LifeSTEPS Delivers Seven Resident Services Trainings to HumanGood

LifeSTEPS is proud to partner with HumanGood to deliver a year-long Resident Services Training Series focused on strengthening staff skills, deepening understanding, and supporting residents with compassion and confidence. LifeSTEPS is half way through the year series with seven specialized trainings for HumanGood staff, each designed to reflect the real-world challenges of affordable housing communities serving older adults, including residents with lived experience of homelessness.

Each 90-minute session, offered both in person and virtually, combined trauma-informed principles with practical strategies staff could immediately apply in their day-to-day work.

Practical People-Centered Training

The seven trainings covered critical topics essential to effective resident services, including:

  • Motivational Interviewing

  • Housing Stability and Eviction Prevention

  • Crisis Intervention and De-Escalation

  • Resident Bullying

  • Mental Health

  • Substance Abuse

  • Self-Care for Staff and Residents Navigating Change

Rather than focusing on theory alone, the trainings emphasized empathy, clear communication, and proactive intervention. Staff explored how trauma, stress, and life transitions impact behavior and how thoughtful responses can lead to more positive outcomes for both residents and housing communities.

Engagement That Builds Confidence

LifeSTEPS trainers incorporated real-life scenarios, interactive discussion, and role-playing exercises to help participants feel prepared for difficult conversations and high-stress situations. This approach helped build confidence and reinforced best practices in de-escalation, resident engagement, and boundary-setting.

Participants consistently noted how approachable and effective the trainers were, with one attendee sharing, “The presenters were fantastic—personable, easy to follow, and very knowledgeable.”

Deepening Understanding of Resident Experiences

Several trainings focused on increasing awareness around mental health and substance use. These topics are often misunderstood but frequently encountered in housing settings. Participants shared that these sessions provided new insight and practical tools for recognizing concerns early and responding appropriately.

“This training provided me with additional insight into individuals dealing with addiction,” one participant noted.

A Shared Commitment to Community

HumanGood’s dedication to affordable housing for older adults closely aligns with LifeSTEPS’ mission to strengthen individuals and build resilient communities. This training partnership reflects a shared commitment to education, prevention, and compassionate service delivery.

LifeSTEPS is honored to support HumanGood staff through this training series and looks forward to continuing partnerships that empower housing professionals and strengthen communities across California.

Below are some of the comments the training are receiving so far!

Meet the Trainers

Beth Southorn

Executive Director

Beth Southorn has been a leader in the social services field for over 30 years. Experienced in working with numerous special needs populations, her approach to housing and the prevention of homelessness was shaped and has continuously evolved from her spent time working at Mills/Peninsula Hospital and the Shelter Network of San Mateo County. Beth has built a career out of a unique combination of experience in diversity, leadership, training, and program development that have allowed her to form successful national models that are inclusive of vocational rehabilitation, supportive services, and affordable housing programs.

As Executive Director of LifeSTEPS, Beth has propelled LifeSTEPS to its current status as one of the premier social services providers in affordable housing, now serving over 36,000 homes representing over 100,000 residents throughout the entire state of California from the border of Oregon to the edges of San Diego County. Beth has not only created and grown a successful model of resident empowerment for affordable housing communities throughout California, but has also been actively addressing the “Missing Middle” paradigm faced by many seniors, in her efforts to assist older adults to age in place.

Additionally, through her leadership, LifeSTEPS currently serves over 600 special needs residents in six counties throughout California, with 266 formerly homeless residents now housed in permanent supportive housing. In 2020, LifeSTEPS’ housing retention rate was 98.3% with 20 fulltime staff providing services. The successful program additionally connected 98% of special needs residents with a primary care physician within first 30 days of services and the Family Self Sufficiency Program moved from less than 100 participants to over 400. In 2022, LifeSTEPS has added Enhanced Care Management services to this successful program.

In 2016, LifeSTEPS’ robust after school program was enhanced with a Summer Reading program designed to mitigate the “summer slide” wherein according to Summer Matters children in low-income households fall behind an average of two months in reading during the summer, with these learning losses building up summer after summer. LifeSTEPS’ Summer Reading program has consistently seeing 96% of participants statewide maintaining or increasing their reading levels during the summer reading portion of our After School Program.

Bruce Kuban

Training Specialist

Bruce Kuban has been a member of the LifeSTEPS team since 2014 and having completed five years as the Regional Director of Support Service programs, Bruce became semi-retired on January 1, 2023, moving to a new part-time position as the LifeSTEPS Project and Trainer Specialist. Bruce previously had the primary responsibility of providing clinical supervision, contract compliance and oversight to several special projects contracted by LifeSTEPS to provide direct services to residents living in affordable permanent housing, including formerly chronically homeless individuals and families now residing in permanent supportive housing. He has his Master’s Degree in Marriage, Family and Child Counseling from Sacramento State University and over 30 years of experience working in social services.  While moving from the field to an administrative role, Bruce admits to always having a soft spot in his heart for direct services and face to face to contact with clients, including those difficult clients. In fact, collaborating with difficult clients has brought him his greatest rewards throughout his career and now in semi-retirement, Bruce hopes to be able to share his experiences with others while also continuing to be a lifelong learner in the vocation of helping others.

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