Project safe house mke

06/17/2026

Today was a productive and exciting day for Project Safe House! 💜

I had the opportunity to sit down with Ken to discuss the branding and future vision of our organization. We talked about creating our official logo, business cards, apparel, and other materials that will help establish a strong identity for Project Safe House as we continue serving LGBTQIA+ youth and young adults in our community.

Every great organization starts with a vision, but bringing that vision to life requires collaboration, creativity, and people who believe in the mission. I’m grateful for the time, ideas, and expertise shared today as we take another step toward building something that will create lasting impact.

Project Safe House isn’t just a dream it’s becoming a reality, one meeting, one partnership, and one opportunity at a time.

Thank you, Ken, for helping us bring our brand to life. The future is looking bright! 🌈🏠

💜

06/09/2026

There was a time when I wasn’t sure what my future would look like. Today, I’m honored to be featured as an Employee Spotlight at MCTS. Every challenge, setback, and obstacle helped shape the woman I am today. Thank you to everyone who has supported me along this journey. Keep showing up, keep working hard, and never stop believing in yourself. 💜please visit the website projectsafehouse.org

06/03/2026

I am incredibly honored to be featured by Milwaukee County Transit System as part of their Employee Spotlight series. As I approach four years with MCTS, I reflect on a journey filled with challenges, growth, and purpose.

What began as a dream of becoming a bus operator has evolved into an opportunity to serve my community every day while building Project Safe House, a nonprofit dedicated to supporting LGBTQIA+ youth experiencing homelessness.

Thank you to MCTS for recognizing not only my work behind the wheel, but also my commitment to creating positive change beyond the bus. This recognition reminds me that our setbacks do not define us—our resilience does.

To everyone chasing a dream: keep going. Your story is still being written. 💙💜

💜

Meet Bus Operator Kai'Maya 🚌🌈🏳️‍⚧️

Kai'Maya will celebrate four years with MCTS this June, but her connection to transit started long before that. “I always wanted to be a bus driver,” she said. “I grew up taking the Route 30 bus when I was a kid.”

Today, she works primarily as a night operator and proudly calls herself the “queen of overtime,” often picking up extra shifts to support Project safe house mke, the nonprofit she founded to support LGBTQ+ youth experiencing homelessness. 💙

Inspired by her own experiences, she now mentors youth, organizes drives, and connects people with resources and support systems.

“Turning my setbacks into success and showing others they can do it too.”

Thank you for your great work in the community, Kai'Maya!

06/02/2026

🏳️‍⚧️🏳️‍🌈 Happy Pride Month! 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️

Three years ago, I had the honor of driving MCTS’s Pride Bus as the first openly Black transgender woman bus operator in the history of Milwaukee County Transit System.

At the unveiling, I shared these words:

“I wanted to show people representation, especially to the Black trans girls in Milwaukee. I wanted to show them that we do have a safe space; we have a space where they are accepted.”

As we begin Pride Month, that message remains just as important today. Pride is about visibility, acceptance, community, and making sure the next generation knows they belong. For every LGBTQIA+ person who has ever felt unseen, know that your existence matters, your voice matters, and your future matters.

I remain committed to creating safe spaces through my work, my advocacy, and through Project Safe House. Together, we can continue building a world where everyone is respected, valued, and free to live authentically.

Happy Pride Month. Be proud of who you are. ❤️🧡💛💚💙💜

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05/28/2026

💙🚌 Beyond Honored 🚌💙

I am incredibly honored and grateful to MCTS for selecting me as the very first employee featured in the “Beyond the Bus Badge” spotlight series.

What makes this recognition even more special is that it gave me the opportunity to share my story and bring awareness to Project Safe House, a nonprofit organization I founded to support LGBTQ+ youth experiencing homelessness and housing instability.

To have my journey, my advocacy, and my passion for serving others recognized by the company I proudly work for means more than words can express. Every food drive, clothing giveaway, community conversation, and late night spent working toward this vision has been fueled by the belief that everyone deserves to feel safe, supported, and valued.

A special thank you to Biltu Maylot for taking the time to write such an incredible piece and for helping tell my story with care and authenticity. Thank you for highlighting not only my work as a bus operator, but also the purpose that drives me beyond the driver’s seat.

Thank you to MCTS for believing in me, supporting community engagement, and giving Project Safe House a platform to reach more people. This is only the beginning.

Together, we’re turning setbacks into purpose and creating pathways to hope. 💜

💜

05/26/2026

Getting ready for pride

05/22/2026

If this mission touches your heart, please visit ProjectSafeHouse.org to learn more, share our story, and donate to help us continue making a difference.

Today, I am incredibly honored and grateful to share that Milwaukee County Transit System has chosen to feature me and Project Safe House in the very first “Beyond the Badge” initiative an initiative created to highlight employees who are entrepreneurs, business owners, visionaries, and community leaders beyond the workplace.

This moment means more to me than just an interview.

This is an opportunity for me to tell the world about the mission and vision behind Project Safe House a foundation built from lived experiences, compassion, resilience, and the belief that every person deserves to feel safe, seen, supported, and loved.

Project Safe House was created to provide hope, resources, advocacy, and a future for individuals facing hardship, housing instability, discrimination, and life challenges. Our mission is rooted in community, empowerment, and creating real change for people who often feel forgotten.

To be recognized by the company I proudly work for every day is something I will never take lightly. Representation matters. Visibility matters. And being able to stand in my truth while also uplifting others is one of the greatest blessings of my life.

Thank you to everyone who has supported me, believed in me, donated, shared my posts, volunteered, or simply spoke life into my vision. This is only the beginning.

Great things are coming. 💜

05/12/2026

Yesterday was truly one for the heart. 💜

Being able to give clothes back to members of our homeless community reminded me that sometimes the smallest acts of kindness can restore dignity, hope, and humanity. So many people are out here fighting silent battles, and nobody deserves to feel forgotten.

I also want to give a HUGE thank you to everyone who donated and contributed. Because of your kindness and generosity, we were able to help people in a real way yesterday. Every donation, every share, every word of encouragement truly makes a difference.

This is exactly why I’m so passionate about building Project Safe House creating a space where people can feel safe, supported, and seen. Yesterday wasn’t just about clothes… it was about love, compassion, and community.

Thank you all for believing in the mission. We’re just getting started. 💜

05/06/2026

Everybody wants to talk about crime… but nobody wants to talk about what leads to it.

I was a homeless teen. No stability. No guidance. Just trying to survive. And when you’re in survival mode, you’re not thinking about consequences down the line—you’re thinking about how to make it through today.

That’s a reality for a lot of people.

And let me be clear—I take full accountability for my choices.
But I’m also not going to ignore the truth: teen homelessness puts people in positions where survival decisions can turn into criminal ones.

Now fast forward…

Wisconsin is locking up around 20,000 people at any given time. It costs taxpayers $50,000+ a year per person to keep someone incarcerated. That’s over a billion dollars a year going into the prison system.

And yet prisons are still overcrowded.

Let that sink in.

We’re spending tens of thousands of dollars per person to lock people up… but not investing that same energy or money into preventing homelessness, supporting youth, or creating real opportunities.

So what do we really expect to happen?

We don’t address the root, then we act surprised at the outcome.

Prison doesn’t fix homelessness.
Prison doesn’t fix trauma.
Prison doesn’t teach survival in the real world—it just contains people.

If we really want change, we have to start earlier. We have to invest in people before they ever end up behind those walls.

From prison to purpose… I’m telling the truth they don’t talk about 💜

05/06/2026

https://courageplus.org/comm-care-statement/

https://www.mkelgbt.org/contact

Today I want to give flowers to two organizations here in Wisconsin that are doing truly life-changing work for LGBTQIA+ youth and young adults: Project Q and Courage MKE. 💜

As someone who personally experienced homelessness, instability, incarceration, trauma, and the struggle of trying to find safe spaces while growing up LGBTQ+, organizations like these matter more than people realize.

Project Q was actually part of my own journey many years ago. Back in the early 2000s, when Kurt and Roberto first started Project Q out of their apartment, I was one of the teens who frequently attended. I even served as a peer s*x education counselor during that time. Looking back now, I understand how important those spaces were for young people like me who were simply trying to survive, belong, and be understood.

Seeing organizations like Courage MKE create Wisconsin’s first licensed group home for displaced LGBTQ+ youth is inspiring and necessary work. Safe housing, advocacy, mentorship, structure, and support can literally change and save lives.

As I continue developing Project Safe House, I believe collaboration matters more than competition. We need more organizations, more outreach, more housing, more mentorship, and more people willing to stand in the gap for vulnerable youth.

Project Safe House is not just a dream to me it is deeply personal.

To both Project Q and Courage MKE: thank you for the work you continue to do for our community and for helping pave the way for others trying to make a difference. 💜

If you or someone you know is struggling, experiencing homelessness, in crisis, or simply needs support, please reach out to these organizations. Their website links are in the bio. Help is available and you are not alone.

Please support, follow, donate to, and uplift organizations doing the real work in our communities.
ProjectQ

Community Care and Access Statement At Courage+, we believe that everyone deserves safety, dignity, and access to holistic support—regardless of background, identity, or circumstance. Our commitment to community care centers on creating welcoming, healing-centered environments where all individual...