10/07/2025
The vision of Dog Star Collective is ambitious, to be outreach specialists. For Many groups who help the unhoused and those at-risk, outreach is tricky . Its not just hard work, it takes a lot of training and it can be difficult to implement correctly. So the social safety net has gaps, And what we hope is to be able to specialize in filling some of those gaps. for example i was once hired by SWOP , to act as a consultant. they were handing out micro-grants to s*x workers . but were aware that there was a risk that homeless s*x workers could be left out. Because their outreach workers acknowledged they lacked knowledge and experience in this area. so they hired me to help them extend the reach of their micro grant program. I successfully was able to do this. What i dream is of an entire organization that does exactly that. When there is a resource available to the unhoused, and those at risk, There is also a chance that program wont have effective reach. There are many barriers. Geographic barriers: many unhoused people live in the woods or other remote areas and have limited ability to come into town. when they are downtown they have to make the most of it. Barriers of distraction and stress: sometimes the chaos of their lives can make beaurocracy overwhelming. barriers of qualifying for programs. it is well intentioned but sometimes There is too much beaurocracy, for example i once failed to qualify for a program aimed at the homeless . even though i was homeless, i was put at a lower priority because i said that *sometimes* there was a couch I could stay on. I have already stated why i think this is not good policy , but i understand why its there. The fact is , its wonderful that these programs exist. but the stress and chaos of extreme poverty and homelessness can make navigating the system daunting. my dream is of an organization whose purpose is to guide people through that system.
