- Coming up on "American Black Journal," an important conversation about how the holidays are a really lonely time for the homeless and the disadvantage.

We're gonna talk with two Detroit nonprofits that are helping to make the season a little brighter by providing help and hope for those in need.

Plus, we're gonna take you to a contemporary art exhibit that focuses on African American life here in Detroit.

Don't go away.

"American Black Journal" starts right now.

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(gentle upbeat music) - Welcome to "American Black Journal."

I'm Stephen Henderson.

The holiday season is here and for many, it is a joyous time filled with family and friends, and of course plenty of food.

But for the homeless and the disadvantage, it's a more difficult time.

They don't know where their next meal is coming from, and they don't necessarily have a warm home to call their own.

My first guests are on the front line helping the homeless and others in need during the holidays and beyond.

Here's my conversation with Dr. Chad Audi of the Detroit Rescue Mission Ministries and Linda Little from Neighborhood Service Organization.

I think this is a really important subject to think about and to be talking about this time of year because it's something that I think a lot of people don't remember to think about.

You know, this is a really bright time of year for so many of us, and we look forward to it all year, but for a lot of folks it produces a lot of anxiety about really basic needs.

I just want to start with having each of you talk about what kind of landscape we we're looking at here in Detroit with regard to homelessness and the disadvantage this time of year, and the kind of challenges that they are likely to encounter.

Linda, I'll start with you.

- Well, first, Stephen, I wanna say thank you for bringing light to this matter right now because you're absolutely right.

And with the pandemic, we saw a lot of heads of households that were affected by COVID-19 who are no longer with us.

And so what we've seen at NSO is a lot of those families are really struggling to make ends meet and meet those basic needs for their family.

We're seeing a tremendous increase in homelessness of women and children.

I've had some conversations with the city and other providers in our community about what we can do right now, we at NSO can do right now, and we are starting a Housing First fund thanks to UnitedHealthcare, Huntington Bank, and Meridian Health Plan.

We're able to put some dollars in a pool for all those calls that we get to help people stay in their homes.

That eviction moratorium is now lifted and people just aren't able to pay that back rent.

So we wanna keep people housed.

They're in this cold season.

You know, we offer a full continuum of homeless solutions, but let's first keep people housed.

Let's try to keep people in their current homes.

- Yeah.

- So that's what our Housing First Program is gonna do.

- I guess I'm a, maybe I shouldn't be, but I'm a little surprised to hear you say that you feel like things are worse, that they haven't gotten better since the end of the pandemic.

Can you talk more about what you're seeing?

- Absolutely, so the impact of the severe loss that we experienced during that time, we know will affect us for some time to come.

Complete families were disrupted.

If you think about the thousands that were lost just in Detroit, and the impact that of those mothers, the children, the fathers who lost grandparents, you and I know, Stephen, many of people in our friend circle that succumbed to COVID-19.

So that impact is gonna be lasting.

The root of homelessness, Stephen, is poverty.

So when you lose a breadwinner, when you lose that second income earner in a household, it becomes untenable, in many cases, to sustain the household that they had.

And so that's what we're seeing right now.

- Chad, I want to hear from you as well about what you feel like we're confronting in this community and what it looks like.

- Well, unfortunately, unfortunately, this time of the year has not been what we expected.

I mean, we have been working diligently with a lot of other organization in the city to make sure that the homeless individual's numbers will be less, but unfortunately, right now, it's way higher as Linda was talking, especially for women and children.

And also for men, as well, the number is not decreasing at all.

Matter of fact, the latest report showed that there was about 7% increase over the last year of homelessness.

And those are due to many, many factors.

Linda had shed light on the COVID-19 impact, but also the economy.

The inflation is a big part of it.

We see also there is a lot of people are not able to get food on their tables.

The increase for requesting of food, so food insecurity becoming a very big issues.

And right now we are in discussion that we would have to open another 600 bed for the city of Detroit.

As we speak right now, there is a lot of talks about how can we come up with 600 beds, which we are already working on now.

I mean, we're providing probably about 400 so far.

And I know NSO is gonna be working in a lot of other organization, gathering together.

The good things about Detroit, that we have a good organizations and good people with good heart that they will do what needs to be done.

But the fact remain, we have an issue with homelessness and it's growing.

It's not going down.

- Yeah.

- We have issue with substance abuse.

We have issues of mental health that created a big impact on affecting the number of homelessness.

So I wish today I would've been able to say, the numbers are going down.

Unfortunately, the numbers are not going down and we need to do way more work.

And the bottom line, we need more housing, which is there's not enough stock in Detroit anyway.

And this is a major thing that we would have to work on.

Where do we take the people off the shelter and warming center after we bring them in, and how are we going to work with them so they can get back on their feet so they will get off homelessness?

That's the major issue that we're facing today.

- Yeah.

You know, one of the things I think is always really important to emphasize when we talk about homelessness in Detroit is the fluidity of the problem.

In other words, I think a lot of people think there is kind of just a permanent homeless population, and that's what we need to meet.

But, really, the face of of poverty and homelessness in Detroit really comes and goes.

I mean, somebody gets fired from a job or has a medical emergency or has to have a car repair in a month, and all of a sudden they're facing this kind of crisis that they weren't last month.

And that's a different kind of problem to have to manage, I think, than people who are permanently unhoused.

Chad, I'll start with you first this time just to talk about that challenge in particular and what it calls on us to do.

- Well, you know, like you're mentioning, there is a big difference between chronicle homeless and the homeless that happens due to certain factors that affect their life.

We all are one or two paycheck away from being homeless ourself.

And the issue that we are seeing today is you have households, head of households, who no longer are with us affected the families, and they needed a place to go, so they're not gonna be able to make end meets.

We have a big inflation that causing a lot of people not to be able to save any money for emergency.

So at any emergency happen in their life, they're immediately going to lose their homes and become homeless.

Despite the fact that everybody's thinking there is a lot of job, there's not really a lot of jobs, especially available for people with no high skills.

So those are impacting the population that we are working with.

And then we're seeing... And then the high rent and the higher the property, you know, the price of the property and the rent increase.

So somebody right now with four children, they're making $40,000, they can't afford living in a home by their self.

So where do they go and what can we do?

And then, yes, I mean, we commence Linda, for example, when they do Housing First model, because that's exactly who can benefit from 'em instead of going somewhere else.

But, again, we have an issue with the stock of the housing and we have an issue of how can we find an economic stability for the family so they would not be homeless at any given time.

- Yeah, Linda?

- Yeah, I agree with everything Chad said.

And you know, in Detroit, I work with McKinsey as our thought partner.

We've done affordable housing summits, brought in key stakeholders from every sector of our community to discuss this issue because it is impacting everyone, workers everywhere.

If you live, work, or play in Detroit, this problem is affecting you.

And so we need to bring real solutions from funding the housing unit crisis that we have, and then policies.

If somebody is... We just started a medical respite program for the homeless.

So if they're discharged from the hospital, they'll have a safe place to get continuing care.

But we had to work with the continuum so that that stay post discharge from the hospital doesn't count against them when they're looking for housing solutions.

Because the policy says if you stay someplace for one day, you have to start all over again.

- Yeah.

- So you need to look at these things that there are things that we can do from a systematic approach that can help alleviate the perpetuation of homelessness in the climate that we are serving in.

And then, also, you know, 30% of Detroiters spend 70% of their income on housing.

- Yeah.

- Just housing.

They are literally one small crisis away from not being able to pay their rent or their mortgage on time.

We have to solve that issue as well.

You know, we need to look at, McKinsey is working with world leaders on an economic empowerment line.

Instead of the poverty line, let's go to economic empowerment so that people can actually live and afford where they live.

We have a real problem, we're on the precipice of a crisis here, but I believe in Detroit and people are coming together to talk about how we go upstream and not just fix the shelter bed issue.

We have to do that, but let's go upstream and let's address some of these economic factors that are impacting families.

You know, like that's how we started this fund, this Housing First fund, to keep people in their current housing and let's work with them to address the root cause of that destabilization.

- Yeah, yeah, before we have to end, I want to have each of you talk a little about what people can do to help this population during the holidays.

Linda, I'll start with you this time.

What should people be thinking about?

- So first of all, if you're homeless, if you're suffering any type of housing instability right now, it's cold outside, get ahead of it.

Call our Coordinated Assessment Model, the CAM, is also known, 313-305-0311, and let them know, see what you're eligible for.

If you're an NSO client, give us a call at our 888-360-WELL number and we can help try to keep you in your housing.

But if you are a concerned citizen of Detroit, which I know we have so many citizens who care about our entire community, donate.

Donate to organizations like Detroit Rescue Missions, like NSO, so that we can help people collectively and have collective impact.

It's great to help people on the street.

You know, I have a lot of friends who give, you know, goody bags and clothes, socks to people on the street.

That's fantastic, but we have to donate to organizations like NSO, Detroit Rescue Mission, so that we can have collective impact.

And you could do that by going to our website at www.nso-mi.org.

- Yeah, yeah, Chad, what would you recommend for people?

- You know, the first thing, people when they look, sometimes they get confused between people who are homeless and people who are panhandlers.

And it gives the perception...

The panhandler give the perception of homelessness, but they're not really homeless.

And the people who are homeless are people who are like me and like everyone else.

They're not a second class citizen, they're a good human being, but they're just going through some hard times and they come to organizations like NSO or DRMM to get help.

And therefore, we encourage people instead of helping a persons to stay on the street to help organization take 'em off the street and find a solution to their situation so they can put 'em into a no longer in harm way but to be in a peaceful situation.

So I urge people to understand that homelessness is not a panhandling situation and to support organizations like NSO, like DRMM, and they can do so.

And if they see anybody on the street and they really need help, they can always call CAM, or they can call directly our numbers at 313-993-4700.

And for help, they can always go to our website at drmm.org, and then we will be very thankful, like we always been, to the generosity of Detroiters.

- An exhibit of creative works exploring the Black experience, and Detroit is on display at the Cranbrook Art Museum.

It's called "Skilled Labor: Black Realism in Detroit."

And it features paintings, drawings, and art installations from 20 contemporary artists.

One Detroit producer Sarah Zientarski visited the museum and spoke with some of the artists who are involved in the project.

(gentle music) - It is a historical exhibition, absolutely.

- This exhibition really demonstrates the legacy of really genius here in Detroit, Michigan.

- It is about artists who engage with each other and support each other and build with each other.

I think that's the biggest thing.

- We are located at Cranbrook Museum of Art in Bloomfield Hills right next to the academy.

- The idea of this exhibition actually came through curator Laura Mott.

We thought about the last 10 years of Detroit contemporary art for Black realism and highlight, you know, the artists that we wanted to highlight.

- This is the all-star game right here.

You know, everybody in here is an absolutely incredible parent and artist.

- The name of the exhibition is "Skilled Labor: Black Realism in Detroit."

And what I believe it means, specifically for me as a co-curator, is thinking about labor in general, but specifically labor in Detroit.

So each arts in the exhibition handles that differently.

So everybody's work does not look the same.

They don't approach realism the same, but it's a spectrum of artistic ideas that are approaching this subject matter.

- I like how it touches every corner of a Black experience in each portrait.

- I think one successful way that this exhibition carries the Black body or the Black narrative is that it showcases a number of artists who have a diverse, although similar and yet dynamic narrative that isn't just confined to the identity, the political identity of blackness itself, which is just based on the colorism of it, but more so people's background, talking about themes of liberation, themes of empowerment, empathy, themes of even migration.

You know, you also see moments of joy, families bonding, pain.

So it's successful in the sense that it gives artists opportunity and also the viewers to who come to see the show, a big depth and breadth and scope of like all these narratives combined.

- You'll see a lot of work that deals with the muralistic tradition in Detroit.

And there's drawing, there's painting, and there's also an aspect of installation, specifically Rashaun Rucker's work, and Sydney James work.

So there's all of these different aspects for viewers to kind of really get involved and something beyond their general idea when they think about realistic art.

- For me to be a part of this conversation of Detroit realism, of Detroit legacy is truly an honor.

My painting is hanging alongside Hubert Massey, who was my teacher, who literally provided me the foundations of figure drawing.

So it is truly an honor.

My painting is titled "Bound for the Land of Canaan Land," which is really very much inspired by Detroit's history with the Underground Railroad.

One of the hymns that was sang during the enslaved route was a song called "Bound for the Land of Canaan Land."

And so, Canaan Land was called word for Canada.

- My interpretation of Black realism is, for me, it's trying to paint the Black soul.

I'm trying my hardest to portray blackness in a way that conveys a lot of vulnerability, intimacy, and ask the viewer to interrogate and investigate what they're seeing and what they're perceiving.

Derek, behind me, is my best friend's brother.

Derek is full of culture.

Now, from the way his hat, the way he ties bandana around the hat to his earrings to his chains to everything, and these are things that we have kind of pushed culturally for so long in, like, the pockets of our society.

It gets to the point where people judge these attributes of blackness as a negative of blackness and not a wholeness of it and not a beautiful part of it.

When it's not negative, it's culture, it's bravado, it's beautiful, there's nothing...

He's not doing anything wrong.

So I like to paint him in his statement and ask you if you do have a problem, if you do feel uneasy with this type of image of blackness, then where's that coming from?

- So there are two pieces that I have in this exhibition, one called "Yonder."

It is a piece that was made in 2018 upon graduating here in Cranbrook.

The other piece is called "Menorah's Volta," and it's a portrait of my wife with her hair braided.

And Laura Mott came to my studio and she brought up this idea of the anti-portrait, which is a discussion that her and Mario Moore were having.

- I like to pull the viewer in, which is why I feel like realism is really important to me, 'cause I want you to feel like as the person looking at the work that you can walk into the space, or that the figures in the work are engaging with you in some kind of way.

The work that I have in this show is older work, one work that I made last year during my exhibition that had to deal with Underground Railroad and contemporary Detroit.

And then another painting that had to do with medical experimentation on Black bodies.

- What I hope the viewers take from this exhibition is the great or bigger sense of love and vulnerability and coping mechanisms and the drive for growth and liberation.

- I hope that viewers understand the rich legacy of Black artists in Detroit, to understand that, you know, we are here, we've always been here, and as we are looking at younger generations, that this legacy will continue.

- There's so much talent and there's so much richness and cultural depth that I would hope that when people see this and they say, "Oh, everybody, here's a Detroit artist," they take a trip down to the D. That's what I hope.

(gentle music) - And you can see the "Skilled Labor: Black Realism in Detroit" exhibit at the Cranbrook Art Museum in Bloomfield Hills through March 3rd.

That is gonna do it for us this week.

You can find out more about our guests at americanblackjournal.org.

Plus, connect with us anytime on social media.

Take care, and we'll see you next time.

(gentle music)