Bernadette Reed
My journey into social services was deeply personal - it started with my family needing services and not knowing how to navigate that system, which inspired me to help others and give back. I've been in this field for 18 years, starting with the City of New York helping children in inner-city communities with literacy and homework help. From there, I moved into working with New York City's homeless population, serving people living with HIV and AIDS, mental health issues, and substance abuse disorders. I started at my current organization as a case manager about 12 to 14 years ago, and within two years I was promoted to Director of Social Services, then a year later to Program Director. I oversee a Safe Haven, which was created for individuals who are shelter-resistant and would rather sleep in public places like the subway or parks because they don't want to conform to the structure of a normal shelter. We meet people where they are with a low threshold for rules and regulations - we don't have a curfew. Our overall goal is to connect clients to the resources they need, whether that's substance abuse services, mental health, or medical care, but the big goal is to transition them from my program into permanent housing to end the cycle of homelessness. Our program has been so successful at meeting and superseding our housing placement targets from the Department of Homeless Services that we received more funding to open up a stabilization bed program, which I also oversee. Beyond my director role, I'm a certified life coach and have been for two years. I create frameworks centered around self-care and being trauma-informed. I'm about to release my first book in mid-May called 'Girl Lotion Them Elbows,' the first installment of my girl series, which comes with a shadow workbook so readers can do the work in real time as they're reading. I have my first panel speaking engagement on May 17th. I do all of this work in honor of my parents who are not here - I wasn't old enough at the time to be who I am today to have possibly impacted them in a way to save their lives, so I honor them by helping others.
• Certified Life Coach
What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
I would tell them to consistently and authentically show up as themselves, because it's hard to keep up with a mask. Really, really be sure that this work is for you, because it's very, very challenging. You will be tested sometimes when you have to look at the mirror, when you have to take self-inventory to make sure that you're showing up the way you need to show up, and also taking care of yourself. A lot of people forget that if you don't take care of yourself, if you don't show up for yourself, it's impossible for you to show up for others. Or if you do manage to show up for others, it's not gonna last for so long, because you have to pour into your own cup. I don't see how people pour from an empty cup and expect to keep going. Make sure that this work aligns with who you are, your beliefs, and that you can really give yourself to it, but also take care of yourself in the process. I tell my staff all the time, just remember that we are one paycheck away from possibly being in their predicament. We want to be mindful, like, this could very well be us. We want to make sure that we show up in a way where we're empathetic, where we understand, we get that this is a stop in their journey, and we want to make it a pleasant stop.
Locations
Urban Pathways
New York, NY