South San Francisco, CA March 10, 2022
Aubrey Merriman
EDITOR NOTE:
Aubrey Merriman has accomplished amazing advances for our youth during his time as the CEO of Boys & Girls Clubs of North San Mateo County, among them establishing the Learning Hubs for disadvantaged students struggling with hybrid classes. That 2020 endeavor was in partnership with our School District; Superintendent Dr. Moore prioritized the need, the South San Francisco Rotary Club funded the program with a generous $250,000, and Merriman worked to make the program successful.
Merriman has continued his passion for lifting others who are less fortunate, helping them to realize their potential, with his humble leadership bringing together the best people, and bringing out the best in people.
Today you will find Merriman deep in the trenches working to support families and individuals experiencing homelessness in their efforts to return to stable housing and achieve self-sufficiency. We have some neighbors from South San Francisco that have benefited from these efforts, the work from LifeMoves has a far reach. CLICK HERE to read Bruce Evans’ story, his story is one of many.
Every now and then someone like Merriman graces your path, and it’s been a pleasure to follow his journey, which we share below.
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Dear LifeMoves Community,
In my first year as CEO of LifeMoves, I have heard words like “unprecedented,” “uncharted,” and “uncertain.” While we validate and address the many struggles our community has faced, we have seen that progress and tangible impact were achieved when we moved forward with certainty and confidence. This is one of many reasons why I look back on FY21 and think of “purpose,” “resilience,” “gratitude,” and “hope.”
Words cannot express how thankful and inspired I am by what we have accomplished. Periods of change can be unsettling, but anything is possible when we take control of our destiny. We exhibited relentless drive, a commitment to continuous improvement, and the constant push to take more bold and decisive actions. As a result, our teams served even more people experiencing and at risk of homelessness, helping them rediscover their strength, stability, and sense of self.
In FY21, we served 7,231 unhoused people across all LifeMoves sites,
helping 89% of families and 69% of all those engaging in our programs return to self-sufficiency.
These programs include operating a number of motels in San Mateo and Santa Clara Counties for both at-risk and COVID positive clients, amounting to over 45,000 nights of shelter and more than 1,200,000 hours of wraparound case management services during the past fiscal year.
With your support, we began operating LifeMoves Coast House, the first interim supportive housing site in the Half Moon Bay region for unhoused individuals, couples, and families.
And in just eight months, we transformed an empty construction site into LifeMoves Mountain View, a 100-door community – using rapidly deployed modular units – that has already achieved successful outcomes since opening in May.
LifeMoves Mountain View
These innovative new programs, long hours of dedicated work by clients and staff, and first-hand stories of growth, transformation, and triumph would not be possible without your support. After another tough year, you showed up, gave back, and gave big. Thank you!
Together, we can help those who need it most, support even more of our community, and reach new, impactful heights in our tireless work to solve homelessness here at home.
With sincere gratitude,
Aubrey Merriman
Chief Executive Officer
LifeMoves
