December 4, 2025 • 31 mins
Aisha discusses how COTS focuses their services on asisting families experiencing homelessness and the unique resouces required.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:01):
Welcome to Light Up the D, focus on what's happening
in our community from the people who make it happen.
Here's your host, iHeartMedia Detroit Market President Colleen Grant.
Speaker 2 (00:16):
Good morning and welcome to another episode of Light Up
the D. I'm your host, Colleen Grant. Our guest today
is Asha Morel Ferguson, Chief Development Officer at KATZ. Asha
has been instrumental in elevating the KOTS brand, shifting the
narrative toward triumph, resilience and possibility, and reshaping how the
community understands and supports families experiencing homelessness and instability. Through
(00:38):
her strategic leadership and compelling storytelling, she has helped expand
public awareness, deep in philanthropic investment and advance initiatives that
create pathways to stability and success. Today, KOTS serves thousands
of adults and children each year, working to break the
cycle of generational poverty and build strong, sustainable futures. Driven
(00:58):
by passion, purpose, and a commitment to equity, Asha continues
to champion opportunities for families to thrive while strengthening the
neighborhoods and communities they call home. More information about COTS
can be found at Cootsdetroit dot org. Please join me
and welcoming Asha morel Ferguson. Thank you for joining me.
Speaker 3 (01:15):
Thank you so much for having me. It's a pleasure
to be here and I'm excited to talk to you.
Speaker 2 (01:19):
I am too, So let's get to it. Help everybody understand,
including me, more about what COTS is, what COTS does,
how long it's been around, who it serves.
Speaker 3 (01:27):
Absolutely so, COTS has been in the city Detrait since
nineteen eighty two, so we're going on twenty three years
here relation city. Thank you so much. It initially started
as Coalition on Temporary Shelter many years ago. That coalition
of being a group of people, a group of organizations,
city leaders and church leaders that came together to try
to solve the problem of homelessness among single men. Over
(01:50):
the course of time, the needs evolved. We saw more
and more challenges with homelessness with single women and then
eventually families, and over the course of the years, serve
we're very pointed towards single men single women, but not
as much toward families, and so COTS began serving families
more regularly, and in twenty fifteen we focused our services
(02:10):
strictly on serving families and helping families overcome poverty and homelessness.
Speaker 2 (02:14):
Huh, And that's so interesting and that's different than some
other organizations. Then that you specifically focus on families absolutely,
and what kinds of differences does that make with how
you serve your communities then.
Speaker 3 (02:24):
Yeah, So our programs and services are geared toward family needs.
So one, we offer emergency shelter specificity for families, and
that means that our shelter is available for families of
all structures and all sizes. So we don't want to
see families separated. We want to make sure that they're
able to stay together. So we have no limitations on
what a family looks like outside of the fact that
it is a dealt person or persons with minor children.
(02:47):
And so emergency shelter is a focus of ours. Supportive housing,
affordable housing as well as children's services. We provide services
for families that of course have needs around supporting their
children's stability, and so that includes early childhood education head
start as well as other resources specifically to help children
get exactly what they need. And in addition to that,
(03:10):
we have something called the Passport to self sufficiency framework,
which we can talk about in Yeah, we will in
more depth.
Speaker 2 (03:17):
But that's interesting. I mean because serving a homeless person
who has no children as opposed to somebody who does
is radically different model that you really have to consider
when you put together your services.
Speaker 3 (03:30):
Absolutely, and that's exactly where the Passport to self sufficiency
came into play.
Speaker 2 (03:34):
Let's get to it. So let's talk about the Passport
to self sufficiency. I want to hear more about it.
Speaker 3 (03:39):
Yeah, So what happened is we realize that without addressing
other specific needs, that we would find families returning to shelter.
I mean, we would see that actually happening. So you know,
we would work with a family, we'd have them house
or define housing for them, but then within a year,
two years, they'd be right back at our door. I
mean that's because we're realizing we were really and that
(04:00):
certain key components to their stability we're not being addressed.
And so we like to see it as like five
spokes on a wheel. If any one of these five
spokes are fragmented, then it threatens the stability of that
entire vehicle that the family is in. And so for us,
those spokes include family stability and that includes housing, that
includes all services connected to the child's well being and stability.
(04:21):
In that moment, it could be vital documents, it could
be making sure that they have the basic needs such
as clothing or general resources for day to day support.
In addition, the second spoke would be finances and so
working with them on helping them understand the structure and
the needs around what their finances should look like it
(04:42):
need to look like for their family stability. And then
the third would be health and well being, and that
encompasses physical health and wellbeing, emotional health and well being,
mental health and well being, but also social health and
well being because that social capital is a critical part
to opportunities to help them to thrive and succeeds. And
then the fourth spoke would be education and job training.
(05:03):
And then the fifth spoke is employment and income because
employment is one thing, but income and being able to
actually see their income increase over the course of time
is what leads a family towards stability and to thriving
and not just surviving. Those things are really the framework
for the passport to self sufficiency, and so we're able
to deliver those particular services and support through something called
(05:26):
mobility coaching mobility mentorship excuse me, coaching and mobility and mentorship.
And we're proud to say that we are the first
organization I am the nation certified through impath, which is
a partner of ours in Boston, and so they've kind
of established this framework around mobility coaching and mentorship and
so we were one of the very we are the
first organization certified in mobility mentorship as an organization.
Speaker 2 (05:50):
What does that mean?
Speaker 3 (05:51):
So that means that we are collaborating with families and
helping them to define what success looks like for them,
helping them to define what stability looks like, helping them
to define their goals, and then ultimately provide them with
tools and resources that would support them in reaching those goals.
Speaker 2 (06:06):
And when you had talked about the Passport to self
sufficiency and the five spokes and that you need all
five s folks, yep, the goal is ultimately to break
the cycle of poverty for good.
Speaker 3 (06:17):
Absolutely, absolutely, and so it is a two generation approach.
And the reason how interesting, yep, and the reason.
Speaker 2 (06:23):
Being smart and thank you, yeah for real, you don't
hear that? Yeah?
Speaker 3 (06:27):
And the reason being is because we can tackle the
goals of a parent, like we can say, okay, you know,
the parent has all of these goals. But if we're
not also tackling the goals simultaneously of the child so
that they're able to actually bounce off of one another
and actually be inspired by one another, then we'll continue
to see that cycle repeat itself. And so those five
(06:48):
spokes that we discussed, those five domains for the Passport framework,
they look a little different for our children. You have
got social emotional wellbeing, and you've got readiness for independence
or helping them to prepare for independence, and so many
other different components that help our children just the same.
And so one of the things that we see is
the parents inspiring and the children, and the children inspiring
(07:09):
the parents. And so it's a wonderful thing to see
multiple generations receiving and benefit from those supports and ultimately
show testimonials that come out from both generations. And ultimately,
when when the parent has a has a success and
they're excited about it, then you turn around the child
has a success and they're excited about it. It just continues,
and ultimately that's what continues to break that site.
Speaker 2 (07:31):
That's great, Asha. How did you get involved in COTS? Oh?
Good question, you love it?
Speaker 3 (07:38):
Oh gosh, I do I do? So years ago I
worked for COTS. I'm sorry I should say I consulted
for COTS for many, many years, but myself, having experienced
some challenges, and my challenges, we were more related to
situational circumstances. So years ago worked for an auto supplier
(07:58):
that used to donate on a regular basis and sponsor
COTS on a regular basis. So for years I was
responsible for our code drive that we did to benefit COTS.
And so worked for that company for many many years,
and like a lot of others, found myself unemployed during
the auto industry crisis back in two thousand and eight,
(08:19):
found myself dealing with uncertainty at that time and things
that I never expected that I deal with. But having
worked with COTS before as a sponsor, a corporate sponsor,
they actually reached out to me because they knew that
I did some marketing media relations work and asked me
if I support them when they happen to have a need.
And so I ended up working with them in that fashion,
consultant with them for years, and I just found that
(08:40):
it was home for me. COTS is such a close
They hold a spot in my heart that I can't
even put into words. But I have a passion for
families because I've experienced some of those things in a
very different sense, if you will. But I learned so
much even through that experience that helped to open my
eyes and have a different level of understanding and empathy
and compacts. And also that put me in a place
(09:02):
to want to be able to advocate for.
Speaker 2 (09:03):
Change and talk about that. How how do you guys
advocate for change?
Speaker 3 (09:08):
COTS is focused on making sure that we're we're talking
about the issues being bringing awareness to the challenges, especially
the barriers that exist. And there's a lot of various
different barriers that have existed that present challenges for families
to be able to overcome poverty. So, you know, there's
there's systemic barriers to housing, you know, whether it's and
(09:31):
and for years it was the source of income, you know,
and and discrimination based upon the source of income for
housing or we've often heard people say that poverty is expensive,
like there's there's extra fees and charges for families that
are struggling to make ends meet, and and you know,
we talked about we've talked in past, of course about
for overdraft fees on banking, or.
Speaker 2 (09:53):
If you don't have good credit you can credit exactly right.
There are all sorts of little things like that that
just make make it more and more and more expensive
for the exactly harder for them to get out of
the situation.
Speaker 3 (10:04):
Exactly, And those types of challenges are important for us
to a bring awareness to. One of a big one was,
of course, the car insurance costs in the city of
Detroit and the impact that that had on families. And
so when you're having to pay all of this these
extra dollars in expenses simply because of your state of
(10:25):
being or your lack of income or limited income, it
doesn't make it easy for you to overcome that. And
so when you hear people say things like, oh it
just get a job, it's not that easy, you know.
And so we feel that advocating for families helping to
bring awareness to these issues is critical. But beyond that,
we feel that giving power to their voices, to bring
(10:47):
them to the table to have some of these conversations,
to be able to share their experiences firsthand, to be
able to talk to policymakers or to be in rooms
where people are making decisions and to share those experiences
is critically important. And so we're an advocate and a champion,
if you will, for those voices to be brought to
the table and to be included in conversations that are
(11:08):
about them.
Speaker 2 (11:09):
What are some of the leading causes of family homelessness
and poverty that costs works to address? Yep.
Speaker 3 (11:14):
Some of those include underemployment or unemployment, of course, Others
include disability. Others include generational poverty. Sometimes children that have
aged out of foster care, for example, have not been
prepared for independence efficiently, and so therefore they have their
own families, And it's just this cycle of challenges connected
to poverty and in like not having sufficient resources to
(11:37):
be able to survive and thrive.
Speaker 2 (11:40):
What are some of the statistics that you I know
you're aware of, Yeah, to highlight the scope of the
need and impact COTS is making.
Speaker 3 (11:49):
So I know that in the city of Detroit, every
year there's something called a point in time count, and
that point in time count goes out to capture one
single night in the course of a year, the number
of people experiencing homelessness, And I can share in particular
that last year there was a thirty two percent increase
in families experiencing homelessness year over year from twenty twenty
(12:11):
three to twenty twenty four.
Speaker 2 (12:12):
Oh my goodness.
Speaker 3 (12:13):
So whereas there were four hundred and seventy six persons
and families that were experiencing homelessness in twenty twenty three,
that number jumped to seven hundred and twenty eight within
one year on a single night. Do you think I
think a lot of it is part and party to
the rising cost of housing, the rising cost of just
(12:35):
basic these I mean, we're talking about the cost of
our groceries going up, the cost of fuel, all the
various different things that we have to care for and
take care of her pay for day to day. For
families that are living on limited means, they're finding themselves
robbing Peter to pay Paul to try to make ends meet.
And housing is one time, sometimes I'm sorry, Housing is
sometimes the first thing that falls.
Speaker 2 (12:55):
Through the floor. And so you said families in particular,
the rise was thirty plus.
Speaker 3 (12:59):
Thirty thirty and a recent report and I know that
this data came from the Census report, but it was
just released, and forgive me for not saying who dropped
at first, but multiple different entities talked about it. But
just the end of October they explained that families, they're
sorry that the number of the percentage of people in
(13:20):
the city of Detrade experiencing poverty is at thirty five
percent children one and two children, Fifty one percent of
children in the City of Trade are being raised in poverty.
Fifty one percent. Unacceptable, absolutely, absolutely, and we as a city,
as a community, we have an obligation for each other
to one another to change that, and we owe it
(13:41):
to our kids to change that. We owe them opportunity,
We owe them a chance to be able to survive,
to be able to not just survive, excuse me, to thrive,
and to to reach for their dreams and achieve those dreams,
to set goals and to not be afraid to chase them,
and to be resource to be able to succeed.
Speaker 2 (14:02):
So I like that you have that multi generational approach
to try to bring them both together, yes, to lift
them both up.
Speaker 3 (14:10):
Absolutely, And that's important to us because family is everything.
Everybody comes from family, good, bad and different. Everybody comes
from family, and that is like creating healthy families, creating
healthy opportunities, creating healthy homes in general is critically important
for the next generation. And you know, we see right
(14:31):
now where we see the things going on around us.
Our kids are the future. Our kids are the next
you know, leaders in government, in nonprofit, in corporations. They
are the next leaders for the next generation to come.
And if we don't equip them now, if we don't
prepare them, support them, and undergrade them now, then the
world is in trouble.
Speaker 2 (14:52):
Our guest today if you're just joining us, is Asha
Morel Ferguson. She's the chief Development Officer for COTS and
speaking of development, he likes what you're talking about. How
do they help?
Speaker 3 (15:02):
Visit us online at costutrade dot org. There are a
variety of different ways to get involved and help cuts volunteerism.
We can always use volunteers, and we have volunteers in
three key areas. One is impact volunteerism. That means that
you're working directly with our families. That could be in workshops.
It could be game nights with our kids, story time
with children. It could be teaching a financial literacy or
(15:24):
financial empowerment course. It could be resume writing, it could
be anything of that nature. So those are all impact
volunteers and opportunities. Task based are little things that we
need help with. It could be painting shelter rooms or
supporting us with sorting donations. And then there's administrative and
event based volunteerism. So we also have a fundraiser coming up.
(15:44):
It's called Soup City and it's in January, and people
can volunteer to help us with that. So there's a
variety of ways to get involved. But of course I
think it would be remissed. I'd be remiss if I
didn't say we always could use monetary support. So it's
critical for us to be able to receive donations so
that we can offer these services and supports for families.
Speaker 2 (16:04):
Let's talk about Soup City, Yes, tell me about it.
Speaker 3 (16:06):
So Soup City January twenty second. It's at the Rooster
Tail and it is the party of the years, what
I like to call it. We always have a good time,
but it's restaurants from all around the city that come
and offer soup in small plates as well as some desserts.
In the Rooster Tail, we take over the whole venue.
There's music, there's entertainment. There's a silent auction, and then
(16:27):
there's a program, a brief program where the families get
to talk and share their testimonials. We get to explore
some of their experiences and hear directly from them about
the impact of donor support, the impact of community support,
the impact of mentorship and coaching, and it gives people
a window into how their support has made an investment
(16:47):
a long term investment that changes the future.
Speaker 2 (16:50):
How do people get tickets?
Speaker 3 (16:51):
They can visit us online at Kotsdetroit dot org and
they can get them there, or you can become a
sponsor or. You can become a sponsor absolutely rightsolutely. Sponsorship
opportunities are still available. And I will say this. This
event is being presented by Lineage Foundation for Good, who
has been amazing supporter of us. A Lineage Foundation for
(17:12):
I'm going to say that Foundation for Good. They are
an amazing company. So Lineage Lineage is an amazing food
service company, but Foundation for Good they really are about
supporting families and making sure that food security is available.
Speaker 2 (17:27):
For all people.
Speaker 3 (17:29):
But then they also want to make sure that families
are stabilized in their homes so that food is a
never an issue for them, but then opportunity has always
made available just the same and so they've sponsored us
again as our presenting sponsor, and we appreciate their partnership.
And they're more than just a partner in and monetary resource.
They're a thought partner as well, helping us to think
(17:49):
through and strategize approaches to be able to serve in
this space. And so we're grateful for that.
Speaker 2 (17:55):
That's a good partnership.
Speaker 3 (17:56):
It is amazing partnership.
Speaker 2 (17:58):
So that is January twenty second, the Rooster tails and
again you can get tickets at cotst Detroit's Detroit dot org,
Cootsdetroit dot org. All right, that's awesome. Hey, what are
some of the biggest challenges and changes you see impacting
housing and family stability and Detroit right now?
Speaker 3 (18:14):
Well, one of the biggest challenges I think we just
we're seeing we're starting to see some solutions, but it's
changing day by jay and day I'm sorry, day by day.
And that's with regard to what we just saw with
the snap benefits paused and the impact that that has
on family stabilities. So you know a lot of the
families are receiving these these particular benefits and these benefits
(18:35):
are already supplemental. They are not you know, a resource
that covers their entire food cost for a month. But
food cost is critical for families. You know, You've got
your children that are in school, they receive lunch every day,
which is important. But you know, families rely on that
support to be able to actually make sure that their
families are nourished. And so when that support was halted,
it immediately puts families in a position where they have
(18:56):
to think about what they're going to pay and not pay.
So for some families, that decision was, Okay, I can't
pay the rent right now because I need to go
make sure that the family can eat. Or for other families,
it was I can't pay you know, this childcare bill
because I need to feed the family, you know, And
so it puts them in the tough position of, as
we mentioned earlier, robbing Peter to pay Paul. And then
(19:19):
there's the aftermath. So even though now these these benefits
have been you know, refreshed, now there's late.
Speaker 2 (19:25):
Fees, all the penalties, a lot of penalties.
Speaker 3 (19:30):
Lots of penalties, and again it goes right back to
the same issue of penalizing those that are living with
limited means and forcing them to pay more in many senses,
and they can't seem to find themselves getting out of
that house.
Speaker 2 (19:42):
You good insight to understand.
Speaker 3 (19:43):
Yeah, it's heartbreaking, and so I'm grateful that we've seen
some movement to change that. But this goes back to advocacy.
I mean, so many of us were learning about it
and hearing about it from media and you know, hearing
some experiences. Is people talked about how it was impacting
their households. But it's critically important that we are continuing
to talk about it, that we are continuing to advocate
(20:05):
for change and saying, hey, this is what we would
like to see, what we need to see, what we
want to see for the benefit of our communities.
Speaker 2 (20:12):
How is Scotts adopting to the changes to continue to
meet families' needs.
Speaker 3 (20:17):
So, for example, with the pause and the snap benefits,
one of the first things that we initiated is meal
kit requests. Okay, so we started taking donations or contributions
of meal kits and those are supplemental kits that people
that families can just create a simple meal from. So
whether it's a simple spaghetti meal or a tunic casserole meal.
(20:37):
We were taking non perishable food, shelf stable items that
we could then give to them as whole meal kits
that they can then prepare for their families just as
a supplement until all of this ironed out. And even
for those that even with their you know, foods, their
supplemental benefits, still need additional help because every so often
they still needed help even above that. So being able
(20:58):
to implement a meal kit donations system so that we
can keep those on hand for families was how we responded.
Speaker 2 (21:03):
So meal kits require volunteers, would they do? They just
talk about your volunteer system.
Speaker 3 (21:08):
Yeah, So volunteer system for us is threefold. Impact volunteerism,
which again is direct in engagement with our families. The
second is task based volunteerism, which is handling certain opportunities
that come up, so painting a shelter room or helping
to sort donations, and then administrative an event volunteerism. So
(21:28):
this would fall under task based okay, because we'd get
those donations and it would allow us to sort and
make sure that these meal kits are packaged, shelved and
then prepared so that families as they have a need,
they'll be able to come and grab them and go.
Speaker 2 (21:42):
And that's just one of the ways you can get involved.
You can donate absolutely and absolutely what happens. If somebody says, yeah,
this sounds like an organization for me, I want to
support what happens.
Speaker 3 (21:53):
Well, we'd love to hear from them. We welcome them
to reach out to us via email or to give
us a call. We've always got people that are answering
the phone just to chat and determine how a person's
philanthropic heart aligns with our mission and helping them to
define what their philanthropic goals are and how we can
help meet those.
Speaker 2 (22:11):
That's great. And you have corporate sponsors as well.
Speaker 3 (22:14):
We do. We have corporate sponsors, and we're always looking
for new sponsors. We're always looking for new partners. Some
sponsors are desiring to connect over a special event, which
we do have, but then others just want to connect
with the work and we welcome that just the same.
And so a lot of times they'll call us and say, hey,
we have an idea and this is how we'd like
to help. Would that be something that would work for you?
(22:34):
And we are able to say yes or No, it
wouldn't work that way, but it might work this way
if this is something you're interested in and we're able
to custom create, you know, an engagement for them that
allows them to feel great about their investment, but also
that has impact that leaves the ripple beyond what they
can see.
Speaker 2 (22:50):
Great. Yeah, and Soup City, are you still taking sponsors?
Speaker 3 (22:53):
We are absolutely still taking sponsors for Soup City, and
we appreciate additional sponsors. One of the things we're doing.
The theme for city this year is called the Detroit Edition.
So each year we usually have a theme and this
year's Atrader Yeah, this year is a Detroite edition, and
it was inspired by the guests from last year. They're like, hey,
you know this is these are the things that we
want to vote on, and that was the one that
(23:13):
that won. And so this year in particular, uh, the
goal is that everybody comes representing Detroit in some way.
So they can come in their favorite sports apparel, they
can come dressed as their favorite Detroit icon or if
they whatever that looks like for them, They're able to
show up in that in that way. But then sponsorship,
(23:33):
we have something called a three one three sponsorship. This
year that we are hoping that everybody can tap into.
And so for three hundred and thirteen dollars they get
two tickets and they also get a custom custom t
shirt on behalf of Cots that they can wear and represent,
you know, this mission in the community.
Speaker 2 (23:50):
Oh, it just sounds like a great time. It sounds
like a great time because dressing up supporting Detroit, coming
out as Detroit like that just sounds like a great time.
Speaker 3 (23:59):
It is, and we're looking forward to it. We're excited.
We're looking forward to just bringing people together just to
even though there's so many heavy things that are happening
around us right now and things that we have to
pay very close attention to and we have to be
diligent about, it also gives us an opportunity just to
pause and to be grateful for community and to celebrate
(24:20):
the power of community and partnership together, not just celebrating
what quote unquote an organization has done, because it's not
about the organization. It's about what the community is doing
to support the community. And so being able to celebrate
our families and our partners together in the same space,
it's a wonderful thing.
Speaker 2 (24:39):
Yeah, it's funny that you bring that up. It actually
is important, you know, Like you said, it's heavy stuff. Yeah,
I mean we're talking about people, families, children and parents
and relatives being homeless. But you know, I think you're
right when you get together and you realize we're all
on board trying to help our brothers system. Yes, you
know that's a really powerful feeling. Absolutely, being together like
(25:00):
that encourages people to give more.
Speaker 3 (25:03):
Yes, it really really does.
Speaker 2 (25:04):
Yeah, it's gonna be a great event. We look forward
to it. Yeah, what do you What do you love
about what you do the most?
Speaker 3 (25:10):
Meeting the families, building relationships. Oh yes, oh yes, And
I think, and I'll say I'll go beyond meeting our families.
I think engaging with the broad community that wants to
link arms with our families. So I've heard some of
our families say that Katts is their family. That's how
they they they've worried it. Kats is my family, and
(25:31):
that's really our goal. And so for me, what I
love about that is that now I've built this network
of extended family between the families that we collaborate with
and we support along their journey, between the donors and
partners that collaborate with us and help, you know, make
these dreams you know come true. It's it's getting to
(25:51):
see the best in people and partner with people in
leaving and creating lasting impact, I'll say it that way,
and creating last impact. I get to see the best
of our city this way, and it makes this a
place that I absolutely love because the people in it
are just so amazing.
Speaker 2 (26:10):
Wow, Yeah, there really are. I love the way you
said that. Yeah, what do you think is the future
of COTS? What do you see happening in the coming years.
Speaker 3 (26:17):
So I will say our vision really would be to
work ourselves out of business, Like that would be the
ultimate goal. If if we could eradicate poverty and homelessness
and work ourselves out of business, that.
Speaker 2 (26:27):
Would be wonderful.
Speaker 3 (26:28):
I think what I see right now is continuing to
do the work and continuing to be outspoken about the
issues that cause poverty to even be an issue, the
issues that cause poverty to be a problem that we're
having to combat every single day. And so for the
future of COTS, I'd like to see more collaboration. We
(26:50):
already partner with over eighty organizations in the city that
provide resources because partnership is critical to building and opening
the doors opportunity. I think for the future, I would
love to see even more partnerships, whether we're doubling or
tripling the number of partnerships that we have right now,
and therefore we're seeing double and triple the impact in
(27:11):
families when we're using stats that say that thirty four
percent or thirty five percent of the city's residents are
living at our below the powery line. How do we
change that by continuing to build partnerships, by continuing to
open doors to more resources, and by linking arms to
say we've got to fix this. It's up to all
of us.
Speaker 2 (27:28):
There has to be more conversations.
Speaker 3 (27:30):
Absolutely, absolutely, and so that's what I think the future
looks like. I think it requires us to widen that
circle of arms that we link together around our city
and say we've got to fix this.
Speaker 2 (27:41):
For people who are listening, you know what is the
most important thing you want them to take away from
our conversation about.
Speaker 3 (27:47):
Cots That it's not about cots, It's about all of
us and our shared responsibility in making sure that families
have what they need and may making sure that families
are stable and making sure that homes are safe and
making sure that children are safe. That we all have
a shared responsibility. COTS is the middleman. COTS serves to
(28:12):
be the tool the resource that people who have a
heart to make a difference use to make a difference.
My heart's desire and my heart's call to people would
be for them to define within themselves their part in
being that change and being part of that solution. We
(28:32):
all have an obligation or responsibility to making the community
a healthy community. So what is their part in that
and what does that look like for them?
Speaker 2 (28:41):
What a great question. What do you what do you
want to see happen in the coming year with your
with your City event?
Speaker 3 (28:48):
So for Soup City, we would love to Our goal
is to raise again money UH to support this mission
and to help to alleviate the burden of reliance are
relying upon federal resources. This is just one fundraiser, and
I don't want to minimize it by saying that, because
(29:08):
you know that's what we oftentimes do. But this fundraiser
is really important to help us to a build a
network of new friends that are aligned with this philanthropic
goal or this philanthropic opportunity. But be to raise dollars,
raise money that helps us to stabilize families, and we
we cannot do that without partnership with corporations. We cannot
(29:32):
do that without partnership from from resources and supporting the
communities are some of our foundation partners. It's an opportunity
for people to connect with one another and learn why
they support this mission, why they support families overcoming homelessness.
Speaker 2 (29:46):
How do people buy tickets?
Speaker 3 (29:47):
Again, they can purchase tickets at KOTSI trade dot.
Speaker 2 (29:50):
Org to volunteer. Absolutely can help out to buy tickets,
to learn more.
Speaker 3 (29:57):
They can learn all about us. There's a variety of
different things that we may do throughout the year. So
I say, check us out online often and regularly see
we have going on. Yeah, there's always something that we
can be doing. Giving Tuesday is coming up, that's right,
and we're super excited about what that means for the
(30:17):
landscape of philanthropic giving across the community. There's so many
amazing organizations, like I said, that we partner with and
so many in the city. They're doing such great work
and so Giving Tuesday is critically important for all of us.
So for sure, yes, so we're encouraging folks, just to
get involved wherever you can. However you can get involved
in Giving Tuesday.
Speaker 2 (30:36):
Our guest today has been Asha Morel Ferguson, Chief Development
Officer at Kotts. Thank you for joining us today.
Speaker 3 (30:42):
Thank you so much for having me. It's been a pleasure.
Speaker 1 (30:44):
Yes, this has been light Up the D a community,
a fairs program from iHeartMedia Detroit. If your organization would
like to get on the program, email Colleen Grant at
iHeartMedia dot com. Here are all episodes on this station's
podcast page.
Welcome to Light Up the D, focus on what's happening
in our community from the people who make it happen.
Here's your host, iHeartMedia Detroit Market President Colleen Grant.
Speaker 2 (00:16):
Good morning and welcome to another episode of Light Up
the D. I'm your host, Colleen Grant. Our guest today
is Asha Morel Ferguson, Chief Development Officer at KATZ. Asha
has been instrumental in elevating the KOTS brand, shifting the
narrative toward triumph, resilience and possibility, and reshaping how the
community understands and supports families experiencing homelessness and instability. Through
(00:38):
her strategic leadership and compelling storytelling, she has helped expand
public awareness, deep in philanthropic investment and advance initiatives that
create pathways to stability and success. Today, KOTS serves thousands
of adults and children each year, working to break the
cycle of generational poverty and build strong, sustainable futures. Driven
(00:58):
by passion, purpose, and a commitment to equity, Asha continues
to champion opportunities for families to thrive while strengthening the
neighborhoods and communities they call home. More information about COTS
can be found at Cootsdetroit dot org. Please join me
and welcoming Asha morel Ferguson. Thank you for joining me.
Speaker 3 (01:15):
Thank you so much for having me. It's a pleasure
to be here and I'm excited to talk to you.
Speaker 2 (01:19):
I am too, So let's get to it. Help everybody understand,
including me, more about what COTS is, what COTS does,
how long it's been around, who it serves.
Speaker 3 (01:27):
Absolutely so, COTS has been in the city Detrait since
nineteen eighty two, so we're going on twenty three years
here relation city. Thank you so much. It initially started
as Coalition on Temporary Shelter many years ago. That coalition
of being a group of people, a group of organizations,
city leaders and church leaders that came together to try
to solve the problem of homelessness among single men. Over
(01:50):
the course of time, the needs evolved. We saw more
and more challenges with homelessness with single women and then
eventually families, and over the course of the years, serve
we're very pointed towards single men single women, but not
as much toward families, and so COTS began serving families
more regularly, and in twenty fifteen we focused our services
(02:10):
strictly on serving families and helping families overcome poverty and homelessness.
Speaker 2 (02:14):
Huh, And that's so interesting and that's different than some
other organizations. Then that you specifically focus on families absolutely,
and what kinds of differences does that make with how
you serve your communities then.
Speaker 3 (02:24):
Yeah, So our programs and services are geared toward family needs.
So one, we offer emergency shelter specificity for families, and
that means that our shelter is available for families of
all structures and all sizes. So we don't want to
see families separated. We want to make sure that they're
able to stay together. So we have no limitations on
what a family looks like outside of the fact that
it is a dealt person or persons with minor children.
(02:47):
And so emergency shelter is a focus of ours. Supportive housing,
affordable housing as well as children's services. We provide services
for families that of course have needs around supporting their
children's stability, and so that includes early childhood education head
start as well as other resources specifically to help children
get exactly what they need. And in addition to that,
(03:10):
we have something called the Passport to self sufficiency framework,
which we can talk about in Yeah, we will in
more depth.
Speaker 2 (03:17):
But that's interesting. I mean because serving a homeless person
who has no children as opposed to somebody who does
is radically different model that you really have to consider
when you put together your services.
Speaker 3 (03:30):
Absolutely, and that's exactly where the Passport to self sufficiency
came into play.
Speaker 2 (03:34):
Let's get to it. So let's talk about the Passport
to self sufficiency. I want to hear more about it.
Speaker 3 (03:39):
Yeah, So what happened is we realize that without addressing
other specific needs, that we would find families returning to shelter.
I mean, we would see that actually happening. So you know,
we would work with a family, we'd have them house
or define housing for them, but then within a year,
two years, they'd be right back at our door. I
mean that's because we're realizing we were really and that
(04:00):
certain key components to their stability we're not being addressed.
And so we like to see it as like five
spokes on a wheel. If any one of these five
spokes are fragmented, then it threatens the stability of that
entire vehicle that the family is in. And so for us,
those spokes include family stability and that includes housing, that
includes all services connected to the child's well being and stability.
(04:21):
In that moment, it could be vital documents, it could
be making sure that they have the basic needs such
as clothing or general resources for day to day support.
In addition, the second spoke would be finances and so
working with them on helping them understand the structure and
the needs around what their finances should look like it
(04:42):
need to look like for their family stability. And then
the third would be health and well being, and that
encompasses physical health and wellbeing, emotional health and well being,
mental health and well being, but also social health and
well being because that social capital is a critical part
to opportunities to help them to thrive and succeeds. And
then the fourth spoke would be education and job training.
(05:03):
And then the fifth spoke is employment and income because
employment is one thing, but income and being able to
actually see their income increase over the course of time
is what leads a family towards stability and to thriving
and not just surviving. Those things are really the framework
for the passport to self sufficiency, and so we're able
to deliver those particular services and support through something called
(05:26):
mobility coaching mobility mentorship excuse me, coaching and mobility and mentorship.
And we're proud to say that we are the first
organization I am the nation certified through impath, which is
a partner of ours in Boston, and so they've kind
of established this framework around mobility coaching and mentorship and
so we were one of the very we are the
first organization certified in mobility mentorship as an organization.
Speaker 2 (05:50):
What does that mean?
Speaker 3 (05:51):
So that means that we are collaborating with families and
helping them to define what success looks like for them,
helping them to define what stability looks like, helping them
to define their goals, and then ultimately provide them with
tools and resources that would support them in reaching those goals.
Speaker 2 (06:06):
And when you had talked about the Passport to self
sufficiency and the five spokes and that you need all
five s folks, yep, the goal is ultimately to break
the cycle of poverty for good.
Speaker 3 (06:17):
Absolutely, absolutely, and so it is a two generation approach.
And the reason how interesting, yep, and the reason.
Speaker 2 (06:23):
Being smart and thank you, yeah for real, you don't
hear that? Yeah?
Speaker 3 (06:27):
And the reason being is because we can tackle the
goals of a parent, like we can say, okay, you know,
the parent has all of these goals. But if we're
not also tackling the goals simultaneously of the child so
that they're able to actually bounce off of one another
and actually be inspired by one another, then we'll continue
to see that cycle repeat itself. And so those five
(06:48):
spokes that we discussed, those five domains for the Passport framework,
they look a little different for our children. You have
got social emotional wellbeing, and you've got readiness for independence
or helping them to prepare for independence, and so many
other different components that help our children just the same.
And so one of the things that we see is
the parents inspiring and the children, and the children inspiring
(07:09):
the parents. And so it's a wonderful thing to see
multiple generations receiving and benefit from those supports and ultimately
show testimonials that come out from both generations. And ultimately,
when when the parent has a has a success and
they're excited about it, then you turn around the child
has a success and they're excited about it. It just continues,
and ultimately that's what continues to break that site.
Speaker 2 (07:31):
That's great, Asha. How did you get involved in COTS? Oh?
Good question, you love it?
Speaker 3 (07:38):
Oh gosh, I do I do? So years ago I
worked for COTS. I'm sorry I should say I consulted
for COTS for many, many years, but myself, having experienced
some challenges, and my challenges, we were more related to
situational circumstances. So years ago worked for an auto supplier
(07:58):
that used to donate on a regular basis and sponsor
COTS on a regular basis. So for years I was
responsible for our code drive that we did to benefit COTS.
And so worked for that company for many many years,
and like a lot of others, found myself unemployed during
the auto industry crisis back in two thousand and eight,
(08:19):
found myself dealing with uncertainty at that time and things
that I never expected that I deal with. But having
worked with COTS before as a sponsor, a corporate sponsor,
they actually reached out to me because they knew that
I did some marketing media relations work and asked me
if I support them when they happen to have a need.
And so I ended up working with them in that fashion,
consultant with them for years, and I just found that
(08:40):
it was home for me. COTS is such a close
They hold a spot in my heart that I can't
even put into words. But I have a passion for
families because I've experienced some of those things in a
very different sense, if you will. But I learned so
much even through that experience that helped to open my
eyes and have a different level of understanding and empathy
and compacts. And also that put me in a place
(09:02):
to want to be able to advocate for.
Speaker 2 (09:03):
Change and talk about that. How how do you guys
advocate for change?
Speaker 3 (09:08):
COTS is focused on making sure that we're we're talking
about the issues being bringing awareness to the challenges, especially
the barriers that exist. And there's a lot of various
different barriers that have existed that present challenges for families
to be able to overcome poverty. So, you know, there's
there's systemic barriers to housing, you know, whether it's and
(09:31):
and for years it was the source of income, you know,
and and discrimination based upon the source of income for
housing or we've often heard people say that poverty is expensive,
like there's there's extra fees and charges for families that
are struggling to make ends meet, and and you know,
we talked about we've talked in past, of course about
for overdraft fees on banking, or.
Speaker 2 (09:53):
If you don't have good credit you can credit exactly right.
There are all sorts of little things like that that
just make make it more and more and more expensive
for the exactly harder for them to get out of
the situation.
Speaker 3 (10:04):
Exactly, And those types of challenges are important for us
to a bring awareness to. One of a big one was,
of course, the car insurance costs in the city of
Detroit and the impact that that had on families. And
so when you're having to pay all of this these
extra dollars in expenses simply because of your state of
(10:25):
being or your lack of income or limited income, it
doesn't make it easy for you to overcome that. And
so when you hear people say things like, oh it
just get a job, it's not that easy, you know.
And so we feel that advocating for families helping to
bring awareness to these issues is critical. But beyond that,
we feel that giving power to their voices, to bring
(10:47):
them to the table to have some of these conversations,
to be able to share their experiences firsthand, to be
able to talk to policymakers or to be in rooms
where people are making decisions and to share those experiences
is critically important. And so we're an advocate and a champion,
if you will, for those voices to be brought to
the table and to be included in conversations that are
(11:08):
about them.
Speaker 2 (11:09):
What are some of the leading causes of family homelessness
and poverty that costs works to address? Yep.
Speaker 3 (11:14):
Some of those include underemployment or unemployment, of course, Others
include disability. Others include generational poverty. Sometimes children that have
aged out of foster care, for example, have not been
prepared for independence efficiently, and so therefore they have their
own families, And it's just this cycle of challenges connected
to poverty and in like not having sufficient resources to
(11:37):
be able to survive and thrive.
Speaker 2 (11:40):
What are some of the statistics that you I know
you're aware of, Yeah, to highlight the scope of the
need and impact COTS is making.
Speaker 3 (11:49):
So I know that in the city of Detroit, every
year there's something called a point in time count, and
that point in time count goes out to capture one
single night in the course of a year, the number
of people experiencing homelessness, And I can share in particular
that last year there was a thirty two percent increase
in families experiencing homelessness year over year from twenty twenty
(12:11):
three to twenty twenty four.
Speaker 2 (12:12):
Oh my goodness.
Speaker 3 (12:13):
So whereas there were four hundred and seventy six persons
and families that were experiencing homelessness in twenty twenty three,
that number jumped to seven hundred and twenty eight within
one year on a single night. Do you think I
think a lot of it is part and party to
the rising cost of housing, the rising cost of just
(12:35):
basic these I mean, we're talking about the cost of
our groceries going up, the cost of fuel, all the
various different things that we have to care for and
take care of her pay for day to day. For
families that are living on limited means, they're finding themselves
robbing Peter to pay Paul to try to make ends meet.
And housing is one time, sometimes I'm sorry, Housing is
sometimes the first thing that falls.
Speaker 2 (12:55):
Through the floor. And so you said families in particular,
the rise was thirty plus.
Speaker 3 (12:59):
Thirty thirty and a recent report and I know that
this data came from the Census report, but it was
just released, and forgive me for not saying who dropped
at first, but multiple different entities talked about it. But
just the end of October they explained that families, they're
sorry that the number of the percentage of people in
(13:20):
the city of Detrade experiencing poverty is at thirty five
percent children one and two children, Fifty one percent of
children in the City of Trade are being raised in poverty.
Fifty one percent. Unacceptable, absolutely, absolutely, and we as a city,
as a community, we have an obligation for each other
to one another to change that, and we owe it
(13:41):
to our kids to change that. We owe them opportunity,
We owe them a chance to be able to survive,
to be able to not just survive, excuse me, to thrive,
and to to reach for their dreams and achieve those dreams,
to set goals and to not be afraid to chase them,
and to be resource to be able to succeed.
Speaker 2 (14:02):
So I like that you have that multi generational approach
to try to bring them both together, yes, to lift
them both up.
Speaker 3 (14:10):
Absolutely, And that's important to us because family is everything.
Everybody comes from family, good, bad and different. Everybody comes
from family, and that is like creating healthy families, creating
healthy opportunities, creating healthy homes in general is critically important
for the next generation. And you know, we see right
(14:31):
now where we see the things going on around us.
Our kids are the future. Our kids are the next
you know, leaders in government, in nonprofit, in corporations. They
are the next leaders for the next generation to come.
And if we don't equip them now, if we don't
prepare them, support them, and undergrade them now, then the
world is in trouble.
Speaker 2 (14:52):
Our guest today if you're just joining us, is Asha
Morel Ferguson. She's the chief Development Officer for COTS and
speaking of development, he likes what you're talking about. How
do they help?
Speaker 3 (15:02):
Visit us online at costutrade dot org. There are a
variety of different ways to get involved and help cuts volunteerism.
We can always use volunteers, and we have volunteers in
three key areas. One is impact volunteerism. That means that
you're working directly with our families. That could be in workshops.
It could be game nights with our kids, story time
with children. It could be teaching a financial literacy or
(15:24):
financial empowerment course. It could be resume writing, it could
be anything of that nature. So those are all impact
volunteers and opportunities. Task based are little things that we
need help with. It could be painting shelter rooms or
supporting us with sorting donations. And then there's administrative and
event based volunteerism. So we also have a fundraiser coming up.
(15:44):
It's called Soup City and it's in January, and people
can volunteer to help us with that. So there's a
variety of ways to get involved. But of course I
think it would be remissed. I'd be remiss if I
didn't say we always could use monetary support. So it's
critical for us to be able to receive donations so
that we can offer these services and supports for families.
Speaker 2 (16:04):
Let's talk about Soup City, Yes, tell me about it.
Speaker 3 (16:06):
So Soup City January twenty second. It's at the Rooster
Tail and it is the party of the years, what
I like to call it. We always have a good time,
but it's restaurants from all around the city that come
and offer soup in small plates as well as some desserts.
In the Rooster Tail, we take over the whole venue.
There's music, there's entertainment. There's a silent auction, and then
(16:27):
there's a program, a brief program where the families get
to talk and share their testimonials. We get to explore
some of their experiences and hear directly from them about
the impact of donor support, the impact of community support,
the impact of mentorship and coaching, and it gives people
a window into how their support has made an investment
(16:47):
a long term investment that changes the future.
Speaker 2 (16:50):
How do people get tickets?
Speaker 3 (16:51):
They can visit us online at Kotsdetroit dot org and
they can get them there, or you can become a
sponsor or. You can become a sponsor absolutely rightsolutely. Sponsorship
opportunities are still available. And I will say this. This
event is being presented by Lineage Foundation for Good, who
has been amazing supporter of us. A Lineage Foundation for
(17:12):
I'm going to say that Foundation for Good. They are
an amazing company. So Lineage Lineage is an amazing food
service company, but Foundation for Good they really are about
supporting families and making sure that food security is available.
Speaker 2 (17:27):
For all people.
Speaker 3 (17:29):
But then they also want to make sure that families
are stabilized in their homes so that food is a
never an issue for them, but then opportunity has always
made available just the same and so they've sponsored us
again as our presenting sponsor, and we appreciate their partnership.
And they're more than just a partner in and monetary resource.
They're a thought partner as well, helping us to think
(17:49):
through and strategize approaches to be able to serve in
this space. And so we're grateful for that.
Speaker 2 (17:55):
That's a good partnership.
Speaker 3 (17:56):
It is amazing partnership.
Speaker 2 (17:58):
So that is January twenty second, the Rooster tails and
again you can get tickets at cotst Detroit's Detroit dot org,
Cootsdetroit dot org. All right, that's awesome. Hey, what are
some of the biggest challenges and changes you see impacting
housing and family stability and Detroit right now?
Speaker 3 (18:14):
Well, one of the biggest challenges I think we just
we're seeing we're starting to see some solutions, but it's
changing day by jay and day I'm sorry, day by day.
And that's with regard to what we just saw with
the snap benefits paused and the impact that that has
on family stabilities. So you know a lot of the
families are receiving these these particular benefits and these benefits
(18:35):
are already supplemental. They are not you know, a resource
that covers their entire food cost for a month. But
food cost is critical for families. You know, You've got
your children that are in school, they receive lunch every day,
which is important. But you know, families rely on that
support to be able to actually make sure that their
families are nourished. And so when that support was halted,
it immediately puts families in a position where they have
(18:56):
to think about what they're going to pay and not pay.
So for some families, that decision was, Okay, I can't
pay the rent right now because I need to go
make sure that the family can eat. Or for other families,
it was I can't pay you know, this childcare bill
because I need to feed the family, you know, And
so it puts them in the tough position of, as
we mentioned earlier, robbing Peter to pay Paul. And then
(19:19):
there's the aftermath. So even though now these these benefits
have been you know, refreshed, now there's late.
Speaker 2 (19:25):
Fees, all the penalties, a lot of penalties.
Speaker 3 (19:30):
Lots of penalties, and again it goes right back to
the same issue of penalizing those that are living with
limited means and forcing them to pay more in many senses,
and they can't seem to find themselves getting out of
that house.
Speaker 2 (19:42):
You good insight to understand.
Speaker 3 (19:43):
Yeah, it's heartbreaking, and so I'm grateful that we've seen
some movement to change that. But this goes back to advocacy.
I mean, so many of us were learning about it
and hearing about it from media and you know, hearing
some experiences. Is people talked about how it was impacting
their households. But it's critically important that we are continuing
to talk about it, that we are continuing to advocate
(20:05):
for change and saying, hey, this is what we would
like to see, what we need to see, what we
want to see for the benefit of our communities.
Speaker 2 (20:12):
How is Scotts adopting to the changes to continue to
meet families' needs.
Speaker 3 (20:17):
So, for example, with the pause and the snap benefits,
one of the first things that we initiated is meal
kit requests. Okay, so we started taking donations or contributions
of meal kits and those are supplemental kits that people
that families can just create a simple meal from. So
whether it's a simple spaghetti meal or a tunic casserole meal.
(20:37):
We were taking non perishable food, shelf stable items that
we could then give to them as whole meal kits
that they can then prepare for their families just as
a supplement until all of this ironed out. And even
for those that even with their you know, foods, their
supplemental benefits, still need additional help because every so often
they still needed help even above that. So being able
(20:58):
to implement a meal kit donations system so that we
can keep those on hand for families was how we responded.
Speaker 2 (21:03):
So meal kits require volunteers, would they do? They just
talk about your volunteer system.
Speaker 3 (21:08):
Yeah, So volunteer system for us is threefold. Impact volunteerism,
which again is direct in engagement with our families. The
second is task based volunteerism, which is handling certain opportunities
that come up, so painting a shelter room or helping
to sort donations, and then administrative an event volunteerism. So
(21:28):
this would fall under task based okay, because we'd get
those donations and it would allow us to sort and
make sure that these meal kits are packaged, shelved and
then prepared so that families as they have a need,
they'll be able to come and grab them and go.
Speaker 2 (21:42):
And that's just one of the ways you can get involved.
You can donate absolutely and absolutely what happens. If somebody says, yeah,
this sounds like an organization for me, I want to
support what happens.
Speaker 3 (21:53):
Well, we'd love to hear from them. We welcome them
to reach out to us via email or to give
us a call. We've always got people that are answering
the phone just to chat and determine how a person's
philanthropic heart aligns with our mission and helping them to
define what their philanthropic goals are and how we can
help meet those.
Speaker 2 (22:11):
That's great. And you have corporate sponsors as well.
Speaker 3 (22:14):
We do. We have corporate sponsors, and we're always looking
for new sponsors. We're always looking for new partners. Some
sponsors are desiring to connect over a special event, which
we do have, but then others just want to connect
with the work and we welcome that just the same.
And so a lot of times they'll call us and say, hey,
we have an idea and this is how we'd like
to help. Would that be something that would work for you?
(22:34):
And we are able to say yes or No, it
wouldn't work that way, but it might work this way
if this is something you're interested in and we're able
to custom create, you know, an engagement for them that
allows them to feel great about their investment, but also
that has impact that leaves the ripple beyond what they
can see.
Speaker 2 (22:50):
Great. Yeah, and Soup City, are you still taking sponsors?
Speaker 3 (22:53):
We are absolutely still taking sponsors for Soup City, and
we appreciate additional sponsors. One of the things we're doing.
The theme for city this year is called the Detroit Edition.
So each year we usually have a theme and this
year's Atrader Yeah, this year is a Detroite edition, and
it was inspired by the guests from last year. They're like, hey,
you know this is these are the things that we
want to vote on, and that was the one that
(23:13):
that won. And so this year in particular, uh, the
goal is that everybody comes representing Detroit in some way.
So they can come in their favorite sports apparel, they
can come dressed as their favorite Detroit icon or if
they whatever that looks like for them, They're able to
show up in that in that way. But then sponsorship,
(23:33):
we have something called a three one three sponsorship. This
year that we are hoping that everybody can tap into.
And so for three hundred and thirteen dollars they get
two tickets and they also get a custom custom t
shirt on behalf of Cots that they can wear and represent,
you know, this mission in the community.
Speaker 2 (23:50):
Oh, it just sounds like a great time. It sounds
like a great time because dressing up supporting Detroit, coming
out as Detroit like that just sounds like a great time.
Speaker 3 (23:59):
It is, and we're looking forward to it. We're excited.
We're looking forward to just bringing people together just to
even though there's so many heavy things that are happening
around us right now and things that we have to
pay very close attention to and we have to be
diligent about, it also gives us an opportunity just to
pause and to be grateful for community and to celebrate
(24:20):
the power of community and partnership together, not just celebrating
what quote unquote an organization has done, because it's not
about the organization. It's about what the community is doing
to support the community. And so being able to celebrate
our families and our partners together in the same space,
it's a wonderful thing.
Speaker 2 (24:39):
Yeah, it's funny that you bring that up. It actually
is important, you know, Like you said, it's heavy stuff. Yeah,
I mean we're talking about people, families, children and parents
and relatives being homeless. But you know, I think you're
right when you get together and you realize we're all
on board trying to help our brothers system. Yes, you
know that's a really powerful feeling. Absolutely, being together like
(25:00):
that encourages people to give more.
Speaker 3 (25:03):
Yes, it really really does.
Speaker 2 (25:04):
Yeah, it's gonna be a great event. We look forward
to it. Yeah, what do you What do you love
about what you do the most?
Speaker 3 (25:10):
Meeting the families, building relationships. Oh yes, oh yes, And
I think, and I'll say I'll go beyond meeting our families.
I think engaging with the broad community that wants to
link arms with our families. So I've heard some of
our families say that Katts is their family. That's how
they they they've worried it. Kats is my family, and
(25:31):
that's really our goal. And so for me, what I
love about that is that now I've built this network
of extended family between the families that we collaborate with
and we support along their journey, between the donors and
partners that collaborate with us and help, you know, make
these dreams you know come true. It's it's getting to
(25:51):
see the best in people and partner with people in
leaving and creating lasting impact, I'll say it that way,
and creating last impact. I get to see the best
of our city this way, and it makes this a
place that I absolutely love because the people in it
are just so amazing.
Speaker 2 (26:10):
Wow, Yeah, there really are. I love the way you
said that. Yeah, what do you think is the future
of COTS? What do you see happening in the coming years.
Speaker 3 (26:17):
So I will say our vision really would be to
work ourselves out of business, Like that would be the
ultimate goal. If if we could eradicate poverty and homelessness
and work ourselves out of business, that.
Speaker 2 (26:27):
Would be wonderful.
Speaker 3 (26:28):
I think what I see right now is continuing to
do the work and continuing to be outspoken about the
issues that cause poverty to even be an issue, the
issues that cause poverty to be a problem that we're
having to combat every single day. And so for the
future of COTS, I'd like to see more collaboration. We
(26:50):
already partner with over eighty organizations in the city that
provide resources because partnership is critical to building and opening
the doors opportunity. I think for the future, I would
love to see even more partnerships, whether we're doubling or
tripling the number of partnerships that we have right now,
and therefore we're seeing double and triple the impact in
(27:11):
families when we're using stats that say that thirty four
percent or thirty five percent of the city's residents are
living at our below the powery line. How do we
change that by continuing to build partnerships, by continuing to
open doors to more resources, and by linking arms to
say we've got to fix this. It's up to all
of us.
Speaker 2 (27:28):
There has to be more conversations.
Speaker 3 (27:30):
Absolutely, absolutely, and so that's what I think the future
looks like. I think it requires us to widen that
circle of arms that we link together around our city
and say we've got to fix this.
Speaker 2 (27:41):
For people who are listening, you know what is the
most important thing you want them to take away from
our conversation about.
Speaker 3 (27:47):
Cots That it's not about cots, It's about all of
us and our shared responsibility in making sure that families
have what they need and may making sure that families
are stable and making sure that homes are safe and
making sure that children are safe. That we all have
a shared responsibility. COTS is the middleman. COTS serves to
(28:12):
be the tool the resource that people who have a
heart to make a difference use to make a difference.
My heart's desire and my heart's call to people would
be for them to define within themselves their part in
being that change and being part of that solution. We
(28:32):
all have an obligation or responsibility to making the community
a healthy community. So what is their part in that
and what does that look like for them?
Speaker 2 (28:41):
What a great question. What do you what do you
want to see happen in the coming year with your
with your City event?
Speaker 3 (28:48):
So for Soup City, we would love to Our goal
is to raise again money UH to support this mission
and to help to alleviate the burden of reliance are
relying upon federal resources. This is just one fundraiser, and
I don't want to minimize it by saying that, because
(29:08):
you know that's what we oftentimes do. But this fundraiser
is really important to help us to a build a
network of new friends that are aligned with this philanthropic
goal or this philanthropic opportunity. But be to raise dollars,
raise money that helps us to stabilize families, and we
we cannot do that without partnership with corporations. We cannot
(29:32):
do that without partnership from from resources and supporting the
communities are some of our foundation partners. It's an opportunity
for people to connect with one another and learn why
they support this mission, why they support families overcoming homelessness.
Speaker 2 (29:46):
How do people buy tickets?
Speaker 3 (29:47):
Again, they can purchase tickets at KOTSI trade dot.
Speaker 2 (29:50):
Org to volunteer. Absolutely can help out to buy tickets,
to learn more.
Speaker 3 (29:57):
They can learn all about us. There's a variety of
different things that we may do throughout the year. So
I say, check us out online often and regularly see
we have going on. Yeah, there's always something that we
can be doing. Giving Tuesday is coming up, that's right,
and we're super excited about what that means for the
(30:17):
landscape of philanthropic giving across the community. There's so many
amazing organizations, like I said, that we partner with and
so many in the city. They're doing such great work
and so Giving Tuesday is critically important for all of us.
So for sure, yes, so we're encouraging folks, just to
get involved wherever you can. However you can get involved
in Giving Tuesday.
Speaker 2 (30:36):
Our guest today has been Asha Morel Ferguson, Chief Development
Officer at Kotts. Thank you for joining us today.
Speaker 3 (30:42):
Thank you so much for having me. It's been a pleasure.
Speaker 1 (30:44):
Yes, this has been light Up the D a community,
a fairs program from iHeartMedia Detroit. If your organization would
like to get on the program, email Colleen Grant at
iHeartMedia dot com. Here are all episodes on this station's
podcast page.
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