People of Housing Security:
Erin Reynolds-Nylund

Heading Home is thrilled to welcome Erin Reynolds-Nylund as our new Housing Solutions Director, a role made possible through funding from the Lilly Endowment. Erin will onboard and oversee a team of street outreach workers and diversion and prevention case managers working across Bloomington to prevent and alleviate homelessness.

Erin shared her excitement for this new opportunity. “It is the perfect combination of the education I’ve gotten, my experience supervising people in the housing sector, and my very serious passion that people who are doing hard work should feel as supported as possible,” she said. Erin looks forward to guiding staff as challenges arise, providing structure and organization for these new positions, and ensuring case managers feel confident in their roles.

Erin also looks forward to “being in an environment where people are going to do transformational things.” The work she will be doing closely aligns with her values and interests of supervising, organizational ethics, and policy work. As she starts this new role, Erin explained there is a lot she is still figuring out, but she is excited to learn along the way.

Erin’s interest for supervising and organization was not always what Erin envisioned herself doing. Originally from Portage, IN, Erin came to Bloomington for college and initially pursued a career in law enforcement as an Indiana University Police Department Cadet Officer. “I’ve always had a very strong interest in the well being of my fellow community members,” shared Erin. She also has several family members involved in law enforcement which exposed her to the field. Erin eventually switched to a Bachelor’s of Social Work and later went on to complete her Master’s of Social Work.

Following undergrad, Erin stayed in Bloomington to work as a field instructor at the Bloomington Boys and Girls Club. This was one of Erin’s first roles where she took on a supervisor position. 

Following this, while working towards her Master’s of Social Work, Erin started a position as External Practicum Instructor at New Hope for Families. For this role, Erin was contracted through IU to provide supervision and guidance for IU students interning at New Hope. 

During her time in this position, Erin supervised over 75 students. This position gave her an immense appreciation for those working in shelters and housing services. Erin explained that it can be really easy for people to assume little work is being done to address housing insecurity. “I wish people understood all the work that’s being done and all the hours that go into ensuring something is happening,” Erin said.

Through her roles at the Boys and Girls Club and New Hope, Erin discovered her love for organizational leadership. “I found a passion for creating a really safe and supportive environment for people doing intense emotional work,” Erin shared. “I myself felt really supported, and I believe it’s a ‘trickle down effect.’” Erin is eager to bring that same passion into her new role at Heading Home. 

“I’ve always had a very strong interest in the well being of my fellow community members.”

Outside of her professional life, Erin enjoys spending time outdoors, gardening, going to concerts, and spending time with her husband, Brandon, and their two pets: a Golden Retriever named Penny and a cat named Pinot. She and her husband also have a passion for cooking and trying new recipes. Some favorites she mentioned were Asian cuisine, anything with fresh produce, and trying out new pizza dough in their pizza oven. 

Prior to this position, Erin worked at Goods for Cooks, a kitchenware store on the square. She took on this role while completing her MSW as a way to extend her passion for cooking into a profession. Erin ended up co-managing the store for several months before starting with Heading Home. She hopes to help out on the weekends this holiday season when business picks up. 

When asked about the future, Erin said “this is where I want to be.” However, she hopes that the need for homelessness services in Bloomington, and the work she and others are doing in this field, won’t be needed as much. Erin would also love to teach at IU’s School of Social Work to expand on education and opportunities for mezzo- and macro- level practice.