Today we’d like to introduce you to Shauna McQueen.

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?

I was born and raised in Oakland, CA. My growing up in Oakland wasn’t the easiest. I lived in a poor, single-parent household. My mother passed when I was young. Sometimes, we would run out of food. I remember some instances of opening and closing the fridge repeatedly, hoping that food would magically appear if I wished hard enough.

Despite these struggles, I was always a very ambitious, curious, and aloof kid who still managed to see the light in the world. I loved to explore my city with my bike, riding around for hours, just enjoying the weather and watching the lives of people in my city. I would ride to Lake Merritt, to the Port of Oakland, East Oakland, and Jack London Square. I loved to go on nightly bike rides as a teenager, to escape the confinements of a small, studio apartment that I lived in with my dad, and dreamt of a life beyond Oakland.

When I got to high school, I chased every opportunity to increase my skills and prepare myself for college. I worked multiple internships, did mock interviews, resume preps, college tours, SAT and ACT prep, and more. I was even a journalist for my school’s paper, the Oakland Aegis, and had a few articles published!

In 2017, I graduated from my small school for independent study as class valedictorian. I was accepted into USC in LA. I was so elated to finally get out of Oakland and live in the city of my dreams, Los Angeles. I packed what I could and got a ride down to LA. I loved the beautiful, sunny, desert experience. The LA sun would tan my skin and imbued it with a beautiful, orange glow. Same as in Oakland, I would explore as much as I could, but this time, I navigated the city with a skateboard. I loved attending college in LA and feeling so free from the life I knew. It was an adventure.

USC is a very prestigious and wealthy school. Unfortunately, I wasn’t fully equipped for this transition and didn’t feel very supported. I made good friends with my dorm mates, but I still felt out of place from my upbringing in Oakland. The wealthy backgrounds from many of those around me was off-putting to me. I couldn’t relate, as a person who would wish for food to appear in the fridge. I came down with severe depression. I thought it was just because this school wasn’t for me, so I packed what I could because I didn’t have a ride back, and hopped on a greyhound back to Oakland.

Gentrification in the Bay Area had been increasing since about 2013. Unbeknownst to me, when I was gone for about six months, the rents in the Bay Area had increased to unsustainable levels. If I remember correctly, when I returned to Oakland early 2018, the rents were about $3,000. My dad moved out of the apartment when I left for college, so he was already homeless. When I came back, I didn’t have a job, a plan, and no permanent housing. I lived with my now husband, but he was also technically homeless because the apartment wasn’t his, and he wasn’t allowed to live there.

I was homeless in Oakland for a year and a half. It was a very harrowing and traumatizing experience. Homelessness is dehumanizing. It’s a slow process of losing yourself and being shunned by your community, and even worse, by people you love who you considered friends and family. Being suspected of being homeless will lead to harassment. You can never relax, and you always have to be on your feet. I felt betrayed by the world. Despite my good grades, internships, and all my hard work, I couldn’t reclaim a place in the city that I was born and raised.

Towards the end of being homeless, I was working 40 hours a week to earn enough money to move out of state, but it was incredibly stressful. Finally, around April 2019, my mother-in-law visited us. She took us to Las Vegas and the enthralling Fremont St experience. We toured an apartment where the rent was only $700. I hadn’t seen rent for $700 in years. Even if I hated Las Vegas, which I don’t, we would’ve moved here anyway, because we couldn’t find any housing in the Bay Area. She gave us some money and with my savings, we finally had enough to move to Las Vegas in 2019. We’ve been living here ever since.

I look back at me moving here fondly, but it was a very difficult transition. I had to leave behind everything I knew and move to a place where I didn’t know anybody, anything, nor did I know much about the culture, after only visiting Las Vegas once. My husband and I were both traumatized and had to get used to living inside again. The building we lived in was, in a way, very college style, so everyone knew each other. Everybody was very friendly and welcoming, so we were able to make friends very quickly and became engrossed in the community.

A couple in this building ran a charity called Holy Smoke-Misfit Missionaries. Doc and Theresa fed people who lived in the Las Vegas tunnels each week, without fail. With my experience being homeless, I found volunteering with the charity to be a calling for me. I volunteered a few times, but it became a weekly thing for me around 2022. I even quit a few jobs that wouldn’t give me Wednesdays off, our mission day, because it’s so important and uplifting for me. Most of the time, we just hang out with the folks and have a good time, discussing our lives, world events, and things going on in Vegas.

In 2023, Doc and Theresa separated and the charity was threatened. I didn’t want to see Holy Smoke go under, so I stepped up, and did my first mission with my husband, without them. Doc and Theresa moved, and I officially took over Holy Smoke. This is my second year running it and it’s been an awesome experience. I was afraid to step up to the plate at first, not really knowing what I was doing, but I’ve slowly grown with the charity and Holy Smoke continues to this day!

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?

Due to my personal experience with homelessness, when I started running the charity, I was able to relate and understand the people I serve. I was highly motivated to run the charity, because I knew first-hand how hard it is to be homeless and how hopeless it can feel.

The social side of running the charity was relatively easy and straightforward for me. The business side of things is where I mostly struggled at first. I had to get used to managing volunteers, navigating legal stuff, doing taxes, managing finances, designing and maintaining a website, marketing, and all that fun business stuff. I was only 23 when I started running the charity, so I found doing all that was necessary very anxiety-inducing. I was unsure of my abilities to run this charity, which led me to putting off doing important tasks.

The charity was not struggling or falling apart, but certain things should have been done in a more timely matter to get other things done. For example, I needed to get some paperwork mailed to me from the IRS, so that I could fundraise on Instagram. It took me about a month before I worked up the courage to call them; the call was only 15 minutes and the representative was very helpful. This experience really soothed my anxiety about handling business activities.

This is my second year running Holy Smoke, and I’ve gotten more comfortable handling business matters. When it comes to running a charity, there are many free resources that can be utilized. You can get Microsoft Office for free. The graphic design platform Canva also offers free services to charities. Many people and businesses are usually enthusiastic about helping a local charity!

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?

Holy Smoke-Misfit Missionaries is a non-profit in Las Vegas that focuses on bringing community, supplies, and resources to homeless people who live in the Las Vegas tunnels. We also assist homeless people who live in Downtown Las Vegas.

Our charity is different from how charities normally operate. We don’t believe in pushing services or any prerequisites in order to receive our help. Our charity was started by a group of comedians who just wanted to bring laughter and a good time to people who live in the tunnels. Homelessness can be a very isolating and dehumanizing experience. There is a misconception that homeless people are dangerous, drug-addicts that don’t want help. The truth is, many homeless people we serve are elderly or disabled, and they are far from dangerous. Over the years, our organization has grown to bringing down food and supplies. We pass out 100 hot meals each week from a local restaurant, batteries, and any donated materials, included socks and clothes. Beginning this year, we now offer mail services for people who need to have documents or packages shipped, but don’t have an address.

I am very proud of the work our charity has done. We have built relationships with many people in the tunnels, some of who we have known for years. We’ve also helped numerous people find permanent housing and reconnect with their families. Our charity was featured on A&E’s Intervention for an episode, where a woman we’ve helped, Amanda, accepted entry into rehab. She now serves on our Board of Directors and does great work in LA.

One of the main goals of our charity is changing the narrative surrounding homelessness as a personal failing and not a societal failure. We believe that housing is a human right. Many people don’t understand how difficult it is to acquire housing again once you lose it. You cannot get an ID without an address, and you also need specific types of mail to prove that you live at the residence. In addition to this, homeless people have no property rights, so if your ID or important paperwork is in your belongings, like a birth certificate or social security card, you lose it in an encampment sweep. Once this happens, you’re back at square one in your attempt to get housing again.

Holy Smoke has been featured in documentaries and the news showing our work and dispelling myths about homelessness. I am very proud of our organization! Homelessness is growing each year in the United States. We are adapting and working with our “sister charities” to help a growing number of people in need.

Do you have any advice for those looking to network or find a mentor?

I have never run any type of business before, so running a charity was a big undertaking for me. I, for the most part, relied on the internet to know how to do any type of business activity and find free resources for my charity. I went to college, but didn’t finish, so I have some knowledge of how to run a business, marketing, organizational structures, and so on. I’m also only 25, so I have digital literacy skills, but networking requires more than just posting on social media. It’s easier to network in college, because it is a centralized environment to meet people. It’s different when you’re out of school, however.

Some advice I have is to reach out to businesses that are similar to yours. You can reach out online, but I prefer to meet people in person to give a better introduction. Business owners always like to network and meet new people. You should have a brief pitch to catch the person’s attention. I run a small charity, so I’ve reached out to other small charities and we share resources. Also, try to be as active in your community as you can. I recommend going to events or joining groups to have a support system. I recently joined a group for Black women in Las Vegas, and it has been very helpful to meet new people and support other small businesses like mine’s.

The biggest thing about networking is that it requires you to be confident and direct. You also have to have good social skills to feel comfortable meeting and engaging with new people. I still personally struggle with this, but these skills are very important to develop and grow. Over time, it gets easier, and your confidence will grow!

You should also have your business cards wherever you go. You never know who you might meet! QR codes are direct links to websites, so I recommend having a QR code on your card that goes directly to your business’ URL.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://holysmokevegas.org/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/holysmokevegas?igsh=a3JoZDJiNThodXU5
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@holysmokevegas1407
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@holy.smoke.vegas?_t=8pRnVqFhasl&_r=1

Image Credits

Calvin Cunningham Media