[HPN] =?iso-8859-1?Q?=22WE_value_people_just_because_they=27re_human=8A=22?= by Ivy McClelland by Ivy McClelland

[Coalition on Homelessness, SF]

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HOMELESS PEOPLE'S VIEWS, News, Alerts, Actions & Research
7,000+ ONLINE POSTS by or via homeless & ex-homeless people
INFO & to join/leave list - Tom Boland <wgcp@earthlink.net>
***********************************************************
"WE value people just because they're human=8A"
A Talk with Rachel McLean of HAYOT

When I was 14 I left home for a little while. I'd go to the Haight=20
every day to hang out and buy drugs. For a few years I went between=20
living at home and living on the streets. One night I was really=20
drunk and someone brought me to a squat on 3rd and Mission - that's=20
how I ended up squatting.

Basically, my experience with outreach workers was that they hounded=20
me with bleach and condoms. I had so many condoms I didn't know what=20
to do with them. And I didn't shoot up - I used other drugs.

I felt frustrated that the outreach workers didn't have what I=20
needed: they didn't have tampons, candles for squatting, or blankets.=20
=46or me that's where the story begins - feeling that my needs weren't=20
being met and that the outreach workers weren't culturally sensitive=20
by any means.

In the span of five years I traveled and got clean and came back to=20
SF. I was in standing in a line while applying to City College and=20
saw a flyer that said:

DO YOU WANT TO FIGHT AIDS? COME JOIN OUR PEER EDUCATION PROGRAM.

It totally changed my life. I did HIV peer education for 2 years,=20
teaching other students about HIV and safe sex. From that, I realized=20
my dream was to work on Haight St. with homeless kids because that=20
was my scene and I wanted to give back to the community. I actually=20
went to the Haight-Ashbury Youth Outreach Team (HAYOT) to ask if I=20
could volunteer, and they said "no," they didn't accept volunteers.

=46rom there I got a job at the AIDS office where I met Tia Martinez -=20
who was doing the 'zine and leather workshops with homeless kids in=20
the Haight - and volunteered with her. In August of 1996 HAYOT was=20
hiring an outreach worker. I applied for the job and got it and have=20
been working there ever since. I believe that if you envision what=20
you want to do - even if it's three years down the road - you're=20
gonna get to do it if you don't give up.

When I started I was only 20 years old, I'd never worked this kind of=20
job, and I didn't know what the hell I was doing. I really wanted to=20
do the work but I was intimidated - being young and talking to kids=20
on the street who were super hardcore. It took me a while to gain the=20
trust of the kids and figure out what I was doing. HAYOT at that time=20
was really big: there were seven staff (currently three

I followed Amanda - an outreach worker there - asking her tons of=20
questions, like: "What are you doing? Explain to me, what are you=20
doing?" - just figuring out how to do referrals, how to talk to the=20
kids, 'cause it's really different. Just because you've been there=20
doesn't mean you're gonna know how to do the work and I didn't=20
realize that. I learned it as I went. I watched the way Amanda=20
worked, took what I liked from her style and developed my own.

HAYOT provides street outreach, safe injection and hygiene supplies,=20
medical, legal and advocacy referrals, help obtaining I.D. and=20
employment, free pet care, food, education about safe injection and=20
pregnancy prevention, and we provide emotional and practical support.=20
We do all the things a case manager does, without the paperwork. We=20
don't do intakes!

We are dedicated to serving the youth that nobody else wants to deal=20
with. We practice harm reduction: we meet people where they're at, we=20
don't penalize kids for using drugs. There are other youth programs=20
which serve the needs of youth who want to get off the streets. I see=20
us serving people who are 10 steps behind there, and who may not ever=20
get to that place. But we're still gonna be there and we're still=20
gonna care.

We were evicted from 409 Clayton, while our manager was out of town=20
for two months. We had a space at Haight and Masonic for 1 1/2 years,=20
but we got evicted from there, too. The manager left, so Bridget=20
Prince and I had to take control of HAYOT. They were closing down the=20
front of Golden Gate Park, the cops were cracking down, more and more=20
young kids were using heroin, El Ni=F1o happened - so we HAD to take=20
charge of the program.

We don't have a drop-in center anymore. We now have only an office=20
space and a couch. We are extremely limited in what we can do without=20
a drop-in center. I've noticed that a lot of the kids' health=20
deteriorated without a space to chill, take showers, make food or=20
make phone calls. I think it's a mental health thing. When kids are=20
on survival mode all the time they greatly appreciated the drop-in -=20
to come in, rest and feel safe. It's two dollars a square foot for=20
spaces in the Haight, which we can't afford. We had an offer for one=20
space - with the provision that none of the kids could come in - and=20
we turned it down.

We've always been targeted by neighbors who don't like the services=20
we provide. The way I see it, there's a war on drugs and there's a=20
war on youth, so youth who use drugs are pretty much at the bottom of=20
the barrel in some people's eyes, although I think older homeless=20
people have it pretty hard, too.

I got into this work because of my experience as a young woman going=20
through my stuff. Some of the kids think I'm biased toward women -=20
I'll specifically find out what their needs are because I see that a=20
lot of the girls' needs are overshadowed. Pregnancy is a big issue=20
because it difficult to be pregnant on the street and gain access to=20
services

I see lots of couples who both use drugs where the man is the one who=20
shoots up the woman. When the woman doesn't have control of her drug=20
use, neither will she with the consequences, such as overdose,=20
abscesses, hepatitis, or HIV.

I've seen lots of domestic violence on the street. And that's=20
something I had to learn how to do: talk non-judgmentally to men who=20
are battering their girlfriends. That's been challenging for me, but=20
I also feel like it's been a great experience because both parties=20
are human.

Violence and safety are the big issues for women. I see a lot of=20
women who have been physically and/or sexually assaulted on the=20
street. I like the idea of women feeling safe in the world.

I'm part of a peer-taught women's self-defense collective called Girl=20
Army, and I want to make it more accessible to the girls I work with=20
who want it. Girl Army has been around for five years. I took the=20
class, now I help teach it. It's a 6 week basic skills course that=20
deals with boundaries, physical self-defense, and verbal skills. It's=20
free if you don't have any money, and it's now open to transgendered=20
people.

We live in a society where you're only valued if you produce. WE=20
value people just because they're human. I've realized in this work=20
that street outreach is not enough. You have to do advocacy in City=20
Hall, work with the Treatment on Demand Planning Council to inform=20
the bureaucrats of what's really going on, get the word out - as well=20
as help kids navigate through the system for medical and welfare and=20
legal needs.

I've spoken at conferences such as the National AIDS Update=20
Conference and the San Francisco's Bridging the Gap harm reduction=20
conference. A lot of service providers have conditional terms for=20
their services - we don't. One thing I'll never forget is what=20
Julian, my old co-worker at HAYOT, used to say: "All you can ever=20
hope to do is not plant the seed, but just loosen the soil."

We're just loosening the soil for people to think about anything=20
beyond the moment they're in=8A because survival mode on the streets is=20
really a different experience. When you're hustling to get a bed=20
every night you don't have the luxury to think about the future. It=20
takes patience and unconditional love to let that process happen=20
naturally. It's hard work. I feel the effects of burn-out and not=20
having support philosophically for the that we do. But I've also seen=20
how our work has influenced other people, and that gives me hope and=20
inspiration.

As told to Ivy McClelland

HAYOT is located at 529 Clayton
(between Haight and Page Sts.) on the 3rd floor
Call (415) 565-1942

The next Girl Army training is
Sunday, March 5 to April 9TH from 4 to 7 PM
Capp St. Community Center
362 Capp St. (between 18th and 19th Sts.)
If interested leave your name and number on Girl Army's Voicemail:=20
(415) 835-4728


END FORWARD

**In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. section 107, this material is
distributed without charge or profit to those who have expressed a prior
interest in receiving this type of information for non-profit research and
educational purposes only.**

*******************************************************
7,500+ POSTS by or via homeless & ex-homeless people
Nothing About Us Without Us - Democratize Public Policy
*******************************************************
_______________________________________________

Coalition on Homelessness, San Francisco
468 Turk St.
San Francisco, CA 94102
vox: (415) 346.3740
=46ax: (415) 775.5639
coh@sfo.com
http://www.sfo.com/~coh
--============_-1260922654==_ma============
Content-Type: text/enriched; charset="iso-8859-1"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable

***********************************************************

HOMELESS PEOPLE'S VIEWS, News, Alerts, Actions & Research

7,000+ ONLINE POSTS by or via homeless & ex-homeless people


INFO & to join/leave list - Tom Boland <<wgcp@earthlink.net>

***********************************************************

<bold>"WE value people just because they're human=8A"

</bold>A Talk with Rachel McLean of HAYOT


When I was 14 I left home for a little while. I'd go to the Haight
every day to hang out and buy drugs. For a few years I went between
living at home and living on the streets. One night I was really drunk
and someone brought me to a squat on 3rd and Mission - that's how I
ended up squatting.


Basically, my experience with outreach workers was that they hounded me
with bleach and condoms. I had so many condoms I didn't know what to do
with them. And I didn't shoot up - I used other drugs.


I felt frustrated that the outreach workers didn't have what I needed:
they didn't have tampons, candles for squatting, or blankets. For me
that's where the story begins - feeling that my needs weren't being met
and that the outreach workers weren't culturally sensitive by any
means.


In the span of five years I traveled and got clean and came back to SF.
I was in standing in a line while applying to City College and saw a
flyer that said:


<italic>DO YOU WANT TO FIGHT AIDS? COME JOIN OUR PEER EDUCATION
PROGRAM.


</italic>It totally changed my life. I did HIV peer education for 2
years, teaching other students about HIV and safe sex. From that, I
realized my dream was to work on Haight St. with homeless kids because
that was my scene and I wanted to give back to the community. I
actually went to the Haight-Ashbury Youth Outreach Team (HAYOT) to ask
if I could volunteer, and they said "no," they didn't accept
volunteers.


=46rom there I got a job at the AIDS office where I met Tia Martinez -
who was doing the 'zine and leather workshops with homeless kids in the
Haight - and volunteered with her. In August of 1996 HAYOT was hiring
an outreach worker. I applied for the job and got it and have been
working there ever since. I believe that if you envision what you want
to do - even if it's three years down the road - you're gonna get to do
it if you don't give up.


When I started I was only 20 years old, I'd never worked this kind of
job, and I didn't know what the hell I was doing. I really wanted to do
the work but I was intimidated - being young and talking to kids on the
street who were super hardcore. It took me a while to gain the trust of
the kids and figure out what I was doing. HAYOT at that time was really
big: there were seven staff (currently three


I followed Amanda - an outreach worker there - asking her tons of
questions, like: "What are you doing? Explain to me, what are you
doing?" - just figuring out how to do referrals, how to talk to the
kids, 'cause it's really different. Just because you've been there
doesn't mean you're gonna know how to do the work and I didn't realize
that. I learned it as I went. I watched the way Amanda worked, took
what I liked from her style and developed my own.


HAYOT provides street outreach, safe injection and hygiene supplies,
medical, legal and advocacy referrals, help obtaining I.D. and
employment, free pet care, food, education about safe injection and
pregnancy prevention, and we provide emotional and practical support.
We do all the things a case manager does, without the paperwork. We
<underline>don't</underline> do intakes!


We are dedicated to serving the youth that nobody else wants to deal
with. We practice harm reduction: we meet people where they're at, we
don't penalize kids for using drugs. There are other youth programs
which serve the needs of youth who want to get off the streets. I see
us serving people who are 10 steps behind there, and who may not ever
get to that place. But we're still gonna be there and we're still gonna
care.=20


We were evicted from 409 Clayton, while our manager was out of town for
two months. We had a space at Haight and Masonic for 1 1/2 years, but
we got evicted from there, too. The manager left, so Bridget Prince and
I had to take control of HAYOT. They were closing down the front of
Golden Gate Park, the cops were cracking down, more and more young kids
were using heroin, El Ni=F1o happened - so we HAD to take charge of the
program.


We don't have a drop-in center anymore. We now have only an office
space and a couch. We are extremely limited in what we can do without a
drop-in center. I've noticed that a lot of the kids' health
deteriorated without a space to chill, take showers, make food or make
phone calls. I think it's a mental health thing. When kids are on
survival mode all the time they greatly appreciated the drop-in - to
come in, rest and feel safe. It's two dollars a square foot for spaces
in the Haight, which we can't afford. We had an offer for one space -
with the provision that none of the kids could come in - and we turned
it down.


We've always been targeted by neighbors who don't like the services we
provide. The way I see it, there's a war on drugs and there's a war on
youth, so youth who use drugs are pretty much at the bottom of the
barrel in some people's eyes, although I think older homeless people
have it pretty hard, too.


I got into this work because of my experience as a young woman going
through my stuff. Some of the kids think I'm biased toward women - I'll
specifically find out what their needs are because I see that a lot of
the girls' needs are overshadowed. Pregnancy is a big issue because it
difficult to be pregnant on the street and gain access to services=20


I see lots of couples who both use drugs where the man is the one who
shoots up the woman. When the woman doesn't have control of her drug
use, neither will she with the consequences, such as overdose,
abscesses, hepatitis, or HIV.


I've seen lots of domestic violence on the street. And that's something
I had to learn how to do: talk non-judgmentally to men who are
battering their girlfriends. That's been challenging for me, but I also
feel like it's been a great experience because both parties are human.


Violence and safety are the big issues for women. I see a lot of women
who have been physically and/or sexually assaulted on the street. I
like the idea of women feeling safe in the world.=20


I'm part of a peer-taught women's self-defense collective called Girl
Army, and I want to make it more accessible to the girls I work with
who want it. Girl Army has been around for five years. I took the
class, now I help teach it. It's a 6 week basic skills course that
deals with boundaries, physical self-defense, and verbal skills. It's
free if you don't have any money, and it's now open to transgendered
people.


We live in a society where you're only valued if you produce. WE value
people just because they're human. I've realized in this work that
street outreach is not enough. You have to do advocacy in City Hall,
work with the Treatment on Demand Planning Council to inform the
bureaucrats of what's really going on, get the word out - as well as
help kids navigate through the system for medical and welfare and legal
needs.


I've spoken at conferences such as the National AIDS Update Conference
and the San Francisco's Bridging the Gap harm reduction conference. A
lot of service providers have conditional terms for their services - we
don't. One thing I'll never forget is what Julian, my old co-worker at
HAYOT, used to say: "All you can ever hope to do is not plant the seed,
but just loosen the soil."


We're just loosening the soil for people to think about anything beyond
the moment they're in=8A because survival mode on the streets is really a
different experience. When you're hustling to get a bed every night you
don't have the luxury to think about the future. It takes patience and
unconditional love to let that process happen naturally. It's hard
work. I feel the effects of burn-out and not having support
philosophically for the that we do. But I've also seen how our work has
influenced other people, and that gives me hope and inspiration.


<bold>As told to Ivy McClelland


</bold><italic>HAYOT is located at 529 Clayton=20

(between Haight and Page Sts.) on the 3rd floor

Call (415) 565-1942


The next Girl Army training is=20

Sunday, March 5 to April 9TH from 4 to 7 PM

Capp St. Community Center

362 Capp St. (between 18th and 19th Sts.)

If interested leave your name and number on Girl Army's Voicemail:
(415) 835-4728



</italic>END FORWARD


**In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. section 107, this material is

distributed without charge or profit to those who have expressed a
prior

interest in receiving this type of information for non-profit research
and

educational purposes only.**


*******************************************************


7,500+ POSTS by or via homeless & ex-homeless people

Nothing About Us Without Us - Democratize Public Policy

*******************************************************

_______________________________________________



Coalition on Homelessness, San Francisco

468 Turk St.

San Francisco, CA 94102

vox: (415) 346.3740

=46ax: (415) 775.5639

coh@sfo.com

http://www.sfo.com/~coh

--============_-1260922654==_ma============--