How Christy Pietryga Turns Crisis into Stability for Families Facing Homelessness

[0:00]  Leaving your abuser in a domestic violence episode is the most dangerous um period. You know, we we served a mom not too long ago whose um partner shot her as she was leaving. Um, you know, thankfully she survived with the trauma of that and her kids, you know, and and how do we do our very best to make it as safe as possible for the family? Um, and having that like online option just to kind of like do it at your convenience because we are really mindful that like you can't just always call someone like who are you talking to? Why are you texting them? Let me have the phone. You know, there's a lot of control in those episodes as well. So, an online bot You know, not everyone gets into

[1:05]  nonprofit work because they actually want to. Sometimes it's because they have to. There's a fire inside of them that just won't let them ignore the problem. Christie, I have to ask, what was the moment you knew you couldn't look away? Like, this moment made you realize this is it and this is what I have to do. What? When was it? How was it? Let us know. I was in middle school actually and my youth group through my church growing up took us to East End Cooperative Ministries here in Pittsburgh and we served a meal to local men experiencing homelessness. And I just remember that night like my eyes were open to this need and issue right here in our community. and I knew right then I'm going to work in the homeless field. So tell us how you get started like uh the opportunity just you know

[1:54]  showed up or you did you go looking for this opportunity and just give us some more information on what is it your organization is actually doing today for the community. So I went to Bucknell University and majored in sociology with a concentration in nonprofits and human services. So knew right, you know, after graduation, I really wanted to be in the nonprofit field here in Pittsburgh. And at the time in 2012, veteran homeless funding kind of exploded here in the US.

[2:25]  So, uh, there were a lot of opportunities for new social workers to plug in to the need around veteran homelessness. And so that was really my avenue into Pittsburgh nonprofits. I worked in the veteran homeless field for about 10 years and then became a mom and just some priorities shifted and I really wanted to resonate u more closely with a mission and um as a civilian non- veteran um but then as a mom I found Hearth's posting and so thrilled that I did because I absolutely love it here and um Hearth serves moms and kiddos who've experienced homelessness and domestic violence and we pro provide them with uh an apartment, a place to live for one to two years. I love it.

[3:15]  And I love that you also got to be a mom and then get into this because now you're seeing this even deeper, right? A lot of times like for myself, I was in the nonprofit of helping young kids because I was a young kid that needed help. But when I become a father and I'm still doing that same work, it's it just becomes like, oh my god, you know, you it you're not selfish about it. You know, I treat my kids and I treat the kids that I actually work and mentor with the same way I would treat my own kids, right? So, you kind of get that experience firsthand of what it looked like at home. It's almost like home could be that trial at times. Maybe I was too hard on my daughter. Make sure I'm not doing this out in the world, right? Um, what's crazy is that you've been in this space since middle school and as kids in middle school, I can remember asking myself, "What's for lunch? Are we having a pizza? Are we, you know, but you're already

[4:02]  volunteering in the shelter? What's really going through your head at that time when you're seeing this at this young age?" I just wanted to know more. Like, how is this happening? Who is this happening to? It's happening right here in Pittsburgh. Is it everywhere? And so, I was really curious. I remember reading the book Under the Overpass and it's a sociological study of someone who um enters into the homeless population themselves and goes to six different cities throughout the US and I was just like okay so this is this is all over the place and just wanted to learn more and that's kind of like where my like love for sociology, love for people and studying people and behavior really started And um homelessness has

[4:51]  just always stuck. I think for me, you know, I I grew up in a really loving, stable household um and was in circles of people in similar situations. And so I was never really exposed to that outside of volunteer work. And I just Yeah. dove head first. I love it. And what's one thing that people probably don't understand about this space like homelessness that it can happen to anyone? You know, we say homelessness and domestic violence don't discriminate. Um, you know, you might be living this wonderful life and then an unexpected medical bill or your rent increases or a, you know, major issue in

[5:39]  your home occurs. Uh, your child might get sick. I mean, a lot of people are one to two paychecks away from not being able to pay for their housing. And so, you know, we don't want to think of homelessness as a they them problem. You know, I really think it's like an us and a we. Yeah. Um conversation of our community and our neighborhood and and our friends and family. Um and especially around domestic violence. I mean the stats in the data are really eye opening. Yeah. Yeah. Very very sad place. Um as well like the domestic violence the the homelessness especially that homelessness and I I I don't know you know I don't look at these these statistics but I know now where things are so much like increasing we have very

[6:27]  high um uh what is it interest rates we insurance you know in the in the different communities are going up. I mean, even for myself, I seen an increase almost a couple thousand dollars, right? And it's like, so now my my mortgage has gone up a couple hundred dollars. And not everyone, like you said, is in line for an increase like that that they didn't expect. Um, you know, buying a home for the first time as well. Like, there's just so many different things that people don't know, you know, as well. One of the biggest issues I had was I was short on my escrow, like $45,000. Mhm. So now I have to sit here and make these calls and how do I cuz I didn't have $45,000 just laying around to get escrow. That's so crazy. Yeah. That happened to us a few years ago. Yeah. So as you mentioned, it happens to anybody. And luckily, you know, myself and I'm pretty sure yourself were um either prepared or we

[7:15]  had to go get resources and here's a resource right here in front of us. Christie, you're talking about it. And I really want to kind of dig into your mindset a little bit even more because we talked about what it was in middle school. Like that's a crazy space to be in already, you know, kind of dealing with those things. But then you go from being the number two in the company, the COO of the company, and then you go into CEO.

[7:34]  Where was there a big mental shift that you had to kind of make there? I love the COO position. I love number two. I love the supportive role. I really didn't envision myself in a CEO position. My friend actually sent me the posting and it said, "Hey, this sounds like something you would be interested in." I was like, "Really? I don't I don't think so." She's like, "Of course."

[7:58]  So, you know, I it was it was a big mental shift from, you know, I was so focused in programs and operations and kind of expanding my view of organizationwide, the financials, the development, the fundraising, um partners and and donors, you know, all of those different categories that I really day in day out wasn't exposed to. And so, um, I went from a a larger nonprofit managing around 8 million and 70 employees to Hearth, which is 1.2 million and 10 employees. So, that eased the transition a bit. Um, but still, I mean, Hearth is a small but mighty organization. There are a lot there's so

[8:46]  much to learn. I'm still learning two years in. Um, and grateful to be here. Harfest is just not about housing. It's truly about stability. that real long-term change. What makes your model work when so many others struggle? I think a few of the things that really help families excel at hearth is the ability to stay here for one to two years. Oftent times in the shelter space specifically families receive about 90 days.

[9:15]  When you're talking about the issue of domestic violence, there are so many varying causes of domestic violence. You know, it could be anger management, mental health, it could be just how you grew up and what is acceptable and what's not acceptable. And when you really want to heal and transform, it takes so much time. I mean, think about dealing with an anger management problem in in such a short time frame or um receiving therapy and, you know, working through some of these issues with a therapist. All of it takes so much time.

[9:54]  And so what Hearth does is allows that time and space for families to heal. And we bring as many programs and partnerships on site as possible. For instance, we have a nocost therapy program here on site where a licensed social worker comes on into our therapy room. moms, kiddos, and as a family unit can receive um free therapy uh for their healing and mental health. And so all of those facets, another thing is that our family support specialist, our two family support specialists that case manage and work alongside our families are both graduates of Hearth. So they know the impacts of these programs and services and it's more a peer relationship. um than a staff and a client relationship.

[10:44]  And our ratios are very small with case loads. So each of our family support specialists has around eight families. Um and really the average you hear is like 20 to 50. Um and so we really want to make sure that not only are our family support specialists working with moms, but they're kids. So it's it's a holistic view of the family, not just a client.

[11:11]  um staff person dynamic. Yeah, I think there's a you have this a huge support from from um case management, food, child care. People don't always realize how much really goes into lifting a family up. What's a story that really shows that impact? Do you have one in mind that comes to mind? Yeah. Two months ago, out of the blue, I got an email from a child who lived at Hearth whose mom came here with her with her family and she literally was just saying, "Thank you, like, thank you for the impact you have made on our family."

[11:48]  And and so I quickly was like, "Can we meet? Like c are you in Pittsburgh?" And she's in Tennessee. So we jumped on a virtual call and you know, she just shared her story. She's she's in Tennessee like winning every education um and teacher award there is and she you know gives so much credit to her mom and the support of hearth that just completely transformed their family's trajectory. So her mom was fleeing domestic violence and she had three kids um and all three of them were exposed to that. you know, they saw it and um you know, imagine how difficult and hard that would be to watch and the effects that that would have on you. And she

[12:34]  resided at Hearth for about 2 years and all three of the kiddos are doing so well. Um the mom is actually at our second campus um residing in our afford affordable housing units. So, wow. I mean, the generational impact and now the daughter has her own kids and the and the and how much it can impact over time. That family is actually receiving the generational impact award at our upcoming 30th anniversary event in November.

[13:06]  If the Heart and Hustle podcast has ever sparked any idea or made you think differently, do us a favor. Make sure to guys share this, post it on LinkedIn, or even text that nonprofit friend that you just have. Whatever works, this is what keeps the conversation going and allows us to just grow this community together. Seriously, we appreciate you.

[13:28]  Wow. Now, that's actually pretty cool. And then to, you know, it's it's that memory. It's like people don't realize, you talked about long impact, the long impact it really leaves somebody because as a child, we remember those moments. We, you know, I actually just mentioned this story to my mom of when I was like maybe like 3 or 4 years old. And I don't think she was like, man, you remember that, you know, and it was such a devastating story cuz I I kind of grew up my mom being um on the streets, you know, drugs and all these different things, but I remember this one little issue where my mom was uh someone I think had uh stabbed her while I was walking with her and all this. And I just remember these things. So, kind of go back to what you said, like those small details people are going to remember. So as a child they remember what that looked like and as they grow older they want to be thankful for that

[14:16]  person that was assisting whether it was you at the head of the table or not the organization was around. So that's actually pretty cool. Yeah. That's very I can imagine like man this is so good. I'm so happy I'm a part of this right because that's what it's you do it for. It's not for the money. It's to know that you've helped a family long term.

[14:30]  Yeah. That's so cool. I'm going to kind of kind of put you in the hot seat here a little bit. So, if you had unlimited funding, which would we would all love in the nonprofit world, um for one major initiative, what's that first thing you had to actually scale up? Affordable housing. So, so many of our families, you know, we're talk we're focused on healing and employment and income um and working on our goals here at Hearth and then we need an exit plan. So thankfully Hearth has been able to partner with the Alageney County Housing Authority uh in providing really great housing opportunities for our families um which actually eventually moves into home ownership. But you know there's there's never enough there's never enough affordable housing. And so what I'd love

[15:18]  to see um and what we hope to do in the future in the next three to five years is to expand to a third campus and provide additional affordable housing options for our graduates at Hearth. So the build would be about 20 to 30 units ideally in the North Hills. We're in the North Hills of Pittsburgh right now where there are really great school districts and great, you know, nonprofits and supports. Um, so that would be that would be it. That would be, you know, and then having on-site services there as well, which is a whole other, you know, whole other We have unlimited funding. We're going to just make it happen. I'm just joking. Um, just imagine that would be so dope.

[15:59]  Yeah. So, let's talk about leadership. You're in your mid20s. You talked a little earlier. You're leading a team of 70 plus people. Yeah. That which is huge at the mid20s, right? There's there's definitely probably people looking at you like, you know, who is she? you know, why would I listen to her? But what's one thing you wish someone had told you before you actually stepped into leadership? Probably um leave your ego at the door. You know, I had a lot of conversations where, you know, they didn't go well and I learned the hard way of what to say and what not to say.

[16:35]  I don't think anything really prepares you for leading a team, period. Um it it really is by doing and and you know I was thinking about this earlier. You know I value my team here so much. Like I view them as our greatest asset. And probably something I wish I would have done sooner in my career is really view my team as my greatest asset. Asking myself every day, how am I supporting my team? How am I showing them their value?

[17:11]  Um, yeah, I really wish and and not so much like a um us versus them type mentality, but uh you know, how do we as a team succeed? I love that. And how about like now that you're leading such a smaller closeknit team, like what's really been the biggest difference between leadership styles? Like you have something huge, right, and then something a little smaller? What is that then and now? Communication is so key with the team. You know, if you share in like a healthy workplace, if you share one thing, especially if it's good news, like that's going to spread. And so, you really want to make sure with you when you have a 10erson team that you know you are communicating often and you know with clarity and I always say I have an

[18:01]  open door policy. My team can always come and ask me a question, text me. We do surveys with staff that are anonymous. Like I really Well, this is another thing. I wish I would have been more open to feedback earlier on. Like I really want your feedback. Like I want to hear from you. I I want to know what's not working. Like down to the Wi-Fi is slow. Like that affects your entire day. Tell me. I want to fix it.

[18:30]  Um, and really being in that fixer mentality as a leader so that people can succeed has been another area of like because you're such a close-knit team, you hear about those things so much more. And we're like, yeah, we can totally fix that or just, yeah, I'll reach out to them. Um, that's like the fun part of the job.

[18:53]  And you talk about fun, there's also not so fun, which is the tough conversations and they're part of leadership. You have to have those tough conversations. What are the What's one of the hardest conversations you've actually had to have as a CEO? Had a lot of hard conversations. Um so at at hearth we have really high expectations about how we communicate with our families ensuring that we are trauma informed. We are um sensitive to people's backgrounds beliefs uh and really had to help a staff person kind of see how offensive their comments and conversations were to a family and they just couldn't see it. And so it was just like this kind of an ongoing conversation of how we communicate. Um,

[19:44]  and I've I've been taught you hire slow and fire fast. Uh, if you see that it's not going to work out, you know, I never want anyone like my goal and I say this often, like I never want anyone to be surprised if we have to part ways. Like you should never be surprised. We should be having these ongoing conversations.

[20:05]  Um, and so those are always like they're always hard. No one wants to talk about, you know, how someone isn't meeting expectations. Um, but but yeah, I mean, even as a small team, we've had those we've had a number of those conversations just because we have such high standards and expectations and what we do is so sensitive and important.

[20:29]  I like that. I'm I I don't miss leadership for that reason. like I'm on a board and yeah, I guess I still kind of in that same situation as a board because I'm having some issue now with a treasurer and I'm like, okay, this this has to we got to make this nip this in the bud because right now it's kind of causing too many issues. Um, which is the difficult Yeah, it is. Especially when you're the new person. That's probably the worst. You're the new person and you're seeing the issues that people probably weren't doing nothing about. Not that they didn't know what was happening.

[21:01]  They knew it was happening. They just weren't doing anything. And now we got to go in there and be the bad guy. It's like, oh my god. But you got to do it. It's what's best for the business, per se. Best for the organization. Yeah. I do not ignore. That's what my team knows. Like we're going to talk about it, you know? I'm not just going to ignore something that needs to be discussed. 100%. I want to talk about something that's newer in nonprofits because not every nonprofit has it. Some some people love it and some people hate it. We're talking about AI. Some are very skeptical. However, you you mentioned that you were not skeptical.

[21:32]  How has AI changed the way that you actually lead? I was just talking to my team earlier this week about chat GPT and you know, we we use it almost every day for almost everything. Um so, you know, checking grammar, polishing a question, I ask it to polish things all the time. Um creating a document from my template, you know, or an email.

[21:57]  Um, I just think, you know, we we joked like what did we do before chat GPT? Like how, you know, and and and I really like that, you know, over time it gets to know like how you communicate and like I don't have to explain what Hearth is to chat GBT anymore. Like it just knows with the history and which I can see how that's scary to people. We are like fully embracing that. um definitely see that you know the pros outweigh the cons in that area.

[22:30]  I I truly do love it and I tell you what I I told you I run a nonprofit and recently as I took over this organization they had lost their 501c3 status. So just imagine what I walked into. Yeah. So we get an accountant to come do the paperwork and um he gives me he charges me $5,000. Right. All right.

[22:49]  I'm going to pay the $5,000. Whatever. It was a it was one of the board members actually our VP his friend and um then at the end of it all now don't get me wrong there was a we started probably like in September didn't get everything finished to December it was really more of our fault dragging on our feet and I say ours but I'm pretty sure you know who I'm referring to the treasure and it became a $8,000 bill and I had to fight this $8,000 bill however I didn't fight it alone me and Chat GP PT did it together. Okay, I'm putting in the emails in it. I am putting like, you know, these screenshots. Like I already seen that I was being overcharged, but I'm like, "Hey, like I wanted to make sure I wasn't crazy. Yo, Chat TBT, like this is the conversation. This is the invoices they sent me." And I love talking to it,

[23:37]  especially I got a mic here. This is what they sent me. This is what's going on. Let me plug in the emails. And it every little red flag on why it could be wrong, on where it could be overcharged, on they're charging you for this, but this is doesn't align with this. I tell you what, I just yesterday finally squared it away at $5,000.

[23:58]  That would have taken you like hours. Hours. Yeah. Yeah. So, people think chat GPT is not helpful. I got I had another situation where I use it as my lawyer. Like chat GPT is it? Okay. It is it. there's so many other AI, you know, tools. So, I I would actually ask you this. If um if you can have like an AI bot on that just kind of helps you out, like where would you feel it is most needed this chatbot? So, it'd have to be really I mean, we'd have to test it out extensively, but one thing that always well that usually delays a family from seeking safety is is really the safety plan. Like, how am I going to

[24:46]  get out of this situation and to hear or to the shelter or, you know, to a family member's home? One in three women are affected by domestic violence or abuse in their lifetime. I mean, the data is, you know, right there in front of us that there's a huge need for women to have a safety plan. Um, domestic violence is the number one cause of homelessness amongst women and children. And um, sorry, my laptop's dying. Oh, go get in charger. Go, go, go.

[25:28]  This is the part of the show where life happens. Okay, we talk about technology and you know, just it's not always going to be on our side. There we go. All right, we're all good. I love it. Um, so yeah, so it's the number one cause of homelessness amongst moms and kids. And so there's a huge need. And so what I would probably do is placing one on our website to kind of have that conversation with a mom about, you know, one thing that people don't think about is your phone plan. You know, financial abuse is a is a, you know, becoming a more and more um common form of domestic violence. And so we we worked with a family who she had to leave like her phone or all her kids tablets at home to come to hearth and she printed out

[26:17]  Google Maps like directions to get here like you used to with Map Quest. And so um yeah, so kind of having that conversation about like checking all our boxes, you know, can you even stay there tonight? What are some resources? And that's something that we are hearth is really trying to become like the expert in that field of safety training. We, you know, are working with a um nationwide training program in this area just because it is so important. Leaving your abuser in a domestic violence episode is the most dangerous u period.

[26:56]  You know, we we served a mom not too long ago whose um partner shot her as she was leaving. Um, and you know, thankfully she survived with the trauma of that and her kids, you know, and how do we do our very best to make it as safe as possible for the family. Um, and having that like online option just to kind of like do it at your convenience because we are really mindful that like you can't just always call someone like who are you talking to? Why are you texting them? Let me have the phone. you know, there's a lot of control in those episodes as well. So, an online bot.

[27:36]  Yeah, I love that. No, and and that online bot, that was a really good one as well, you know, and even for like um just information when it comes to just information, right? Basic information or something for volunteers to be able to kind of look at like how cool would it be and I would just this is kind of similar to what you're saying. I used to work in the airline industry and people would like book flights and they would call and says hey can in my notes because anybody can call and cancel as long as you have the information. So they would mention, "Can you please not share this with anybody?" And they would tell us the situations. And it was always very like, "Oh my god, like how crazy is it that someone's trying to get away on a flight and they have to call in to say, hey, can you please cuz it's happening. It's happening more than we actually um want it to happen." And sometimes we don't even know. And what's even crazier is that I've had um

[28:24]  situations, very close people, where it was happening and you just never knew that it was happening, you know, until someone leaves that situation. And that was my best friend for years. It was happening. I'm like, why didn't you say anything? And I I didn't want you to get, you know, people always have the I didn't want you to for this, I didn't want that. And it's a very sad situation, but I'm so happy to know that you're at the forefront of it all on how can we continue to change the game and help others that are going through this because it truly does become um something that you don't want to just do for you want to break the cycle.

[28:55]  Absolutely. It's really what it's really about. the difference between just giving a family um housing and actually changing the future. That's what it's about, right? Um what does that actually look like for you when you think about not just breaking cycles but truly just changing the future? So what's the difference between I referenced earlier about the housing authority partnership. We worked with a mom, Shannon, who had a history of drug use, lost both of her kids and was reunifi reunified with them right before coming to hearth with them.

[29:27]  And you know, we had a lot of onampus opportunities like we do an after school program and so you get to know the kids really well and um see them around campus. We we work where our families reside. So I'm on the first floor of a three-story building and our families are on the second and third floors. So, we're here like we always get to see them, which is so fun.

[29:48]  Um, but a few weeks ago, we um helped this mom move in and a partner of ours fully furnished the home for this family. So, we did this big reveal. We just posted the YouTube video this past week on our socials of, you know, Shannon and her kiddos seeing the house for the first time and really moving and and awesome.

[30:11]  But while we were there, you know, I there were so many people and so much was happening and her son came up to me and was like, "Do you want to play checkers?" I was like, "Yeah, I do want to play checkers." And so in the mix, you know, like all this hubbub and the videos and the cameras, we just sat down and played checkers. And like just the normaly of that, you know, like he went from not being with mom, seeing mom and in different states um of well-being, being at hearth, and like he was instantly home. Let's just play checkers. Yeah. And so like that's what I hope, you know, I hope that everyone like all the kids here at Hearth, you know, get to walk into their

[30:59]  home and, you know, just play, just be a kid. 100%. You know, like you said, just be a kid. Not everyone experiences that, you know, because sometimes life just moves a little too fast for them. They're in situations that puts them to kind of grow up a little faster. So love like when he just wanted to be a kid, you were like, "Yeah, I got you. Let's do it." you know, like of course now there's a big conversation really going around when it comes to homelessness in the US right now. If you can actually sit down with policy makers and say just one thing, what would it actually be?

[31:35]  Well, I think it's policy makers and it's really just the community at large. Like I think nonprofits have the ability to make some of the greatest impact um in local communities, states, nationwide. And really investing in knowing what's around you. You know, we're in a we're in a area of Pittsburgh that is, you know, very well off. It's very residential. A lot of people don't even know we're here. Um, so like awareness of not only the needs and what's going on and the stats around DB, but understanding and knowing the organizations and the people doing the work. Um, I I always encourage people to come to Hearth. It's it's people think of it as like a shelter. It's a really nice apartment building in the suburbs.

[32:26]  It is has a beautiful campus, two playgrounds, a sports court. Like we we always view our apartments and how we furnish them and how we line the couch with toys for the kids and make the beds in preparation. Like we we view Hearth as a place we would want to reside and and that's how we do everything here.

[32:46]  Like if we wouldn't want it, why would why would anyone else? Um, and so really like seeing and understanding what's around us and what's in our communities addressing some of these problems would be my number one awareness. I like that. I I whenever I'm in town, I have to come see this facility. Like I think it seems pretty cool. Like you said, it's not just your ordinary facility. It's like it's a fun place to be and we want people in situation to come back and understand it's a fun place to be.

[33:14]  Totally. Um, so that's pretty cool. We'll actually start wrapping up, but I do want to kind of talk to the people that are listening. How can they help? Like what's something anyone can do no matter their resources? So, understanding the data, being aware of your own surroundings, you know, you had said earlier like you didn't know your friend was in that situation of the DV situation.

[33:39]  understanding that one in three women and one in four men in their lifetime will experience DV and trauma and abuse. And so, first of all, open your eyes to what's around you, understanding like some needs in your immediate circle. Um, if you have the means and the time, we provide a number of different volunteer opportunities here at Hearth, which are all on our website, hearthp.org.

[34:04]  Um, and what I really love about Hearth is, you know, we say we're small but mighty, but like you can reach out to any of the team members. Like all of our contact information is on our website and if you want to start giving to Hearth, like we can meet, we can have coffee, you can come see the campus, you can see exactly where your money is going. Um, and if you know, if possible, you can even meet like a family and sponsor a family. And so really like your dollars go so much further in a in a smaller nonprofit just because you can you can just see the effects and the impact so clearly.

[34:44]  Before we finish and get to that fun part, if you can go back to middle school Christie who is just starting her volunteering and tell her one thing, what would it be? What would I tell her? Yeah, I would tell her, you know, be confident in your dreams. Um, I like I remember telling my husband when we were dating like, I want to help end homelessness. Like I whispered it to him one day, like I want to help end it. And he reminded like he reminds me of that all the time, but like being really proud of your goals.

[35:22]  Like people think that might be silly or it might not be possible, but odds are like it probably is or at least a portion of it. You know what's cool is I'm always a believer like you mentioned do you doing this when you were young? I was adopted. I was sexually abused. So as growing up I told myself I wanted to give back and because of adoption I already looking at a second chance. So I grew up saying I want to give back and I I didn't know nonprofits. I didn't know about any of this stuff, right? I'm just I was I didn't have to go through a foster home. I actually was just adopted by my aunt and you know, it kind of moved really fast. So, as I grew older, I knew nothing about nonprofits. Life happened where I ended up on Undercover Boss. Um, they gave me 5,000 to donate to an organization. I'm originally from Boston, not from Florida. So, I'm like, I don't know. I don't even know about nonprofits, you know? I'm back to that

[36:09]  space. And someone said, "Hey, you always talk about giving back. You can now give back for the rest of your life instead of just giving back once." So, he said, "Why don't you start your own nonprofit and then get the money back to your organization?" and I'm 20 something years old. I'm like, "Wow, you're right. I should do that." And I did. I took that on. I I went through I got an attorney. I paid all these things. Got the first $5,000 to the organization.

[36:30]  And we would do so many community events, you know, where there was Thanksgiving events cuz I always felt as a kid when they go back when you go back to school. How was your Thanksgiving? I'll make up a story, right? Because there was nothing going on. So, I decided to throw Thanksgiving events where we'll have people perform, people speaking, telling their testimonies. We have face painting, we have bounce house, but they're also being fed and they all walk home, you know, walk away with a turkey so they can actually have this experience at home, you know. So, you've just kind of thinking about it since a a young Christy, you've spoken this on your life since you were a little kid, you know? So, here you are truly you're you're would it ever end?

[37:06]  Probably not, right? It's too big of a problem for you to fix on your own, but you're making such a big difference where you can and you're still growing as well. like we still got so much, you know, we kind of laughed about it earlier. We woke up on the right side of the dirt and the more that we continue to do that, the more opportunity we really have to change the game. So, I'm I'm so excited. Um, and I could just tell that you really truly love this just by this conversation. But I want to get into this blind question before we we h happen to hop off here. Okay. We ask all our guests completely blind, totally unscripted question to just kind of wrap things up. So your question today is if you woke up and you weren't running harf and you could be doing anything in the world, what would it be and why?

[37:52]  That's so crazy because like I I like kind of want to still run. I'm finding another organization like HARP is really the answer. That's what it is. Yeah. I I I mean Yeah. I mean, I really do think I'm doing, you know, what I've dreamed of. And I think being surrounded, a a large majority of our team has lived experience in this area.

[38:15]  Like I was I I too was abused as a young child and we have families who have fled or we have team members who have fled DB and experienced homelessness. like the passion and the drive around this team is just unmatched, you know, and so yeah, I want to I want to still work here. Love it. Well, well, Christy, this has truly been incredible. Thank you so much for taking this time and sharing your story, your leadership, and most of all your heart. If people want to learn more about HARF and get involved, where should they go? Yeah, socials, we're on all of them, hearthp.org is our website and reach out. All of our emails are on there.

[38:53]  We'd love to hear from you. Love it, guys. This has been the Heart and Hustle podcast with another phenomenal leader in the nonprofit space, Miss Christie. If you guys are still watching, make sure that you guys do share, follow, um, and just get to know more about the organization. Figure out how you can also be and help.

[39:07]  Homelessness has happened all around the world. How do we continue to just make a difference? Heart and Hustle. We'll see you guys on the next one. Lers.