The locations in the Affordable Housing Tour were an interesting contrast to each other. The first two we visited Downtown were Potiker and Sara Francis which helped illuminate the options that aging and displaced folx may have the chance to transition to. During the tour of Potiker, I made strong observation of the community rooms, there was substance to the items that were within it, but it felt like they had not been interacted with in a long time. Braving these uncertain feelings, we visited CP (she mentioned CP stood for cutie pie among others, but that was the one that stuck with me the most), her personality was so evident in her decorations, and she was quite a warm vibe person. The same warmth was felt by the man whose room we toured at Sara Francis’. I noticed immediately that the only visible way up and down the building was the elevator in the lobby (always a comforting note to me knowing that stairs do not seem like the primary way to go up and down) and that there was a hand constructed fireplace with a TV displaying fire crackling.
Going through the latter half of the tour, I wanted to highlight the interactions we had with Bruce at the Talmadge Gateway Apartments. The building looked awesome, and his reception speech was so encouraging – it’s no wonder he won the Changemaker Award, his words were so strong! We were able to look at his room and see how he was able to influence his personality through his decorations and also the beautiful view he had. He gave another speech at the end which further encouraged the class, almost speaking to the whole of this generation of students, how much we need to continue to push for better care of one another, giving thanks for his current position in life, and uplifting our ability to speak up for what we believe in. It was emotional, it made me tear up and move to the back of the gathering. I was glad to be able to provide a tissue when I saw he was crying. Reflecting on this experience and interaction certainly leaves a bigger impact on my intentions, efforts and education than following only theoretical work. I am thankful and I recognize the privilege that I have in being able to only see a sliver into people’s lives as I have with this class.