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LifeMoves, a nonprofit organization that is working to serve communities experiencing homelessness, is also helping its former clients join its team of staff. Marissa Carino, lead case manager at LifeMoves, was once a former client of the nonprofit and is using her lived experiences to help others.
According to LifeMoves, 34% of its staff are individuals with personal experiences of homelessness and substance use.
“My inspiration comes from having something very special that you can’t pay for,” said Carino. “You have this certain type of lived experience that not very many people have and have the ability to meet people where they’re at from this perspective.”
Hiring individuals with lived experience helps bring in expertise and insight to the organization, allowing LifeMoves to grow and improve with a greater understanding of what their clients need, according to Isabella Karabed, director of diversity, equity and inclusion and lived experience, at LifeMoves.
“There’s a level of empathy and compassion that comes from someone that knows what our clients have been through,” Karabed said. “They know exactly what they have experienced and that compassion serves us really well when delivering services.”
Carino said that most clients who are living through traumatic experiences of substance use and mental health struggles often don’t want to talk to social workers or receive help. In these moments, sharing their own experiences and being the “hope shot” lets clients know that “this isn’t the end of your story,” said Carino.
LifeMoves has always brought former clients onto its team, but recently have reduced the barriers for clients to apply and be hired onto staff, said Karabed, who also has lived experiences of substance use.
The organization has started a hiring process called the Lived Experience Recruitment Project where former clients receive more guidance through the hiring journey with a separate application and info sessions.
“Homelessness or substance use is not a barrier coming into work. It’s a qualification. It’s a positive thing,” said Karabed.
LifeMoves continues to provide support to staff with lived experiences through its Employee Advisory Board and Lived Experience Employee Resource Group.
The Employee Advisory Board is a leadership group of staff who have lived experiences and collaborate monthly with other teams within LifeMoves. The Lived Experience Employee Resource Group is a support and advocacy team that allows for staff with lived experiences to voice their opinions on how services can improve.
The San Mateo County Navigation Center in Redwood City is a 240-unit noncongregate temporary shelter that was designed with the help of former clients, said Karabed. Clients provided ideas for private bathrooms, living spaces, pet parks and more.
LifeMoves continues to improve its organizational efforts by implementing the voices of its clients, according to Karabed.
Before working at LifeMoves, Carino worked at four different nonprofits but she said “LifeMoves is by far the best nonprofit that I’ve ever worked for.” She is proud to be working at an organization where everyone cares about their work and wants to make an impact.
“I’ve had a lot more successes than I have had clients,” Carino said.
This year, LifeMoves has served more than 7,400 people with interim supportive housing.
Over her four years at LifeMoves, Carino has developed strong relationships with her clients and still receives phone calls from former clients letting her know how they’re doing, she said.
“Even when somebody doesn’t want to continue services because they want to continue with substance use or they’re more comfortable in an encampment, that’s not my place to judge,” said Carino. “It’s my place to continue to be available for them when they want to receive service again.”
LifeMoves is one of the beneficiaries of The Almanac’s Holiday Fund. Donations are divided equally among this year’s 10 nonprofit organizations and 100% of the funds raised go directly to the recipients. Donations to the Holiday Fund can be made at almanacnews.com/holiday_fund.
For more information on LiveMoves, go to lifemoves.org.
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