This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Hello guys. My name is Warryn Nicholson and I’m an Outreach Specialist for Care For the Homeless, or Care Found Here. 

What does your job entail? 

Basically reaching out to clients in the shelters or homeless people and helping them schedule doctor’s appointments, such as psychiatric evaluations, PPDs [tests for tuberculosis], anything of that sort. 

How long have you been doing this? 

I’m very fresh. This is my third week with the company and I’m loving it. 

What drew you to CFH? 

At my last job, I had experience working with homeless people in a shelter, so I felt like the Outreach Specialist position was more effective to deal with people, and I felt like I could make a bigger difference in helping homeless people. 

What was your past experience like working with people experiencing homelessness? 

I was basically a community assistant, where I would assist people in a specific shelter with distributing food, helping them open their doors, and giving them supplies like toilet paper, notebooks, or underwear. It was pretty simple, but I feel like—I’m a very social person. I can reach the people better with this position. 

What led you to start working with people experiencing homelessness in the first place?  

I was in a shelter with my grandmother and my cousins when I was younger. I would never judge people and I would just have conversations with the homeless people. And as they’re talking, I’m always thinking about ways that I can help. Mind you, I don’t have no money in my pocket either! But I’m always trying to see what was the best for them, to speak to them, to have conversations with them. 

I never saw them as homeless people or people just living on the street or vagrants or anything like that. Everybody’s always going through something. If you’re going through something, me, if I meet you, I feel like, I got to somehow, some way, I should help you be better. 

Why do you feel like the work you’re doing now is important? 

Because a lot of people need to go to the doctor. Because a lot of people believe that the doctors are scary or they don’t know what they’re talking about. And sometimes, it just takes somebody to help you schedule the appointment, so you can go there and you can really see. If you think you have any problems, or other people are telling you how there’s something wrong with you—not even if there’s something wrong with you, even if you’re just not feeling good—it’s good to go to the doctor and get that checked out.

I’m glad that we can help people schedule it because a lot of people can’t read, a lot of people can’t write. So we kind of assist them in everything, any aspect of that. 

What’s it been like working with the other staff in your first couple of weeks? 

It’s been great! Everyone welcomed me with open arms. Shout out to my supervisor, Genesis Reyes. Since she interviewed me, she made me feel like I was a part of the team. Even when I left my interview. I was telling my wife, I’m like, “Yo, I think I really got it,” because they were just acting like I’ve been there for a while. When I got the call, I was ecstatic, I’m not even gonna lie to you.  

So it is very good. This staff is wonderful. The clients are wonderful when they can be and when they want to be. It’s completely fine. And that’s what we’re here for, you know?