MARK LISTENS TO CLIENTS STORIES ABOUT HOMELESSNESS

Mark Horvath, the founder of Invisible People and We Are Visible, visited TRANS:THRIVE in April to meet our clients and talk about their struggles with homelessness. Mark has been homeless himself, and he wanted to understand the unique ways the issue affects the transgender community in San Francisco.

Homelessness is an issue affecting all populations, and this is especially true for the transgender community. National estimates suggest that one out of five transgender people will be homeless at some point in their lives, due to transphobia, stigma, discrimination, and family rejection. These issues are very real for many TRANS:THRIVE clients, who come to the drop-in center for community support, counseling, clothes, or showers. Our clients shared their stories with Mark, who is using social media to raise awareness about homelessness.

Mark, Bevin, and a wide variety of clients and community members sat for two hours, sharing stories and struggles. After the event Mark tweeted “after spending a few hours with new transgender homeless friends I could not help but get emotional.” Mark later wrote about his visit in an article for the Huffington Post.

Mark hopes to raise awareness about the homeless epidemic our country faces by shining a light where most people wouldn’t think to look. By sitting down with the clients of TRANS:THRIVE, he was able to better understand some of the unique barriers to housing that the Transgender community faces, and has committed to spreading awareness and understanding about the everyday struggles of Transfolk here in the city.

Check out Mark’s interviews with TRANS:THRIVE’s Tita Aida and Erin Armstrong below!