• 47:12
  SPEAKER_00: That's deep.
• 47:13
  SPEAKER_00: It is, that's beautiful, and that goes back to like you said, you know, not only do they need you, but you need them.
• 47:23
  SPEAKER_00: Because when you start forming and building a community like that, a lot of people think that your community should look like you, talk like you, walk like you, be very similar to you in what you do, but sometimes, like you said, it's a community that you didn't know you needed.
• 47:45
  SPEAKER_00: So, yes, shout out to you and the organization, shout out to the company that gave you that first check, and shout out to these private donors because they're doing things you know that are making a change, making a difference in the community, not just for you as far as funding, but for them, because you're able to purchase these things without, for lack of words, going broke, you know.
• 48:15
  SPEAKER_00: And like you said, the first two years were rough.
• 48:19
  SPEAKER_00: We all have a rough patch that we have to get through.
• 48:22
  SPEAKER_00: It may not always be right at the beginning for some of us, depending on what our avenue is.
• 48:28
  SPEAKER_00: It could be 10 years in, it could be 15 years in, it could be 10 months in, you know.
• 48:34
  SPEAKER_00: But yes, we're gonna quit every day.
• 48:38
  SPEAKER_00: But we have a reminder of if not me, then who?
• 48:45
  SPEAKER_00: And yeah, we can leave it up to somebody else, but this isn't we're not playing tag team, you know.
• 48:51
  SPEAKER_00: We don't have somebody, hey man, I quit.
• 48:53
  SPEAKER_00: Hey bro, you gotta take it for the next couple weeks, couple months, you know.
• 48:57
  SPEAKER_00: It's us.
• 48:58
  SPEAKER_00: And even if we do have somebody we can tag in, we still know those people are looking for us to be there.
• 49:05
  SPEAKER_00: You know, especially if it's every Wednesday.
• 49:08
  SPEAKER_00: These people know what they're gonna get.
• 49:10
  SPEAKER_00: Every Wednesday.
• 49:12
  SPEAKER_00: So can you can you do this?
• 49:15
  SPEAKER_00: Cause I'm and I'm gonna jump.
• 49:17
  SPEAKER_00: Can you tell the people where they can find you if they want to volunteer or be a part?
• 49:23
  SPEAKER_01: If you want to volunteer, because we are always welcoming volunteers.
• 49:26
  SPEAKER_01: We always need assistance, we always need assistance somewhere, um, whether it's helping out um our unhoused community or even volunteering to assist at our food pantry or when our Title I schools are even coming out for uh a night of fun at one of our senior communities.
• 49:45
  SPEAKER_01: We can always use volunteers.
• 49:47
  SPEAKER_01: So the best way to get to us is to go to our website, which is www.lifefor the hopeless.org.
• 49:54
  SPEAKER_01: And again, that's ww.liferthehopeless.org.
• 49:57
  SPEAKER_01: Click on the volunteer link and um submit your information.
• 50:02
  SPEAKER_01: And I promise you we'll reach out to you within 48 hours um to definitely show up, share with you our volunteer opportunities.
• 50:10
  SPEAKER_01: Um, if you need a warm meal, if you ever need a snack bag, you know that you can always depend us, depend on us every Wednesday.
• 50:20
  SPEAKER_01: And it's at 945 North College Street, um, right across from the public storage.
• 50:25
  SPEAKER_01: We're always set up um between uh 1.30 to 2.30 every Wednesday.
• 50:32
  SPEAKER_01: Um the time kind of changes in October because we go back to serving warm meals, so that's later in the evening, but every Wednesday you can find us there for sure.
• 50:42
  SPEAKER_00: Good.
• 50:42
  SPEAKER_00: So y'all got that.
• 50:44
  SPEAKER_00: Y'all got that.
• 50:47
  SPEAKER_00: So let me ask this for anybody anywhere thinking about starting an organization, reaching out, um, assisting.
• 51:01
  SPEAKER_00: What is one seed that you would plant for the next person that would make possibly follow behind you and your footsteps?
• 51:10
  SPEAKER_01: Hmm, that's a good one.
• 51:12
  SPEAKER_01: I would say make sure you're grounded within yourself before you start anything.
• 51:18
  SPEAKER_00: Come on.
• 51:19
  SPEAKER_01: And I'll say that because being grounded allows you to see clearly.
• 51:24
  SPEAKER_01: You know, a lot of people look at the problem and say, Oh, I'm going to serve, you know, the unhoused community today.
• 51:31
  SPEAKER_01: And, you know, that makes them feel good, but it makes them feel good because they're able to pull out a camera, snap pictures, and say, look what I did today.
• 51:42
  SPEAKER_01: It gives them self-gratification, you know, but it doesn't help, you know, the people that are really being impacted by what they're living through, you know.
• 51:52
  SPEAKER_01: So I say make sure that you're grounded, make sure that you're doing it for the right reasons.
• 51:57
  SPEAKER_01: Also make sure you got some tough skin, you know, because coming into a space that's already territorial, um, when they say like you got the big dolls at the top, and you're coming into um their lane, um, make sure that you have tough skin.
• 52:16
  SPEAKER_01: You know, sometimes I still be like, dang, you know, what am I doing wrong?
• 52:21
  SPEAKER_01: That's that self-doubt that'll creep in and say, What am I doing wrong?
• 52:23
  SPEAKER_01: You know, why can't I get into these um, you know, larger rooms?
• 52:27
  SPEAKER_01: But it always comes back to God saying, um, stay on the pathway that I have laid in front of you.
• 52:35
  SPEAKER_01: Um, stay focused on you.
• 52:36
  SPEAKER_01: Don't worry about the things that happen outside of you.
• 52:39
  SPEAKER_01: You stay grounded within yourself, everything that's meant for you, everything that's meant for you to help serve your people, I will make sure that it's getting awesome.
• 52:51
  SPEAKER_00: Stay grounded, y'all.
• 52:53
  SPEAKER_00: It makes a huge difference.
• 52:56
  SPEAKER_00: I'm gonna let y'all sit on that one.
• 52:58
  SPEAKER_00: So Shalia, Miss Leah, I'm gonna take this somewhere, and I know I didn't prep you for this.
• 53:09
  SPEAKER_00: And honestly, I don't think I'm ever gonna prep anybody for this.
• 53:14
  SPEAKER_00: Like you would have to actually watch the episodes all the way through to even realize that this is a question.
• 53:20
  SPEAKER_00: So, as creatives, entrepreneurs, uh humans, humans in general, right?
• 53:28
  SPEAKER_00: We go through things while building, creating, serving, and we rarely get asked how we're doing in the process of it.
• 53:41
  SPEAKER_00: So my question to you is how's your mental?
• 53:47
  SPEAKER_01: My mental on a scale from one to ten, I say my mental right now is at a seven.
• 53:54
  SPEAKER_01: And I'll say that um because I'm coming off of, well, I won't say I'm coming off of, but I'm in a season of where I'm trying to learn how to say no.
• 54:08
  SPEAKER_01: I feel like because I do help and I do serve so much, I've turned into um a people pleaser where I can't say no.
• 54:19
  SPEAKER_01: So me not being able to say no, it affects me because all I do is say yes, but in me saying yes, I'm not taking out the time for myself.
• 54:29
  SPEAKER_01: Because I have to realize I do still have a life, like I have a 16-year-old who's a junior in high school.
• 54:36
  SPEAKER_01: Um, next year it'll be like that big finale where he goes off to college, and mentally I'm not okay with it.
• 54:44
  SPEAKER_01: Like, that's my only challenge.
• 54:46
  SPEAKER_01: And I have anxiety attack, like just thinking about it in my therapy.
• 54:51
  SPEAKER_01: She's like, girl, you you're gonna be okay.
• 54:54
  SPEAKER_01: Like, we're gonna get through this together.
• 54:56
  SPEAKER_01: But um mentally, I would say I'm at a seven um where I'm okay, but I could be better.
• 55:04
  SPEAKER_01: And um in becoming better, I'm taking the you know, the necessary steps to get to where I need to be.
• 55:13
  SPEAKER_01: You know, people always be like, dang my my best friend.
• 55:16
  SPEAKER_01: She'd be like, You single, you need to get it together.
• 55:18
  SPEAKER_01: Like you've always this, that and the third.
• 55:20
  SPEAKER_01: And I'm like, I don't even have time to think about that right now.
• 55:24
  SPEAKER_01: Because you know, when you're building, none, you see none of that.
• 55:28
  SPEAKER_01: Like you have like this pathway in front of you for you for you to build, and you like that's the only thing that I'm focused on.
• 55:34
  SPEAKER_01: Like, I have to knock out this goal, I have to knock out that goal.
• 55:38
  SPEAKER_01: And I think that I'm so like in my lane of knocking out goals and making sure that I'm where I need to be.
• 55:46
  SPEAKER_01: Like, I'm in a season where like I'm trying to like refocus on self.
• 55:52
  SPEAKER_01: So I give it a good solid seven, you know.
• 55:54
  SPEAKER_01: Hopefully by the end of the year we at a 10.
• 55:57
  SPEAKER_01: But right now we're at a seven.
• 55:59
  SPEAKER_00: And there's nothing wrong with that.
• 56:01
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, because it's it'll fluctuate.
• 56:03
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 56:04
  SPEAKER_00: Some days you'll be at a seven, some days you'll be at a ten.
• 56:07
  SPEAKER_00: And God forbid you ever get below a three and a half.
• 56:11
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 56:11
  SPEAKER_00: But, you know, it happens.
• 56:14
  SPEAKER_00: And, you know, like I said, I I realized over the course of this podcast, since the beginning, over a year ago, we tend to go back to things that we dealt with, which is, you know, part of the reason why we started, you know, doing what we do.
• 56:32
  SPEAKER_00: So I want to say thank you for being honest, because I know there there will be some people that are completely strong-headed, and they'll, oh I'm fine.
• 56:44
  SPEAKER_00: I'm good.
• 56:45
  SPEAKER_00: Ain't nothing wrong with me.
• 56:47
  SPEAKER_00: But may go home and cry, or get in the car, leaving here and cry.
• 56:51
  SPEAKER_00: And I'm not saying anybody has, but I'm pretty sure at some point somebody will.
• 56:57
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 56:58
  SPEAKER_00: So thank you for your honesty.
• 57:02
  SPEAKER_00: Um, with that being said, is there anything that you would like to ask us or tell us?
• 57:09
  SPEAKER_01: Um, not so much as I ask, but I would like to, you know, thank the both of you um for creating what I would say a safe space.
• 57:18
  SPEAKER_01: You know, um, you give a voice to the voiceless, you give opportunities to those who um have been looking for an avenue to express what they do, express how they feel, you know, and this is it.
• 57:34
  SPEAKER_01: Um I walked right in and felt like free.
• 57:38
  SPEAKER_01: And um that that plays a big part, you know, in um in humans being able to appreciate other humans.
• 57:47
  SPEAKER_01: So I will say, you know, I just want to say thank you for creating um a safe space.
• 57:53
  SPEAKER_01: Um, as people say, my son says the vibe.
• 57:58
  SPEAKER_01: We're creating the vibe, um, but more so for giving me a voice um to tell my story, you know, the opportunity to use it to tell my story, to tell people about life or the hopeless foundation.
• 58:10
  SPEAKER_01: Because there's so many people out there who don't know about us, you know, but you gave me the opportunity today to tell the world about us.
• 58:20
  SPEAKER_01: So go follow us, y'all.
• 58:22
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, follow us, follow her, follow them.
• 58:26
  SPEAKER_00: Um yeah, because you already told the people where to find you, right?
• 58:30
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, so we're on Instagram, um, LinkedIn, Facebook, Life for the Hopeless Foundation.
• 58:36
  SPEAKER_00: Okay.
• 58:36
  SPEAKER_00: I just had to make sure that we covered that.
• 58:39
  SPEAKER_00: Well, listen, I I appreciate all that.
• 58:41
  SPEAKER_00: Because like I said, it's your favorite cousin house.
• 58:43
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 58:44
  SPEAKER_00: People walk in this door and they're like, oh man, you know, instant comfort.
• 58:50
  SPEAKER_00: You know, like you said, you such a it's a vibe.
• 58:52
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 58:52
  SPEAKER_00: You know, and that's how we are with anybody and everybody that comes to this door.
• 58:58
  SPEAKER_00: To the point where some people we be like, you do realize you've been here for an hour and a half.
• 59:02
  SPEAKER_00: Your tour was only 30 minutes.
• 59:05
  SPEAKER_00: We give 30-minute tours.
• 59:06
  SPEAKER_00: Why are you still here an hour after that?
• 59:08
  SPEAKER_00: It's okay, because you're comfortable.
• 59:10
  SPEAKER_00: Luckily, we ain't got nothing to do and ain't got nowhere to go, but uh when you plan on leaving, you know, which I got in the fridge, nothing.
• 59:18
  SPEAKER_00: Okay.
• 59:19
  SPEAKER_00: But yeah, so I I appreciate that.
• 59:22
  SPEAKER_00: Um, I don't know if you know, but I struggle with um receiving compliments and all of that.
• 59:32
  SPEAKER_00: And mostly because I just stay in that very humble space.
• 59:36
  SPEAKER_00: I've always felt like if I start taking these words that are said to me, I'll get big-headed.
• 59:43
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, my forehead is already big enough.
• 59:44
  SPEAKER_00: That's part of why it's covered up.
• 59:46
  SPEAKER_00: You say it right or you say.
• 59:48
  SPEAKER_00: No, I say things.
• 59:49
  SPEAKER_00: Oh, I'm about to say, what you mean right?
• 59:54
  SPEAKER_00: But you know, I've always felt that the more compliments you give somebody, the big-headed, the more big-headed they get, the more they put themselves on a platform only to just fall and crush because the platform that they built is like, what how's it worded?
• 1:00:10
  SPEAKER_00: It's um it's shaky.
• 1:00:13
  SPEAKER_00: You know, and I'm like, I don't ever want to build myself up based on the goodness that people perceive.
• 1:00:20
  SPEAKER_00: You know, I pull in that stuff out of, okay, so what's wrong?
• 1:00:24
  SPEAKER_00: How can I do better?
• 1:00:25
  SPEAKER_00: You know, that's what I want to know.
• 1:00:27
  SPEAKER_00: You know, I'm not saying, hey, you suck at this, do better.
• 1:00:31
  SPEAKER_00: You know, it's like, hey, you know, I appreciate what you're doing, I see what you're doing, but you know, have you thought about, you know, like that's me.
• 1:00:38
  SPEAKER_00: I've always been that way, or as far as I can remember, but yeah, so I appreciate you.
• 1:00:44
  SPEAKER_01: No problem.
• 1:00:45
  SPEAKER_01: I think when it's um authentic and it comes from a genuine space, a lot of creatives, entrepreneurs, um founders, like they have that humble piece within them because I'm the same way.
• 1:00:57
  SPEAKER_01: Um people give me compliments or people introduce me and be like, oh, this is a big dog.
• 1:01:02
  SPEAKER_01: You don't know her.
• 1:01:03
  SPEAKER_01: But to me, I'm like, no, I feel like I'm at the bottom of the barrel, still trying to find my way.
• 1:01:09
  SPEAKER_01: But um I do like I take it in, I receive it, you know, but I still go back to that drawing board and be like, I need to do this, I need to do that.
• 1:01:17
  SPEAKER_01: So I think um a part of growth is learning to appreciate and accept the compliments that we do get, but also still stay grounded in knowing that um we always want better, we always can do better.
• 1:01:30
  SPEAKER_01: Like more is always on the way.
• 1:01:33
  SPEAKER_00: I agree with that.
• 1:01:34
  SPEAKER_00: I can completely agree.
• 1:01:36
  SPEAKER_00: Dina, you have anything before we close?
• 1:01:38
  SPEAKER_02: I would just like to say thank you for um the inspiration today, you know.
• 1:01:44
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 1:01:45
  SPEAKER_02: You know, because you took an ideal, you went with it, you're still in the race, you're keeping up the good fight, you know, you're taking care of yourself, you're taking care of your child.
• 1:01:55
  SPEAKER_02: So I think that's very inspiring.
• 1:01:58
  SPEAKER_02: Thank you.
• 1:01:58
  SPEAKER_02: You're welcome.
• 1:02:00
  SPEAKER_00: Well, that's all I got for this episode.
• 1:02:02
  SPEAKER_00: Shale, again, I appreciate you for being here.
• 1:02:05
  SPEAKER_00: I appreciate you for even taking the time to go fill out the form on the website, y'all.
• 1:02:12
  SPEAKER_00: She went to the website.
• 1:02:14
  SPEAKER_00: She didn't just send a DM.
• 1:02:15
  SPEAKER_00: I ain't nothing wrong with sending the DM, because I know sometimes when you see it, you gotta go ahead and send it out.
• 1:02:20
  SPEAKER_00: But that contact form, every time it comes through, I'm like, what is this?
• 1:02:25
  SPEAKER_00: Somebody want to talk to me.
• 1:02:28
  SPEAKER_00: What I would love to see is if you want Dina G or Shamar to sit here and have that conversation with y'all, put that out there, Dina G.
• 1:02:35
  SPEAKER_00: Turn your mic off.
• 1:02:36
  SPEAKER_00: You're not allowed to say nothing.
• 1:02:38
  SPEAKER_00: Bro, what?
• 1:02:40
  SPEAKER_00: I'm having ASMR back here.
• 1:02:45
  SPEAKER_00: Listen, y'all, that's all I got for this episode.
• 1:02:49
  SPEAKER_00: Um go check out Life for the Hopeless.
• 1:02:53
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, go visit the Creative Roots website.
• 1:02:56
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, we got merged.
• 1:02:57
  SPEAKER_00: I'm getting ready to release this last design for this year, I think.
• 1:03:02
  SPEAKER_00: I'm working it out right now.
• 1:03:04
  SPEAKER_00: But um, shout out to Analog Studios, Charlotte Podcast Studio, and Artbox Charlotte.
• 1:03:09
  SPEAKER_00: I would like to thank us.
• 1:03:12
  SPEAKER_00: And that's it for this episode, y'all.
• 1:03:13
  SPEAKER_02: We have 15 minutes.