Staff

Arlene Mercer, Executive Director, has 47 years of business experience utilizing accounting, interpersonal, management, and organizational skills while also making strides to improve the quality of life for others through her work at nonprofit agencies, churches and schools. Her most recent nonprofit activities are as the Executive Director of Urban Community Outreach and the Founder & Director Emeritus of Food Finders. She is also the Treasurer and Past President of the Long Beach Area Coalition for the Homeless.

She has held the positions of Health Care Administrator; Controller; Account Executive; Brokerage Account Coordinator; and Management Account Coordinator.  She completed the Chrysler Accounting and Office Management Training Program equivalent to an MBA. She has received local, state and national awards.  Arlene is an Elder at Good Shepherd Presbyterian Church and has been married to Terry Mercer for 52 years; has 2 adult children and 3 grandchildren.

STAFF MAIN DUTIES

• - Create Community Awareness
• - Supervise Staff and Volunteers
• - Raise Funds with Grant Writing, Campaigns, and Events
• - Maintain Budget
• - Handle outreach work on Sundays and during the week
• - Supervise the outreach worker
• - Provide Reports to Board of Directors
• - Set Up and Maintain Data Bases

Cherry Bush, Operations Manager, is an Operations Executive with more than eighteen years of experience.  She was a Regional Manager for Boston Market for 13 years. She was Director of Operations for Denny’s for 5 years.  She is currently working for Yogurtland in addition to helping UCO on the weekends.  Her outside activities have been with Toastmasters International were she received an

Advanced Communicator Bronze, Competition Speaker, and held officer roles as Club President and Area Governor.  She is volunteering with Redondo Beach Police Department, Redondo Beach, California Volunteer Domestic Violence Advocate

STAFF MAIN DUTIES

• - Provide overall program supervision of DIC.
• - Food preparation and serving with Sous Chef
• - Oversee Volunteer Coordination
• - Maintain Budget with Executive Director
• - Provide Reports to Board of Directors

Melody Garrett, Chef, went to Long Beach City College of the Liberal Arts. She received certificates in culinary arts.  She studied bakery One, Two and Three, gourmet cooking, nutrition, vegetarian, and lastly cake decoration prep One, Two and Three. She worked for the Orange County Boy Scouts of America as a chef for six years. She moved on to work for the Long Beach the Winter Shelter for three years.  She worked with the Christian Outreach in Action, as a cook for the homeless for three years.  She has been cooking for Urban Community Outreach for a year. She is also a cook and a manager for a transitional sober living, running a safe, sober and clean house to help women, homeless to get on the right path to recovery.

STAFF MAIN DUTIES

• - Prepares Food Menu with Operations Manager
• - Helps Operations Manager supervise Volunteers
• - Coordinates with Food Donors & Records Donations
• - Food Preparation and Clean Up with Kitchen Assistants
• - Assists Operations Manager in Analyzing and Evaluating Services
• - Keep a Safe and Pleasant Environment for DIC Program

Celia Guerrero, Housing Coordinator, has worked for the Housing Authority for twenty-two years.  She has moved up from clerical work to being involved with Section 8 clients.  She became a case manager when she was with South Gate Housing Authority.  She had a caseload of 250 clients.  At Long Beach Housing Authority she had a caseload of 380 clients.  She then became a Housing Specialist.  She worked with the homeless and was able to assist them with their housing needs.  She enjoyed being able to assist the homeless population and get them out of the streets and get them housed. After working with the Long Beach Housing Authority for 18 years, she moved on to Pacific Clinic Housing Department in Pasadena, CA where she worked with housing for homeless and youth.  Unfortunately, the commute became too much, so she decided to return to Long Beach, where she joined UCO as our Housing Coordinator to find housing for the homeless in Long Beach.

STAFF MAIN DUTIES

• - Complete all required SAMHSA reporting
• - Compile and maintain lists of resources as needed
• - Participate in steering committee activities, meetings, and program outcomes reporting.
• - Keep a computer file on the client’s progress and treatment plans.
• - Interview people on intake Sundays at the UCO Drop-In-Center and during the week at partner agencies and work on their case during the week communicating with the client guest by phone, computer, and meeting with them when necessary and occasionally driving them.
• - Provide supportive permanent housing case management services to project participants preparing to transition into permanent housing by
• - Assisting them to set and attain their personal goals,
• - Finding the services and resources needed,
• - Helping with VI-SPDT assessment, treatment and recovery,
• - Working with other health and human service providers and landlords.

Ann Lampe, Outreach Worker, has a BS in Psychology from the University of Kansas and a Certificate in Addiction Medicine Counseling from UCLA.  She was an Intake Coordinator for a major hospital and has more than 10 years work in case management. She has expertise in all areas of non-profit management, including budgeting, program planning, project management and staff training and development. She is a coordinator skilled at communicating, organizing and solving problems to raise the stature and rankings of non-profit organizations.  She has spent the last 15 years raising her children, while continuing to volunteer in many facets of non-profits. She has worked with grant writing, special events management, advocacy in education, staff management and outreach, among other areas. She volunteered for UCO for a year before being hired.

STAFF MAIN DUTIES

• - Gets a consent form signed by the client
• - Interviews UCO guests/clients on Sundays at the Drop-in-Center to discover their needs
• - Is a liaison between UCO guest/client, UCO, and community services and resources to discover the best way to assist the guest/client.
• - Works closely with Executive Director to decide on the best actions to take
• - Maintain a file on the guest/client