Spotlight on a Team Member: Allie Frantz
At Miriam’s House, we know that the strength behind our work lies in our dedicated staff like our housing case managers. These individuals inspire us every day with their commitment to our mission to end homelessness, their ability to creatively solve complex problems, and their positivity and unwavering belief in the individuals and families we serve.
Meet Allie!
In 2022, Allie Frantz joined our team as a Housing Case Manager. Over the past two years, she has moved countless households experiencing homelessness into homes and supported them in their new homes as they rebuilt their lives. Take a moment to get to know Allie and what makes her such an exceptional part of the Miriam’s House team.
Miriam’s House: How would you describe your job to someone unfamiliar with your work?
Allie: As a housing case manager in our permanent supportive housing programs, I work with people who have experienced homelessness for a long time, and who also have a disabling condition. I get to help our clients first find a safe and stable home. Then, I provide wrap-around supportive services to help them maintain their housing. Each client has different goals and it’s my job to help them connect to food, healthcare, workforce, disability services, and any other resources and services in the community that provide support on their journey to reach their goals and maintain their housing. I enjoy working with my clients both on-site and in the community as I offer support to help them reach their goals.
What have you learned about homelessness in the two years you’ve worked at Miriams House?
In working with so many people who have experienced homelessness, I have learned that while there are many reasons a person may become homeless, the two overarching causes seem to boil down to a lack of money, and a lack of support systems.
Lynchburg has a very high poverty rate, and a high number of people who are one paycheck away from poverty or homelessness. It is no secret that the cost of living and the housing market rates are incredibly high across the country. Job wages and disability benefits are not high enough to match these expensive costs. When people are forced to spend so much of their paycheck on housing alone, it leaves little room for them to be able to spend money on food or healthcare, or save money for emergencies.
Therefore, when an emergency arises, many people who have not had the opportunity to save money suddenly find themselves at risk of losing their home. While some people are able to lean on family or friends to help them out of a tough situation, there are many people who do not have these support systems to rely on, and end up homeless. I truly believe that some of the most beneficial solutions to homelessness revolve around increasing affordable housing and increasing support systems.
What is your favorite thing about your job?
The people, hands down! I appreciate getting to know each of my clients and enjoy developing individualized rapport with them as we work on their goals. I am also so grateful to work with amazing colleagues that are so passionate about this work and who care so deeply about the people we serve. Additionally, I love engaging with other community partners who provide crucial services for our clients. Lynchburg is so full of willing and caring people from our community partners, to donors, and to our volunteers, I feel so grateful to have such a loving and involved community that helps us on our mission to end homelessness in Lynchburg.
what’s something you wish the whole community knew about the work we do?
I would love for the whole community to know about the Housing First approach to homelessness that we implement. There are many components of the Housing First approach, but simply put, it prioritizes the basic human needs such as food, water, and shelter above any other needs that are often necessary, but less crucial to survival. This evidence-based approach acknowledges that people will be far more successful with their important but less-crucial goals, if they have their basic needs such as housing, met first. I am grateful to work at Miriam’s House where our Housing First approach allows us to house people without preconditions!