Doing What Works

Episode 10: Building the Workforce to End Homelessness with Colleen Murphy

In this episode of Doing What Works, Colleen Murphy, Principal on the Homeless Solutions team at LeSar Development Consultants, joins host Ashanti Blaize-Hopkins to discuss the urgent need to strengthen LA County’s homeless services workforce. Drawing from the recently developed labor market report in collaboration with Santa Monica College, Colleen explores the root causes of staffing shortages, the skills and training frontline workers need, and strategies to improve retention and career pathways. She also highlights the role of community colleges in creating scalable, equitable workforce development programs—and shares inspiring stories that remind us why this work matters.

Episode 9: One Tragedy Away: Overcoming Homelessness and Finding Purpose with SMC Graduate Patricia Kusaba

In this inspiring conversation, Doing What Works host Ashanti Blaize-Hopkins speaks with Patricia Kusaba, a graduate of Santa Monica College’s Homeless Services Certificate Program. Patricia shares her deeply personal journey—from hidden homelessness and recovery to finding empowerment and purpose through education. She reflects on the support, skills, and community she gained in the program, the living resource toolkit she’s helping to build, and why she believes training programs like this are essential in addressing homelessness with humanity and lasting impact.

Episode 8: Beautifully Traumatic: A Student’s Journey Through the Homeless Services Program with Tamyra Simpson

In our Season 2 finale, we flip the mic and hear from someone just beginning their career in homeless services. Meet Tamyra Simpson, a student from the inaugural cohort of Santa Monica College’s Homeless Services Certificate Program. With warmth, candor, and insight, Tamyra reflects on her path into the field—from growing up surrounded by helpers, to discovering the program on LinkedIn, to finding her voice through coursework, community, and a life-changing internship on Skid Row. This episode highlights the transformative potential of education—not only as a professional springboard, but as a way to deepen purpose and reshape lives. It’s a raw, uplifting look at what happens when students are given the right support, the right mentors, and the right chance. Whether you’re curious about the program, considering a career pivot, or just want to hear a powerful story of growth and impact—you’ll want to hear this one.

Episode 7: From Experience to Action: A New Vision for Homeless Services with Dr. Ryan Smith

In this compelling episode of Doing What Works: Innovations in Homeless Services, we sit down with Dr. Ryan Smith, President and CEO of St. Joseph Center in Los Angeles. With a personal history of youth homelessness, Dr. Smith shares how his lived experience shapes his professional mission to create a more compassionate and effective homeless services system. From the formative influence of his mother to his first job as a youth organizer at 15, Dr. Smith recounts the journey that led him to lead one of LA’s most impactful service organizations. He walks us through the four foundational pillars of St. Joseph Center—Housing, Outreach, Mental Health, and Economic Mobility—and explains why investing in frontline workers and replicating community college programs like SMC’s Homeless Services Certificate are essential steps to ending homelessness. This episode is both a call to action and a testament to the power of care, dignity, and workforce development in driving sustainable change.

Episode 6: Housing First and Human Dignity with Dr. Sam Tsemberis

In this powerful episode of Doing What Works: Innovations in Homeless Services, we speak with Dr. Sam Tsemberis, founder of the Housing First model and CEO of the Pathways Housing First Institute. He was also on the Distinguished Time Magazine list of 100 Most Influential People of 2024! Drawing from decades of experience in psychology and frontline mental health services, Dr. Tsemberis shares the journey that led him to challenge the status quo of homelessness treatment—shifting from a "treatment first" approach to one that prioritizes permanent housing without preconditions. From his early days at Bellevue Psychiatric Hospital to founding Pathways to Housing, Dr. Tsemberis witnessed firsthand the systemic gaps and human costs of policies that deny housing to those not yet "compliant" with treatment. Through compelling stories, research-backed results, and global replication efforts, this episode explores why Housing First isn’t just effective—it’s a matter of human dignity. Listeners will also hear his thoughts on workforce needs, replication of successful models like SMC's Homeless Services Certificate Program, and why shared public vision is essential to ending homelessness.