What If Homelessness Isn’t a Choice—But a Trauma We Refuse to See? What if the most dangerous myth about homelessness is that people choose it—or deserve it? In this powerful episode of the And Now Love podcast, Cynthia Marks (Holistic Psychoanalysis Foundation) speaks with Amy Turk, CEO of the Downtown Women’s Center, about women’s homelessness on Skid Row and how trauma-informed care, trust, and dignity create real change. Amy shares how the Downtown Women’s Center began in 1978 after its founder met Rosa, a woman left without support after mental health institutions were defunded, and how the organization grew from a day center into housing, health services, employment pathways, and advocacy. They discuss why women’s homelessness is rising (about 30% of the unhoused population; ~22,000 women in LA on any given night), the role of gender-based violence and chronic trauma, and why “real change happens at the pace of trust.” The conversation covers outreach strategies tailored to women’s safety, supportive housing that includes long-term clinical and medical support (with a 98% housing-retention rate), the social enterprise “Made by DWC,” and policy solutions like rent subsidies, prevention funding, and investing in affordable/public housing. Amy also explains funding challenges (about 60% government-funded and increasingly precarious), why cuts may increase homelessness, and how listeners can help through volunteering, donating from the DWC wishlist, and calling elected officials to support housing. Visit: downtownwomenscenter.org Host: Cynthia Marks, creator/host of And Now Love. Featured Guests: Amy Turk, Chief Executive Officer at Downtown Women's Center Core ideas: biomarkers, epigenetics, pregnancy and trauma research Episode length: 50:08 Follow our socials: Instagram / / andnowlove.podcast Facebook / / And Now Love Podcast Youtube / / @AndNowLovePodcast TikTok / / and.now.love.podc Timestamps: 00:00 Radical Care Meets Deep Psychology (Cynthia’s Introduction) 01:59 How the Downtown Women’s Center Began: Rosa, Skid Row & a Daytime Sanctuary 04:47 What Women Need Most: Trauma, Violence, and the Rising Numbers 06:46 Change Happens at the Pace of Trust: Trauma-Informed Support in Action 11:11 Advocacy & Systems Change: Taking the Fight Upstream to DC 16:38 Supportive Housing That Works: Long-Term Care + Health & Mental Health Services 17:58 Work as Healing: The ‘Made by DWC’ Social Enterprise & Employment Pathways 20:44 ‘It’s Not What’s Wrong With You’: Trauma-Informed Care, Therapy Options & Women’s Safety 25:31 Street Outreach That Actually Connects: Building Trust, One Woman at a Time 38:37 A Day at DWC: Breakfast, Showers, Case Management, and Community Activities 40:24 When the Day Center Closes: The Hardest Part Is Nightfall 41:51 Permanent Housing & Campus Expansion: 119 Units, 500 Supported, +97 More 42:52 How Homelessness Accelerates Aging: Stress, Trauma, and Health Decline 44:27 Day Programs That Create Exits: Financial Literacy, Certifications, and Dignity 46:38 Keeping Families Together: Kids, Reunification, and the Housing Bottleneck 50:36 Funding Cuts & Rising Need: Why More People Will Be Turned Away 53:46 Policy Fixes That Work: Rent Subsidies, Prevention, and Basic Income 56:55 Why Supportive Housing Sticks: Relationships, Healthcare, and Advocacy 01:00:53 Love as Leadership: Trauma-Informed Culture and Hiring the Right People 01:03:29 How You Can Help: Volunteering, Smart Donations, and Calling Officials 01:06:32 Rewriting Trust & Identity After Homelessness: Healing, Breathwork, and Hope 01:09:23 Final Thanks & How to Find Downtown Women’s Center

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