episode 53
Love, Trust, and Transformation: A Day at the Downtown Women's Center with Guest Amy Turk
The Biggest Myth About Homelessness and Violence
What if survival meant making yourself look “unappealing” just to avoid being attacked? 😳 This powerful snippet from the And Now Love podcast confronts the misconception that people experiencing homelessness are more likely to perpetrate violence—when they’re often the recipients of it. The conversation highlights how terrified many women are, including stories of women intentionally not showering and wearing lots of clothing as a form of protection, and how that fear can drive them to seek even a brief place of solace during the day, even if they must return to danger at night. 🎙️ This is a snippet from our full episode with Amy Turk.
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What Happens When Mental Health Institutions Close? Rosa’s Story & the Downtown Women’s Center
What happens to someone when a mental health institution closes and they have absolutely nowhere to go? In this snippet from the And Now Love podcast with Amy Turk, we hear how Rosa’s experience became a real-life example of the fallout from defunding mental health institutions—and how Jill recognized she had the agency, power, and compassion to help. In 1978, Jill opened the Downtown Women’s Center as a day center, and Rosa was the first woman to walk through the doors because she trusted her. What started with an “endless pot of coffee” became something bigger: a safe, comforting space for a growing number of women experiencing homelessness, eventually expanding to address housing and support women in homelessness. 🎙️☕🏠
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What If It’s Not What’s Wrong With You—But What Happened To You?
What if the “bad person” label is actually hiding a deep trauma? 😳 In this powerful snippet from the And Now Love podcast with Amy Turk, we talk about Trauma-informed Care—shifting the question from “What’s wrong with you?” to “What happened to you?” and challenging the myth that people deserve their pain. 🎙️💔 This clip comes from our full episode with Amy Turk.
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Los Angeles Should Brace for More Homelessness
What happens when organizations can no longer take in people seeking help—does homelessness in Los Angeles surge overnight? 😳 In this gripping snippet from the And Now Love podcast full episode with Amy Turk, she warns that widespread funding cuts are forcing service providers to turn people away, leaving more individuals on the streets and fueling public anger. She says this could lead to accusations that organizations “mishandled it,” with the word “fraud” coming up often—while the real impact is more people left without housing. 🎙️🏙️
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Trauma-Informed Mindset: “What Happened to You?” Can Change Systems
What if the way we ask questions—“What happened to you?” instead of “What’s wrong with you?”—could change how entire systems treat people? 😳 In this snippet from the And Now Love podcast with Amy Turk, we discuss training city council offices and police departments, the opportunity for real systems change through a trauma-informed mindset, and the growing understanding of trauma as a health condition that affects the brain, clear thinking, and physical health—while still being something people can heal from. Amy, a licensed clinical social worker, also shares how trauma wasn’t a major focus in her social work program not too long ago, but now it’s a central conversation. 🎙️🧠
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