Reflection Paper: "Broadway Youth Center" speakers

We had the pleasure of listening to four speakers from the fear advocate program on Broadway and Belmont in Chicago, IL called the "Broadway Youth Center". Their names were Muffin, who prefers to switch pronouns based on how she feels, Blade and Victor using male pronouns, and Robert who uses she pronouns. This LBGTQ facility, funded by Howard Brown, private donations, and social service organizations, serves 40+ youth (ages 13-24) a day in a revolving door form of assistance. They offer aftercare, a clinic with free testing, assistance in ID retrieval, link cards, GED's, food pantry, case management, and much more. They discussed many issues such as, the stereotypes and profile of a homeless individual pertaining to appearance and hygiene, harm reduction, what it means to be 'homefree' as oppose to 'homeless', community agreements in terms of a safe space discussion, and brief descriptions of their life experiences. They handed out multiple surveys to the audience and requested we express our honest opinions and beliefs on the subject of homelessness. Many discussions arose pertaining to the idea of what we feel the face of homelessness looks like with debates of its truth, as well as, why condoms are handed out in boystown and not in other areas.

I found their discussion of the difference between the definition of 'homefree' as oppose to 'homeless' extremely interesting and controversial. In my personal opinion, their nonchalant descriptions displayed a presence of sensitivity and shielding of their true emotions. I agree with their belief of homefree as a matter of choice and homeless as forced and a form of displacement. However, Robert describing his homefree situation in a positive light is an example of a defense mechanism. He described his homefree status as a choice that is enriching and a great way to rid yourself of bills and responsibility. The consciousness of him holding back from his true feelings is difficult to ignore. They each agreed with his explanation and did not display any form of support or argument in the reality of the issue of homelessness. It honestly looks as if each of them still have a few complications to work out in their personal lives in order for them to grow. To create positive representation of the organization it is vital that they display a sense of maturity and experience throughout their lives. They must have the ability to educate those who have no real life experience with homelessness, generating awareness and understanding that is capable of eliminating the existence of poverty itself. Nevertheless, it was a pleasure listening to their stories and I appreciate their courage for coming out and sharing their lives with us.