Meet Kelli Beaver

Meet Kelli Beaver

What is your job title and a description of the work you do?

I am the Director of National Service Programs at MCAH. In this role, I oversee the operation of our two national service programs, which place AmeriCorps members with housing and homeless service providers in order to meet critical needs and increase capacity. Each year, I play varying roles in recruiting, training, and supporting our host sites, site supervisors, and service members. Through programmatic oversight, I ensure that our programs are making progress with our goals and complete reporting, ensure compliance, and work toward continued programmatic improvements. In addition to this, I assist MCAH with project planning and human resources.

How does your work help homeless people, or help more people become housed?

Our AmeriCorps members play such an important role in helping folks experiencing or at-risk of homelessness, and helping the organizations that provide these services. In our direct-service program, MCAH’s AmeriCorps, we host up to 23 members each year and they provide services related to accessing housing, resources, and employment. In our Capacity Building to End Homelessness AmeriCorps VISTA program, we host up to 8 members who provide capacity-building services to service providers and help them increase their effectiveness, efficiency, scale, scope, and reach. Members complete a variety of projects in this program, including improving volunteer systems, leveraging financial resources, designing programs, conducting community assessments, establishing partnerships, etc. Our members are both directly and indirectly contributing toward helping people become housed.

Is there one project or achievement with MCAH that you are particularly proud?

Supporting AmeriCorps members as they learn and grow, personally and professionally, has been the most rewarding experience in my nearly 8 years with MCAH. To watch them learn more about who they are, their values, and the goals they have for life, whatever stage they are in, is incredible. I’ve been proud to watch many of our alums go on to have careers in homeless services (even becoming host site supervisors for new AmeriCorps members), pursue new education opportunities, and continue their commitment to serve in one way or another. The AmeriCorps pledge commits to taking action when faced with apathy, to seeking common ground when faced with conflict, to persevering when faced with adversity, and to carrying that commitment with them, this year and beyond. They are truly an amazing group of people, who I have been lucky to lead.

Is there anything else you want to say or would want people to know?

Prior to my time with MCAH, I was an AmeriCorps member myself, serving first in the National Civilian Community Corps and traveling around the midwest with a team to complete projects such as building new homes, assisting with flood recovery, and removing invasive species, followed by a year serving as an economic and employability coach for individuals with barriers to employment. I will be a lifelong advocate of national service because I believe we can all be of service to others, in so many different ways throughout life. We have a lot of work to do in combating homelessness, but we have an amazing community and the opportunity to keep growing, learning, and serving.