Join us on June 15th at 6 pm PST!

We’re beyond excited to invite you to our upcoming virtual event Building Bridges: Honest discussions on real solutions to homelessness. Innovative leaders from At The Crossroads, Homeless Youth Alliance, Hospitality House, and the Young Women's Freedom Center are coming together to lead a discussion around diverse perspectives on homelessness, the gaps that exist in the system, the barriers that prevent us from making more meaningful progress, and possible pathways forward.

We hope you will join us for an evening of engaging conversation that both acknowledges the complexity of these issues and shows that as a community we all have a role to play in addressing homelessness.

This event is part of an overall thought leadership series of content on shifting the conversation about homelessness in the Bay Area. Featuring in-depth conversations, educational videos, and honest answers that cut through the noise and drive tangible solutions for our community. #BuildingBridges

Moderator

Laura Wenus, San Francisco Public Press

Laura hosts “Civic”, a public affairs radio show and podcast under the San Francisco Public Press umbrella. As a multimedia reporter and producer based in the Bay Area, she has primarily focused on housing, homelessness, public health, and inequality.

Voices on the Leadership Panel

Charles Lerner, Executive Director, At The Crossroads (ATC)

Charles Lerner is the Executive Director of At The Crossroads (ATC). He is a previous foster youth who experienced homelessness as a young adult. He holds a master's degree in marriage and family therapy and his twenty-five-year career has included advocating for youth in foster care, LGBTQ+ youth, and young people experiencing homelessness. Charles came to ATC because of the principles that drive its work including providing unconditional, non-judgmental, and long-term support to clients. He considers himself to be a justice seeker and believes that you would be hard-pressed to find a social issue (including homelessness) that at its root does not involve injustice and inequity.

Julia Guzman Arroyo, San Francisco Site Director, Young Women's Freedom Center (YWFC)

Julia Arroyo is the second-generation born stateside in the US, and is of Mexican/Filipino descent, and identifies as Xicana. Her work at the YWFC is personal to her having had involvement in the underground street economy, foster care, and incarceration. She has transformed her life and is committed to supporting marginalized girls to break free from systemic and interpersonal violence. She is currently majoring in Women Studies at San Francisco City College, and has a background in community health, rape crisis, and work with sexually exploited youth. Julia advocates for the decriminalization of girls, and believes it is the job of everyone to create environments for them to grow and lead the next generation. Julia has been with the Center since 2014.

Mary Howe, Executive Director, Homeless Youth Alliance (HYA)

Mary Howe, once a young person experiencing homelessness herself has dedicated her 20+ year career to developing and implementing services that empower young people to improve their own lives, and to addressing the structural causes of poverty, homelessness and drug use. In 2006 she founded Homeless Youth Alliance when two long standing grassroots programs merged to form the single organization. HYA’s ethos and program design is always grounded in the stated needs of the young people we are honored to work alongside.

Joe Wilson, Executive Director, Hospitality House (HH)

Joe Wilson is the Executive Director of Hospitality House, a multi-program agency serving residents of San Francisco's Tenderloin, Sixth Street Corridor, and Mid-Market neighborhoods struggling with homelessness, poverty, and other socioeconomic issues. Joe is the co-chair of Market Street for the Masses, the Steering Committee of the San Francisco Human Services Network, and the Executive Committee of the Homeless Emergency Service Providers Association (HESPA). Joe is formerly homeless, and a former shelter resident and staff of Hospitality House.