Small Works with Big Impact
Well this kinda feels like big news and so I wanna share it.
I know we are all trying to find our lane. What syncs up for some, doesn’t sync up for others.
So please go with me on this. In 2017, life brought 18 people into my life…people living in circumstances that were very different than my own.
The small brick apartments next door to where I was living at the time, were being demolished to make room for a large condominium complex, and the folks currently living on the property were given $300 and one month to move out.
Three hundred dollars does very little to assist with this process, as we all know and when you’re living day to day…basically surviving…moving isn’t something to be celebrated. It changes everything. One dip into an individual’s day-to-day finances throws a whole life into chaos.
So…several of the residents partnered up with me and others with connections in the financial and real estate realms to find homes for every person.
Over those challenging weeks, I developed some of the deepest and most genuine friendships I’ve ever had. As a matter of fact five of the Twin Oaks residents have remained close friends and one other person who was introduced to our mutual aid circle, has become a dear friend also.
All this to say that for the last seven years, we have all lived life together. Birthdays. Joys. Sorrows. Job changes and job losses. We’ve stayed connected because that’s what friends do.
I’ve learned a lot. I’ve learned how the system rewards people like me and makes life hard for people of color and those with less money. I’ve learned how our social systems blame those with minimal resources for their circumstances…how these systems intentionally make it hard for them to access financial support, housing, job opportunities, and medical care.
Over the years, we’ve developed, thanks to you and some very generous donors, a community of supporters who have come through when help was needed. Time after time, you have stepped up. You’ve given your time and dollars…and just in case you’re unclear about this…you have literally saved lives, by doing so.
The truth, however, is hard to hear but one I’ve had to see. My friends continue to live in survival mode. There are moments of liberation from that day to day living, but if I’ve learned anything over the last seven years…it is this. It is almost impossible to rise up and out of survival mode without significant and focused access to resources, connections, and support.
All this leads me to…
Our Twin Oaks Community is partnering with the nonprofit Speak UP Magazine, to allow our mutual aid circle to focus on doing everything we can to move our friends from survival mode into thriving mode.
The systems have failed them. The systems have failed us. At this point in time, creating circles of mutual support feels even more relevant than ever.
I am returning to my social work days and going to really dig in this year…do what I can within my sphere of influence…to co-create with my Twin Oaks friends, pathways out of this survival mode into something more sustainable…where thriving lives.
I’ll continue to do all the other things I do in life, some writing, some public speaking, some GOTR events, but I will be giving more time and energy to the Twin Oaks Community circle.
I invite you to come along on this journey with me. We will be sharing our stories (with everybody’s permission of course), seeking financial and resources support…generally inviting all of us to broaden what’s possible for this small group of individuals.
Matt Shaw is the ED for Speak UP Magazine, and he has graciously created a link specific to raising funds for the Twin Oaks community. Your donation is tax deductible and I’m hoping you will consider giving as the year rounds out.
I honestly believe that the biggest impact often comes from the smallest of circles, and so my beautiful friends, this is where I will be putting more of my focus this year.
If you’d like to start your own “mutual aid” circle and don’t know how to begin, you can send me a message. I’m happy to share my experience.
In the meantime, please consider a donation. We still must continue to support our friends with cash for food, housing, medical care and transportation.
Here’s that amazing link Matt created for our community
(Here’s a photo of me with Scott. He played a huge role in getting everyone new places to live. The hard and uncomfortable truth is…the move was hard for everyone, him included. Scott died by suicide a few weeks after everyone was relocated. Not a happy post, but one that tells the truth about gentrification, a typically inhumane process that lacks compassion and support for those being displaced.)