For my second summer LIA project I chose to work with Warsaw House Foundation, a Polish NGO that offers housing and social support to LGBTQ+ people living in Warsaw, including refugees and asylum seekers. I had several ideas for what I wanted to do and especially wanted to challenge myself by living in a non-English speaking country. I reached out to several organisations to see if any of them were interested in taking on an intern for a short-term project pitched based on what I could find online, and hit it off immediately with the lovely team at Warsaw House.
The experience
I initially planned on conducting research for the foundation that would support fundraising and grant applications on the importance of LGBTQ+ housing justice. Although LGBTQ+ people are disproportionately likely to be unhoused or in unsafe living situations, homelessness is often overlooked in advocacy – it lacks publicity, is expensive to fund, and requires constant support that nonprofit funding cycles often struggle with. One of Warsaw House’s key offerings is their emergency housing program, which the WHF team found was difficult to attract stable funding for, and more research could help with this.
However, once we started working, it became clear that doing this kind of research well would be very complex and require more time and expertise, such as collecting our own data since official sources are lacking. After a discussion, we decided that a self-contained project would be the most effective way I can support the foundation: I decided to focus on one of the other options I proposed, updating and redesigning the foundation’s website, which hasn’t been updated since 2022.
At the end of my LIA project, I was very lucky to be able to attend the Technical Assistance Conference in Warsaw, featuring nonprofit leaders from around the world working on LGBTQ+ housing issues. During the conference, I served as a photographer and interviewed delegates to support a publicity campaign for the WHF on raising awareness about LGBTQ+ homelessness.
What I enjoyed
Working with WHF on supporting LGBTQ+ people was really fulfilling, and it felt like I was making a difference in real terms when assisting at mutual aid and community events. Although Warsaw is relatively tolerant, Poland is in many ways a hostile environment, particularly in terms of xenophobia, religious conservatism, and transphobia. I learned so much about what it’s like to run a housing support service for LGBTQ+ people and refugees here, the challenges and the unexpected victories. The conference was an especially unique experience, where I was able to meet and learn about LGBTQ+ housing issues from leaders around the world, from New York City to Lagos to Port of Spain in Trinidad and Tobago.
I’ve never been to Eastern Europe before, so living alone in Warsaw was also a really enjoyable learning experience for me. Despite my rather lacking grasp of Polish, I’ve made so many friends and memories in Warsaw, and I definitely hope to be back one day.
What I’d do differently
There was never enough time! I was really eager to get into all kinds of different work. Looking back, I think I definitely overestimated what I would be able to complete in my time there, especially as all kinds of odd tasks for the conference began to consume everyone’s lives. I’ve stayed in active contact with the WHF team to finish some of the parts I wasn’t able to complete in Warsaw, though I wish I had planned out the hand-over process better.
What I learned
Absolutely anything can happen, so being prepared/flexible was really important. Although I wasn’t involved in directly working with WHF’s clients for safety and language reasons, all kinds of emergencies, last minute calls, and unexpected events popped up all the time that I assisted with or had to schedule my time around. Every day was different!
For someone who really likes clear expectations and deadlines, this was often a challenge. In front-line services like those that WHF offered as well as around large events like the conference, I learned that this was typical and often necessary to be able to support the people who needed it the most. This experience really taught me to thrive in high pressure situations and prepare myself to expect the unexpected.
How I would take this forward
As a queer person who grew up in a often stereotyped and queerphobic environment and now living in the UK, the shared experience of hope and joy in the face of difficulty inspires me in my own life and work. I’m very grateful for this experience and hope to take what I’ve learned during my LIA to become a more adaptable and resilient leader, and to act in solidarity and hope to make the world, even if only in a small way, a better place.