Roof Over Your Head

“You want to know you have a place where your kids can come.” This story is from the Invisible Project, a collaboration between the Welcome Project and Porter County Coalition for Affordable Housing, Housing Opportunities, Gabriel’s Horn, Dayspring Women’s Center, and Porter County Museum. Hold a Conversation Can you imagine leading a conversation about this […]

How Did This Happen?

“That whole transition from having a nice house to being homeless – it was a shock.” Welcome Project at Valparaiso University · How Did This Happen? Edited by Amanda Yonushatis. Transcript for How Did This Happen? Part 1: How Did This Happen? “That whole transition from having a nice house to being homeless – it was a […]

Every Day Is Questionable

“Living in your car… it’s not a home.” Welcome Project at Valparaiso University · Every Day Is Questionable Story by Connor O’Hagin. Edited by Amanda Yonushatis. Transcript for Every Day Is Questionable I don’t’ know what exactly led up to it, but there was an eviction. I had to pack everything up, but there was […]

To Have a Yacht in Valpo

“Today and tomorrow are going to be frigid – zero degrees again.” Welcome Project at Valparaiso University · To Have a Yacht in Valpo Story by Eric Beaubreau. Edited by Amanda Yonushatis. Transcript for To Have a Yacht in Valpo So, I’m not native to here, but I’ve been here a while. If I had […]

Very White-Looking

“I remember having to make a distinct choice of who I was going to hang out with.” Welcome Project at Valparaiso University · Very White-Looking Edited by Nick Ladeau Transcript for Very White-Looking So my dad’s from Mexico, and my mom’s from Wisconsin, so I’m really Mexican-American. And he decided that we live in America, […]

Starting to Change

“As I got older…my freedom to be outside was definitely different.” Welcome Project at Valparaiso University · Starting To Change Edited by Olivia Brown Transcript for Started to Change I live in Northwest Indiana for about eight months now. I just moved there last year. I lived in Dolton before. Dolton is, it’s more of […]

You Pay for It in the End

“At 13, I started waitressing…I was making more money than anybody I knew.” Welcome Project at Valparaiso University · You Pay For It In The End Produced by Amanda Yonushatis Transcript for You Pay for It in the End I was born in Maryville, Tennessee. It was a very small town at the time. We […]

Where Is Everybody Running Away To?

“The potential in Gary was and still is tremendous.” Edited by Welcome Project Intern Ella Speckhard Transcript for Where Is Everyone Running Away To? Everything was changing so fast. It was changing too fast. Everybody can adjust to change, but it just seemed like it happened overnight. But the physical town changed. And then, when […]

The Patch

“Anybody who was not well-connected, you go to the Patch.” Edited by Welcome Project Intern Ella Speckhard Transcript for The Patch My grandmother, my mother’s mother, was a twin. And they left Poland and they didn’t speak English. They had a note on their—pinned to their thing: Chicago. And so, they, you know, landed in […]