Staff Highlight - Homeless Prevention System

Title: HPS Case Manager

Length of time: Since March 9, 2020

Assists members at risk of homelessness with sustaining their housing through financial assistance and case management.

“There is a housing crisis happening in the Bay Area. Hardworking families and individuals who have lived here their whole life are being displaced. We need the community to come together and fight for affordable housing and renters rights. Everyone deserves to have a secure place they can call home.”

Why HPS? I decided to work in housing after completing an internship at Lincoln High School during my undergrad. Many of the students who were struggling with grades and attendance were students who were experiencing homelessness or unstable housing. Students and parents were not able to focus on their long term goals or work at their full potential because they were concerned about having a place to stay. As part of this work, I began to refer families in need of rental assistance to agencies around the city and the county. This is how I first learned about the Family Assistance Program and the Emergency Assistance Network at Sacred Heart Community Services. I was amazed by all the great work that they were doing to keep our families housed. Students from families who had received services began to perform better academically, their attendance became stable and they reported having less stress in their home. Therefore, I decided to work in housing so that I can support those families and individuals who were going through hard times and needed a small push to be self-sufficient and have the stability needed to reach their goals in life.