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Aminah Elster
- September 18, 2024
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People with lived experience (PWLE) bring invaluable insights to nonprofit and governmental projects. Our unique perspectives—shaped by lived encounters with homelessness, incarceration, poverty, or other forms of marginalization—are crucial to creating policies and programs that truly address systemic inequities. Yet, time and time again, PWLE are misused, manipulated, and traumatized by the very organizations that claim to support them.
One of the most common forms of this abuse comes in the shape of uncompensated labor, delayed payments, and vague or non-existent agreements. Many PWLE are brought into projects with promises of inclusion and respect, only to be subjected to manipulative practices that erode their confidence and leave them working without compensation. These patterns of exploitation are not only harmful—they are retraumatizing.
The Financial Vulnerability of PWLE
Many marginalized individuals are in urgent need of income, making them particularly vulnerable to manipulative practices from those in power. When organizations delay contracts, refuse to pay on time, or expect labor without any formal agreements, they are actively exploiting the financial precarity of PWLE. This kind of treatment perpetuates the very inequalities and injustices these projects claim to be addressing.
What happens when someone with lived experience is asked to contribute without compensation or with an ambiguous scope of work? It reinforces the idea that our expertise is not valued. Worse still, it perpetuates cycles of financial instability, creating even more barriers for PWLE to break free from systemic inequities.
Organizations that rely on PWLE without paying them fairly, on time, or at all, are engaging in a form of exploitation that not only damages the individuals involved but also undermines the broader goals of their projects. You can’t claim to be an advocate for marginalized communities while misusing and undervaluing the labor of those with lived experience.
The Trauma of Exploitation: More Than a Transaction
For PWLE, working without compensation or a clear contract is not just an inconvenience—it is traumatizing. Many of us have already experienced systems of oppression, exploitation, and neglect. To then be asked to labor without pay or be mistreated in professional spaces only deepens that trauma.
When organizations exploit the labor of PWLE, they are doing more than just failing to pay—they are eroding the confidence and trust that PWLE place in the possibility of equitable work environments. This retraumatization can make it difficult for PWLE to advocate for themselves, set boundaries, or even participate in future projects that could benefit from their expertise. In many ways, this exploitation silences the voices that need to be heard the most.
Organizations that manipulate PWLE into working without pay or with unclear expectations are sending a clear message: your experience is valuable only when it is convenient for us. This is unacceptable.
Setting Boundaries and Protecting Our Value
As someone with lived experience, I’ve come to a point where I must set firm boundaries to protect my time, expertise, and well-being. I will no longer work without a clear, signed agreement, a defined scope of work, and guaranteed compensation. This is not only a matter of fairness—it’s a matter of self-preservation in a world that often exploits and misuses the labor of marginalized individuals.
By setting these boundaries, I’m taking a stand against the exploitation of PWLE in professional spaces. We deserve to be treated with the same dignity, respect, and professionalism as anyone else. Our lived experiences are not tokens to be used when convenient. They are a form of expertise, and they deserve to be honored as such.
A Call to Action: End the Exploitation of PWLE
For organizations working with people with lived experience, this is a wake-up call. If you are truly committed to equity and justice, then you need to take a hard look at how you treat PWLE within your projects. This means:
- No more unpaid labor.
- No more vague contracts or delayed payments.
- No more exploitation under the guise of “inclusion.”
If you’re asking PWLE to contribute their time and expertise, you must compensate them fairly, clearly outline their scope of work, and respect their labor. Anything less perpetuates the very inequities you claim to fight against.
For those of us with lived experience, it’s time to recognize our value and demand the respect and fairness we deserve. Setting boundaries is not an act of defiance—it is an act of self-preservation in a world that has too often taken from us without giving back.
We are not just participants in your projects—we are leaders with vital insights, and we deserve to be treated with the same respect as any other leader. Let’s demand better. Let’s demand respect.
