Stephanie Thompson and Pamela Fairley

00:00 Hi, my name is Stephanie Thompson. I am 47. I have a birthday in April in 47. Today's Tuesday, January 28th, 2020. I'm in Chicago, Illinois and my partner is interviewing me is Pam Fairley.

00:23 And she's not coworker.

00:26 Hi, my name is Pamela Fairley and I am 42 years old. Today's date is January 28th, 2020 and I am in Chicago, Illinois. The name of the interview partner is Stephanie Thompson, and I know her cuz she's my coworker.

00:43 How do you say so when they came and asked us if we would participate in this talk session? I really didn't know what to expect and still am kind of shaky on what it's about. But because you know that I'm going to talk her I'll find something to talk about. So how you feeling about that feeling good about that. TJ has been important to me for a number of reasons. I work here. So it's really helping me in my life as far as taking care of my family and forward me the ability to do the things that I want to do with my life, but eh-eh has helped me out long before now.

01:35 So we've been here since May of 2019.

01:41 Cuz I'm about 8 months. Yeah, well.

01:47 I was a young single mom in Chicago raising kids and I tried to get into c h a housing for a long time. And I remember my mother telling me that.

01:59 Actually when she when I was a little kid my mom had Section 8 what they called it back then for a few years until she like maxed out on the income. So I wanted to get it when I got older because I knew it was good to have a subsidy to help you be able to make the ends meet even if you didn't have a lot of income you can still be stable. And so that's okay when you see if I can get that and the Section 8 waiting list have been closed since 1984.

02:35 So I wasn't going to get that and then as I became an adult and started having children, it was a struggle and I went to school and I had babies and and I worked and I tried to make everything happen for myself and we stayed in a back to him. It was like $300, you know.

03:00 The most expensive apartment I had was for 25 and that was a struggle because minimum wage was also for 25, you know, so I did everything I could to make the ends mean it was hard. Did you have any experience like that?

03:19 Well

03:22 I want to say that we moved into want to see HOA developments which was called Stateway Gardens back when I was the age of 5 and

03:33 One of the things that I can say about being a Safeway is that I witnessed a lot.

03:39 It was more like

03:43 Like I don't know it was like family because being a safe way to stay where you are until we always had babysitters, you know, we looked out for each other. If you needed some sugar you can go right to your neighbor. Going to do and asking for some sugar. But if no matter what time of night you came in, it was always somebody out there to watch you when they have gang fights. They will let us know that you know, it's a game fighter they going to be shooting and they will tell us to stay in so back during those times. They do you have a lot of respect for the residents who was that they had a lot of respect for the elderly which is totally different today.

04:24 I wasn't fortunate enough to have my own apartment inside the development, but I was fortunate enough when my mom was going through an eviction process. I was able to get the Section 8 voucher. And so that has been a blessing for me to have a place for me and my kids to live when I had my twin daughters. I was in the process of getting ready to go to a shelter.

04:51 But the property manager actually did like a split lease between me and my mother and allowed me to get the Section 8 voucher. So my first apartment was outside of a development and that was a lot that I had to learn because I have been living with my mom since my mid-20s, but I learned I learned

05:15 Can you have some help to feel is different for me? Because when I was growing up, I grow up and over communities Brainerd Park and South Park actually, which is where I still live today and it was this was our mindset if you not from here don't come here. And so I stayed where I was actually afraid to go to Whitney's cotton projects back then for anybody who doesn't know but I was scared to go to the projects because I would have never known that it was such a community that now after they're gone and after like my my husband grew up also in Stateway Gardens and so listen to the stories that he tell if it's a complete different picture than what I would have ever guessed. So it's always a place to find some good when you think it's all bad and it's not, you know CSA had a bad name to when I was coming up because of the

06:15 But you can still when I was struggling and applying for C H A. I applied for scatter site Southeast. And this was Diana's 27. Now. I applied when she was some of the stroller so she's probably one.

06:34 And

06:37 I can't update my information. I kept checking. I had more babies. I struggled I did. Okay. I struggled. I thought it was just life on life's terms and I was young mother. I was 20 when I had my first child and

06:54 As I will keep updating the system. They will say I will call and say what hey, I really need somewhere to stay. What can I do and then said, oh, well we have openings, but it said Robert Taylor.

07:07 And as crazy as it sounds I was like well, I just don't go through this homelessness or imma just leave my grandma because I was afraid based on what I had heard probably would have had rights to be afraid. You know, I was a young single mother so I probably would have been somebody that was looked at, you know for whatever reason but

07:34 Probably and when they first are fixing altgeld Gardens, they called me and that to me was as bad as Cabrini so was at the time now, it's like right now I got four boys and a daughter. I'm not taking my boys out there. So I didn't have to put my name back on the list and they did in like a year and a half later. I'm going to have two years later they call me back and I need you. So I said, well, you know what? I'm just step out on some say God got me and I went there not knowing what to expect but some negativity that I had been told but man when I got there it was so much different than what I have never now since I was a little kid growing up on 93rd and Throop where the whole block was family even though we weren't family.

08:34 We knew each other we participate in each other's lives in and we cared about each other. I found that and I'll get there and I was like, well, I was shocked because you know this drive you does not what they tell you to expect it was right on time when I needed it and then I found out they had this work requirement and school requirement when I was up my alley I wasn't working but I already have my bachelor's by that time when something like what I need to get my Master's now and what a better time to do. So then now cuz regardless of whatever my rent was going to be stable. That was I was looking for that stability and and being a resident gave me some stability so I can get stuff done, but I need to be done cuz I have other issues to

09:27 You know, I didn't know how to navigate life properly. I have some life skills that I needed to learn and boy. Let me tell you some hard lessons and I'll give Gardens but the best thing that ever happened to me because

09:47 It's okay.

09:49 Agnes backpack

09:51 But my life changed.

09:54 And he got better and it kept getting better.

10:01 I think being inside of being inside of the developments, you know, we learned a lot and then even moving outside of the developments. We learn a lot as it's like that wake-up call whereas

10:19 You get used to certain things. So for me, I was spoiled being in and stay away Gardens because I started doing it when I was 14. So I was doing a lot of women hair over there. Even the guys who sold drugs. They will have their girlfriends to come to me and get their hair done really support. And so I use that money to help me take care of my kid. So being in in situations where you know, you have that support and then you move move out and you don't have them neighbors anymore. I remember, you know what I move to one apartment and you know, the neighbors didn't say hi, you know, nobody said good morning, but when you do in a development, you know, people are always high, you know, making you laugh you can count on somebody to say something to you, right?

11:16 But you don't you don't experience that when when you get out it's like everybody minding your own business and I remember cuz I've I've been working on c h a contract. I started working on c h a contract back in 2003. And I remember when I was at work one day we were doing like an open house and it was like West on palmistry and

11:43 I got a call that someone had broke into my unit and my my kids were coming in when the burglars were coming out and I was on the street literally driving. I think I was going almost a hundred miles per hour and I was just so thankful that it wasn't any police officers out there, but

12:08 I knew then that.

12:10 I had to make a decision.

12:14 Chicago doesn't guarantee any place to be safe no matter where you move there some type of crammed. So I I knew that I couldn't move base on that.

12:25 I knew that I had to move based on better opportunities for my children. And so when they talked about at the time, but it's called Mobility now, but before it was called opportunity neighborhoods, and so learning about opportunity neighborhoods. I decide to move up north to Rogers Park to raise my kids. We had a park and in the back of the unit.

12:52 And I was glad for that the schools were like within walking distance all the stores within walking distance. So it was just like more opportunities for my children and it was it was less stressful. But also withholding the voucher their problems when you going out to rent these units because sometimes landlords don't want to read to South Shore holders because of the stigma.

13:23 That's out there.

13:26 But it worked out it worked out.

13:34 I stay like an audio for like 3 years and then I wound up I have been waiting all these years, right? My daughter is have swore. It was like 18 when I moved to argue with her entire life to get into the public housing. Oh my God that was good for time. But then it was feeding people from everywhere and to this community and it could have been a really nice thing except. It was really basically only one way in one way out dangerous people coming from all over the City Printing whatever baggage with them that they had. Some people have been there since the Inception of the place. It was just too much. I think the best thing that could have did for all that wasn't have the sense you are cuz now I can stay in the house and I think about before I was there when it happened are you even go outside if you're not working when you do you can go outside so it was some good things, but at the same time it start to get really bad and I

14:34 Really glad that they called my section 8 I have been waiting since 2014 for the 2014. No 2009. I've been waiting since 2009 and finally they called me in 2014 and I was able to get the Section 8 and I looked into it what you talked about body and it was called opportunity area.

15:01 But my experience with that is cuz I my son's goes to school. He goes to school on Old Town and so she should be really bad over there, but it's not anymore. And so I think I got a 4 bedroom voucher and opportunity areas pretty decent. Let me see what I could do all we want two months security. We want everything they could say to you without saying we don't want you to know they made a really like I'm reachable. I couldn't attain it. I'm even though I had a chance to have it better. It still was just out of my grasp, but it was okay because I went up where I came from which in South Shore South Shore the beautiful neighborhood you tell by the way, it's being gentrified right now that it's covered it and I came back to my roots and we found a really nice place.

15:59 And 6 years later. I still live in South Shore and I'm probably at this point ready to purchase, you know, cuz like I said my life kept getting better and I wound up getting my Master's Degree as a resident my wound up working for family Works in but I wanted more and I just started applying for CHF and everybody is like, oh it's hard to get in Charlotte times for Fort Hamilton 2017. Just let me in the door. I'm passionate about it. I mean some really good people Pam. Our team is really good. And I think that we're going places with this, you know, and you know, what else I like

16:59 We're breaking all of the seagullmen.

17:03 You know, I heard people talk about residents and in an unfavorable light, you know, but neither one of us sat around and million system. We use it for what it was intended for you do for us to become self-sufficient and

17:22 I don't know how easy or hard it was for you, but I know that I have some barriers, you know, I would think it would ever be easy.

17:33 Something else was happening over here and it would be hard and I'm just grateful for the experience and opportunity because I remember when I was writing my essay to get into my grad program what they want to know. Why did I want to answer that program and I have talked about giving back to the community and pulling the whole all the things that I wrote in that paper. I cuz I looked at it a couple months ago and my computer right now, so I never even thought I couldn't see this. I never even knew I wanted to work for Chicago Housing Authority before 2017, you know when I started playing but it's just amazing how things go for a circle if you really think about it, watch my whole life, too. I didn't know that I'm on Section 8

18:25 Can you talk about that stuff, you know, but she had for time so, I don't know. I'm just really grateful for all the experience and I can't wait to see what comes next, you know.

18:39 So what I want to I just want to touch on when you was talking about the bay area's. I just feel like life itself presents all kind of challenges and I don't think anything great will come easy without some work when I rent when I was in school cuz I have my master's as well and then I pursued one year towards my doctorate.

19:03 But I stopped and reason why I stopped is because I'm taking out all these student loan. I'm putting myself in further dead and my paycheck don't even match half of what I owe. So I'm like why?

19:26 But yeah the lights houses and another thing that I wanted to touch him was asked me what happened in my life.

19:34 We have to change our mind and change the way that we think so being in the development and then accustomed to certain things and being able to do things. So for example being in development, we never pay light and gas bill right but then when we didn't pay light and gas in Safeway, the pay was just rent, but then when you move out of the development and you move into the private sector and you're responsible for gas hot water

20:12 Then you got to pay ComEd for the electric and so with me that's why I say that it was some really hard lessons because that's not something that I'm accustomed to. So when it came to the bill coming or I'll pay that later or I'll pay that later because I didn't have the knowledge. So then guess what later the utilities got disconnected.

20:36 I'm going to smash a hard lesson hard lesson, right, but my man had the had the change. I didn't even care anything about credit didn't even know right. It's so funny that you say that because you tell me that you are complete 180 from that because you tell me about saving because of my life lessons because my wife left me and now you able to help somebody else because I've been saving

21:09 I didn't really I want to I mean I already wanted to do it, you know, but somebody told me that somebody was you more than I don't know why other people talk to me about it, but somehow I heard you more and I actually took effort after that. I actually took some action and started putting something on Saturday and go back and get it cuz they got to change to write I was used to taking care of myself all the time cuz I lived before I became a resident can once I became a South got a whole lot easier cuz we didn't pay utilities an angel either and that's not saying that that's why I got easier. I mean like every this is the reason for everything but life just got easier. I had that security lit out I needed and

22:04 Now that it could potentially leave I'm scared.

22:08 Do you want to get to that place where you don't need nothing, but it took my link away.

22:17 Free birthday food. You don't qualify leaving for the people won't say I don't need it cuz I need it but I don't qualify don't seem like food cost more if I don't have to spend cash, but that's another conversation about that because I didn't and it took my medical card number my Lord have mercy, how am I going to do this? You know, I had never been without that stuff cuz I always qualify for now because I was taking advantage of it and using it but because I needed it and I qualified for and so it was best and help me to make it to the next stage in my life. But now that I'm nearing that threshold well cover your income is probably a little

23:17 Too much and as your kids are little older that they can finally get some help with the place when I they look part time job will push you over the edge, but you know, they don't keep a not mind you, you know don't even know if you don't keep yours or not yet remind you but I'm at the point where I'm almost not on a subsidy anymore and I'm struggling more now than ever if that makes sense. It does it does make sense?

23:50 But that's the goal right for us to break poverty. We learn to save that's why we learned to change habits so that our kids what's the next Generation does not make the same mistakes that we make but now we do my children because they didn't know probably I remember like my grandmother had life insurance and you know what that's I just wasn't important to me as a younger person and you know in my mind and now that I'm older is like all this money when you get it back then you know, if you can get it cuz some people can't even get it for whatever reason why not even Health just because they were irresponsible with this stuff. So

24:45 What I've been through a whole whole whole whole whole whole lot in my life, but none of it feels character. It gives me a better inside or be able to help other people.

24:58 Did today go you know, I feel good about myself. So if I had to lose some stuff that I don't want to lose. I just got to put on my big-girl panties and do it.

25:25 Oh wow.

25:28 As usual is Stephanie with the mouth. I'm a domestic violence Survivor. I have experienced every form of it.

25:42 In my life

25:46 And I know how traumatic it is. That's probably one of the reasons why I wanted to go into the field to helps, you know, as a little girl. I was molested. You know me very young and I just wanted to know why people do what they do, you know, it's always like it when you grow up not even knowing all the way what that was, but it was like my goal to know cuz they're helping and I'm always going to happen to my brother and hurt his on whatever I'm fixing his scrapes or whatever. I've always had that nurturing spirit about me and

26:30 So I guess it was natural that I came into this type of work.

26:36 I want people to know that it's another way is the way out that you don't have to stay a statistic. You don't have to be what they say. You going to be, you know, you can be what you want to be and it might be hard to get that out of the Lord knows it was hard for me to get to this place. I might have made it look easy, but trust and believe it wasn't.

27:02 I feel like God wants me to.

27:06 YouTube everything is about God's glory, right?

27:09 But I feel like he wants me to because he kept me around I could have been dead.

27:19 But it shouldn't be around so that I could be a testimony, you know other people.

27:27 Sometimes you don't even know that you have problems or no. It's a problem with you get beat up everyday that's not normal and it's not love is you know.

27:42 That's not it. Sometimes people don't know.

27:46 Anybody else that they should think for something else that it looks like something else and all I know is I'm told

27:54 He said he loved me and you know.

28:01 What's up, I'll let you go to school and get some therapy. You know, we going to move you to a new unit, you know, it's time for all of that introduced. We can just have them with with the victim far are we into survivors? So we helped them two different programs that we have with chaa as well as some of which we have participated in our cells at least I from us from myself. Yeah, you know, so I know firsthand that this stuff works and I know that you just need to be motivated and

28:45 I don't get off today. Somebody did it for me. You know, I got to altgeld and I work with this woman. I want to say her name. My name is Gloria Schaefer. She was awesome and

28:58 That's what let me know that you didn't give up on me. She can't work with me. And sometimes I was needy, you know, and she still work with me. And I mean what's a job but at that time in my life I needed her to do her job. So, you know and it helped me and so I'm grateful that programs like this, you know, it's a little different what we do vs. What she did but I'm braver today's this because this could really make a difference in somebody's life and being really big changing point for them.

29:31 That's good, Stephanie.

29:34 That's really good. You know when you was talking I was thinking about how I will get on the train.

29:43 The Blue Line train and I will take it to the end of the line and I was just get up and just walk around.

29:51 My mother had no idea where I was at no idea, but I would do this because I used to want to see the outside world. And I remember another time when I was on the bus and just seeing the young girls with like they look pleated skirts on coming from private school and I used to be like, well, you know, I want to wear that outfit cuz I had a white shirt with a little tired and I was like, I don't want to do that I want cuz I thought that was so cool. And for some reason I just felt like they were just more intelligent have more education, you know being in a private schools.

30:31 But when I come into work to chaa and giving back

30:38 What we do if we help people make decisions that sometimes may be incapable of making them. We help guide people right who may need a little bit help in a direction. We motivate people.

30:58 Who just need that little extra push to do what they need to do. I remember, you know working for the family self-sufficiency program and there was one resident who was close to graduating from the program. She had about maybe a little over $9,000 in her escrow account. And for some reason the the asset development coordinator prior to me who had her on the caseload. It was like she couldn't get in contact with her anymore. So for me, I was a different kind of person I did things the non traditional way, so I went to her job everyday.

31:43 I didn't just go to her home. I went to her job because I was like this free money. You not about to lose this money. She did so one day she ended up calling because her supervisor told her she said, you know this lady be coming up here everyday hook for you. And so she called me and she was like what's going on I said listen you close to graduating you cannot you cannot afford to just throw this money back. And what happened is the lady was actually behind on her rent.

32:14 Bath towels and some dollars. We put her in a in a homeless prevention fund to help her with the money so that she can get some of the portion to pay her rent help the with CDL so she can get money towards paying my utilities, but then I was able to motivate her to bring any documentation that she needed to graduate.

32:36 When it was time for her to graduate she called me and she said listen. I just checked my bank account. It's a little over $11,000 in my bank account. And she was like, I just need to know that this is the money that came through the family self-sufficiency program because I'm not touching it. I don't want the feds to come after me. I don't want to bother me. So I said you know, what? Hold on one second. Let me run a check on my supervisor. I ran a check on my supervisor. They told me that they release the funds into her account and you know, I got back on the phone and I told her I said this is your money and she turns around and she said you know what she said you were like a pitbull. He said you were a pitbull she said but I'm so glad that you did this because I need this money. And so that's that's what we do for these residents because of our life challenges because of what we've been through it strengthened us for today to be able to help the resume.

33:36 To motivate them cuz we don't know what they going through. They may be having that same storm that we had and so we went to it and experience it so we can turn around and help them to be a domino effect. So that's why we're here to give back and help them through.

33:53 Play the way you put that have some good stuff. Thank you for nothing just here to get a paycheck will bring so much more to the work that we do here and JJ has had a bad name for a lot of different reasons over the years but I ain't been nothing but a blessing to my life was horrible is still turn out better for me all things work for the good right and that's what happened. And you know, what else I want to say the pressure like there's a lot of pressure but pressure brains Diamond. It brings out creativity. I even remember when we was in a state and state way and the games were fighting against each other the GDs against the biddies the Beatties used to be del-vikings before they turn to BD's so we had this really big field in between the building.

34:54 And so in order for them, I lived in the second story and then the back buildings went up to the 17th floor. I believe the cemetery of 1814 and so they will have to go through this field to get to the one in the back building. But if they're fighting and shooting right they can't leave the building. So it was amazing how creative they were the men would literally put on wigs and Restless dress like a woman and they will push they will push want a baby stroller because at that time the game bangers would not shoot if they saw a kid out there or if they saw elderly person woman, they would not shoot and so that's how they were able to get across from one building to the next and I used to just sit out there and just and just watch that because that was so amazing to me to be to come up with that creative a

35:54 But that's how they kept themselves for being shot. That's how they kept themselves for being fake. I mean to be safe. So with the pressure pressure definitely brings out on creativity. Think about even though the situation that we're in when we're dealing with these traumatic victims. So the pressure that we get it helps our creativity to come out and helping them get to the next stage of a life.

36:27 We both been through some pretty big experiences and

36:34 Brown something we pretty smart too. Yeah, I think so too cuz we use it to not only get us where we needed to be but also for us to reach and give to somebody else and that's a big hard so

36:51 I'm just glad you're my coworker. I appreciate you as a person appreciation.

37:01 Is amazing how I saw his have some similarity different but they still have some similarities, you know, and

37:11 It has me know I'm not unique and it lets me know that other people can do the same thing. We did. You know what you are unique cuz there's nobody like 7, I will never meet another Stephanie Thompson. They may be similar, but they'll never be you. Yeah, you know you can I mean, I know I'm not alone you in person. But you know, I'm not that you need to wear. I'm the only person that could you know, I took the statistics said I wasn't going to do nothing with my life. My mama was seventeen when she had me my daddy was around I was a latchkey kid, you know, I had to learn how to be sufficient because I wanted to be but I had to be I have so many things stacked up against me. I've been abused and molested, you know, it's like so many times.

38:10 Before the age of of sex like 5 times man. Wow. Yeah. I'm on my way there. I was going to be another statistic, you know, I was going to keep that Trend going but I wanted something different and I did what I had to to get that some different some emotional. Yes, but you broke you broke the statistic, right? But they said that you weren't going to be nothing you are something right. Another thing that they say about us being residence of the Chicago Housing Authority. They say they're uneducated right? So we proved them wrong with that because we don't have a GED right? We don't only have a high school diploma. We don't only have an associate's degree. We don't only have a Bachelors, but we have a masters as well. So we're not uneducated where educate.

39:10 So we beat it. We beat it. Now they may be assisting us with our housing in the meantime, but we going to beat that too. Right cuz life come in stages so will grow and we'll get to that point where we on our own home. We don't need any subsidy.

39:27 And that's the plan, you know, you got a bunch of great story Sue to tell your grandson your new grandson that you have right? You can tell him all about Grandma struggles right and all your hurdles.

39:42 You know what? I appreciate about this we're able to walk through life and mingle on you side of the street. You know, I think that's an awesome thing. I think it takes the skill, you know, everybody don't know how to act in any given situation and I think that we are like really blessed.

40:13 I know the word I'm looking for.

40:16 But I think we really blessed people and that we have so many bad things that God have certain people that he uses to be certain things, you know to be these vessels to bring light and hoping you know,

40:35 And I just feel like it's people like us that he choose to do that the ones that they've been through and got through and you know, I don't know if I'm saying this in a good way. I think you are just thinking about what you said I think about when we ride the train or you know, when we ride the bus, we always see people getting on and off right at certain stops they getting on and they also getting off and we can have one seat on either side of us or just one seat depending on where we sit in the train as long as that one person is there that seat is being occupied until they get up and then the next person comes on. So it's the same thing with us and I walk a life, right? We got people that come in and out of my life for specific reasons for specific times, but we just take what we can from it.

41:35 Learn what we can let them help us not hold on to him so that they can get off on they stop and the next person can get on. That's how we learn right? You will not learn from each other. We learn from the people that come in my life whether it be good or bad.

41:52 Just don't hold on to that person. Let them get off on a stop so that the next person could get on because you don't know if that next person is the one that help you answer your home, right?

42:08 But thank you so much Pam. I enjoyed this conversation with you. He always bring some good stuff to the table. Thank you. I enjoyed it with you as well.