I hate that I feel compelled to censor tf out of this, but I want to show you all more of this project without hundreds of strangers knowing approximately where I live.
A bunch of you might already know this, but I've been working on resources lists hosted through Linktree for different cities in the U.S. My hope is to expand the project to a bunch of different cities, but you can only have one Linktree account per email, so I'd need other people to sign up and make resource lists for their cities then send me the links to be added to the master list in order to make this big. If you'd be interested in creating a resource list for the main list, you can use the instructions at the end of the post.
While this started off as me just wanting to create a portable index of local resources that people can easily access on desktop or mobile anywhere they can get a data or internet connection, it's also had the interesting side effect of showing me where the gaps in resources are for different nearby cities.
Like the first one I did was for the city I currently live in, which is mid-sized and has moderate issues with crime and poverty. Pretty much every section of the list I could think of was filled out except "gang violence prevention" because it's a relatively new issue in the region. There are double digits of shelters and food pantries, sliding-scale mental health resources, ADA compliant transportation options, substance abuse programs, etc. So even though the city is of decent size and has its issues, it's pretty well-served by the different organizations in the region.
Then I went to do the city where I'm currently helping out on housing rights action, which is slightly smaller but still has moderate issues with crime and poverty. There is only one shelter in the entire city, and it's only a cold-weather shelter, so it doesn't have the capacity to keep people past 7AM. The next nearest ones are 11 miles away in a neighboring city. There are no non-denominational shelters or food banks - everything is church-run, and most food banks are usually open once every two weeks, sometimes only during the hours that a normal person would be working a 9-5.
It may not currently be within my power to create shelters, food banks, assistance programs, etc. but these lists are shaping up to be a pretty neat way to point out to local people, particularly local politicians, in which ways the local community is underserved.
Just want to keep propping the project as it progresses since it's A) low commitment, and B) something pretty much anyone can get involved in. If you have questions about it, feel free to message me!
[Instruction text:
Interested in adding a city to the list? See the steps below!
Create a Linktr.ee account. You will need an email that is not already associated with Linktr.ee.
Name your Linktr.ee as “[city name]resources.” If that name is already taken, add numbers to the end (1,2,3, etc.). Do whatever you like with the style of your Linktr.ee (background, button style, etc.). If you choose a profile picture for your Linktr.ee, it must be SFW.
Add resources for your city as individual links.
Do not add links to NSFW or any other inappropriate content. Your links will all be checked before your list is added to the master list, and inappropriate content may delay or prevent addition of your list.
It is also recommended that you add a link that gives contact information for your list in case someone wants to contact you to add a resource. This could be in the form of a Google Doc like this, a link to an email, a Google Form, or something else.
Copy the link to your Linktr.ee and send it to [email protected] with the city and state in the email title to have your resource list added to the main list.]
