Amanda Blue and Steve Hilton Tackle Homelessness in Interview by Fotis Georgiadis

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Amanda Blue, Director of Programs, Healing Transitions

Steve Hilton, Chairman and CEO of Meritage Homes

Amanda Blue, Director of Programs, Healing Transitions. Steve Hilton, Chairman and CEO of Meritage Homes.

What I get to see now though through recovery is something I could never imagine. Women and men are turning their lives around, and it's also changing the lives of their families and friends. — Amanda Blue, Director of Programs, Healing TransitionsGREENWICH, CT, USA, July 7, 2020 / EINPresswire.com / -- Fotis Georgiadis, owner of the blog by his namesake, is a branding and image consultant specialist with a robust background and is a visionary interviewer. With a knack for pulling out a well-rounded interview, not only covering cutting edge technologies and corporate directions but also bringing out the personal side of the interviewee.

During such a difficult time for people with COVID-19 limiting their income, and in many cases no income at all, the rate of homelessness has increased. Through Fotis Georgiadis' work, people like Amanda Blue and Steve Hilton are getting the word out about their work, further impacting and ever growing number of lives. Building that trust is imperative to being able to shelter someone. Fotis Georgiadis takes an existing brand/image and turns it around, builds the social media and other venue recognition of the service/product or he can help with a new product launch to get the maximum exposure. You can reach out to him at the below contact options so he can begin turnings your brand\image around.

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Amanda Blue, Director of Programs, Healing Transitions
What is the best way to respond if a homeless person asks for money for rent or gas?

I come across this regularly myself. I let them know that I don't have any cash to give them, but I do know of resources and places that offer help. It's easiest to carry around something that you can hand to them easily — in our community, we have an online resource directory that's fairly comprehensive. I keep business cards with the information and link on them so I can hand them to out if needed. You may not get a happy response, but that's ok. Oftentimes people are familiar with those resources already, they have been through the system — they've had bad experiences at shelters or were unable to get help from a specific agency — and they aren't looking for that kind of help. But the next person might be.

Can you describe to our readers how your work is making an impact battling this crisis?

I wish I could say that we're making a larger impact, but I'm grateful that we're able to offer what we do. Our program is set up to offer nightly shelter to anyone who needs it. We don't have any requirements — they don't have to show ID, they don't have to have any income, they don't have to be sober, they don't even have to want to do anything about their homelessness. But most of them do, and for those who are ready, we offer case management to help connect them to resources and housing.

For those who aren't ready to make any changes, we offer hope. Without pressure, they're able to see others who were in their shoes turn things around — and sometimes they realize, if that person can do it, maybe they can do it too.

We also have a long-term addiction recovery program. Unfortunately for a lot of individuals, substance use is a contributing factor to their homelessness. We give people a place to stay and the tools to build their lives back up. Over 70 percent of those who complete our program are in recovery one year after completion, and over 90 percent are employed and housed. The complete interview is available for reading here .

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Steve Hilton, Chairman and CEO of Meritage Homes
What is the best way to respond if a homeless person asks for money for rent or gas?

I would encourage people do the same as I mentioned previously and direct the individual to one of the well-run shelters in the metro area. Shelters and organizations can help offer job skill training and assist in finding opportunities that can lead to a more stable and steady income. Living under a bridge or on the street is not safe for themselves, nor for the city, and there are shelters that are standing by to help.

Can you describe to our readers how your work is making an impact battling this crisis?

I am proud to share that our collective efforts at Meritage Homes, contributing to the Arizona Housing Fund, has us on the path to building almost 2,000 homes to help this vulnerable population. To amplify efforts further, Meritage Homes is even getting its customers involved in this great cause. When closing on a house, we ask each new homeowner if they would like to contribute $25 towards the Arizona Housing Fund. We'll be able to build 100,000 homes a year if each of our customers makes this nominal donation. We're continuing to drive efforts around here to make an impact in our community. It's amazing to see everyone come together and contribute their time, energy and finances to make a real, measurable difference.

Our goal is to build on this further by getting our peers involved — land developers, realtors, home builders and other housing industry professionals — creating a similar program where we all can play a small part in making a large difference to combat homelessness.

How has the COVID-19 pandemic affected the homeless crisis, and the homeless community? Also how has it affected your ability to help people?

People experiencing homelessness are a particularly susceptible group when it comes to the COVID-19 pandemic, as many are immunocompromised and/or elderly. According to the CDC, these factors may put them at higher risk for severe illness from COVID-19. Couple this with the fact that many homeless care services take place in crowded settings that can lead to the spread of the virus, the potential aftermath on the homeless community is troubling. Catch the rest of the interview here .

You can reach out to Fotis Georgiadis at the below-listed website, email and social media links to discuss how he can help your brand and image.

About Fotis Georgiadis
Fotis Georgiadis is the founder of DigitalDayLab. Fotis Georgiadis is a serial entrepreneur with offices in both Malibu and New York City. He has expertise in marketing, branding and mergers & acquisitions. Fotis Georgiadis is also an accomplished VC who has successfully concluded five exits. Fotis Georgiadis is also a contributor to Authority Magazine, Thrive Global & several others.

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