Shutting down the lie of rent: 20th houseless resident becomes homeful on the day of global solidarity with Palestine

A houseless family with infant, former residents of Wood Street Commons, move into permanent, rent-free, healing housing at Homefulness. What: Homefulness welcoming in a houseless family and infant with All Nations Prayer Ceremony  When: Monday, April 15, 8 a.m.  Where: Homefulness, 8032 BlackArthur (MacArthur) Blvd, Huchiun (Oakland)  

“Homefulness, a homeless peoples’ solution to homelessness, welcomes in their 20th residents, a houseless family who were residents at Wood Street Commons when they were violently evicted from the vacant West Huchiun (West Oakland) land they were liberating. 

“We are so excited to be moving into a loving, healing community,” said Dani, a houseless mama of three children moving into Homefulness. 

Homefulness was launched in Deep East Huchiun (Oakland) in 2011 by houseless, Indigenous, Black, Brown and Disabled elders, youth and families, with permission and spiritual guidance from First Nations Ohlone/Lisjan relatives and ancestors and all nations prayer-bringers from Maya to Africa.

“This is a vision created by poor and houseless people for poor and houseless people. It’s a dream and it’s urgent medicine for all of Mama Earth,” Xochitl Maez Valdez, prayer-bringer and teacher in the West African Yoruba tradition. 

“There are more Black people homeless than white people because of classism, racism, redlining and gentrification. A cycle of poverty and drug abuse contributes to the growth of the homeless population, and many homeless feel that they cannot escape.” said Jeremiah, 16, youth povertyskola reporter, POOR Magazine in a recent WeSearch study led by Black and Brown youth at Deecolonzie Academy, a liberation school on the land at Homefulness. 

“Low– and no-income Black and Brown folks, disabled elders and youth are dying from the violence of eviction, foreclosure, sweeps, homelessness and the buying and selling of Mama Earth for profit. It is why we houseless peoples work so hard to create the template of Homefulness, that actively works to unSell and liberate Mama Earth, spiritually and legally, so families like Dani’s and  mine and all the families and elders now homeful at Homefulness will never face homelessness again,” said Tiny Gray-Garcia, co-founder and visionary of Homefulness.

“This is a vision created by poor, disabled and houseless people supported by conscious folks with race and class privilege who unlearn the lies of hoarding and radically redistribute to a poor peoples’ permanent housing solution,” said Leroy Moore, co-founder of Homefulness and founder of Krip Hop Nation.

In solidarity with Shut it Down Activities on April 15, we houseless, disabled, Indigenous and targeted peoples from Turtle Island stand, sit, crawl and walk alongside houseless, starving babies in Palestine, Sudan, Haiti, Congo, West Papua and Kashmir. 

Lisa “Tiny” Gray-Garcia, aka “povertyskola,” is a poet, teacher and the formerly houseless, incarcerated daughter of Dee and mama of Tiburcio and author of “Criminal of Poverty: Growing Up Homeless in America” and many more and co-founder of Homefulness, a homeless people’s solution to homelessness. Reach her at www.lisatinygraygarcia.com or @povertyskola on Twitter/X.

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