Miss Tee Tee didn’t always love her life. Before she came to the LGBT Life Center, she lacked the support needed to access resources and it left her feeling hopeless, with no motivation. With the odds against her, and mainstream resources not being readily available, Miss Tee Tee found herself alone in her tent. After being unhoused for two years, she decided it was time to “go out and get her blessing.”
When we first met Miss Tee Tee, hopelessness is not what comes to mind. Miss Tee Tee radiates positivity and gratitude. She prided herself on keeping her tent clean and making sure her community was still fed. She says, “I never asked nobody for anything. I was staying in a tent, but my tent was clean. I was like a genie in a bottle.” Miss Tee Tee utilized every resource available to her, including food and water. She pushed pass her own immediate needs and worked to help others. Though her resources were limited, Miss Tee Tee took pride in helping others. It helped her to love her life, despite an impossible situation. She did what she could to make sure the people in her community had what they needed to survive. Selflessness is something that she’s always had, but this wasn’t always returned to her by those in her community.
Miss Tee Tee explains that she was homeless for two years for two reasons. The first reason was a lack of resources. Before she connected to the LGBT Life Center, she found it in herself to not only survive, but to also help others with the little resources she had. Miss Tee Tee says “The way I was thinking then, is the same way I am thinking now, but now I have the tools to get me where I needed to go because of the Life Center.”
Even though she radiates positivity and gratitude today, it wasn’t always the case. Pride stopped Miss Tee Tee from reaching out for help sooner. She explains that even though she was homeless, she didn’t want to ask for help. She says, “Pride got me nowhere. Pride gave me an empty stomach.” This is when she called an outreach center that connected her with the LGBT Life Center.
Miss Tee Tee feels like she finally has the resources she was always looking for thanks to the LGBT Life Center. She explained, “Feeling sorry for yourself, okay is fine, but you still have to get up and do something when services are here to help them.” She got connected with our housing program and received stable housing. She states, “The housing made me secure in the place. It didn’t make me relaxed, it made me want to get a job and get better. “
Thanks to your support, the LGBT Life Center was able to connect Miss Tee Tee to care and provide life-saving services. We are proud to say that Miss Tee Tee is not only surviving today. She’s thriving – and loving her life. After connecting to care at the Life Center, she has housing, a stable job, and food on the table, “My Life is going so wonderful now because my community showed up.”
By being a monthly giver, you can support people in our community for the price of a cup of coffee. Please consider making a gift in support of the LGBT Life Center so we can continue to break down barriers to accessing these vital resources.
Together, we will build a stronger community and work toward a future where everyone loves their life.
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