Hi – I’m Jes!
I am originally from Connecticut and moved to Vermont ten years ago after living in New Hampshire. I like to think of myself as the Tasmanian Devil of social work—dynamic, loyal, and always excited. I feel compelled to always do the right thing and have been a lifelong Girl Scout, growing up with a strong desire to be involved in the community.
I started working at Pathways Vermont in January 2020 as a service coordinator in the South, just before the pandemic hit in March and changed everything. Now, I work as a Department of Corrections (DOC) Graduation Specialist. I help DOC clients in transitional housing develop roadmaps to successful permanent housing. Typically, I make contact with them within 30 days of their release from incarceration, and we start by ensuring they have all necessary documents, like social security and an ID. In the first three months, we send out as many housing applications as possible since public housing waitlists can be two to five years long. I continue to work with them to identify and address barriers to housing.
Day-to-day, my role can look like making phone calls to program participants, reaching out with updates and following up on things they are working on. I also do housing intakes and focus on connecting with new program participants to establish a connection with them. A lot of the day can also include tons of housing applications, coordinating services with outside agencies, and chatting with landlords to further our connection. A significant part of my job is building relationships with landlords, which is crucial for finding housing for program participants. These relationships often lead to successful housing placements.
A recent very memorable experience working at Pathways was our first baby in our program. We began working with a woman who hasn’t had the easiest road but we have continued to work with her and keep her connected and now she and her baby will be moving from homelessness into permanent housing. It is so amazing to be a part of a family story.
I feel inspired by Pathways’ mission to end homelessness and provide innovative mental health alternatives because we never say “ no, we can’t.” Our programs are truly individualized. At Pathways, we can throw all of the spaghetti at the wall and see what sticks and then pick and choose what is going to work with people to make a program that is dynamic and changing and individualized. We build connections with people and that makes our work so powerful.
