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Grassroots was honored to celebrate our amazing volunteers last week at our Third Annual Volunteer Recognition Celebration! We had the opportunity to recognize the commitment they’ve made to serve those
Congratulations to Grassroots Executive Director Dr. Mariana Izraelson, LCADC, for being named a Diverse Business Leader by the Baltimore Business Journal! Honorees come from the public, private and nonprofit sectors
Grassroots was profiled on the public television program All Access with Andy Garcia! The feature looks at the prevalence of mental health and suicide risks among our youth and how
Grassroots was excited to host our second annual Trivia Night fundraiser earlier this month! Thank you so much to the more than 150 friends who joined us for a wonderful
Congratulations to Grassroots Executive Director Dr. Mariana Izraelson, LCADC, for being selected as a Leadership Awardee by the Columbia (MD) Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.! This recognition
Every winter, Grassroots operates the Cold Weather Shelter (CWS) with support from the Howard County Government between December and March. We are able to do this thanks to partnerships with the
Grassroots has been awarded $223,489 in grant funding from the Maryland Department of Health through the Sheila E. Hixson Behavioral Health Services Matching Grant Program for Service Members and Veterans.
Grassroots joined with hundreds of mental health advocates yesterday as part of the Maryland Behavioral Health Coalition to urge the General Assembly to provide adequate funding for critical mental health
Grassroots is excited to announce to announce that we have received a $30,000 community grant form the Community Foundation of Howard County in collaboration with the Columbia Association. These funds
Grassroots Crisis Intervention announces the expansion of Howard County’s emergency shelter to 89 total beds with the addition of 18 new beds for individuals and families. This expansion is phase
Grassroots was so excited to be joined by more than 100 of our amazing volunteers last week at our annual Volunteer Recognition Celebration! We had the opportunity to enjoy a
Grassroots was excited to welcome more than 100 players to our First Annual Trivia Night fundraiser last week at Sapwood Cellars Brewery! It was a truly special and fun night
Joe Eldred joined Grassroots in 2023 as director of Homeless Services where he oversees the emergency shelter programs and the Grassroots Day Resource Center. He started his career in homeless services nearly 20 years ago, having previously worked in education, after participating in a homeless count in Seattle. He has held every position in affordable housing from Onsite Property Manager to Director of Housing and Property Management.
Over his years, Joe has run all types of housing offerings including those for individuals experiencing homelessness and substance use issues, seniors, farm workers, and those with disabilities and HIV/AIDS. He has also worked with many different types of funding programs including HUD, PRAC 202, PRAC 811, USDA Rural Housing funds and funding services designed to break the cycle of homelessness like Continuum of Care and the Maryland Homelessness Solutions Program. Joe has had the opportunity to see how housing programs differ throughout the country, working in Seattle, Chicago, Harrisburg, PA and Ventura, CA, among others.
Nancy Campbell supervises the operations of Grassroots, including HR, finance, emergency shelter, homeless services, case management and facilities. She has more than 30 years of experience in managing organizations’ operations activities, mostly in the human services field.
Community support is a passion for Nancy. She feels that mental health and homelessness often co-occur, and her goal is to develop strong strategic plans that meet the needs of Grassroots’ clients. She looks to make a difference by effectively working with our programs and staff to explore what we can offer to the community. She pays special focus on efforts that help individuals adjust while in the emergency shelter, as well as those that help them achieve stable housing. Nancy has her PMP, master’s degree in Psychology and MBA, and is currently in school to pursue a Doctorate in Leadership and Organizational Management.
Laura Willemin oversees all of the clinical and crisis services at Grassroots, including the crisis line, walk-in services, 988 crisis chat and text services, Mobile Crisis Team, substance use disorder program, urgent care mental health services and Outpatient Mental Health Clinic. She joined Grassroots in 2021 having previously served as manager of the Child and Adolescent Mobile Psychiatric Services for the Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Washington. She also worked in Prince George’s Child Protective Services, ensuring the safety and wellbeing of children in the community.
Laura’s career has been concentrated in intense, fast-paced, high-acuity, safety-related and high-risk areas of practice. She appreciates the opportunity to support individuals and families during the most difficult or intense circumstances they may experience through the lifespan. She has a bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Social Work and is a licensed clinical social worker (LCSW-C).