In this episode, I sit down with Jackie from Elevate Yoga, a downtown business owner located in the heart of “unhoused central.” Jackie shares her firsthand experience navigating the complex realities of homelessness, loitering, safety, and humanity in shared public spaces. She opens up about balancing compassion and understanding with the everyday challenges of keeping her doors open. We also talk about the incredible support she’s shown for Sheboygan Area Pay It Forward and the many ways she engages with our unhoused peers.

Chapters

• (00:00:00 ) - Sheboygan: Main Street Businesses
• (00:01:26 ) - Community Yoga Studio
• (00:02:37 ) - Housing the Unemployed Near My Business
• (00:08:12 ) - Downtown Milwaukee: Everything in the downtown
• (00:08:23 ) - What to Do About Loud People in the Alley
• (00:11:29 ) - How do you balance being a compassionate human with protecting your space staff
• (00:17:01 ) - Volunteers bring backpacks and wagons
• (00:18:29 ) - A conversation with a homeless couple at yoga
• (00:22:21 ) - Unhomeless Businessowners Speak Out
• (00:28:06 ) - Local residents speak out about the streetcar
• (00:28:38 ) - Additional resources needed for the homeless
• (00:34:56 ) - 8th Street Business owners Talk to People in the Alley
• (00:40:51 ) - The Need for Self-Defense
• (00:41:35 ) - The Real World of Running a Business in a Homeless Community
• (00:45:40 ) - What Do You Do For Someone Who's Unhomeless?
• (00:47:37 ) - Sheboygan Stories: How's an Ain't an unheard?