On my first trip to Los Angeles, I remember taking a leisurely stroll through downtown to explore the flower and fabric districts. I turned the corner and all of a sudden I was in the middle of “Skid Row,” an area of downtown LA known for its enormous homeless population. Intellectually, we understand that homeless people exist and that it is a real problem in the United States. Whether you live in a big city or small town, chances are you have encountered someone who is homeless, or at the very least you’ve seen it on the news. However, physically seeing the hundreds of homeless people living on top of each other in one small city block was overwhelming, mind-blowing and saddening.
Women and families are especially vulnerable to being homeless, and make up the majority of homeless people in the United States. That’s why this month, in line with our social justice values, we are saluting “Fierce Woman” Judy Vaughan, Executive Director of the Alexandria House. Alexandria House is a transitional residence and house of hospitality in Los Angeles providing safe and supportive housing for women and children in the process of moving from homelessness to permanent housing. Alexandria House is also a Neighborhood Center, providing educational, cultural and enrichment opportunities for families in the Mid-Wilshire area, many of whom are a paycheck, illness or accident away from being homeless.
Considering the constant funding cuts for these critical community services, Judy and her team have helped more than 260 women and children move through the transitional residence program. They remain in touch with approximately 78% of their past residents and 82% of those women remain in permanent housing. Additionally, Alexandria House has a community youth center and an apartment complex providing permanent housing to families who are homeless and/or survivors of domestic violence.
Judy took some time out of her busy schedule to share with us how she stays grounded, her desires for the Alexandria House community and who are the fierce women in her life.
1. At Maxim Hygiene, we define a Fierce Woman as a “glorious female creature whose idea of beauty is hinged upon the idea that she can change the world with each choice, each moment and each breath of her life.” Who in your life is a Fierce Woman and why?
I have been blessed to have an amazing number of “Fierce Women” in my Life. Certainly, the women I live with at Alexandria House could be defined as such. Each woman is committed to creating a life that is safe and loving for themselves and for their children. I have witnessed incredible courage and determination in striving for this goal.
I also have had the privilege of spending time with the Communities of Population in Resistance in Guatemala in the 1980s. These communities, primarily indigenous people, were living in hiding because of the genocidal practices of the government, and at the same time, we’re creating a new community based on justice and respect. Women were the primary leaders of these communities and created a model of society that was revolutionary.
My sisters—one an educator and another an artist—along with my mom are all Fierce Women who make their choices with a consciousness that what we do on a daily basis can slowly create change. My daughter who is 15 ½ is also a Fierce Woman coming into an awareness of her own power and sensitivity and dealing with more challenges than I ever had to do.
And this would just be the beginning of my list…
2. If there’s only one thing you would want to make sure each woman exiting the Alexandria House would get, what would it be?
I would have to say there are at least two things that I would want to make sure each woman exiting Alexandria House would get: 1) an affordable, safe permanent home, and 2) an ever deepening sense of being a “glorious female creature” who is deeply loved and worthy of all respect. Along with these two things is the hope that women will never have to experience the crisis of homelessness again.
3. What are the Alexandria House’s biggest challenges right now?
The biggest challenges right now are the lack of affordable housing in the Los Angeles area and the difficulty of finding jobs that pay a living wage. With the sequestration of Section 8 housing and the lack of truly affordable housing for those working for minimum wage or slightly above, it has been impossible for families to move and then stay out of homelessness. Of course the other major challenge is being able to pay Alexandria House bills. Of major concern is being able to continue major programs that enable women to heal from past trauma and to create a new life—especially such programs as counseling and child care.
4. Being that you live in the Alexandria House, you truly are living each choice, moment and breath of your life to changing the world for women in need. Does it ever get overwhelming? If so, what do you do to get yourself back on track?
Living at Alexandria House has been one of the greatest gifts in my life. Each day I witness how difficult and challenging it is for women to survive; observe in very concrete ways the reality that those who have get more, and those who don’t have struggle to maintain any small gains they are able to make; learn of the many “catch 22s” that impact women’s lives who are living on the margins; and most significantly, experience the daily acts of heroic kindness, compassion and generosity that the women whom I live demonstrate.
What gets overwhelming is how great the needs are and especially now, the limited resources to meet these needs. In any one month, we receive more than 400 calls from women seeking shelter, far beyond our capacity. On any one night, there are 91,000 homeless people and less than 13,000 shelter beds. These realities are definitely sobering. Besides trying to” ride out” the recession that has impacted funding, over the last two years we have lost almost $300,000 because of the emphasis on funding programs that serve the chronically homeless and veterans. While definitely needed, these priorities have dramatically hurt programs that serve families. To get back on track I pray and trust a lot in miracle. Dorothy Day, a fierce woman and one of the founders of the Catholic Worker movement, always said that God has divine timing and what is needed will come in God’s time. In the meantime, I try not to stress, and I am grateful every day for all the help we are receiving from so many people, organizations, and corporations.
If you want to support Judy and the amazing work of Alexandria House, they accept donations and are looking for volunteers. All donations are designated for program needs, and they count on many different in-kind donations including laundry soap, diapers, school supplies and paper goods. These are things that are essential to a healthy daily life but often get overlooked, just like pads and tampons. Food cards and gas cards are also very helpful since many of the past residents often have to make choices between paying the rent and putting gas in the car.
Judy and her dedication to serving women in her community is a prime example that truly fierce women support one another. We hope you will play it forward and share this with other fierce women you know.