Boots on the Ground
Employee Spotlight: Erica Wallace, MSW, Care Coordinator
Poverty and homelessness weren’t issues that Erica Wallace thought about growing up. She admits she had everything she needed.
“I am an only child and I can’t say that my mom didn’t provide every single need and want for me.”
When Erica started attending high school in Atlanta, she got a reality check.
“That was my first real time seeing with my own eyes that not everybody has those privileges. I really got to see that people are out here struggling.”
She had friends who didn’t have enough to eat.
“I was sneaking extra food in my lunch box to give to kids at school.”
That’s when Erica decided she wanted to do something more to help people who didn’t have the same opportunities that she did. She began volunteering in her community while in high school, which she continued when she went to Howard University in D.C. Then she pursued areas of study where she could make a difference.
“When I went to undergrad, I majored in psychology thinking I wanted to help people from a mental health aspect.”
After undergrad, Erica moved back to Atlanta and switched gears professionally.
“I went to law school because I was like, ‘Wait, people are also dealing with legal challenges and I need to help them with that.’ But no, I didn’t like that.”
A friend of Erica’s recommended a different career path.
“She said, ‘You should do social work because you’re really hands on, you know, boots on the ground.’”
Erica liked the idea, and it would also allow her to apply her previous areas of study. So, she moved to Oklahoma and earned a master’s degree in social work at Simmons University, while also working at two different homeless shelters. After she graduated and moved back to Atlanta, she got an internship at CaringWorks and later started working there full time.
In her role, Erica provides case management services for CaringWorks clients who are single mothers with children, and who have experienced chronic homelessness and a history of mental illness and/or substance use. She says she likes the flexibility and diversity of her role.
“I am not a desk person. I need to be outside doing things for my clients.”
Erica says her job entails much more than securing housing. CaringWorks staff help clients with nearly every area of their lives; from helping them access behavioral health and other health care services, to employment assistance, to helping them navigate childcare issues, and much more.
“People think we’re just dealing with housing, but no, we’re dealing with top to bottom,” she said. “It really does take a village; it takes a lot of people to make this work. It’s all hands on deck.”
She says another important part of her job is building relationships with partners like local churches and establishments that generously donate items like household furnishings or necessities like food and clothing.
“We have to bridge the gaps; clients need these things.”
Perhaps the most important part of her job is building relationships with her clients.
“I think they appreciate that I’m authentic; I’m real and raw with them,” Erica said. “I let them know that this is a safe space. I tell them, ‘I’m in this with you; whatever right or wrong decision you make, I’m here to support you, but I will tell you when you’re wrong.’”
One of the most rewarding outcomes, Erica says, is seeing her clients make progress.
“You get clients who go out there and they get a job, or they get their savings account or reach other goals. It really is a rewarding feeling. They sometimes say, ‘I couldn’t have done it without you.’ But I take no credit, I’m just giving them the nudge in the right direction.”
With a strong faith and belief in God, Erica says she gives all credit and glory to Him.
“My belief in God is central to my work; He is the reason why I do this. My biggest satisfaction is knowing that I am living up to what God has instructed me to do.”
Like the reality check that Erica had back in high school, she hopes others will have a reality check about homelessness.
“We can all literally be homeless tomorrow,” she said. “Many of these people have, for whatever reason, fallen on their luck. And yes, some have made bad decisions; but you’ve also made bad decisions. The difference between you and that person is that they got caught up in it and you didn’t.”
Erica cites scripture from Galatians 6:1-2: “Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently. But watch yourselves, or you also may be tempted. Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.”
Erica added, “I think we really need to humble ourselves and be more compassionate about the grace afforded to us.”
March 2025