Our Streets Collective protested homeless sweeps in Pittsburgh by camping alongside community members experiencing homelessness, after attempted collaboration with the city where they were mostly used for PR. In this episode I interview co-founder Sam Schmidt. They are a mutual aid collective that does not get government funding, or any grants of any kind. They advocate for those in need and help members of their community who are unhoused, incarcerated, or just hungry. “We’re just neighbors … there’s a difference between charity and solidarity,” as Sam says in the interview. They are part of a network of different mutual organizations, and they do a food distribution outside of the local jail to help people coming out, and they have even had people who were in jail do a sock drive for those unhoused. Most of all what they do is exist with the community, they give space and facilitate discussion for people to be able to share their personal experiences, and they fight for people based on those needs and what they are going through at that time. As a collective, they are doing something with and for the community every day of the week.

LINK TO YOUTUBE VIDEO OF INTERVIEW

“The only metric for success here is the experience of homelessness. So if my people are suffering, then we're going to keep showing up.” -Sam

Here is a link to their website’s donation page if you want to help them, as well as their Patreon where you can subscribe and donate to access pieces written by members:

Donate — Our Streets Collective

Our Streets Collective | A mutual aid collective serving Pittsburgh's poor and unhoused | Patreon

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