Two months ago, Loretta Wilson, Campus District’s first full-time outreach worker, was hired in our District, a neighborhood that includes many diverse populations. The duties and skills of an outreach worker are many. At the core, Loretta meets with individuals experiencing homelessness to connect them to services and benefits that may help improve their life. These tasks include helping folks receive birth certificates, apply for photo IDs, and look for apartment listings. Apart from that, she connects our business community with our social service community to better serve the Superior Arts District, an improvement district from East 18th to East 26th Street.
Loretta found this field after she worked in an office setting for Human Services at Catholic Charities. Although she was passionate about her work there, she felt like the desk held her back from engaging individuals one on one. In her new role, she is encouraged to engage with as many individuals as she can. To describe her job, Loretta shares that a vital part of her work is to listen. She says, “I give people the opportunity to speak, tell me things, and to not feel judged when doing so.” The stigma that surrounds homelessness may deter outsiders who want to enter downtown, but Loretta enters downtown in order to dismantle this.
To speak with Loretta and hear stories about the individuals she works with gives one a different outlook on the systems that perpetuate homelessness in our community. The increased amount of low-income resources and services available even stuns Loretta, and highlights that no matter how many resources there are, we will not fix the system without confronting the prejudices we have. Loretta’s compassion leads her to help those who have gotten down on their luck. She says, “We are all one paycheck away from being homeless. It can happen to anyone.” Loretta’s philosophy is not to judge or talk at people, but rather to them, and this is the biggest lesson we continue to learn from her.
Loretta Wilson can be reached at Downtown Cleveland Alliance’s Dispatch number, 216-621-6000.
