While transitioning from one gender to another, Kavya experienced homelessness suddenly and unexpectedly in 2022, after being told to leave home. Living unhoused for almost a year was scary. It also was frustrating, as many attempts to find housing yielded nothing. But that luck changed one day when an acquaintance recommended Abode to Kavya. Abode helped Kavya find housing, then connected Kavya to an IT jobs program. Kavya would also like to help people in need, having seen in person the struggles that low-income individuals face.

“Poor people shouldn’t be dehumanized,” Kavya said. “They’re wrongly seen as people who made bad decisions when, in fact, people are homeless from a system that seems rigged from the start.”