Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Speaker A: Foreign.
[00:00:22] Speaker B: Welcome back to Sheboygan Stories, and how's the unheard of? Hello, I'm your host, Scott labonte. Today we're talking about a crucial step on a path out of homelessness, transitional living. It's a space between emergency shelter and permanent housing, a place designed to help rebuild stability and move forward.
I'm joined by Kyle Brumley, who recently opened a transitional living program right here in our community. We'll talk about how it came to be, what it takes to get in, and how it helps people prepare for independence.
First of all, welcome to Shvuegan Stories.
Let's start at the beginning.
What inspired you to open a transitional living house?
[00:01:04] Speaker A: I've always had a passion for homeless people since I was really, really young.
Like, my chore money.
When my parents would take us somewhere, I'd always be like, pull over.
I would have to get out and give my chore money away to homeless people.
And over the last seven, almost eight years, I've been going out in Sheboygan, just talking to homeless, giving them food, clothing, just praying for them and letting them know it's okay.
[00:01:44] Speaker B: Was there a moment or story that pushed you to say, okay, someone needs to do this, and I'm going to be that somewhat?
[00:01:52] Speaker A: Yeah, absolutely. This year, when me and my husband got started for the year, I noticed such an increase and just them beating each other up and stealing from one another, and it's like, something has to change.
There's not enough places for them to go.
And, you know, some of them were like, you know, Kyle, I have money, but I just can't afford the rent prices. That's a big thing.
[00:02:21] Speaker B: We hear that is huge.
[00:02:22] Speaker A: Yeah.
And I was like, it just. It's not fair to be homeless just because you don't make enough, especially for veterans. Right. You know, just, you know, people who are retired, you know, stuff like that. It was just heartbreaking.
So me and my husband actually started our own 501C3 called Outside the Box inside his will.
And we just continued to go out on the streets and pray with them, give them food, clothing.
And we had cards in circulation, and it was actually a Sunday morning, a half hour before church, and my phone went off, and it said, hey, I got your card, and I'm really interested in what you're doing, and I have a building.
I said, well, can you just hold on one second?
[00:03:09] Speaker B: What are you like, wait a minute here.
[00:03:10] Speaker A: Right, right, right, right.
And. And he said, my name is Henry, and I'd like to sit down and meet with you. I said, sure, that'd be fine, you know, as long as it's in a public place. Cause I'm still, like, right.
[00:03:22] Speaker B: A little skeptical at this point. Understandably.
[00:03:25] Speaker A: So I sat down with Henry on a Tuesday, and he told me about the building and that he had 20 rooms available and that he also had a heart for the homeless. But he's just past the point of running a program.
He's been doing it, you know, for many, many years. And I said, well, you know, this is where me and my husband are coming from. But ultimately, I need to pray about it, because I don't want to step outside of God's will. If this isn't what I'm supposed to be doing, I don't want to attempt it. And I said, I'll have to get back to you.
I reached out to my pastor and kind of talked to him about it, and me and my husband had multiple, multiple talks.
On Thursday, I called Henry back, and pastor loyalty.
And we sat down and talked, and I said, I'll absolutely take it. And what was so magical about it was that they never knew that I had transitional living in mind already.
So a couple weeks before we got the text message, our pastor said, I want you guys to put out what your mission for this 501C3 is.
And on there, I had.
I got a vision of a house that said Matthew 25:40, which is what you do under the lease to me, you also do unto me. And I wrote it down on there. I told my husband, I said, we're supposed to open a house somewhere. Like, well, let's start and look to buy a house.
And Henry had never seen this document. Only our pastor, who's in Texas, did.
So just how that all came together was just phenomenal.
Obviously, it's not called Matthew 24:50, but it still is transitional living.
[00:05:02] Speaker B: That is awesome. And that's kind of. I can kind of relate to that. That's kind of how Pay it Forward came to be.
You know, we started with just the Facebook group, Just a simple. During the COVID times, it was. It was with the premise that trying to connect people that had with people that need and vice versa. And by doing that, we quickly realized where the cracks were, where people were falling through. And there was no services, there was no resources to help these people.
[00:05:28] Speaker A: Right.
[00:05:29] Speaker B: And your immediate thought is, well, somebody needs to do something about this.
And then we got to sit back and thinking about it, and we were like, we're somebody.
[00:05:39] Speaker A: Yes.
[00:05:41] Speaker B: What's wrong with us? Why can't we do this. I mean, granted, you know, I'm just a schoolteacher, and Kathleen was an accountant and stuff like that, so we had no background in this whatsoever, but we figured we're as good as anybody.
[00:05:53] Speaker A: Right.
[00:05:53] Speaker B: You know, and it does work out. It falls into place. And that's what I see here. It's working out beautifully so far.
[00:05:59] Speaker A: And.
[00:06:00] Speaker B: And I want to add this before we get too far. I am so appreciative that you guys are doing this. This is huge.
[00:06:06] Speaker A: Thank you.
[00:06:07] Speaker B: You know, it is absolutely amazing. We were talking outside earlier.
I know it sounds horrible. And, you know, and I told some of our peers, I worry about them a lot.
[00:06:20] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:06:25] Speaker B: I lay in my bed at night in a nice, warm bed, and I hear the wind howl or hear the rain or I hear.
And I think they're outside.
[00:06:35] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:06:36] Speaker B: Are they safe? Are they warm? Are they okay?
And then I'm not sleeping either, because, you know, that's all I can think about.
[00:06:44] Speaker A: Absolutely.
[00:06:45] Speaker B: And you build a connection with everybody, you know, and it's tough.
[00:06:50] Speaker A: Right.
[00:06:50] Speaker B: So I am.
We are very appreciative as a community, as Kathleen and I, from Pay It Forward. Everything are very grateful for you guys doing this.
[00:07:03] Speaker A: We're so grateful for everything you guys have done. And I really don't think Pay It Forward got the recognition that it deserved. You know, me and my husband sat back and talked about, like, what all you guys did, and I was like, I don't know how.
[00:07:19] Speaker B: I don't either sometimes.
[00:07:22] Speaker A: But I think you guys have obviously made a huge wave in the community now so many other people are stepping up, and I.
[00:07:29] Speaker B: Love to see that.
[00:07:30] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:07:32] Speaker B: I wasn't sure, I guess, that that's the direction or what I had hoped through all of it, but I'm very happy that it is.
[00:07:39] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:07:42] Speaker B: Can you share a little bit about what the process looked like from the idea to, you know, you said you kind of kicked it around. And then Henry had stepped up and said he had a building and stuff to actually opening your doors.
[00:07:55] Speaker A: Yeah.
Henry actually had his niece staying with him who needed housing. He says, you know, it's just not working anymore. He's older. He wanted his home back to himself.
And I said, geez, we have two homeless people living in our home as well, you know, so we pretty much opened the doors the following Monday, and we just got up there and just started tearing the unit apart, you know, bleaching all the rooms down, moving furniture, just trying to make them as homely as possible. Like the volunteers we did have. I said, Guys, when you walk into that room, if it's not something that you would be comfortable in, it's not. Right, right.
[00:08:37] Speaker B: That's it.
[00:08:37] Speaker A: Yeah. I really don't. I don't want them to feel like, oh, I went from the street to just this place with four walls, and it's, you know, just cold and empty. And I wanted it to have a really homey feel.
[00:08:50] Speaker B: Right. You know, and. And I found a lot with that, too.
You get some of the. The ideology, I guess, or the thought process from the general community is it's better than what they had, or it's better than nothing.
[00:09:05] Speaker A: Right.
[00:09:06] Speaker B: And that's not it. You know, it's. It's good enough. Isn't good enough.
[00:09:11] Speaker A: Right.
[00:09:12] Speaker B: You know, we had that same thing when we were doing the furniture and stuff. You know, when our peers finally got into their own place, you know, we supplied everything.
And I always had the mindset that if I wouldn't put it in my own home, I'm not putting in yours.
[00:09:28] Speaker A: Absolutely.
[00:09:29] Speaker B: You know, if it's something I'm gonna look at and say, you know, it's not going there. And I have already walked into people's houses that, you know, they said they had couches or they had beds or whatever for us. And I walked in, I went, oh, no, thank you. I'm gonna pass.
[00:09:42] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:09:43] Speaker B: You know, and it probably offended them horribly, but it wasn't something that I would put into somebody else's home.
[00:09:48] Speaker A: Absolutely.
[00:09:48] Speaker B: You know, and I always wanted, as a.
When it was all set, it was welcome home.
[00:09:55] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:09:55] Speaker B: You know, so it needed to feel like home. And that's what you're going for.
[00:09:59] Speaker A: Yeah. You know, before they move in, we put, like, a welcome home sign on their door at. You know, we give them, like, a hygiene package. Just all the stuff they need to just take time and just relax and work through the transition. For some of them, it's a lot. They're like, I haven't had a home in 24 years of my own.
[00:10:20] Speaker B: Right.
[00:10:20] Speaker A: And granted, it's just a room, but it really becomes their home.
[00:10:25] Speaker B: You know, it does.
[00:10:26] Speaker A: So you would get people like, hey, there's a curb alert. And I'm like, no.
You know, people think, well, just because they're homeless, they should just be grateful because they have a roof, you know, like you said.
[00:10:35] Speaker B: Right.
[00:10:36] Speaker A: But at the same time, it's like they're still human beings.
[00:10:39] Speaker B: Absolutely. And people seem to forget that.
[00:10:41] Speaker A: Right. And they matter and their comfort matters. Just like, you know, I'd want to be treated they need to be treated that same way.
[00:10:48] Speaker B: Absolutely not.
[00:10:49] Speaker A: Not that they're less than us. Any of us in this day are subject to homelessness with the cost of anything. It could happen to anybody.
[00:10:59] Speaker B: We always say that everybody is one crisis away from being in that same predicament.
Somebody else's crisis may need to be much bigger than mine, but one crisis and we'd be in the same spot.
[00:11:09] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:11:10] Speaker B: You know, so it is.
Maybe I'm naive, but I like to think maybe that's what people are afraid of.
Maybe that's where that stigma comes from. Maybe that's where that judgmental mindset comes from, is because they fear that, knowing that we're all just on that brink.
[00:11:28] Speaker A: Right.
[00:11:29] Speaker B: And. But, you know, and the purpose kind of behind this podcast is to get rid of some of that stigma, do a little bit educating for the general public, and have people realize that we're all people.
[00:11:41] Speaker A: Right.
[00:11:41] Speaker B: We all deserve to have a roof over our heads and be comfortable and be happy.
[00:11:45] Speaker A: Absolutely. And, you know, I think if people take time and really reflect on their own behavioral patterns in their own lives, a lot of us have survival tactics that we do.
[00:11:55] Speaker B: Yes.
[00:11:56] Speaker A: But when they're homeless and they're doing it, they get all that stigma. Oh, you're hoarding stuff and blah, blah. And it's like, hey, you know, some. I see people that go to the grocery store and buy an overabundance of toilet paper, you know, when we had the big toilet paper shortage, you know.
[00:12:11] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:12:12] Speaker A: You know, so we do a lot of those same behaviors, but it's like, because we have a house, we don't get frowned on, you know, and it's just. It's sad to see.
[00:12:20] Speaker B: It is.
[00:12:20] Speaker A: It really is.
[00:12:21] Speaker B: It definitely is.
Well, so that kind of ties in. So for listeners who might not be familiar, can you explain what transitional living actually means?
[00:12:30] Speaker A: Yeah. So, you know, it's from homeowner homelessness to being housed.
Typically, we have them in our program for about three months, and at the three month mark, we review their case. Have they been following the rules? Are they doing all the programs they need to do?
We never want anybody to have the impression that this is just a place to come and flop.
It's not a flop house for the homeless.
It's their chance at a second chance and change.
[00:13:01] Speaker B: And everybody deserves that second chance.
[00:13:03] Speaker A: Absolutely.
So, yeah, it's a program and, you know, they have to work it.
[00:13:11] Speaker B: So how is that different from a shelter or a group home?
[00:13:15] Speaker A: Well, you know, like the shelters, most of them, you have to leave during the day here, they. They don't have to do that.
Granted, like I said, they are, like, required to do community service. So there's things they do have to go out for, but they're not shut out all day. They know, you know, when I'm done with work or I'm done doing this part of my program, I can go home.
[00:13:35] Speaker B: I have a place to come back to.
[00:13:36] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:13:37] Speaker B: Yes.
Speaking of which, I saw you went to the pumpkin patch the other day.
[00:13:41] Speaker A: We did.
[00:13:41] Speaker B: That was awesome.
[00:13:42] Speaker A: We had a blast.
[00:13:43] Speaker B: That was amazing.
So I guess what's your vision for what this space offers beyond just a roof and a bed?
[00:13:52] Speaker A: You know, like I said, for them, it's home to them, it's, like, so much more than just a room.
It's a place to rebuild. It's a place. A safe place for them to cry and not be judged.
It's a place for them to get supported, get those life skills that a lot of them just don't have, you know, and there's a lot of young ones this year. There is, you know, who just don't even have, like, basic cooking skills. And they're like, oh, my gosh, I have my own place to cook.
You know, it's like. It's a mansion to them, and it's. So. It's a humbling thing to see them because it really shows you the things that we take for granted.
[00:14:35] Speaker B: Absolutely.
I can relate to that.
We had one particular time that sticks out in my head that I myself was very humbled. We were hauling furniture into a gentleman's place who just got his own place. And as we walked in, there was a sleeping bag on the floor, and a bunch of his clothes was wadded up on the floor as his pillow.
And not even thinking I had commented, I said, well, that certainly doesn't look very comfortable.
And he looked at me and he says, beats the hell out of being outside.
[00:15:06] Speaker A: Right.
[00:15:06] Speaker B: And I went, point.
Okay. I was like, I get it, you know?
[00:15:10] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:15:11] Speaker B: And I. That. That really struck with me, you know, and we had another gentleman that he'd lived in his van for six years, and he got his own space.
And one of the biggest adjustments, he told me, as funny as it is, he says, I don't have to stand in line and wait for the bathroom.
[00:15:28] Speaker A: Right.
[00:15:28] Speaker B: I can actually walk in there anytime I need. Yeah, we don't think of that stuff because we can walk down the hall anytime we want, use the bathroom. And, you know, like we talked about at that meeting.
[00:15:40] Speaker A: Yeah, I'm Just showering, you know, they're like, right, I don't have to wait in a line to shower.
[00:15:48] Speaker B: Exactly.
[00:15:48] Speaker A: When I want to shower, I can go and I can take as long as I want. And the water is so hot. And it's like sometimes I'm just like, I need to go home and take an ice cold shower and reset my mindset. Because the things they're grateful for. I'm like, why are you so excited about a hot shower? But that's just the reality of it, you know, that we just.
[00:16:09] Speaker B: And we don't. We don't think about it because we don't have to.
[00:16:13] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:16:13] Speaker B: You know, and that's where I admire their strength and resilience. Like, unbelievable.
[00:16:18] Speaker A: Absolutely. They have some of the most, strongest, most resilient people I've ever come across.
[00:16:23] Speaker B: I don't know if I have that in, you know.
[00:16:25] Speaker A: Yeah. Especially when it's like this. Like, you know how all rainy and cold I was like, I could never do this. I could not be outside. I just, I. You know, it's sad.
[00:16:35] Speaker B: It is.
All right, so let's talk about what it takes to get in. What are some of the requirements for someone to be accepted into your program?
[00:16:44] Speaker A: So they have to fill out an application and we go over the rules and all that and just make sure that they're a fit. Obviously, for our transitional housing unit, we primarily target homeless people.
So obviously we have the sober, you know, living thing in place for people that need that too, and like the life skills and stuff like that. But if it's somebody who's like, you know, I'm just looking for a different, cheaper place to live, we kind of steer away from that.
[00:17:13] Speaker B: Right.
[00:17:15] Speaker A: So. And we go through the application process, but then we do a background check. Now they have like four fresh new chargers of a lot of domestics and stuff.
We're probably going to lean away from that.
[00:17:26] Speaker B: Right.
[00:17:27] Speaker A: Not because we're judging or anything like that.
[00:17:29] Speaker B: For the safety of everybody else involved.
[00:17:31] Speaker A: We have to worry about all the other people there, you know, and they're welcome to come back in a couple months and let's say they've had no new offenses. Great. You're doing a good job.
[00:17:40] Speaker B: Absolutely.
[00:17:40] Speaker A: You're welcome here. You know, and we kind of go in order of, like, emergencies. Like, we've had people come directly out of the hospital who, if they went to the street, doctors told us they will not survive. So obviously they take precedence, I was gonna say.
[00:17:57] Speaker B: So they get bumped up a whole lot quicker, right?
[00:17:58] Speaker A: Yeah, absolutely.
And Then we did have a mom with a son who, she didn't need a place long term, but obviously she came above, you know, somebody else who would.
[00:18:11] Speaker B: Younger kids. Right.
[00:18:12] Speaker A: But yeah, definitely they have to be willing to do the program.
Right. It's like the most important. Not just be like, well, I'm just looking for a place to sleep all day.
[00:18:22] Speaker B: Right. And that's one of the things you're probably going to catch flack about from the community is, you know, like you mentioned before that it's not just a flop house. It's not. You know, we used to get met with that a lot at Pay it Forward was, you know, all you do is people are coming in, sitting around all day, watching tv and they're not doing anything to better their lives. I'm like, that's the furthest thing from the truth.
I would always tell them, I encourage you to come in, spend the day with us and see what goes on.
[00:18:44] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:18:45] Speaker B: You know, and of course, nobody ever would.
[00:18:46] Speaker A: We've actually, we did the same thing and we've actually had a couple people come and shadow me.
[00:18:52] Speaker B: Nice.
[00:18:53] Speaker A: And the one girl was here, I think like four hours, and she said, kyla, I'm, I'm really sorry, but I cannot keep up with you. I'm going home. And I said, you know, that's okay, but.
[00:19:06] Speaker B: And I get it.
[00:19:07] Speaker A: And you know, but when she came in, she's like, this is not what I thought.
She's like, this is a lot of work and it's not just somewhere for them to lay around. I'll be honest, she came in with a really negative attitude. Like, oh boy, a bunch of homeless people are just going to be. And.
[00:19:22] Speaker B: Right.
[00:19:23] Speaker A: You know, just in four hours. She was like, this is. They have to do a lot here.
[00:19:28] Speaker B: No, nobody seems to understand what goes on behind the scenes.
[00:19:31] Speaker A: Right.
[00:19:32] Speaker B: You know, even like we ran into that sometimes even with our peers, you know, they're like, they saw it as a place where they could come in off the streets, get something to eat, get coffee, get bathroom, whatever they needed.
Not realizing that when we left there, there's still an entire another world that goes on that nobody sees.
[00:19:52] Speaker A: Absolutely.
[00:19:53] Speaker B: You know, and you're getting that too. You know.
[00:19:56] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:19:57] Speaker B: The behind the scenes stuff is probably twice as grueling as everything else.
[00:20:01] Speaker A: Yeah. You know, I always say to my husband every morning he leaves for work before I do, but I always say to him, make sure you grab your 16 hats and I'll make sure I grab mine. Because, you know, coming into this, I Never thought that it would grow to this level already in just such a short time. But it's literally, I have to go from counselor to NAA facilitator to the coordinator of the program to a friend to mom. Yeah, you just, you know, you're constantly just flipping hats, and it's.
It's exhausting, but so rewarding.
[00:20:35] Speaker B: It is.
[00:20:36] Speaker A: I would. I wouldn't trade it for anything. Right.
[00:20:38] Speaker B: I. I get that 100%. And that's where I'm kind of struggling now with. With not doing this, you know?
Yeah, we'll see what the future holds.
[00:20:50] Speaker A: Yeah, absolutely.
[00:20:52] Speaker B: Well, you kind of answered the next couple questions I had, which worked out kind of cool.
So transitional living isn't meant to be permanent. It's a stepping stone. What kinds of programs or supports are you working on to help residents move forward to gain their own independence?
[00:21:07] Speaker A: Yeah, so like I said, we do life skills with them. Coming up this Wednesday, we're having mandatory anger management.
A lot of them have anger issues, you know, which makes sense. They've been out in the cold. They don't understand why people have treated them.
[00:21:23] Speaker B: I was gonna get treated like garbage.
[00:21:25] Speaker A: Yeah. You know, and they.
They lack trust. You know, they're like, I don't know if I can trust you, Kyla. We get this from this person and that from that person. So it takes a while.
[00:21:38] Speaker B: It takes a while to build that trust.
[00:21:39] Speaker A: Yeah. And just go through the transitioning.
[00:21:41] Speaker B: Right.
[00:21:42] Speaker A: But then we do budgeting with them. Budgeting is important, so.
And that's. That's a mandatory thing they have to do also.
And do we just talk to them about, like, what are their goals? Like, maybe for them, it is.
They want to be in a studio. You know, it's somebody who's older who's like, hey, I'm not really ever looking to live in an apartment or have my own house.
[00:22:07] Speaker B: Right.
[00:22:08] Speaker A: You know, and it's like, okay, well, let's navigate that and let's see, you know, what we can find.
Working with them on housing, finding what. What they're really looking for, versus just being like, okay, you were here for the program. Now you're out. Good luck. That's.
[00:22:21] Speaker B: Now we're going to kick you to the curb.
[00:22:23] Speaker A: No, we will not do that. You know, so typically we say the program's like, three months. But I tell people, you know, we'll do it case by case. If you're really working the program, you know, we'll extend it.
[00:22:33] Speaker B: And sometimes things come up that, you know, that three months isn't Quite.
It's not going to work, right?
[00:22:39] Speaker A: Yeah. Yeah.
[00:22:40] Speaker B: That is awesome.
[00:22:41] Speaker A: So. And then they do, like, once they are done here, they can transition to the other side of the building. If, say, like I said, it's somebody who's like, hey, I'm fine with just a studio, communal living. That's fine for me. They can transition to the other side.
[00:22:56] Speaker B: That works out pretty nicely.
[00:22:58] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:22:58] Speaker B: That is cool.
Can you share a little bit about the partnerships or local organizations that you're working with to help resources, residents find jobs, housing, or other resources?
[00:23:10] Speaker A: You know, that's been a tough one. We're just starting to see people really come in and be like, hey, we want to help a lot of places we've reached out to, but they're just as swamped as we are.
[00:23:24] Speaker B: Oh, yeah.
[00:23:24] Speaker A: You know, so it's hard.
But we've had some churches, like, donate blankets and clothes and stepping in that way.
And now we started the meal thing or the community lunch.
So we had people right away who were like, we'll coordinate. And I'm like, great. Cause I have enough, you know, And.
[00:23:45] Speaker B: Marian just jumped up on board, and they are amazing.
[00:23:48] Speaker A: They are phenomenal. I love them dearly, and I didn't think I could love people that quickly, but they are just phenomenal.
[00:23:56] Speaker B: They're just incredible people. I don't know how else to explain it.
[00:24:00] Speaker A: Right.
[00:24:00] Speaker B: You know.
[00:24:02] Speaker A: They have a lot more. A lot more patients in that area than what I would.
[00:24:09] Speaker B: Do. The residents have case managers or goals that they're expected to work. To work towards while they're here with you?
[00:24:16] Speaker A: Yeah, absolutely. I do all the case management with them, and I have them set a goal when they come in, and then in two weeks, I'll reevaluate them and be like, you know, you've been here two weeks. You've kind of worked through the transitioning.
Have your goals changed? Have your dreams changed? What's your vision now?
[00:24:32] Speaker B: Right.
[00:24:33] Speaker A: Because some of them, you know, when they first get here, like, I just want to be. You know, get used to my room. You know, they're not ready to make a big. You know, but it's so quick to see them be like, yeah, you know, I have a lot of dreams, and I want that house someday, and I want to save. And so, yeah, absolutely.
[00:24:50] Speaker B: Yeah. And we. And we did much the same thing. You know, it was like a daily weekly. Okay. You know, you said you were working on this, or you were. You were working towards that. Where are you with that? How is that going? Do we need to refocus that, do we need to kind of rethink the direction you are heading? You know?
[00:25:05] Speaker A: Right.
[00:25:05] Speaker B: Is that an attainable goal?
You know, if not, what can we do to fix that?
[00:25:10] Speaker A: Right. So yeah, every morning at 9 o' clock we have a mandatory meeting. It's called New Day. And that's what we kind of do is we sit down, we're like, you know, yeah, everybody has long term goals, but let's slow down and just what are your goals for today?
[00:25:24] Speaker B: Right.
[00:25:24] Speaker A: You know, some of them are like just being able to breathe and eat and shower and, you know, maybe I'll try again tomorrow and that's okay. You know, it looks different for everybody, but I think them coming to that is important because every day, them mapping it out, a lot of them are like, having the sheet of paper really keeps me on task. We're on where I'm on the street. It's always, you know, they just kind of fly by the seat of their pants. I don't know what I'm gonna get done.
[00:25:53] Speaker B: Because they're in survival mode, right.
[00:25:54] Speaker A: I gotta worry about where I'm gonna stay tonight. They're not worried about anything else. So this where they're able to write it down and be like, wow. And I said, hey, once you complete it, check that baby off.
[00:26:05] Speaker B: Right?
[00:26:05] Speaker A: And they're like, I love that. When I check it off, I have so much excitement because I'm doing the things.
[00:26:11] Speaker B: There's that feeling of accomplishment at that point going, I did that.
And all too often they're looking at the big picture. I want this. My end goal is this. And I get that we all have that big end goal that we want to go for, but that can be so overwhelming. That can be daunting to think about. Okay, to get there, I need to do this, this, this and this. And you know, you tend to get caught up in a panic at that point thinking, okay, I've got all this shit that I need to do. All of this stuff that, that's really.
And panic kicks in and it shuts everything down.
[00:26:44] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:26:44] Speaker B: You know, so at that point you sit down with them and say, okay, stop, Right? Just breathe.
What is directly in front of you right now that we need to work on? Absolutely everything else at this point is irrelevant other than what's right in front of us.
[00:27:01] Speaker A: Right.
[00:27:02] Speaker B: It breaks it down into more manageable, more focused goals and more attainable at that point because you're like, okay, I can't do this yet, but I can do this.
[00:27:13] Speaker A: Right?
[00:27:15] Speaker B: And then you you know, like you had mentioned. Then you check that off and like, I did this.
[00:27:19] Speaker A: Right.
[00:27:20] Speaker B: And then they get that feeling of accomplishment. You get that feeling of, I helped do this.
[00:27:26] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:27:26] Speaker B: You know, and it's a good feeling.
[00:27:30] Speaker A: Well, we always have them do, like, a daily affirmation. A lot of them, you know, when they first come, they're like, I don't know. I'm not capable of anything, you know?
And after like a week or so, a lot of them are coming back and they have the same affirmation. And I found it weird because I was like, I even asked them, like, did you guys all collaborate before the meeting? You know, but they all have, I'm capable of doing hard things.
[00:27:52] Speaker B: That's it.
[00:27:53] Speaker A: And I was like, wow. I'm like, you guys are capable of doing hard things. Where used to be a hard thing for them was finding a spot to sleep where the police aren't going to.
[00:28:02] Speaker B: Run me off or I'm not going to worry about getting beat up at.
[00:28:04] Speaker A: Night or my stuff is going to get stolen. Right now they're crossing off. You know, I did shower today and I cooked. Right. You know, and they're so excited, and it's like, you are capable of doing harm.
[00:28:16] Speaker B: It's amazing what happens and what falls into place when that survival mode starts to drop off a little.
[00:28:20] Speaker A: Yes. Completely. I mean, the people are just completely different from when I see them on the street. Like, you know, sometimes I have to question. I'm like, is it me that. Am I in, like, an overzealous mood today or are they really doing this good?
Like, the change has just been huge.
[00:28:36] Speaker B: And you sit back and look like, no, they're really doing that good.
[00:28:39] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:28:39] Speaker B: And that is amazing.
[00:28:40] Speaker A: And people in the community are saying, hey, I seen so and so, and wow, they're just completely a different person, you know, and it's like, that's. That's such a good feeling.
[00:28:50] Speaker B: It is.
[00:28:51] Speaker A: It just makes me never want to stop.
[00:28:53] Speaker B: Right.
[00:28:53] Speaker A: If that's all I ever get out of it, that's good enough for me.
[00:28:56] Speaker B: That's it. We had gone into it going, I know we're never going to get rich doing this, but we did in a different kind of rich.
[00:29:03] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:29:04] Speaker B: You know, the return that we got from the peers, the gratitude, that was worth every bit of it.
[00:29:11] Speaker A: Yeah. The text messages I get. You don't know how you've impacted my life will far exceed any amount of money I could ever be given. And just knowing that I helped potentially save a life.
[00:29:23] Speaker B: Oh, right.
[00:29:24] Speaker A: I You can't all.
[00:29:25] Speaker B: You can't put a price tag on that.
[00:29:27] Speaker A: No, absolutely not.
[00:29:29] Speaker B: Right. So that kind of ties in. What has the community response been so far?
[00:29:35] Speaker A: You know, we've gotten a lot of positive, and we've also got a lot of negative. Just like, there's haters out there. Yeah, yeah, there are. You know, and to those people, I just say, you know, don't judge what you don't know.
Come and check it out. We're open, we're honest, we're transparent. Henry's a very open, loving guy. You know, as I said in the beginning, and he has a heart for this, too. So we never tell people, hey, you're not welcome here. This is some secret operation going on right now.
Come in, you know, ask for a tour. Come check it out. And then.
[00:30:07] Speaker B: And then decide.
[00:30:08] Speaker A: Yeah. Form your judgment or, you know, whatever. Whatever term you want to use.
But to just. I think anytime something just opens, if you've never been there, you know, check it out before you cast judgment. Because a lot of people have been turned away from it and they're like, I don't want to come there because I heard this, this, and this. And I says, you know, that's just terrible.
You know, just come check it out.
[00:30:32] Speaker B: Right. Just. Just pop in and say, hi.
[00:30:34] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:30:34] Speaker B: You know, that's all we ask. Stop in.
[00:30:36] Speaker A: Yeah. And we do have, like, N A and a that's open to the public, so. And they can, you know, be with the homeless people. And that's important for both sides. You know, they get a chance to see, like, all these people were homeless, and they get to see their attitudes, and the homeless get to interact with people who are like, I wouldn't normally talk to these kinds of people.
[00:30:55] Speaker B: Right.
[00:30:55] Speaker A: So it's really awesome to just see the community intermingle, that is. And work in one accord.
[00:31:00] Speaker B: That's huge. And that in itself is a huge, huge stepping stone towards their independence as well.
[00:31:05] Speaker A: Absolutely. Forming those relationships. They're like, I would have never talked to so and so. And I'm like, but you are right. And like. And it feels so good. They're like, I kind of feel like I fit into that. That group now. I'm like, you do. You absolutely fit into that group, right? Yeah. So it's. It's. It's awesome.
[00:31:22] Speaker B: So with, you know, with that knowing that there's always going to be haters and always going to be people that are going to be judgmental.
[00:31:32] Speaker A: Have you.
[00:31:33] Speaker B: Faced a whole lot of pushback or misunderstanding about what transitional Living is.
[00:31:39] Speaker A: Absolutely.
There was a day last week, actually, I was in my office and I called Henry and I says, I'm just. I'm literally on the verge of tears. I said, henry, the stuff people are saying is just killing me. He says, kyla, people are always going to have something negative to say. You cannot worry about it. And I just looked at him like, you know, easy for you to say, you're not the one, you know, but I really had to stop myself and think about that. I was like, you know, all throughout our life, we're always going to hear negative stuff, and I really have to stop paying attention to that. I need to focus what's going on right here in front of me.
And all the positives way outdo any negative that anybody could say, you know.
[00:32:24] Speaker B: And the old adage rings true, you know, you'll never catch flack from somebody doing more than you. Yeah, it's always somebody doing the bare minimum and they just don't get it.
[00:32:32] Speaker A: Right. Absolutely agree.
[00:32:34] Speaker B: So what's been the hardest part about opening and running this kind of program?
[00:32:40] Speaker A: It's very labor intensive. You know, like I said, you know, I get up in the morning and I'm like, I gotta make sure I grab my 16 hats. You know, you got to be able to go, go, go, go, go. You don't know if there's going to be an emergency. You got to be able to do Narcan if it's needed.
[00:32:56] Speaker B: I carried it with me all the time.
[00:32:57] Speaker A: Yeah. You know, you got to be able to wipe tears if it's needed. You got to be able to take them. I do, like a lot of driving, doctor's appointments, you know, just getting, you know, so when I come in, I never know what the day is going to hold. Right. And I kind of like it. There's a cool factor. Yeah. Yeah.
So I'm kind of, you know, all over the place, but.
[00:33:18] Speaker B: Yeah, right. Yeah. But never the same day twice.
[00:33:21] Speaker A: No, never. Never a dull moment.
[00:33:25] Speaker B: So I know you've only been open a short time, but have you seen any success stories already or moments that reminded you why this work matters?
[00:33:33] Speaker A: Yeah, that's a really, really good question.
I guess I'll start with the success part. We have. We've had on Monday will be our third person already graduating out of the program and leaving.
So they hit their three months and we had one that went to South Dakota, another one that moved to Colorado, and another girl that is getting her own house and she'll be. She'll be going tomorrow. So Yeah, a lot of su success. And just like, you know, hearing from people in the community, like I said before, they'll be like, wow, so and so's really changed. You know, those are small successes. Those are huge change of attitude. Right. You know, seeing that they can be in the community and they're okay, they're not gonna hurt anybody.
[00:34:17] Speaker B: You know, like, people think and that, you know, that's one of the things that we've tried to tell people along. The homeless population is probably 90% more at risk of being the victim of a crime than actually committing the crime.
But people automatically associate. They're homeless, they're thieves, they're druggies, they're no good, they're trouble.
[00:34:37] Speaker A: It's that nasty stigma.
[00:34:39] Speaker B: But it's the opposite, you know, it's the exact opposite. They're the ones being targeted. They're the ones being abused and kicked around and tormented.
[00:34:47] Speaker A: Yeah, I actually have a shirt. I had found one neighbor down, and I went running. You know, I was like, is this a drug overdose?
Praise God, it wasn't. But he was severely beaten, and he just grabbed onto me and my shirt, it still will not come out. It's just covered in blood.
And even though I washed it and I hung it up, I often look back at that shirt and I'm like, that's a huge success right there. Because had I not even found him, he probably would not be here.
[00:35:23] Speaker B: Right.
[00:35:24] Speaker A: And I'm like, from that day to who that person has become now, major, major success. It would be like, to us, like our kid graduating college, like, you know, it's that big of a success for them.
[00:35:38] Speaker B: That is huge.
So, I guess, what do you hope this program grows into over the next few years?
I know you're expanding. You're going from 20 to. You're able to.
[00:35:51] Speaker A: Yeah, I want to. I want to expand eventually. And Henry's talked about it, you know, as some other offices maybe close out, expanding to another floor.
Definitely being able to help more people.
Hitting the full mark and having people come crying is, like, one of the hardest things.
[00:36:10] Speaker B: How do you turn people away? How do you tell them no? It's. That's tough.
[00:36:14] Speaker A: I never say no.
I don't.
I just tell them it's not a no, but it's a not right now.
[00:36:23] Speaker B: That's fair.
[00:36:24] Speaker A: But come back, right? You know, things are changing. People leave. People decide, you know, oh, I didn't know I had to work this program. This actually isn't what I'm looking for. I'm going to move back Home with my grandma. Right. And, you know, then it opens up, you know, so, you know, a lot of them will be like, so let me guess, it's a no. And I'm like, it's never a no.
It's just a not right now, but come back.
[00:36:46] Speaker B: I like that. So, yeah, I like that a lot.
And for people listening who want to help, how can they get involved or support what you're doing?
[00:36:56] Speaker A: Volunteer? You know, just. Even if you just have time in your day just to sit down and talk with them, you know, some of them just want to be heard and know that they're truly being heard. They're like, yeah, I've talked to people on the street, and then I don't see them again.
They want to know that I can talk and I can tell the most horrific stories that have happened to me, and I'm still going to be loved and supported right where I am, and.
[00:37:19] Speaker B: I'm not going to scare them away.
[00:37:20] Speaker A: Right. And that person's still going to come back and see me and talk to me.
You know, now that we have the community meal on Sundays, people could help step in there, just help serving. And, you know, I tell all the people that we have on the unit that, like I said, they got to do community service and helping with the community meal. I said so many of you, in fact, I know almost all of you went to pay it forward.
Now it's your time to pay it forward.
[00:37:51] Speaker B: Right.
[00:37:52] Speaker A: So that's how I've kind of carried on.
[00:37:55] Speaker B: Whatever works.
[00:37:56] Speaker A: Pay it forward here.
[00:37:57] Speaker B: That is awesome.
[00:38:00] Speaker A: Yeah, that's awesome. Awesome.
[00:38:02] Speaker B: Is there anything else you'd like to add before I wrap this up?
Mike is yours.
[00:38:07] Speaker A: Well, people can also go on Facebook and join the transitional housing unit page.
We have an open Facebook page. Phone numbers on there.
[00:38:16] Speaker B: And that's what Home Inc. Right?
[00:38:18] Speaker A: Yeah, Home Inc. Transitional housing unit.
Yeah, there's a phone number.
Obviously, people can do things, too.
[00:38:25] Speaker B: If you.
[00:38:25] Speaker A: Maybe you don't want to volunteer. Donating clothing items. We're definitely going to be coming into winter. Obviously, we have a lot of people looking for boots, jackets.
[00:38:33] Speaker B: Yes.
[00:38:34] Speaker A: Just sweaters, stuff like that.
I think sometimes people think volunteering is always going to be like this big, huge thing.
[00:38:42] Speaker B: Right.
[00:38:42] Speaker A: But we need a lot of simple things, right? Yeah. Donating gift cards, bus passes. Just things to make their life a little bit easier. And, like, I have a job, but oh, no, how am I going to get there? Hey, somebody donated bus passes. That's huge.
[00:38:57] Speaker B: It is. Bus passes are a huge commodity.
[00:39:00] Speaker A: They are. They Are they really are, you know.
[00:39:03] Speaker B: And we always had like with the volunteers too. You know, we had a volunteer sign up sheet on our website and stuff that one of them was a peer companion. Yeah, come in, sit down and talk, play games, do whatever, drink coffee, just hang out.
[00:39:15] Speaker A: Absolutely.
[00:39:15] Speaker B: And I've had a few people ask me go, really? That, that's all you want me to do? I'm like, yes, that is all I want you to do. I want you to come in, hang out and talk.
[00:39:23] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:39:24] Speaker B: You know, and we used to get, I don't know if it's something you'd be interested in, but we used to get a lot of like the drug court people that used to come in and they were amazing. We had a few that not so much, but most of them huge helps.
[00:39:36] Speaker A: And I do work with them. Drug court housing, human services, probation and parole, the police department. Obviously we're always going to be very willing to work with them, especially for the betterment of the people here. You know, the ones in drug court. I think it's imperative that we take a team approach to best help that person to move forward.
But yeah, we've got a lot of good feedback from them. And just one day they came and the police did and they, they barbecued for everybody. And everybody was just ecstatic about that and building that positive relationship with the police department versus the negative. Oh my gosh, I'm homeless. They're going to run me off.
[00:40:15] Speaker B: Right, right. Or you know, the only time they're going to interact with me is when I've done something wrong or when they think I've done something wrong.
[00:40:21] Speaker A: We did have some people. It's kind of a funny story, but we did have some people. Like, I'm not going out there and I'm like, why guys? They're doing a free meal and they're like, no, we're getting arrested.
It's sad. But at the same time it's like, guys, no, you're not going to get arrested. Come eat.
[00:40:36] Speaker B: It's funny, I'm over here chuckling about it because we had one gentleman at our center one time that somebody, I think it was, they stole his bike.
And he came in and he asked me, he goes, what do I do? Do I call the police? This and that. I'm like, well, they stole your bike. I would call the police, I guess, not even thinking about it. Well, he called the police, they came, took the report, everything else, and ended up arresting him because he had a warrant.
I felt horrible because I'm like, I would have never told you to call the police if I knew you had a warrant, you know?
[00:41:09] Speaker A: Right.
[00:41:09] Speaker B: You know, but we always had that running, you know, with anybody that came in there. You know, we told them, we will never call the police on you, but if they come looking for you or they, if they call looking for you, I'm not protecting you neither.
[00:41:21] Speaker A: Right.
[00:41:21] Speaker B: You know, I. Yeah. I'm not lying for you to anybody, especially police. We had an amazing relationship with the, with the local police department, and I wasn't doing anything to jeopardize that.
[00:41:30] Speaker A: Yeah, absolutely. And they get like a roster of who are tenants as they come and go. So they always know. And I think sometimes we tell the people in the unit, hey, we do sheriffs with the police department. I think some of them are like, Ann, I'm like, what is your reason for being, Ann? You know what I mean?
And a lot of them, it's just because of some of the backlash they've gotten for being homeless.
[00:41:51] Speaker B: And I get that they get pushed out of pretty much every place that they go to, and that's gotta be frustrating. And you get tired of dealing with that. Right?
[00:42:00] Speaker A: Definitely.
[00:42:01] Speaker B: I know I would.
[00:42:02] Speaker A: Yeah, I would do.
[00:42:06] Speaker B: All righty. That was Kyla, co founder of Home Inc. Transitional Living Space. Helping our unhoused neighbors take that next step forward towards stability and self sufficiency. Transitional living isn't the end of the road. It's the bridge between crisis and home. And as we heard today, that bridge is built with compassion, structure, and second chances.
If you enjoyed today's episode, please share it and follow Sheboygan stories unhoused and unheard on your favorite podcast platform. Every listen, every share helps these people, helps these stories reach a little further. And as always, keep your heart open and pay it forward.
[00:42:51] Speaker A: Sam.
