Fresno City College hosted the fourth annual Queer Housing Summit on Aug. 21 and 22 in the Old Administration Building. The event covered housing insecurity and finding affordable, safe places to live for members of the LGBTQ community.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The summit\u2019s theme of this year was \u201cOver the Borderline: Sobre la L\u00ednea Fronteriza.\u201d It was launched by Fresno City College Social Justice Center, Housing Now!, Youth Leadership Institute and more in order to explore solutions for the community and connect with attendees.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Soledad Eufracio Freeman, operations manager with South Tower Community Land Trust<\/a> and one of the organizers of the summit, described the event as an \u201copportunity to bring people together and to tackle housing challenges specific to the LGBTQ community.\u201d<\/p>\n She explained how FCC was an important chosen location for the summit.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWe host it here (FCC) in order to house and invite conversations about creative housing solutions, and challenges, and bringing folks together that can be able to address those. And specifically looking at the LGBTQIA+ community,\u201d Freeman said. \u201cIt\u2019s part of the heart of the Tower District and part of the heart of Fresno.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Freeman said the summit has grown since its first year, with more attendees coming from outside the Central Valley.<\/p>\n Ana Miller, an advocate and organizer with House Keys Action Network Denver<\/a> and founder of the Trans Empowerment Alliance<\/a>, attended the summit to represent unhoused queer people.<\/p>\n Miller said LGBTQ people face a higher risk of homelessness than non-LGBTQ people.<\/p>\n \u201cWe face a lot more discrimination than a lot of non-queer people when it comes to housing, so I would love to see what kinds of different ideas that people will come up with,\u201d Miller said.\u00a0<\/p>\n For Miller, addressing those challenges also means understanding and supporting people who have experienced them firsthand.<\/p>\n \u201cYou can\u2019t just really understand the experience of somebody who\u2019s houseless and queer, if you haven\u2019t lived that experience,\u201d Miller said. \u201cThe best people to advocate for the queer houses community is the queer housing community themselves.\u201d<\/p>\n The summit also addressed the barriers LGBTQ people face when looking for housing, including difficulty in finding safe rental properties, homeownership and having the knowledge of what resources are available.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat does it look like to buy a house with not your family, or maybe a partner, but with your friends, or folks that you are connected to that aren\u2019t a \u2018traditional family?\u201d Freeman said.<\/p>\n The summit featured keynote speaker Amber Alton, who spoke about housing justice, barriers and racial discrimination that affect the community. They explained how housing is important to provide a safer environment, but also how difficult it can be to find housing without a stable financial and social situation.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s not just any housing; it\u2019s dignified housing that provides people with autonomy and stability that they need to thrive and live pridefully,\u201d Alton said.<\/p>\n Peter Robertson, another speaker, talked about the discrimination he faced being a member and advocate for the LGBT community in Fresno. Robertson spoke about the progress he\u2019s seen since starting his advocacy, and he encouraged people to continue being an ally for each other.<\/p>\n \u201cThree years of hate turned into two years of joy,\u201d Robertson said. \u201cThose are some rainbows that came out of these storms.\u201d<\/p>\n The need for accessible housing was also important to Isaiah Donovan, who volunteered at the event.<\/p>\n For Donovan, the issue is personal.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI had no choice but to go live with an abusive partner because it was better than my conservative family. I didn\u2019t really get much of a choice,\u201d Donovan said.<\/p>\n Donovan emphasized the importance of community for people who struggle with housing by giving them opportunities or supporting one another.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cPeople sticking out for each other. Like, if you have more, being able to reach out to someone and give them an opportunity to succeed,\u201d Donovan said.<\/p>\n Joe Haydock, a local realtor and fair housing advocate, who attended the summit for his third year, also emphasized the need for greater housing accessibility. Haydock expressed how the housing market was challenging for LGBTQ people in Fresno, with discrimination and underrepresentation of queer people.<\/p>\n \u201cWe need more accessible housing,\u201d Haydock said.<\/p>\n Haydock hopes the summit continues to grow and give the LGBTQ community an understanding of their rights.<\/p>\n The summit provided connections with nearby housing resources.<\/p>\n \u201cSouth Tower Community Land Trust is currently working on literally building additional housing in Fresno, we\u2019d love to keep folks included in knowing what those new home ownership opportunities are,\u201d Freeman said. <\/p>\n