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All right. Do I have your permission to do this interview? Yes. All right. Can you tell me your full name? Taundaleah Millhouse.

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Where were you born? Washington DC. Where were you raised? Syracuse, New York.

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If you were never raised in DC, when did you arrive in DC in this region? October 9th, 2009. What brought you here? Change of environment and a job. I got the job before I left Syracuse.

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Would you best describe your living situation? How best what I've described it? Comfortable, peaceful. Okay. So why do you think homelessness has continued to be a big problem in Washington, DC? We don't have adequate housing, funding, mental health resources, and education for the people who are out there.

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Has the ability to live in the city, change over the course of your life. If so... Check back. Okay, has the ability to live in the city changed over the course of your life in ways that had made homelessness, more or less prevalent? More, leaving Syracuse, New York where the living wages were a lot lower. Moving to Washington, DC. things are more expensive. I didn't have adquite work to keep up with my living expenses and I'm finding each year the expenses here in Washington DC are going up, more and more. It's not affordable.

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And what do you think is the biggest cause of homelessness in this city? Lack of jobs. Well, adequate employment anyway. Mental health, physical health. The resources are not enough to sustain them. Has you or your family's ability to assess affordable housing changed over the course of the time and living in this area.? It has. I had to reach out to different resources combine them. Make contact with the right people, in order to find affordable living for myself and to get a well-paying job.

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And what way does family Impact homelessness? They just don't have have the funds or the means to help one another. They have to do for themselves and keep themselves, their heads above water. Have you seen significant changes in the neighborhood and the city that have impacted your ability to find housing? Well, I have seen significant changes in the neighborhoods. Because every time I see a crane I say to myself, "okay, somebody's working. Somebody ought to have a job." And they're continuously building building building. But if they're adequate or affordable for the majority of the minority residents and I'm going to say non-minority residents as well is the question. They may not be affordable. Not everyone is working therefore not everyone is able to sustain themselves.

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What kind of housing situation and neighborhoods are most accessible to you or people in your situation? Mean what is accessible? You know, what can be accessed easily for people who are homeless? In my neighborhood? In your neighborhood. Okay, there are- I see people moving in, people moving out quite a bit in my neighborhood. Those apartments that people have moved out of, could be subsidized for the homeless for them to obtain. There are hotels in my neighborhood. Hotels get a lot, maybe three or four floors of their building. for the homeless for them to have somewhere to live.

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And how does the job situation in the city impact people's ability to access housing? Well, the jobs are there. They just have to motivate themselves and get out there and do what they have to do to obtain a job. May not be the job that they want, but it would be a job that they can, you know, live legally, sustain themselves somewhat. So they just have to go for it. So what jobs do you think are available to you? Everything from retail to food to customer service. Even office work, administrative, social work. Everything. I could even work at the airport as a flight attendant.

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Do they pay enough to afford housing? No, you would have to work your way up that ladder to get the wages that you'll need to take care of yourself. If not, you're going to have to have more than one job. Has a job situation changed over the course of your time in DC and the way that it has impact people's ability to access housing? Perhaps I know with myself, I've got promoted and that made my salary go up and it's made me- it has afforded me the opportunity to take care of myself.

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So would you say it's hard to find work in the city? No, I wouldn't say that. There're jobs out there, people just have to, you know, go for it. Motivate themselves and go for it. Sell themselves, get that job and work and maintain it. Okay, in what ways does the government social services and changes to those services impact homelessness for the better or for the worse? They're resources, people have to do, like I said earlier, tap into those resources, make contact with the people you need and we'll know that will help you along the way. Social services is a good government agency. You just have to find the right loop and work with it until you get what you need.

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So it impacts homelessness for the worse or for the better? I think of it impacting for the better if they knew how to go about it correctly. There are a lot of them who just don't know. There was a time in my life I didn't know. I surrounded myself with women and men who gave me the resources, who taught me, how to go out there and keep a job and find a neighborhood where I can land a safe, you know, residency. These people I surrounded myself with help me. So if you can speak, let them know what you need. They will lead you in the right direction to get what you need. Has changes in welfare benefits impacted of homeless, in any way? I don't know.

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How about the city, federal, and state employment services? They have been helpful, especially during COVID. They allotted monies for people to reciprocate to help them, you know, along the way, although it didn't sustain them, a hundred percent, you know, a little bit of something is better than nothing. Okay, how would you describe the state of homelessness shelters in the city? And what impact do they have on homelessness? Well, I only know of one shelter in the city. And that's the shelter that helped me the most. The impact on me, and I don't know about, well, the impact on all others from that one shelter. I know about- put me back on track so that can sustain myself and live independently.

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Okay, what is your [8:59] there housing programs out there that are supposed to help the homeless and are thethey any better or worse than others, or do they help? I don't know. I don't know about any others out there. Other than what I learned when I was at the shelter and basically, those were the resources I needed to sustain myself. So I don't know if there's better or worse and I don't know where they are. I don't know anything about them. Okay, how do polices in the city impact homelessness? The policies of this city impacting homelessness... okay. Those resources I'm mentioning, need to be funded more so they can help mental health. You can help the mental health. Not just for six months out of the year, but long-term. Okay, that's going to need some funding. When someone is ill and cannot work and they're going to have to have monies to sustain themselves on a monthly basis, perhaps on a daily basis, that organization is going to need funding to help sustain that person, you know, for however long day only that help.

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Okay, has these policies brutally had an impact on homelessness? Perhaps, there are still many people out there, mental health, disabled, unemployed. Perhaps we're going to need advocates from these different organizations to go into the communities. When they see these people, help them. Give them the resources that they need. Has the war on drugs had an impact on homelessness and how? Perhaps, and I'm saying that because of hearsay because I really don't know anyone who's addicted, but I watch the news and I listen to people's stories and you know, they're not always good. So if people can stay away from drugs, or if they can clean up the neighborhoods from drugs, perhaps. You know, our communities will sustain well.

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How has criminalization of immigrants impacted homelessness? Yeah, they're bringing those immigrants over and where we going to put them. Again, those hotels can, you know, allocate two or three of their floors to house them, get them employed that could work. So with the immigrants, we're gonna have to find a whole nother government department to deal with them because our government is dealing with us and you see how well that's working. [laughs] So what impact do prisons have on homelessness? Prisoners with homelessness... all I know is that once the inmates are discharged, released where are they going? They have no job. The families are probably either moved on and can't they can't rely on the families. So they are going to have to come up with some type of department to guide those inmates as well, when they have just released.

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And in what ways does homelessness impact people's health? If you're not eating right, taking care of yourself. You're not going to be happy and healthy. So those homeless people out there. There. I wouldn't say they're happy and healthy. We got to find a way to alleviate that. Okay. So how would you describe the state of health care service available to unhoused? I would describe it as being minimal. They give you what a good, six months of services and then you're on your own. So that individual will have to find a way to make it work for them long-term.

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So you would say that there hasn't been any significant change in the service that you're aware of? Significant changes, I would think, I would think not. All of a sudden during COVID, CDC came into the picture and everyone, you know, got on board with them and their health, you know, didn't decrease, but it stayed minimal. It didn't increase either because they were listening to CDC and making their lives healthier. Okay, what the impact of existing mental health and substance abuse programs on the homeless in the region and have and has this, got to be better or worse? All I know in regards to that is... ask the question again, please.

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What is the impact of existing mental health and abuse programs on homelessness in the region? Okay so... What impact does it have? Yeah, these resources that find these mental health persons and these drug persons will give them rehab. Give them, you know, housing temporary, everything temporary. So does it help? Yeah, for a time. But does it make it worse? I would say no because at least they'll know when they were in the rehab, the different resources that are for them to use. It's up to them to use it and keep themselves, you know, on a good path.

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Has physical and sexual violence within the home had an impact on homelessness? Perhaps, especially the woman, with the without children. You know where she going to go. She needs places to turn to people to talk to and they're out there. But how would you know when you're all of a sudden faced with this dilemma and you're out there you're not going to know which direction to go. So they need to advertise themselves more, through media, definitely through media. So you're saying it does have an impact on the homeless? It does.

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Does violence on the street affect homelessness? Perhaps, like me, if someone were to kill me on my way home from work, my family would be- especially if they're looking for my income to take care of them and then I'm gone. There's no more income. So what's going to happen to them? Chances are they'll become homeless for a while. If you are with any- or what do you think of any kind of group of strategies people can engage in to try to end homelessness? Advertisement through the media, advertising throughout the communities. Making people aware, making them knowledgeable can help them get themselves on the right path and away from homelessness.

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Are there any movements or groups you are involved in or would like to get involved in that will help mobilize against homelessness? No. Do you think they are doing a good job, the people that are fighting against homelessness? I believe they're doing the best they can. I know some people who are weary because they're out there and people are just not listening to them. So they are doing the best I can.

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Okay. If not involved, would you get involved with any of these groups that would take for you to join in with one of them? Would you join a homeless group? I would say, yes, I can set aside some of my time to help. If it only means just going out there and talking to people making them aware of what's available. Sure. I could do that. Okay, what are the most crucial issues that a movement to end homelessness should focus on? Knowledge and education. Educate, these people so they know which direction to go.

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If you could get 50 people to join you in doing something to end homelessness what would you have these people to do? Wear T-shirts with advertisement on it. Helping pantries so that homeless people can be fed, as well as families. 50 people? Yeah, that's about what I would do. Okay, what are the other things people could do to fight against homelessness? When they see a homeless person, just lend a helping hand, if it's nothing but just talking to them. Show them some love.

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How might we overcome these barriers? Assisting them in finding their way, helping them find those resources, getting them to listen, and motivate themselves to get up and get out and do they have to do. What would it take for you to get involved in any movement to end homelessness? Time. I would have to set aside some time.

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If you could help build a better world, what will the world look like for you? Education wouldn't be so expensive. Housing wouldn't be so expensive. Medical wouldn't be so expensive. Unemployment would be low. I think that would make everyone comfortable. Okay, what would a community ideal be like to you to live in? Ask me that again.

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What would a community ideal be like that you would want to live in? Where I am now. My community I'm very comfortable with. I feel safe as well. I have all the resources that I need there and they're within walking distance. Yeah. If you could design your own housing situations being as creative as you want, what might that be? You know something, I would rather date an old hotel that's been- I can't find the word I'm looking for, left. And make it so that it would accommodate umpteen people, have umpteen units in there. Let's say over a hundred units in there. So that at least a hundred, people will have a safe place to live at one address.

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What might I do unemployment situation look like for you? Yeah, that right there is going to take some working on. It's going to take some thought because people, you know, will come to work, get that first paycheck and just quit because they don't want to work the job that they have. A lot of people do not understand that you got to crawl before you walk. You're going to have to take that low-paying job and work your way up the ladder till you get what you want. Okay, is there a question or questions I should have asked you? [pause] No, this immigration thing coming back to my mind about how are we going to adequately take care of these people as well as ourselves, but any other question, not at the moment.

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Do you have any other ideas you would like to share? I would like to know what our city council is doing more of when it comes to homelessness. What programs have they implemented in the past? And how well are they working? And then what programs can they implement now, to get more, you know people out of homelessness. So I think I our common council needs to step up their game and hopefully things will fall in place. All right. Thank you. Thank you for your participation. Surely.