At our annual Community Champions Dinner last week, we celebrated 55 years of neighbors supporting neighbors—small acts of kindness growing into a movement for housing justice. From serving meals in a church basement to building a network of interim and permanent supportive housing where healing and hope flourish.
Our guest speaker, De’Borrah Willis, reminded us that homelessness is an experience, not an identity. And our supporters like you showed up, raising your paddles, which brought the event fundraising total to $505,000 to make sure everyone in our community has a safe place to call home.
We also extended our heartfelt gratitude to Thomas Peeks for his dedicated years of service as Board President of Insight Housing. As we turn the page to a new chapter in our leadership, we warmly welcomed Alexandra Vondeling as our new Board President and Steve Kirnon as Vice President.
In 1970, we started with a single pot of soup and a shared vision. By the end of this fiscal year (June), we will have served 135,000 meals, housed hundreds, and nurtured a community that never stops showing up for one another. With your support, we’ll meet this moment with compassion and courage, as we have for 55 years.
Last week's Community Champions Dinner was a powerful reminder of what 55 years of neighbors supporting neighbors truly looks like. From emotional speeches to incredible acts of generosity, the evening was filled with moments that captured the spirit of housing justice in action.
You can see all the photos from this special evening together here. These photos tell a story of community and of hope. One of the night's most powerful moments was hearing directly from De'Borrah Willis, who found stability through our women's shelter and now advocates for others as a member of our Lived Experience Advisory Panel. You can hear her story of reclaiming her life for herself and her son in the video below.
Volunteer Margaret Corrigan and Hope Center chef Nadia Serafin
April is Volunteer Appreciation month! Thank you to all of our volunteers at Insight Housing who give their time and services to support neighbors in their communities. Margaret Corrigan has been involved with Insight Housing since 2019. When she heard about the groundbreaking of the Hope Center and the opportunity to volunteer in the kitchen, she jumped at the chance and has been a regular ever since. Margaret shared that "it makes you realize how much you have and how easy it is to be helpful." A Berkeley local, Margaret hops on her bike to get to the Hope Center for her weekly shifts. She enjoys not only getting to know the residents, but also the rest of Chef Andre's kitchen staff.
We also want to recognize our Board of Directors, as they volunteer their skills, time, experiences, and knowledge that enables Insight Housing to cater to all of our different communities. Thank you for all that you do!
Celebrating Service: Ted Wilson Changemaker Award
We are proud to honor Kyomi Williams with our Ted Wilson Changemaker award! This award recognizes Insight Housing team members who embody the spirit of service of former board member and program participant Ted Wilson. Kyomi is the senior program manager at the Hope Center and has worked at Insight Housing for more than nine years.
Kyomi shows up every day with heart, purpose, and unwavering dedication to her team, the residents, and the broader community. Her gift for de-escalating tense moments, uplifting others, and encouraging those around her to be their best selves makes her an anchor of strength and compassion at the Hope Center. Her everyday actions continue to change lives—and that’s what makes her a true changemaker.
Ted Wilson was a Marine Corps veteran. After serving 17 years in San Quentin prison for drug possession, Ted found stable housing through Insight Housing and dedicated himself to supporting fellow veterans—testifying before the California Senate and serving on our Board of Directors. Though he died in 2021 from service-connected lung cancer due to Agent Orange exposure, his legacy lives on. To learn more about Ted’s life, read our full blog post here.
Streamlining Solutions for California's Homelessness Epidemic
Governor Gavin Newsom has proposed creating a new California Housing and Homelessness Agency (CHHA), a major step toward streamlining how the state tackles one of its most urgent challenges. California currently holds over 30% of the nation's unhoused population, and our complex, fragmented system of delivering housing solutions has often led to delays, rising costs, and inefficiencies.
At a recent Little Hoover Commission hearing, Ben Metcalf, Managing Director of the Terner Center for Housing Innovation and former Director of California’s Department of Housing and Community Development, highlighted why this reorganization is so important. He pointed out two key challenges:
Housing isn’t prioritized under the current agency structure, competing with unrelated issues like business regulation.
Affordable housing funding is fragmented across multiple departments, leading to costly delays, with every additional funding source adding months of work and thousands of dollars in expenses.
The proposed CHHA would change that by:
Creating a standalone agency with a clear focus on housing and homelessness.
Establishing a Housing Development and Finance Committee to align, streamline, and oversee affordable housing programs.
Reducing bureaucratic hurdles, improving transparency, and speeding up project delivery.
At Insight Housing, we are hopeful this new structure will:
Improve coordination, cutting down red tape and getting resources where they’re needed faster.
Strengthen partnerships with local providers like us, supporting faster, community-driven solutions.
Deliver focused leadership, ensuring housing and homelessness are no longer lost among competing priorities.
The proposal is now under review by the Little Hoover Commission, and they are accepting public comments.
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