Emily, a Bay Area native, moved to Canada to attend the University of British Columbia and spent a year in South Africa studying equality. She worked with various organizations in Canada and Australia, focusing on numerous levels of community support services. Emily has experience in supportive and mental health housing, overdose prevention clinics, shelters, and transitional housing across diverse environments.
Returning to the Bay area, Emily joined Hope Solutions, a non-profit in Contra Costa County, where she has worked for four years. She started in a program that supported displaced victims of domestic violence, then led the McKinney Vento support program for unhoused families and unaccompanied youth in the West Contra Costa School District. Emily is currently the co-chair of the DEIB Committee and is dedicated to furthering this work. With her project management and supportive housing background, she is now the Housing Development manager, driving efforts to create more permanent affordable housing coupled with support services in Contra Costa, which are built from the ground up. Hope Solutions is building a model by partnering with faith institutions to develop cottage communities on faith-owned land. Emily is tackling California’s housing crisis with passion and commitment and her daily motivation is driven by supporting unhoused populations and the success of clients.