What If Homelessness Isn’t a Choice—But a Trauma We Refuse to See?
What if the most dangerous myth about homelessness is that people choose it—or deserve it? In this powerful episode of the And Now Love podcast, Cynthia Marks (Holistic Psychoanalysis Foundation) speaks with Amy Turk, CEO of the Downtown Women’s Center, about women’s homelessness on Skid Row and how trauma-informed care, trust, and dignity create real change. Amy shares how the Downtown Women’s Center began in 1978 after its founder met Rosa, a woman left without support after mental health institutions were defunded, and how the organization grew from a day center into housing, health services, employment pathways, and advocacy. They discuss why women’s homelessness is rising (about 30% of the unhoused population; ~22,000 women in LA on any given night), the role of gender-based violence and chronic trauma, and why “real change happens at the pace of trust.” The conversation covers outreach strategies tailored to women’s safety, supportive housing that includes long-term clinical and medical support (with a 98% housing-retention rate), the social enterprise “Made by DWC,” and policy solutions like rent subsidies, prevention funding, and investing in affordable/public housing. Amy also explains funding challenges (about 60% government-funded and increasingly precarious), why cuts may increase homelessness, and how listeners can help through volunteering, donating from the DWC wishlist, and calling elected officials to support housing. Visit: downtownwomenscenter.org

Host: Cynthia Marks, creator/host of And Now Love.
Featured Guests: Amy Turk, Chief Executive Officer at Downtown Women's Center

Core ideas: biomarkers, epigenetics, pregnancy and trauma research

Episode length: 50:08

Follow our socials:

Instagram / / andnowlove.podcast

Facebook / / And Now Love Podcast

Youtube / / @AndNowLovePodcast

TikTok / / and.now.love.podc

Timestamps:
00:00 Radical Care Meets Deep Psychology (Cynthia’s Introduction)
01:59 How the Downtown Women’s Center Began: Rosa, Skid Row & a Daytime Sanctuary
04:47 What Women Need Most: Trauma, Violence, and the Rising Numbers
06:46 Change Happens at the Pace of Trust: Trauma-Informed Support in Action
11:11 Advocacy & Systems Change: Taking the Fight Upstream to DC
16:38 Supportive Housing That Works: Long-Term Care + Health & Mental Health Services
17:58 Work as Healing: The ‘Made by DWC’ Social Enterprise & Employment Pathways
20:44 ‘It’s Not What’s Wrong With You’: Trauma-Informed Care, Therapy Options & Women’s Safety
25:31 Street Outreach That Actually Connects: Building Trust, One Woman at a Time
38:37 A Day at DWC: Breakfast, Showers, Case Management, and Community Activities
40:24 When the Day Center Closes: The Hardest Part Is Nightfall
41:51 Permanent Housing & Campus Expansion: 119 Units, 500 Supported, +97 More
42:52 How Homelessness Accelerates Aging: Stress, Trauma, and Health Decline
44:27 Day Programs That Create Exits: Financial Literacy, Certifications, and Dignity
46:38 Keeping Families Together: Kids, Reunification, and the Housing Bottleneck
50:36 Funding Cuts & Rising Need: Why More People Will Be Turned Away
53:46 Policy Fixes That Work: Rent Subsidies, Prevention, and Basic Income
56:55 Why Supportive Housing Sticks: Relationships, Healthcare, and Advocacy
01:00:53 Love as Leadership: Trauma-Informed Culture and Hiring the Right People
01:03:29 How You Can Help: Volunteering, Smart Donations, and Calling Officials
01:06:32 Rewriting Trust & Identity After Homelessness: Healing, Breathwork, and Hope
01:09:23 Final Thanks & How to Find Downtown Women’s Center