Q. Teth, what would you like folks to know about you in addition to the fact that you have lived experience of homelessness/housing instability?
I make music search "Muva MusiQ" on YouTube apple music, Spotify, Amazon etc . I have 2 cats butter(boy) and butterscotch(girl) . I have 5 brothers and 5 sisters all went through DCF and seeing how each of our lives are turning out is an a half of the reason I got into this work.
Q. Teth, what role do you believe persons with lived expertise can play in creating systems change?
The role of being the ear to the needs of people in the committees we actually live in that are effected by the things in the system that need to be changed. Data collecting, taking census amongst our communities about programs and organizations that are already in place To see how well they are working and ways of improvement. The link between diversity for employment opportunities when employers are having a "hard time" connecting ( I personally have been in so many dcf placements I probably know at least 2 people in each C. A .N with lived experience after becoming homelessness out of dcf, sad but true!) Truth is needed thats how we effect change.
Q. Teth, what keeps you most engaged in this work as part of the CLIP cohort?
Knowing there's many things that still need improvement and there are still people going through the system while it has errors and barriers. When I have children I want them to be able to see there mother had a traumatic past but did everything I could to not only heal...but help effected the change I wish to see and I know it's a marathon not a sprint. Seeing new opportunities like being apart of the clip cohort like V said whoever put the group together I'm grateful because this is the type of FORWARD thinking momentum the system needs. We have to rewrite the thinking and history behind homelessness and people with lived experience!
