Jenna Bolyarde

For the last eight years I have worked in almost every component of the homelessness system.  Beginning by filling the seat of a person with lived experience on the Continuum of Care Board of Napa County, I moved into a site coordinator position at a homeless respite, and have held a direct service position as the program manager of both the services and housing aspects of Napa’s homelessness system. I do this work because I understand what it is like to attempt to navigate systems with no insight into how they work. I know what it’s like to forget that you have value simply by being a human. I do this work so that it might impact others who are disenfranchised and overlooked to help them remember their worth. I do this work because even one life changed can have far reaching ripples which have the potential to change the world. I graduated high school in 1999 and have researched and navigated many punitive systems in the US. I am currently working towards a BA in Sociology. A fun fact about me is that I’m slightly obsessed with Mesopotamian history and will likely be an archeologist in my next life.