Stephanie Kirkland, a case manager at the Eugene Shelter Care works with the homeless to serve the community and keep people off the streets. As a case manager Stephanie serves up to thirty clients at a time. With the help of her bachelor’s degree in phycology she works with peoples mental and physical health problems. Stephanie says, “Without me even saying anything, they look at me and are like, you’ve been where we’re at. I don’t have to tell them I have been here, they know.” While working with their health Stephanie also manages a rapid rehousing program that gets people into their own personal low income housing. Along with offering up to two years of rental assistance clients get the opportunity to get jobs, food, counseling, clothing and clean off drugs.

Starting at a young age Stephanie’s life wasn’t easy. She lived with her mom, dad, grandfather and an additional eight family members. When Stephanie was 11 years old her mother passed away. Her father had to support two thirds of the family’s total income. At 19 her father passed away and brother committed suicide putting Stephanie’s life into complete shambles. The passing of her father forced the family into poverty. Stephanie suffered with depression and was making bad decisions. Stephanie says, “I started hanging out with the wrong crowd of people and started dating this guy who was verbally and mentally abusive.” Living in Texas and at the age of 21 she got pregnant by this man. At an appointment for her pregnancy with the father of her baby, she found out that he was a registered sex offender. “I was out, I was done, and went to the greyhound bus station. I got a ticket to the west coast and picked out a place on the map which ended up being Eugene, Oregon,” says Stephanie. With nothing but the cloths on her back and purse, Stephanie got to the Eugene Mission where she started her climb up to where she is now. From being homeless living at the Eugene Mission she started to work for them in the Family Center. Doing so well at the Eugene mission she got an interview at the Shelter Care.

Stephanie wants to continue her work with the Shelter Care in her future. She has a passion to help people that were in the same position she was. “You get the greatest pleasure when you’re handing the keys to an apartment to somebody,” says Stephanie. She is also looking into becoming a counselor. She says, “That feeling you get when you help somebody off the streets can take away all the crappy stuff that has happened to you.”