{"id":1114,"date":"2022-08-02T13:03:31","date_gmt":"2022-08-02T17:03:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/54.235.7.55\/?post_type=news&#038;p=1114"},"modified":"2022-10-13T08:18:19","modified_gmt":"2022-10-13T12:18:19","slug":"lakeesha-donaldson-named-lighthouse-emergency-shelter-manager","status":"publish","type":"news-items","link":"https:\/\/lighthousemi.org\/news-items\/lakeesha-donaldson-named-lighthouse-emergency-shelter-manager\/","title":{"rendered":"LaKeesha Donaldson Named Lighthouse Emergency Shelter Manager"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"modal-ready\"><p>LaKeesha Donaldson shares a special connection with the people she serves at Lighthouse because she understands what it\u2019s like to be in their shoes.<\/p>\n<p>Years ago, LaKeesha lost everything she owned in a house fire.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI only had the clothes on my back,\u201d she says. \u201cI know how it felt to not have the support that you need. I know the emotional challenges you go through when you don\u2019t have your own place.\u201d<br \/>\nThat memory is one of several life experiences that inspired LaKeesha to choose a career she knew would make a difference.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI always had a passion to help people. I grew up with my grandmother just doing it on her own, allowing people to stay with us, help them,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n<p>LaKeesha joined Lighthouse in March 2018 as an intern in direct services. Since then, she\u2019s received several promotions. Most recently she served as Emergency Shelter Case Manager, helping dozens of people in Oakland County along the way.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019re a housing-first agency and we look past barriers clients may have, such as mental health, substance abuse, no income, or very low income,\u201d says LaKeesha. \u201cMost people cannot think about housing because they\u2019re dealing with everything else. If they\u2019re housed first, they can focus on the other aspects of their lives.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In her new role as Emergency Shelter Manager, LaKeesha oversees the shelter and supervises and supports Lighthouse\u2019s case managers to ensure they have the training and tools they need to assist those who need it most.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI really, really love what I do,\u201d she says. \u201cBeing able to help families and individuals get past some of the barriers they face is truly fulfilling.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>An example includes the changes Lighthouse recently made to its SOS Emergency Shelter. Prior to COVID, Lighthouse partnered with local congregations to host a rotating shelter, providing about 30 people a place to stay each night. During COVID, shelter numbers quadrupled. To keep people safe, Lighthouse moved its emergency shelter program to a local motel where families can stay together and feel supported as they work to get into housing.<\/p>\n<p>To help address the gap in emergency shelter beds for families, Lighthouse is also converting an 18-unit apartment building at Cottage and Center streets in Pontiac into a family emergency shelter with beds for up to 54 people.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen we\u2019re interviewing staff, we ask: \u2018What does homelessness look like to you?\u2019 And, to me, that question speaks volumes,\u201d LaKeesha says. \u201cNot everyone who is homeless just because they couldn\u2019t pay their rent. It wasn\u2019t just because they had a house fire. Some people fled domestic violence, some people have been scammed and they\u2019ve been trying to do the right thing. One thing I tell my clients is \u2013 this is just a situation, it\u2019s not forever \u2013 and we\u2019re here to help.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Please join us in congratulating LaKeesha on her new role.<\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"featured_media":1115,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"xn-wppe-expiration":[],"xn-wppe-expiration-action":[],"xn-wppe-expiration-prefix":[],"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"news_categories":[38],"class_list":["post-1114","news-items","type-news-items","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","news_categories-employment"],"acf":{"photo_gallery":{"gallery":[[]]}},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v24.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>LaKeesha Donaldson Named Lighthouse Emergency Shelter Manager - Lighthouse<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/lighthousemi.org\/news-items\/lakeesha-donaldson-named-lighthouse-emergency-shelter-manager\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"LaKeesha Donaldson Named Lighthouse Emergency Shelter Manager - Lighthouse\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"LaKeesha Donaldson shares a special connection with the people she serves at Lighthouse because she understands what it\u2019s like to be in their shoes. 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