Kou Kamei

From the time I walk into the office until I leave, my number one goal is to help somebody with housing. If I can house somebody every day, that puts joy on my face. When I get that call saying 'Ms. K, I found my lease,' I start to celebrate because I have accomplished something that day. Last year, when we didn't get funding for the whole year, I was so sad, but I kept trying to reach out to other agencies. I started going to churches to see if I could get them to help these people in whatever way they could, and the few that I was able to get off the street just poured joy on my face. I'm constantly on the phone calling people, asking them questions like 'are you still homeless? What can I do to help change the situation?' If someone doesn't have a job and is trying to find one, I'm also reaching out to employers that can work with them based on their situation. Whether it's in the healthcare field or in housing case management, just helping somebody and listening to somebody makes them feel better, and that's the biggest accomplishment in my whole career.