True Colors Shining: An Interview of Triumph Over Homelessness with Show Your Colors by Jennifer’s Founder, Jenn Austin

An interview by Summer Stanley.

TheRealAtlanta.com: So, I want to start by thanking you for agreeing to share your story with us – I look forward to hearing you expound on what your struggles have resulted in – your own jewelry line, community activism, and tireless advocacy of the homeless.  It’s so brave of you and I think it’s a gift for people to be able to hear about your journey.  We have a lot to talk about, but to begin, on a more personal level, because you have experienced homelessness, I wanted to know your opinion on how it is a stigmatized condition and how you combat that.

JA: The worst part of it is that most people think that somebody’s homeless just because they’re lazy, that they don’t want to work, that it’s something they’ve done. And I remember I had a home, a husband, a job, one on the way, life was beautiful, and one day it’s all gone and it’s just me and two children – homeless – and there was nothing I did.  It made me stop and look at maybe the person on the street who needed a hand like I needed it.  It’s not always something you’ve done.  You could catch a cold and it turn into something more serious and you miss some days from work.  They say we’re all two paychecks away from being homeless ourselves, and it is that.  It is truly that simple.  I just want people to know that not everybody who’s sitting out there homeless is there by a decision they’ve made.  Sometimes things happen beyond our control, and [the homeless] are not all begging for a dollar.  Sometimes they’re begging, “Can you help me find a way to get back on my feet-a safe transition?”  Because I reached a point where I was a single mom with two small children under the age of four, and to make a safe transition where I was fortunate enough not to have to sell my body or do anything to get back on my feet was amazing, but there’s a lot of women out there that don’t have the same opportunities that I had. 

TRA: Right.

JA: And I think it’s important to raise awareness that not everybody is on drugs and some people just want a job so they can provide for their family.

TRA: And that’s absolutely what you’re doing with your company – raising money.  It’s all over your Facebook, you’re always talking about it, and that’s so valuable because finding volunteer opportunities in this city that are worthwhile can be a challenge, but you’re definitely a voice for that.  You’re a networker and you’re a warrior.  So what were the events that resulted in you becoming homeless?  You went through a divorce and then. . .

JA: I found myself in a bad marriage.  Two people that probably should’ve never had a first date ended up getting married.

TRA: I think that happens a lot.

JA: It does happen a lot.  And one day he had enough; I had enough.  We had one child already with one on the way and the thought of the rest of our lives together was more than either one of us could bear.  Also through decisions I’d made in my past I had nowhere to go and nowhere to call my home, so I started relying on some family and friends and we moved from couch to couch.  You know I don’t regret my decision to leave a bad situation, I just regretted having to drag two children through it. 

TRA: I can’t imagine.  Just to paint a picture for people, what was your greatest daily challenge when you were going through that?

JA: Sometimes just finding something to feed my son.  And the questions he asked, you know,  “Where are we going to sleep tonight?  Do we have enough gas in the car to get somewhere?”  A three year old shouldn’t have to be worried about those things.  And then when my daughter was born, it got harder because it’s hard enough to find a place for a toddler and a full-grown woman but an infant?  Then it reached a point where we were running from my ex-husband, and were moving from place to place just to avoid that harassment so it got kind of tough sometimes.  You know, when you go to ask for help they all look down on you like you should just get a job.

TRA: And you had a job, right, but you fell ill?

JA: Well, when I first left I was pregnant with a difficult pregnancy.  I wasn’t allowed to work – the doctors wouldn’t allow me to go to work.  I couldn’t do anything.  The system was set up in such a way that when we finally got some help, as soon as I got to work they cut off the assistance, so I couldn’t afford what we had so it was either stay home and not work and stay on the system so I could feed my children, have a roof to put over their head, or go to work and then we’d be back out on the street.  So it wasn’t until the President enacted a plan to help people go back to work where you could go back to work and keep your assistance for so long and then they would reduce it and eventually take it away so you could transition into a working life and learn how to budget your money and learn how to get a place with all of those things that I was able to go back to work.

TRA: That was something I wanted to ask you about too, but first I have to ask to which President were you referring? 

JA: It was Clinton.

TRA: He’s cute.  I love that he plays the saxophone.  I always had a little crush.

JA: He actually made it so [the bill] provided childcare for a working single parent because that’s the most expensive thing that you have.  I was able to receive my childcare, keep my children covered with insurance while I went to work and those were the two biggest concerns of mine.  Going to work to have to pay for childcare – there goes my whole check, and also no insurance?  Um, children get sick. 

TRA: They’re into everything.

JA: Yes.  They get sick; they get hurt.  And I couldn’t stand the thought of not being able to take my children to the hospital if they needed to or to the doctor to get their regular shots, they’re immunizations.  It was one of the best things the President did.

TRA: Absolutely.   Actually my next question was concerning that transition when you were getting back on your feet.  What government institution, organization, or individual was most resourceful to you during that time – other than obviously yourself?

JA: I have to give the DEFACS system in South Carolina a big shout out for that.  They truly took the President’s plan – taught me how to do a resume, taught me how to interview, helped me find the perfect childcare, set me up for a lot of success so when I walked in one day to an optical shop I was prepared to interview. 

TRA: Talk about your experience with that.

JA: I walked into an optical shop one day and told the guy if he took a chance I would never call in sick for work, I would never miss a day, I’d never be late, I’d be his hardest worker, there’s nothing he would ask that I couldn’t do.  I didn’t want him just to give me a job, I wanted an opportunity, and he took a shot on me.  A big shot on me and put me to work.

TRA: Did you have any experience?

JA: None whatsoever.  No optical experience whatsoever.  I was fortunate enough that my mom had been in optics for a while, but that’s what she knew that’s not what I knew.

TRA: Well girl, you always have on a killer pair of shades!   I don’t know if that has always been . . .

JA: Yes.

TRA: Then you had it in you all along! (We laugh)

JA: He gave me a shot and I was able to work with him for a year, then through many difficult situations I had to move out of the state, so I ended up in Georgia and my greatest joy was the day I got to walk into a general manager’s meeting and there he was.  I got to hug him, and we cried, and just to [be able to] thank him for giving me a shot.

TRA: Wait, you were in the same board room?

JA: Well the company had a conference for all the general managers and I had risen to the point where I was a general manager as well and [my former boss] was there.  So, to get to thank him for giving me a shot to supply for my family, to be a productive member of society was the most wonderful thing.  We cried for 20 minutes. 

TRA: I’m crying now!

JA: But I took every chance he gave me, every piece of information and latched onto it and just climbed and clawed, and when they told me I was too young to be a general manager I didn’t listen.

TRA: How old were you at the time when they told you that you were too young to be a general manager?

JA: Twenty-six.

TRA: Wow.

JA: And by twenty-seven I was a general manager.

TRA: You showed them.

JA: Yeah.  (She smiles.)  I’ve been a general manager up until about a year ago in optics, but when I left the last company I was with and I Joined the company I’m with now, Show Your Colors By Jennifer was starting to evolve so I knew I had to step back from all the strain from being a general manager so I could run [my own] company the way it needed to be.

TRA: Now tell me about your company Show Your Colors by Jennifer because this is really special.  Tell us how we can buy bracelets .

JA: Well we do have a website, ShowYourColorsByJennifer.com, and you can contact us on Facebook through Jenn Austin.  We also have just had our first wholesale deal in a boutique store in Riverdale.  We just put the product in the store today.

TRA: Congratulations!  I didn’t realize this was such a big day for you.  I’d buy you a shot but you don’t drink.  I’ll buy you a book, because I know you like to read a lot.

JA: That’ll work.  We just put our first one in there today, sold one in California off our website yesterday so yeah, it’s been crazy.

TRA: So you’re already intra-national, next step is international.

JA: We’ve sold two in Afghanistan.

TRA: Really?  Wow.

JA: Yeah, we reached the world even before we hit the United States.

TRA: Another tribute to our technological age.  Sometimes it’s quicker to reach the world.  (We laugh.)

JA: And then if you’re fortunate enough to catch us at some of the events, I’m usually making the bracelets on site.  I always have my stuff to make [the bracelets] with me wherever I am.

TRA: I’ve seen you even at the bar.  Working away.

JA: It’s actually very relaxing to me, especially when my team’s losing in football, but we won’t talk about that.

TRA: I know.  I’m so sorry your team lost the SuperBowl, but I think that we were all Saints in our hearts this year even if it was just a little bit.  In fact, I was at a Superbowl party with you and your husband when I found out that you bedazzle your bracelets.  You know I love to be bedazzled.

JA: I put sterling silver letters into them, and we’re working on some other projects right now.

TRA: What other projects?

JA: Well I just took my first order for a dog collar, and I’ve got some other things coming. 

TRA: So are you transitioning right now from working for someone else to owning your own company or are you already at that point?

JA: I’ll probably continue to work for somebody else just because I love to give back so much. Truly that’s what attracted me to optics, but [my husband] has been fortunate enough that he is able to exclusively work for [Show Your Colors by Jennifer].  He’s not doing anything else.

TRA: What a blessing!  So his company isn’t separate from your company?

JA: It’s all one group – it’s all underneath me.

TRA: He works for you.

JA: He does.  That’s why his car license plate says, “VP/General Manager.”  Mine says, “Founder.”

TRA:  I love it.  That was actually something that I wanted to touch on a little bit here.  Jay, your husband, was homeless for a time and now he’s the Vice President of your joint company that gives twelve percent of its proceeds to Crossroads Community for the homeless.

JA: We give to various homeless organizations.  Last quarter was Crossroads Ministry, and we’re probably going to roll into this quarter with Crossroads just because we believe so much in what they do.

TRA: And I want to get back to what they do because I think it’s a great organization as well. But first I wanted to ask, taking into account that you and Jay were homeless together for a time, and have both risen to such success, what is it like to have someone who is not only your partner but also a fellow warrior?

JA: It’s wonderful.  The passion for [combating homelessness] never dies.  It’s not something I have to revive in him or that he has to revive in me because we remember what it’s like not to have anywhere to go, or the cops harass you because you’re trying to stay out of the way and they see you, or when you’re not eating right but it’s what you have.  The fact that somebody gave both of us a chance at one point when nobody else would really makes us want to work hard, and this one thing we’re going to pride ourselves on as we go forward.  We’ll be hitting some of the homeless shelters [looking] for the people who are really wanting to make a change in their life, and we’re planning on putting some people to work as we go forward.

TRA: Eternally giving back.  That is you and Jay as I’ve always known you.  So, tell me a little bit about meeting each other, and you’re journey through homelessness and back together.  Also, of course, I’m curious about the initial spark because I see it every day still with you two.

JA: I actually met him when I was at work at my second job.  When I finally got on my feet the last thing I ever wanted to do was go back to not having anything so I worked two jobs.  My children would never have nowhere to call home again.  So it was during that time that I met him at a baseball game.  As you know we’re two baseball junkies.

TRA: I didn’t know that about you two.

JA: Love baseball.  And my mother said when she heard me talk about him the very first time she knew he was the one. 

TRA: How did she know?  Did she say?

JA: She told me right away, she said, “Oh my god, you’ve met the one.” And she said she knew because I compared him to my father.  All the things I loved about my father, all the things that drove me crazy, there he was.  She said she knew right then that this was the one, and it was perfect from the beginning. Then through a series of events Jay and I became homeless again, and because I wouldn’t put my children through any more drama, they went and lived with their father.  So, Jay and I struggled together.

TRA:  So when you and Jay implement the purple and black colors in the bracelets that you make, what does that represent for the homeless?

JA:  Well the black is the despair and the hopelessness that you live in when you’re homeless.  You don’t see an end to it.  You feel like you’re in a room with no lights.  The purple is the royalty. It’s the first time you’re a productive member of society.  You have a house – I remember moving into my first house with my kids.  We had nothing but they were so happy to say, “This is my room – this is mine.”  It’s just such a wonderful thing, and the first time you’re writing that rent check or mortgage payment.  You might as well be king or queen.

TRA: What a feeling to have!  Getting back to Crossroads, what were your reasons for choosing that particular organization to donate twelve percent of Show Your Colors by Jennifer’s proceeds towards, and what other organizations do you feel are doing a worthy job of helping people to plug in?

JA: Well, Crossroads is an amazing ministry.

TRA: Where is it located?

JA: On Courtland Street in Downtown Atlanta.  It’s a wonderful, wonderful organization.  They really work with the whole entire person.  They actually have a program where they bring you in for ninety days.  They help you get your medicine.  They help you get your I.D.  They get you a mailing address.

TRA: I think a mailing address is key.  That’s something that I feel sets it apart from other organizations, and it seems to me communication is one of the biggest advancements toward accelerating the transition out of homelessness.

JA: It truly is, I mean when you apply for some jobs, you need a mailing address to put on your application.  [Crossroads] is a place for your family to correspond with you, it’s a place to get your driver’s license and your birth certificate.  If you’re fortunate enough to get food stamps or a check or these things, it’s a mailing address for these places to send it to you.  A lot of people don’t think about that – and you can’t do anything without a driver’s license or a birth certificate.

TRA: Right.

JA: You have to have an I.D.  You have to have a birth certificate.

TRA: So they’re really good about gathering the essentials. 

JA: And the wonderful thing is they have a clinic there, and if you have high blood pressure or diabetes or AIDS you can go get their medicine there.  [The people who run Crossroads] said that the ministry started just by giving out sandwiches, and then they started noticing the same people coming through and so began to ask questions like “Why are you here?” “How can we help you not be here tomorrow?” Their whole program is about helping you get off the streets to be a productive member of society, and anybody who will help [the homeless] instead of just feeding them is wonderful in my book.

TRA: I know that from personal experience volunteering with Crossroads when you shared with me how to connect to them.  I found out that you just show up from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. any day and volunteer to make sandwiches and serve food.

JA: They give them a warm meal, not just the sandwiches.  It’s something warm every day to eat.  And we’ve had several canned food drives where we take the food to them, and they take that food and actually prepare it for the homeless.  But you get a meal and a lesson and it’s a wonderful place to donate your time.

TRA: Definitely.  I’m sure they appreciate all you have done through Show Your Colors.  Speaking of which, your husband mentioned that you guys were celebrating the one year anniversary of your business soon.  Where da party at?

JA: Well it will be in May at Highland Cigar Company.

TRA: Is there an exact date yet?

JA: No exact date, but check Facebook for the upcoming announcement.

TRA: What can we expect from this party?  Will your bracelets be for sale?

JA: I’ll have bracelets and bow ties and for the select few I may be actually making them there.  Our last party we did have an auction.  We’ll be having a silent auction, and a vegetarian spread.

TRA: Sounds like great food, great people, and a great cause.  Is the crowd going to consist of people that have worked for you in your company or will the invitees be those who support the cause and support you?

JA: We want to bring a lot of people together who support the cause.  We’ll try to bring some people from each organization that we’ve helped this year so that everybody’s represented, and we’re trying to reach out to different organizations because the idea is to bring awareness for the homeless, and not just Show Your Colors by Jennifer.

TRA: Understood.  I can’t wait until May for the party.

JA: You have to wear purple and black to come.

TRA: Perfect, I’ve been looking for an excuse to buy a purple dress.  Anyway, I thank you so much again for sharing your story, and here’s to many more years of success for Show Your Colors by Jennifer.

JA: Thank you very much.  Thank you.

More articles by Summer Stanley

This article was published on Monday, April 5th, 2010 and is filed under Atlanta Character, Beliefs, Crafts, Fashion, Galleries, News. You can follow any comments to this article through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a comment, or trackback from your own site.