We cannot pursue radical ideas of friendship, co-living, and community without talking about HOUSING.

It's been the unspoken elephant in the room in some of our past episodes on group living, platonic life partnerships, aging, and queer chosen family. You might have listened to those episodes thinking, okay, this is great. But literally HOW?

The logistics of making a life are difficult right now. Housing is a mess even doing thing the "conventional" way...much less trying NEW ways to build a chosen family, maintaining proximity to your friends, and keeping loneliness at bay. Our guest Michael Freedman-Schnapp is a housing policy expert who walks us through the social trends and policy changes that got us here, and some of the possible solutions to a very complex set of problems.

More episode notes and reference links to the studies and books mentioned in this conversation at: https://emergencycontacts.substack.com/p/we-solved-the-housing-crisis

Our special guest, writer and activist Sarah Schulman, joins us to discuss the practical realities of building community from her perspective as an activist, community organizer, and artistic mentor!

This season, we have explored the ways we can forge friendship and chosen family. One angle we haven't yet examined is the the power of rallying around a shared cause. This, too, is a form of community, and of family.

We were honored to speak with Sarah about so many things -- her writing, her time in Act Up, her opinions on group unity and successful advocacy, and her thoughts on today's political climate. We also discuss her artistic achievements: building spaces for queer experimental filmmakers; being a generalist; and the legacy of mentoring younger generations of writers.

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Follow Amrita & Andrew at emergencycontacts.substack.com

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The books by Sarah Schulman that we mention in this episode include:

Let The Record Show: A Political History of Act Up

Conflict is Not Abuse

After Delores

Today, a topic that many of us would rather avoid: old age. We discuss what it looks like to grow old in today's increasingly lonely world, where people have fewer children, divorce is more common, and the reality of nuclear family and housing norms means that elders often end up isolated.

First, we speak with Jasmine McFarlane, who works with older adults at Lenox Hill Neighborhood House, one of the oldest settlement houses in the country). Next, we welcome Christina DaCosta of SAGE, an advocacy group for LGBTQ+ elders.

We talk about what our seniors need to thrive today, the greatest challenges they face, and how their orgs are attempting to meet those needs. With it, the reality that --with any luck-- we too will grow old.

Here's a fun fact: friendship is actually shown to be more beneficial for older people than marriage, reducing the health burdens of loneliness and acting as a greater predictor of lifespan. What foundations are you laying now for the future you -- in relationships, family, and community? How are you caring for folks in older generations, and how do you wish to be cared for in turn as you age?

This episode tapped into our empathy and curiosity about aging -- we hope it'll do the same for you.

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• Follow Amrita & Andrew at their weekly newsletter, Emergency Contacts (emergencycontacts[dot]substack[dot]com)
• Find out more about getting involved at SAGE , or volunteering at Lenox Hill. Follow these orgs on Instagram @sageusa and @lenoxhillneighborhoodhouse
• Check out our most recent two episodes, which relate closely to many of the topics we cover today. We talk about Group Living with Lola Milholland, and about centering your life around friendship, with Rhaina Cohen.