Why Belonging Matters Now: A Message from Tarah

Since returning from sabbatical, I've found myself holding two realities at once: the growing uncertainty facing so many of our neighbors, and the extraordinary ways people continue to show up for one another.

A few weeks ago, a local teacher we partner with texted me to say that many of her students, who are here legally through the Unaccompanied Refugee Minors program, were now facing deportation. Their court dates had been moved, and they were being required to appear in Detroit.

I spent time in the café talking through Medicaid changes and free clinic options with a woman whose friend, someone she met through our Cross-Cultural Partnership program, would lose her benefits despite working full time and earning below the poverty line.

I sat with a leader who came here as a refugee. He walked me through the education opportunities available through Michigan Works!, but explained that Medicaid eligibility is a requirement for all of them.

I spoke with a mother who built a relationship with a woman detained at North Lake. While the woman was detained, this mother found resources for the child she'd left behind. When the woman was released, the mother opened her home to them both, stretching her family of five to hold seven, indefinitely, fully knowing this woman cannot work while her asylum case is pending.

And even amid these challenges, belonging continues to make room for joy, growth, and flourishing.

I've seen this in women earning their driver's licenses after personal setbacks because of the steady support of their cheerleaders. I've seen women from more than 20 Latin American countries dance and celebrate their heritage together. I've seen cross-cultural leaders lean in to hear the experiences that shaped each other while sharing food from home. And I've seen churches make space to hear stories of belonging in a new place, then take next steps to join this mission.

These moments may look different, but they are all part of the same story. A story of people choosing to show up for one another, in hardship and in celebration. Of relationships that become sources of strength, possibility, and joy. Because belonging doesn't happen by accident, and it doesn't endure without care.

That's what I hope you'll experience for yourself at A Place to Belong on October 28-29. It's a chance to sit at the table with the people in these stories, hear from them directly, and celebrate what we're building together.

Holding the grief and hope along with you,

Tarah Carnahan

Treetops Collective Executive Director & Co-Founder