“Folks experiencing homelessness are some of the strongest people I know”
This is Part 2 of our interview with two of our Population Health Specialists.
Watch Part 2 of the interview:
Watch Part 1 of the interview:
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Lee: My name is Lee. I am a Population Health Specialist here at CFH and I’ve been here for almost a year.
Brittany: My name is Brittany. I am a Population Health Specialist at CFH and I have been working here for three years.
What is the most rewarding part of your job?
Brittany: The most rewarding part of my job is being able to interact with families—so women, men, and their children—and being able to put a smile on the children’s faces when they come in.
Lee: Well, the most rewarding part of my job is, when I come back to a site for a second time to do an event, or simply just because I’m working at the clinic that day, and a patient or resident sees me and they recognize me, they have a big smile on their face. And they ask me, “So what do you got planned for this month? What are you doing this month? What things are you giving out?”
What would you like the public to know about homelessness?
Brittany: I would like the public to know that homelessness is not always, someone is on drugs, or someone is lazy, or someone didn’t pay their rent because they just didn’t want to. Anything can happen. A fire can happen. You could lose your house. Divorce happens. If you have a man that you’re dependent on and you’re not working. Anything can happen at any moment to anyone.
Lee: And some of these stories, you know, they would really break your heart. It’s absolutely not due to anybody’s individual character or morals or decisions that they are experiencing homelessness. Often, it’s due to factors outside of their control, and I’ve found that folks who are experiencing homelessness are some of the strongest people that I know. The amount of things that they deal with day-to-day—not having the space for their home, not having room to breathe, not having proper access to healthy foods or nourishing food—just day in and day out, there are so many struggles that they have to face and they wake up every day and they keep giving their day their best.
