Heather Duchscherer Email & Phone Number

Greater Minneapolis-St. Paul Area

Provided training, technical assistance, and programmatic support for a network of 23 Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH) and Supportive Services Only (SSO) teams, which serve over 550 households annually, through contracts with 15 partner organizations Monitored provider partners for compliance with federal, state, and local program requirements and service model fidelity Actively participated in three local Continuums of Care (including CoC governance and Coordinated Entry development and oversight) and various regional and statewide efforts to improve and align our homeless response systems Supervised Suburban Metro Area Coordinated Entry staff through the development of a consumer-led Directors Council, the implementation of a new priority pool referral workflow, and the integration of rapid diversion strategies into the Coordinated Entry process Developed, oversaw implementation of, and supported evaluation of five pilot projects meeting unique community needs; three have become permanent projects with dedicated ongoing funding Coordinated applications, including program design, budgeting, and narrative, for HUD CoC PSH and SSO grants, Minnesota Long-Term Homeless Supportive Services grants, and county contracts Worked collaboratively with Dakota County to develop and implement the Dakota County Housing Search and Stability Services project and the Dakota County Rapid Rehousing Program’s restructuring to align with best practices Developed and regularly provided training opportunities for housing and supportive services providers across the state

Greater Minneapolis-St. Paul Area

Provided staff support to Prevention Subcommittee of MNCASA's Public Policy Committee• Researched policy proposals from other states• Researched policy proposals proposed by prevention policy committee • Prepared background materials for committee meetings• Gathered supporting materials and develop talking points to support policy recommendations • Gathered opposition research and develop policy points to counter oppositionAssisted with the development of prevention advocacy peer leadership program.• Identified advocacy tools for both legislative advocacy and media advocacy• Developed an on-line shared space for members to use to communicate with each other• Attended meetings with peer leaders and elected officials • Assisted in developing training modules

Greater Minneapolis-St. Paul Area

• Researched and analyzed state statute and policy pertaining to housing and homelessness, domestic violence, and data confidentiality and drafted policy memos based on research• Researched current statewide policy issues and drafted annual policy advocacy survey for member programs in preparation for 2015 Legislative Session• Advocated with Homes For All Alliance at the Minnesota Legislature for bonding funds for low-income and affordable housing

Saint Paul, Minnesota

• Planned youth voter presentations at eleven area schools, serving as point of contact for schools and volunteers and presenting to 837 students in 11 schools registering 377 students to vote according to Minnesota election laws• Created interactive presentation for use with high school seniors including reasons to get involved in the political process, eligibility for voting, and the voting process.• Completed grant reporting and follow-up activities

Greater Minneapolis-St. Paul Area

• Developed the Beyond Safety program from grant proposal to successful program – which provided employment and advocacy services to victim-survivors of domestic violence, sexual violence and other forms of abuse – enrolling nearly 50 individuals and providing outreach services to five partner agencies. • Created and facilitated an Advisory Committee of rabbis, Jewish community leaders, and community members to inform the work of the Jewish Domestic Abuse Collaborative. • Provided outreach services to and facilitated collaborations with local domestic violence/sexual assault and community service organizations• Developed effective training program for volunteer advocates and provided professional guidance and support for 24 volunteer advocates• Provided initial screening of participants and matched with volunteer advocates• Served on community advisory and action committees including: Hennepin County Sexual Assault Multi-Disciplinary Response Team; Opening the Door Collective; East African Domestic Violence Advisory Committee; and Minnesota Alliance Against Violence Systems Action Committee• Co-authored Sharing Our Strengths, Transforming Our Lives, a resource for victim-survivors of intimate partner violence• Facilitated a bi-weekly support group

Greater Minneapolis-St. Paul Area

• Provided strength-based advocacy and case management to 16 formerly long-term homeless adults in scattered sites• Met weekly with clients to establish goals, work toward greater self-sufficiency, and remove housing success barriers• Mediated and advocated for tenant/landlord communication and conflict resolution• Helped arrange residents’ transportation and access to health and social services• Assisted with crisis prevention/intervention to ensure housing stability

Greater Minneapolis-St. Paul Area

• Managed food shelf serving over 500 families through monthly food shelf visits, produce giveaways, and African Pack giveaways• Organized annual Multi-Cultural Dinner event attended by over 300 community members in collaboration with other community organizations.• Supervised five employees and up to 15 volunteers daily in distributing food, recording food shelf visits, and maintaining food shelf cleanliness and organization• Evaluated and maintained inventory, enrolled community members, and maintained recipient records; managed transition of food shelf to electronic client records system.

Greater Minneapolis-St. Paul Area

• Advocated with individual immigrant women experiencing domestic violence• Collaborated with government and non-profit organizations to implement improved response to domestic violence among East African immigrant communities• Facilitated focus groups with domestic violence victims, community members and representatives from criminal justice agencies • Organized annual Cedar-Riverside Women’s Night Out event and National Crime Victims Rights Awareness Week resource fair and awareness campaign

Fargo, North Dakota Area

• Assisted women in need of shelter due to escaping domestic violence and homelessness with establishing goals and plans toward health and self-sufficiency• Coordinated shelter services and made referrals to outside agencies• Supervised organization of shelter and community food pantry• Admitted residents and provided for resident needs• Trained new staff and acted as case manager-on-call for weekend shelter staff

Fargo, North Dakota Area

• Admitted and oriented residents to shelter with available occupancy of sixty-five women and children nightly• Responded to variety of resident needs including emotional support, information about community resources, and necessary supplies• Enforced shelter rules and ensured safety and security of shelter for all residents• Trained new staff

Moorhead, Mn

• Assisted in investigation of reports of alleged child maltreatment and provision of case management services• Completed three Family Assessments and two Traditional Investigations with supervision by agency social workers• Received and participated in screening of child protection reports• Shadowed various workers and familiarized self with many facets of child protection field and relevant community resources

Master Of Public Policy (Mpp), Gender In Policy And Non-Profit Leadership

Activities and Societies: Humphrey Association for Disabilities and Mental Illness (HADMI) Queer Graduate & Professional Student.

Master Of Social Work (Msw), Community Organizing And Advocacy

Activities and Societies: Student Representative, Community Practice Curriculum Advisory Committee; Violence Prevention Educator, Aurora.

Bachelor Of Social Work, Social Work

Activities and Societies: Dragon Society of Social Workers (SOS) Phi Alpha National Honor SocietyGraduated Summa cum Laude Minor.

Associate Of Arts (Aa)

Activities and Societies: Board of Governors; Drama Club; Vagina Monologues; Phi Theta Kappa