Heidi Hall - Organizing Community around Homelessness
Heidi Hall became a District 1 Nevada County Supervisor in January, 2017. She immediately took on the issue of homelessness, and began bringing agencies together to identify the gaps in services for this vulnerable population. Her efforts have resulted in positive moves, and there is better communication among the agencies involved.
Finding solutions for homelessness is not an easy issue. One of the things that Heidi says is so difficult to see is when homeless people reject services from the county. It may be hard to understand, and may not even make sense to those of us housed, but many homeless people have deep trust issues and will even reject a helping hand sometimes.
Heidi shares a couple of personal stories where she was touched by a homeless man in Berkeley working at a restaurant. As a single mom with two grown boys, she can see how a serious medical condition or losing a job can tip the balance and have the dramatic impact of homelessness.
She learned about community activism growing up in the Bay Area, and she credits her father as being one of her big influences. Listen in to this dynamic and smart woman who has a big heart and the capacity to make change happen.