Today we’d like to introduce you to Jackie Hemsworth.
Hi Jackie, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today.
My education background is in Community health. During my college years, the main goal I had in mind was I wanted to “run programs in my community to help people”.
My first job in the field was working with new moms that were receiving TANF assistance and were trying to get back into jobs. I was charged with providing programming to ease the transition.
I also spent many years at a large non-profit learning about sub-populations with behavioral health issues experiencing homelessness. This also gave me skills and knowledge around affordable housing and housing for those experiencing homelessness.
In moving to ACCESS as the Director of Advancement, I had the opportunity to focus my development efforts on not just people experiencing homelessness but women, in particular, with their children. I have now been in the role of Executive Director of ACCESS Shelter for almost 5 years. While it has presented incredible challenges, it has been the most rewarding role of my career to date.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
When I finished school, I didn’t go right into a job in my chosen field. Life got in the way a bit. But with some persistence, and a supportive family I was able steer back onto the path of work in the community.
I was very lucky to then work for many years at a large non-profit here in Akron where I was given a variety of opportunities to learn a great deal in a hands-on way. It was incredibly valuable to work directly with the people we were serving and placing in housing. It taught me lessons that I use every day in my role now at ACCESS.
I think at the beginning of my career, I had no idea where I was heading. But staying open to new roles and opportunities that were presented gave me the right combination of knowledge and passion to find the right place for me, doing work that resonates for me.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
Since 1984, ACCESS has been dedicated to serving women and women with children experiencing homelessness. As we celebrate 40 years of service in Summit County, ACCESS is Summit County’s only low-barrier shelter. As a low-barrier shelter, we believe access to housing is a right, and we believe in meeting our residents where they are on their journey.
Once they have a comfortable and safe place to stay, we then begin our process of encouraging them in the attainment of permanent housing by providing a supportive environment that includes programs of education, advocacy, and empowerment.
So, before we go, how can our readers or others connect or collaborate with you? How can they support you?
ACCESS has many ways for individuals and corporate partners to collaborate with ACCESS. We have volunteer opportunities, as well as opportunities to donate both monetarily and items of need from our Amazon Wish List.
Corporate partners can also collaborate with ACCESS through a number of opportunities such as hosting donation drives for urgent items of need, which we can help assist, serving as a sponsor for one of our events, and volunteering at our shelter, to name a few.
Individuals and corporations can reach out to ACCESS, and we can discuss opportunities to help support ACCESS,
Contact Info:
- Website: access-shelter.org
- Instagram: instagram.com/access_shelter/
- Facebook: facebook.com/accessshelter.inc
- Linkedin: linkedin.com/company/access-inc.
- Youtube: youtube.com/@ACCESS-shelter
Image Credits
ACCESS, Inc.
