If you follow this column, you know that Harbor Connects is an organization I helped co-found and is near and dear to my heart.
Harbor Connects supports neighbors and service providers in the fight against poverty by connecting them directly to resources, mentoring, and advocacy.
In April, we hired a new leader, and with her at the helm, we are looking to continue to grow our impact — both in reach and scope.
Meet Meghan Langfield. Meghan is a servant leader with a stellar reputation for resolving problems, improving customer satisfaction, and driving overall operational improvements. She has over ten years of experience in child welfare, serving in several roles, most recently with the Colorado Department of Human Services.
Let’s get to know Meghan better and learn about what’s happening with Harbor Connects.
Harbor Connects board of directors: (l to r) Lee Williams, Sgt. Manlove, Lisa Williams, Amber Sheikh, Lauren Luna, Rev. Amanda Riley, Rev. Adam Stevenson, and Meghan Langfield. (photo: Tammy Khan)
What brought you to this work?
I often like to share a story from my childhood. At the age of five or six, I recall playing on a merry-go-round, and I saw a toddler fall off. Rushing to make sure the little one was okay is one of my earliest memories of helping someone. While details of that experience fade as I get older, that incredible feeling of helping has stayed with me. It has really become part of who I am, personally and professionally.
What are you most proud of in your work?
Preventative systems involvement. Having spent 13 years working in child welfare for counties, cities, and state governments, the work my team and I did to transform the child welfare system in Colorado is what I’m most proud of. Our goal was to change the system to prevent children from entering it and keep families together — and we were able to do this and more.
What are some of the challenges standing in your way?
The homeless services ecosystem presents challenges and can be difficult to navigate. I like to think of those hurdles as opportunities for improvement rather than challenges — either way, access to services and resources can be fairly difficult for those most vulnerable.
We need more folks on the front lines — social and case workers are often overworked and underpaid. The folks that do this work are all heart! More often than not, they can’t afford basic necessities themselves or are grappling with the realities of working in a system that needs more resources. Also, I know people hear it from everywhere, but we need more affordable housing.
Economic burdens on families can snowball quickly, especially in the current inflation climate. Many families are one or two paychecks [away] from being homeless. We recently helped a nonprofit service provider’s staff member whose hours had been cut down to 32 hours a month. She was struggling to pay her car and phone bills — both essential to her professional and personal life (as a mom). Our intervention helped make sure she had the means to get her kids to school and could keep working. That’s a win-win — at least in the short term.
Our goal has always been to try to prevent folks from becoming part of the system — a system that is impacted and over-extended.
What can our neighbors do to help?
Advocate. We need more preventative measures to keep folks — like the nonprofit staffer — from being part of the system themselves.
Volunteer. So many nonprofit organizations have limited capacity, and the more people get involved, the more people get the help and resources they need.
Donate. I realize not everyone can help financially, and that is why I think being an advocate or volunteer [is an] impactful [way] to support nonprofits. But programs need funding. Harbor Connects has felt the donor love from so many of you, and we are extremely grateful.
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This corner of San Pedro Today will become even more critical as we near the November election. As of print, the Bold New Way measure (hopefully labeled Measure A) will officially be certified to be on the November ballot.
The Bold New Way measure is the first citizen initiative of this kind and represents an expert-driven, collaborative approach to addressing our homeless crisis. It’s written and endorsed by the staff and organizations doing the work every day, and without its passing, this work will take a huge step backward.
Over the next few months, my interviews will continue to feature the people and organizations that will fuel our work for years to come if we pass this measure. Join me in making things better. spt
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