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Activist 
Black Girl & Amazing Motivational Speaker

Lyric Wardlow is a knowledgeable advocate for people experiencing homelessness, strong leader within her community, and an authentic motivational speaker on chronic instability and poverty as a young black girl.

[LBJ Future Forum] The Hidden Homeless in Austin: Children and Families
01:25:52
TheLBJLibrary

[LBJ Future Forum] The Hidden Homeless in Austin: Children and Families

On Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2019, the LBJ Future Forum convened a discussion about the families and children in Austin who are experiencing homelessness. Our panelists included: - Susan McDowell, Chief Executive Officer, LifeWorks - Matthew Mollica, Executive Director, Ending Community Homelessness Coalition (ECHO) - Lyric Wardlow, Homelessness advisor, member of the Homelessness Advisory Committee of Austin (HACA) and ECHO's Membership Council - Kelly Soucy, Director of Student Emergency Services, The University of Texas at Austin - Moderator: Jo Kathryn Quinn, President and CEO, Caritas of Austin The Future Forum is the LBJ Presidential Library's public policy group. Learn more: http://www.lbjfutureforum.org
Fiercely Focused | Austin Youth Collective (AYC)
07:22
Ending Community Homelessness Coalition - ECHO

Fiercely Focused | Austin Youth Collective (AYC)

Lived expertise of homelessness is key to the Austin Youth Collective's identity and mission. Formed in 2018, the ever-changing group of young adults provides input, feedback, and perspective to groups like ECHO and LifeWorks to inform and guide programs that serve people experiencing homelessness. As current member Mesha Fox puts it: "No one knows what somebody needs on the streets better than somebody who's been on the streets." For Homeless Youth Awareness Month in November, AYC's current members partnered with ECHO to produce, shoot, write, and edit this video, showcasing why they're Fiercely Focused on ending homelessness. Visit austinyouthcollective.org to learn more about authentically engaging people with lived expertise.

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The topic of homelessness can be heavy, sad, and rife with chaos and tragedy. Not for Lyric Wardlow. When I listened to her keynote speech at a national convention on youth homelessness, I felt inspired and encouraged. In shedding light on the issue of homelessness among youth, Lyric was able to weave hope throughout her message. Her storytelling is compelling. The entire audience laughed along with her memories of living in a homeless shelter, teared up as she described living in squalor in a house unfit for human beings, and most importantly cheered with delight at her reflections of her childhood and how far she has come. My team and I agree, Lyric's keynote speech was the highlight of the conference, and left us excited about continuing our work helping youth experiencing homelessness. 

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