United Way of Ventura County has hired two new team members to support its United to End Homelessness Ventura County initiative. Carie Bristow is now serving as housing navigation and retention case manager for the nonprofit, and Stefany Gonzalez has joined the team as housing navigator.
In her new role as housing navigation and retention case manager, Bristow is responsible for overseeing and ensuring housing stability for formerly homeless households during bridge housing and after placement into permanent housing. She also develops and maintains relationships with community supportive service and housing partners, as well as the household being supported.
Prior to joining the United Way team, Bristow served as a social worker for County of Ventura Homeless Services and as case manager at Turning Point Foundation. She holds a master’s degree in clinical and counseling psychology from Capella University.
As housing navigator, Gonzalez is responsible for developing relationships with community housing partners to secure leads and housing opportunities for clients experiencing homelessness. In addition to performing field work, she creates and maintains a database of housing leads for service providers to use to find potential housing.
Before joining the United Way team, Gonzalez served as an agent/intake specialist for Alert Communications, as well as a social work intern for Ventura County Continuum of Care Alliance and for Genesis Programs Inc. She is on track to receive her Master of Social Work in May 2022.
“We could not be more excited to welcome Carie and Stefany to United Way of Ventura County,” said Eric Harrison, the nonprofit’s president and CEO. “They each bring a tremendous passion for ending homelessness and being part of the solution — along with significant expertise in their fields — to our team, and we look forward to all we will accomplish together.”
For more information about United Way of Ventura County, go to https://vcunitedway.org. To learn more about the United to End Homelessness Ventura County initiative, visit https://unitedtoendhomelessnessvc.org.
Since 1945, United Way of Ventura County has advanced the common good by creating opportunities for a better life for all. United Way identifies the root causes of poverty and works strategically to solve them by building alliances across all sectors, funding targeted programs and advocating for change. When we work together in common purpose, we LIVE UNITED. For more information about United Way of Ventura County, visit www.vcunitedway.org.
