By Tyrone Hanley, Director of Racial and Economic Justice Initiatives, National Center for Lesbian Rights
I grew up in a multiracial Section 8 housing complex outside of Chicago. While I feel pride today about where I grew up, it was not always this way. When I was young, I felt the stigma of being poor. In fact, I was so ashamed about it that I came out in college as gay before coming out as poor to my upper-class friends.
I learned in my college sociology courses that poverty is a condition that people are forced into by an economy that cares more about profit than people. The housing system is no different. Landlords keep raising rents at rates faster than wage increases, and other costs of living continue to go up. Across the country, people are struggling to get by and being pushed out of the communities they love.
Since we lived in Section 8 housing, my family was one of the lucky poor families whose rent was based on household income and not market rates. This meant my family didn’t have to worry about rent if my mom lost her job, and my mom could be a stay-at-home mother for my brothers and me during our early years to ensure we had a good foundation before she reentered the paid workforce. I can’t overstate how this stability supported my well-being growing up and set me up for success in adulthood. I am so deeply grateful for it.
Recently, I spoke with my mom about growing up in our Section 8 community. She said that while we were cash poor, we had a community that looked out for each other. Adults in the community watched out for everyone’s kids, not just their own. They provided childcare, made sure we didn’t act up, and helped with food when a family’s food stamps ran out. I am grateful that those in our apartment complex didn’t tease me for having an openly lesbian mother or being a boy who liked playing with so-called girl toys. I witnessed people being welcomed regardless of their race, sexuality, or gender expression. In essence, we were a multiracial community of love. Love is something money simply cannot buy.
My personal experiences with housing have greatly contributed to my belief that we cannot address the housing crisis in this country until we start understanding housing as a human right. We must stop making profit the priority. The current system pits people against each other in the endless pursuit of increasing property value. Housing should be about supporting individuals and families and fostering community. At the end of the day, I believe we all just want a place to call home and to be a part of a loving community. Building that world is something to give us all pride!
Let’s build together!
