March is Social Work Month, a time to recognize the dedicated professionals who work tirelessly to uplift and support individuals and families facing life’s toughest challenges. This year’s theme, Compassion + Action, perfectly aligns with the values that drive the work of Huckleberry House daily. Our social workers don’t just offer kindness; they take meaningful steps to empower young people, advocate for change, and create lasting impact.
To highlight the role of social work in addressing youth homelessness, we sat down with Erica, our Clinical Director, to discuss what compassion in action looks like at Huckleberry House. From providing safe spaces to advocating for systemic change, Erica shares insights into the powerful and often unseen work of social workers in our community.
The theme for Social Work Month this year is “Compassion + Action.” At Huckleberry House, compassion is one of our core values. How do you see compassion in action every day through the work of our social workers/yourself?
As cliché as it may sound, you can see compassion on a daily basis when watching our team interact with young people in programming. We meet young people wherever they are in their journey and focus on what led them to us, what support they need, and what they want for their future. The young people are the experts in their lives, and we are here to walk alongside them while providing support and tools to help them move forward towards the goals they have identified.
Many people think of compassion as just being kind, but in social work, it’s also about advocacy, a core value of ours, and taking meaningful steps toward change. How does our team balance both?
Our team recognizes that showing up for the young people and families we work with is only part of the equation, with advocacy being another significant part of it. Young people and families often come to us due to being caught in cycles and systems that create barriers for them, which can limit their ability to make the progress they could make if the barriers were not in place. So, for us, there are two parts to advocacy. The first part is helping young people and families lean into their self-advocating abilities. Again, they are the expert in their lives, and it is often about getting them in front of the right people, and helping them increase any skills they feel they need to advocate for themselves and their community. Everyone has something to share, but they are often not allowed to sit at the table, let alone join the conversation at the table.
The second part of advocating is to show up and speak up when there is discussion, ordinances, bills, etc., that can impact the young people and families we work with, the community, and/or the work we do as an agency. Sometimes, it is advocating against, and sometimes, it is advocating for things. Our team has attended town hall meetings, hearings at the statehouse, conversations with lawmakers, etc., to advocate. We recognize that being a part of the community is not just our offices being physically located there but showing up and supporting the community and the individuals that live there. Advocacy is an integral part of that.
Social workers play a crucial role in supporting young people facing homelessness, trauma, and family challenges. What are some ways you’ve seen our social workers make a real difference in young people’s lives?
I wish I could share stories about the day-to-day work that our team and young people are doing because it is incredible! I have seen our team create safe places for young people, whether it is the crisis shelter, helping young people in our transitional living program make their apartments their own, creating an environment in the counseling office that feels safe to begin processing things, or having an open door policy where young people can drop in and get support in the moment. I have seen young people enter our transitional living program after living on the land for months or years, get the support they need, and then move into their independent housing. I have seen families come into the crisis shelter feeling hopeless about a possible change to feeling reconnected and working towards building their relationship. And, I have seen young people come in feeling there is no reason to live, get to the point where they are not only thinking about their future but also actively working towards building it. But the best part is when young people who have left our programming come back and share their progress and success with it!
What do you wish more people understood about social workers’ work, especially in the context of youth experiencing homelessness?
I think there are a lot of misconceptions about what social workers do. For the most part, when I see social work portrayed in the media or talk to people about social work, the focus tends to be on children’s services, which is one area of social work. However, social work is such a broad field and is made up of so many different roles, such as therapists, government workers, school counselors, medical social workers, policy and advocacy workers, etc. I think when it comes to youth experiencing homelessness, social workers are an integral part of most systems that engage young people. From school to after-school programs. From the library to the primary care office. Having social workers in various settings, especially the settings where we know young people go to blend in, creates an opportunity to connect with young people and get them linked with services they need, including housing.
What advice would you give to aspiring social workers who want to make a difference in the lives of young people?
Social work can be a rewarding and fulfilling field, but it can often be hard, challenging, messy, frustrating, etc., which is often the part that individuals new to the field are not expecting. But that’s how life is, and you often help individuals with the hard and challenging parts of their lives. So, be prepared for the hard parts as well as the fulfilling parts. One thing I remind our team is regardless of why they arrive for support, a person doesn’t have to work with you, so remember the importance of earning their trust and respect and showing up in ways to keep their trust and respect. And never lose sight of how much of a privilege it is to be invited to join someone for part of their journey through life. All that to say, it is fulfilling and hard work, but I could not imagine myself doing anything else.
Social workers are the backbone of organizations like Huckleberry House, turning compassion into real, tangible change. As Erica shared, their work is about more than offering support—it’s about showing up, advocating, and walking alongside young people as they build their future.
During Social Work Month, we celebrate and honor all social workers for their dedication, resilience, and the countless ways they make a difference in the lives of those they serve.
About Erica Schnitz, Clinical Director: Erica has been at Huckleberry House since 2017 but began her social work career in 2012 and knew early on that she wanted to be in community-based work. Experiences throughout her life and career fueled her path to the social services field and her goal of breaking down systemic issues that create barriers to individuals receiving quality services, support, and access to resources. Her experience includes working with children and adolescents, young adults, and families in a variety of areas, including but not limited to anxiety, depression, mood disorders, trauma, life stressors, and crisis intervention. She is licensed by the State of Ohio Counselor, Social Work, and Marriage and Family Therapy Board as an independent social worker with a supervisory designation. Erica graduated from The Ohio State University, where she received her Bachelor of Science in Social Work and her Master of Social Work.
