People of Housing Security: Tami Giles

The path for Tami Giles that led to a job at Centerstone wasn’t direct, but it ultimately led to work she finds meaningful in the field of housing security.

Growing up, Tami always wanted to be a teacher. Before working at Centerstone, Tami earned her Child Development Achievement (CDA) certificate and worked at the Campus View Childcare Center on Indiana University’s campus. After working there for 10 years, Tami was dealing with her own personal struggles and decided it was time for a change in her life.

Tami enrolled at Ivy Tech and this is where she met one of her best friends, Belaynesh Beyene, who also works at Centerstone. These two friends enrolled in classes together, sat next to each other, and eventually, transferred to IU to finish their degree in human development and family studies. 

In class, Tami said the two were eager to learn, always sitting together in the front row and of course, always scheduling the same classes. They were instant best friends. 

“We were literally able to set up every class at IU together. I think there was one time in the two years that we were there that we took a separate class,” Tami said. 

Going to college later in life came with its struggles, but Tami said having Belaynesh by her side made all the difference. 

“So, it was hard to go back [to college] in my forties. We’ve both joked about it, that we don’t know if we would have completed it if we didn’t have each other to push each other,” Tami said. 

Eventually, someone came into one of their classes to speak about internship opportunities and Tami learned about a position at Beacon’s Shalom Center. Following this, Tami volunteered at Shalom for 6 months and then started her internship there. 

Having the presence of mental health struggles in her own family, the work Tami did at Shalom resonated with her deeply. She had an “Aha” moment where she realized that this was what she wanted to do with her life. 

After graduating from IU, Tami began working at Centerstone, a nonprofit health system specializing in mental health and substance use disorder treatments. Since then, Tami has not looked back. In her current position, she works part-time with the Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) team and part-time as a street outreach worker. 

The ACT program at Centerstone works with clients who have higher needs and typically are referred to more services. Not all of these individuals are experiencing homelessness. As a street outreach worker, Tami is “boots on the ground” in campsites around Bloomington where she assists people experiencing homelessness to get access to healthcare, provide necessities, and obtain housing. Here, she brings her computer and can set up benefits and call the Bloomington Housing Authority to apply for Housing Choice Vouchers. 

Although Tami works with two different sectors within Centerstone, she explained that there is often a lot of overlap. She said that while not all ACT clients are experiencing homelessness, some are and she often visits them in campsites in addition to the work being done with them through the ACT program. 

Through the ACT program, Tami is assigned seven clients. With these clients, Tami helps them with a variety of tasks including apartment maintenance, weekly grocery shopping, and laundry. For her other role, Tami dedicates two days a week to her street outreach work. 

Since coming to Centerstone, Tami has learned a lot about homelessness, specifically, the importance of being an open ear to those experiencing homelessness. 

“Most of the people experiencing homelessness want somebody to listen. They want to tell their story. I think sometimes just going into the camps and being able to sit and just listen is helpful.”

Outside of work, you can probably find Tami hiking at Griffy, walking along the B-Line trail, hanging out with her grandchildren, or out at dinner with her girlfriends. 

Tami feels that she has a good balance between work and leisure, but explained that it can be hard to find that balance in times of high crisis. However, the people Tami works with and her clients are her “why.” Being able to create connections with folks and assist people in life-changing moments such as getting their first apartment is what motivates Tami to do what she does. 

Another influence in Tami’s work is Greg May, who passed away in 2022. Greg was Tami’s biggest influence and mentor. Tami explained that Greg made her and others feel that if you were passionate about something, you should be able to do it, and that he gave her the tools to be able to do just that. 

Ultimately, Tami’s passion, empathy and dedication to the work she does at Centerstone make a tremendous difference in the lives of many people in Bloomington. 

Note: 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.