People of Housing Security:
Shelby Ford

Shelby Ford has always had a passion for helping others. In fact, after graduating from high school, she did some international volunteering in Guatemala and served at an after school program. 

This was truly only the beginning of Shelby’s journey toward empowering others.

Now, Shelby is a senior at Indiana University studying social work. She is in her final year of her degree and is participating in her practicum, a mandatory hands-on experience required of all social work students. Shelby is doing her practicum at New Hope for Families, a low-barrier, emergency shelter for families in Monroe County.

This work is especially impactful to Shelby, as she has grown up around a lot of poverty. Because of this, she has always aspired to “be the person I wish I had” growing up.

At New Hope, Shelby meets with 4 of the 12 families at the shelter each week. These meetings consist of following up on previous goals identified by the family. A few examples include securing employment, following up on housing leads, and accessing necessary community resources. Along with this, Shelby also does diversion work to help those at risk of becoming homeless. She also does outreach to former clients of the shelter to ensure they have everything they need to stay housed.

Balancing the emotional and physical demands can be hard in the field of social work. For Shelby, it can be especially taxing due to her family’s own struggle with housing insecurity. She explained how seeing people you love struggle can be traumatic and trigger post-traumatic stress disorder. However, Shelby is encouraged and “grateful to work in a community that cares.”

Shelby will be continuing full-time at New Hope for Families as a Case Manager following her graduation in May 2024. In this role, Shelby hopes to advocate for continued support of trauma-informed care. She explained that “homelessness is trauma.” Additionally, she looks forward to working with children at the shelter to build up their sense of safety and resilience. 

When not working, you can find Shelby doing advocacy work in the IU Political and Civic Engagement (PACE) program. She desires to do macro policy work to drive systemic change to alleviate the challenges those impoverished face. 

Shelby spends her free time with her four year-old son. When it is warm, they often like to take advantage of the beautiful parks and outdoor spaces in Bloomington. They also enjoy going to the library. Shelby has a love for art and puzzle-like games, such as chess. Seasonally, Shelby tries out a new art medium. Currently, she is working on her painting skills, specifically on a painting of an octopus she hopes to gift for Christmas. 

While the field of social work can be difficult, Shelby hopes that aspiring social workers understand how rewarding it is. 

“It is hard work, emotionally and physically. You are running around everywhere. But if you want to feel like you are making a difference in this crazy world, a degree in social work may allow you to do that,” Shelby said. 

She encourages those in the work and those who desire to get involved to “give people grace and help when you can.”

About the People of Housing Security: This series highlights the work of those committed to improving the lives of residents in South Central Indiana. Find all the articles in this series here.