Fighting for Tenants

I have said it a billion times before and I will continue to scream it from the rooftops until I am proved wrong -- my placement is the absolute best.

Between the most supportive coworkers who make me feel loved and competent and uplifted, to the clear energy that radiates through the building, I’m lucky. I walked in on the very first day knowing that I was lucky. The people that I work with shine in all aspects, their hearts truly dedicated to keeping people housed and off the streets. Whether it’s in the rental assistance division on my end, where we try to get them the money they need before the unlawful detainer, or on the other end where the legal team is working through lunch to respond to get their papers in on time, you can feel it. These people really care.

I was lucky enough to be with EDC for their annual fundraiser - Fighting for Tenants in the Sanctuary City. There was free booze, and so to be honest, I may have had a bit to drink. However! That wasn’t due to my fear of being around all of these great people who have done and supported great things, but rather the fact that I’m a mess of a human who’s bad at social interaction.

Nonetheless, the night was amazing. It was in a beautiful space in the city that had a great outdoor balcony and mirrors lined along the inside walls. I got to spend the first half of the night darting between my coworkers and my housemates, who came along to help for a volunteer aspect of the night.

Again, though, due to the booze, I was easily the weirdest. It’s just that when I have alcohol in my system (a lot of alcohol in my system) I get really excited about the things that are going on, and the opportunities that are presented, and the fact that life can sometimes just be really really cool. So I was drunk and weird, which I just have to roll with, because I was mostly just excited about the fact that I was living one of the best versions of my life, surrounded radical people.

I danced to my coworker’s band and I took some rad photos and I got to swipe for ~$400 in donations to the organization. It was cool. I never imagined getting to do something that was simply just that cool.

On the way home my housemate plugged in Hamilton to the Uber and we probably scared the poor guy to death, but whatever.

It was a good night.

The point of this post wasn't to hound myself for drinking too much (which, again, whoops!), but rather to just reflect on how seriously thankful I am to be placed where I'm placed. There are some nights that you don’t really feel like you deserve to be part of, or nights that happen that you were sure your path would never lead you to, and that was one of them. I’m proud to be serving with an organization that is full of humans who glow with how much they care.

Thanks, Eviction Defense Collaborative, y’all are changing lives.