Colleen Heitlage, MSW
Resident Services Manager at Voice of the People in Uptown- Claim this Profile
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Bio
Ryan Lawrence
I had the privilege of working alongside Collen Heitlage for over 2 years at Heart Haven Outreach as well as knowing her for 6 years previous to working together. Colleen was a wonderful Youth Outreach Specialist to hundreds of at-risk teenagers in need of a safe and supportive environment during her time at Heart Haven OutReach. It was obvious while watching her interact with these teens that her heart is really for helping people understand they are not alone and for figuring out ways to improve their situation. If I were to give one word to describe Collen it would be compassionate. My relationship with Colleen started off when she was a high school student. I was working for Heart Haven OutReach as a Youth OutReach staff member and met Colleen at her school. She was very interested in Heart Haven OutReach because of the impact we were making on students who were disadvantaged and struggling. She loved to talk about social change and was involved with many clubs in the school that helped people feel included. After graduating from high school, Colleen moved to Milwaukee for college and I was only able to stay in touch through social media. She seemed to keep the same passion and desire to help those who were in need and got involved as much as she could in areas of social change during this time in her life. After graduating Colleen interviewed for a position at Heart Haven OutReach. Her experience in school as well as her heart for at-risk youth made her very qualified for the job. Colleen had much success in building relationships with our female population of students. Many of them turned to her in times of need and knew they could find helpful advice when unsure about how to handle tough situations. Working with a small nonprofit can be full of challenges and discouragement, but Colleen proved to be very loyal to Heart Haven Outreach’s mission and was always trying to make things better and more efficient, sometimes sacrificing long hours for the success of a project. She took advantage whenever she could to further her knowledge on issues concerning her job by reading, researching, and attending workshops. Ryan Lawrence Executive Director Heart Haven Outreach
Alexa Schutz, MPA
Colleen interned at NRC for a full academic year, and she quickly became an asset to our small team by taking on several projects and initiatives of various scopes; her values greatly align with ours which resulted in a passion and interest in our organization and efforts. She took charge on a successful mayoral forum that had 500+ attendees, updated our social media, engaged with our senior tenants and the local nonprofit community. She is passionate about community development, social services/nonprofits, equity & inclusion, and how to make Chicago a better place. We were happy to recommend her to a new role at Voice of the People in Uptown to advocate for affordable housing and support low-income residents with wrap-around services.
Ryan Lawrence
I had the privilege of working alongside Collen Heitlage for over 2 years at Heart Haven Outreach as well as knowing her for 6 years previous to working together. Colleen was a wonderful Youth Outreach Specialist to hundreds of at-risk teenagers in need of a safe and supportive environment during her time at Heart Haven OutReach. It was obvious while watching her interact with these teens that her heart is really for helping people understand they are not alone and for figuring out ways to improve their situation. If I were to give one word to describe Collen it would be compassionate. My relationship with Colleen started off when she was a high school student. I was working for Heart Haven OutReach as a Youth OutReach staff member and met Colleen at her school. She was very interested in Heart Haven OutReach because of the impact we were making on students who were disadvantaged and struggling. She loved to talk about social change and was involved with many clubs in the school that helped people feel included. After graduating from high school, Colleen moved to Milwaukee for college and I was only able to stay in touch through social media. She seemed to keep the same passion and desire to help those who were in need and got involved as much as she could in areas of social change during this time in her life. After graduating Colleen interviewed for a position at Heart Haven OutReach. Her experience in school as well as her heart for at-risk youth made her very qualified for the job. Colleen had much success in building relationships with our female population of students. Many of them turned to her in times of need and knew they could find helpful advice when unsure about how to handle tough situations. Working with a small nonprofit can be full of challenges and discouragement, but Colleen proved to be very loyal to Heart Haven Outreach’s mission and was always trying to make things better and more efficient, sometimes sacrificing long hours for the success of a project. She took advantage whenever she could to further her knowledge on issues concerning her job by reading, researching, and attending workshops. Ryan Lawrence Executive Director Heart Haven Outreach
Alexa Schutz, MPA
Colleen interned at NRC for a full academic year, and she quickly became an asset to our small team by taking on several projects and initiatives of various scopes; her values greatly align with ours which resulted in a passion and interest in our organization and efforts. She took charge on a successful mayoral forum that had 500+ attendees, updated our social media, engaged with our senior tenants and the local nonprofit community. She is passionate about community development, social services/nonprofits, equity & inclusion, and how to make Chicago a better place. We were happy to recommend her to a new role at Voice of the People in Uptown to advocate for affordable housing and support low-income residents with wrap-around services.
Ryan Lawrence
I had the privilege of working alongside Collen Heitlage for over 2 years at Heart Haven Outreach as well as knowing her for 6 years previous to working together. Colleen was a wonderful Youth Outreach Specialist to hundreds of at-risk teenagers in need of a safe and supportive environment during her time at Heart Haven OutReach. It was obvious while watching her interact with these teens that her heart is really for helping people understand they are not alone and for figuring out ways to improve their situation. If I were to give one word to describe Collen it would be compassionate. My relationship with Colleen started off when she was a high school student. I was working for Heart Haven OutReach as a Youth OutReach staff member and met Colleen at her school. She was very interested in Heart Haven OutReach because of the impact we were making on students who were disadvantaged and struggling. She loved to talk about social change and was involved with many clubs in the school that helped people feel included. After graduating from high school, Colleen moved to Milwaukee for college and I was only able to stay in touch through social media. She seemed to keep the same passion and desire to help those who were in need and got involved as much as she could in areas of social change during this time in her life. After graduating Colleen interviewed for a position at Heart Haven OutReach. Her experience in school as well as her heart for at-risk youth made her very qualified for the job. Colleen had much success in building relationships with our female population of students. Many of them turned to her in times of need and knew they could find helpful advice when unsure about how to handle tough situations. Working with a small nonprofit can be full of challenges and discouragement, but Colleen proved to be very loyal to Heart Haven Outreach’s mission and was always trying to make things better and more efficient, sometimes sacrificing long hours for the success of a project. She took advantage whenever she could to further her knowledge on issues concerning her job by reading, researching, and attending workshops. Ryan Lawrence Executive Director Heart Haven Outreach
Alexa Schutz, MPA
Colleen interned at NRC for a full academic year, and she quickly became an asset to our small team by taking on several projects and initiatives of various scopes; her values greatly align with ours which resulted in a passion and interest in our organization and efforts. She took charge on a successful mayoral forum that had 500+ attendees, updated our social media, engaged with our senior tenants and the local nonprofit community. She is passionate about community development, social services/nonprofits, equity & inclusion, and how to make Chicago a better place. We were happy to recommend her to a new role at Voice of the People in Uptown to advocate for affordable housing and support low-income residents with wrap-around services.
Ryan Lawrence
I had the privilege of working alongside Collen Heitlage for over 2 years at Heart Haven Outreach as well as knowing her for 6 years previous to working together. Colleen was a wonderful Youth Outreach Specialist to hundreds of at-risk teenagers in need of a safe and supportive environment during her time at Heart Haven OutReach. It was obvious while watching her interact with these teens that her heart is really for helping people understand they are not alone and for figuring out ways to improve their situation. If I were to give one word to describe Collen it would be compassionate. My relationship with Colleen started off when she was a high school student. I was working for Heart Haven OutReach as a Youth OutReach staff member and met Colleen at her school. She was very interested in Heart Haven OutReach because of the impact we were making on students who were disadvantaged and struggling. She loved to talk about social change and was involved with many clubs in the school that helped people feel included. After graduating from high school, Colleen moved to Milwaukee for college and I was only able to stay in touch through social media. She seemed to keep the same passion and desire to help those who were in need and got involved as much as she could in areas of social change during this time in her life. After graduating Colleen interviewed for a position at Heart Haven OutReach. Her experience in school as well as her heart for at-risk youth made her very qualified for the job. Colleen had much success in building relationships with our female population of students. Many of them turned to her in times of need and knew they could find helpful advice when unsure about how to handle tough situations. Working with a small nonprofit can be full of challenges and discouragement, but Colleen proved to be very loyal to Heart Haven Outreach’s mission and was always trying to make things better and more efficient, sometimes sacrificing long hours for the success of a project. She took advantage whenever she could to further her knowledge on issues concerning her job by reading, researching, and attending workshops. Ryan Lawrence Executive Director Heart Haven Outreach
Alexa Schutz, MPA
Colleen interned at NRC for a full academic year, and she quickly became an asset to our small team by taking on several projects and initiatives of various scopes; her values greatly align with ours which resulted in a passion and interest in our organization and efforts. She took charge on a successful mayoral forum that had 500+ attendees, updated our social media, engaged with our senior tenants and the local nonprofit community. She is passionate about community development, social services/nonprofits, equity & inclusion, and how to make Chicago a better place. We were happy to recommend her to a new role at Voice of the People in Uptown to advocate for affordable housing and support low-income residents with wrap-around services.
Credentials
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Supervisory Leader in Aging Principles
National Association of Social WorkersJun, 2022- Nov, 2024 -
Foundations in Aging & Disabilities Certificate Program
Boston University School of Social WorkJul, 2021- Nov, 2024 -
Human Service Management
The Network for Social Work ManagementMay, 2019- Nov, 2024 -
Adult Mental Health First Aid
National Council for Mental WellbeingJul, 2022- Nov, 2024 -
Youth Mental Health First Aid
National Council for Behavioral HealthMar, 2017- Nov, 2024
Experience
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Voice of the People in Uptown
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United States
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Non-profit Organizations
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1 - 100 Employee
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Resident Services Manager
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Nov 2020 - Present
After I secured organizational and program funding to expand the Resident Opportunity Services staff team, I assumed the official role as Program Manager. Voice's resident services program provides support to the 214 Voice Households through transition services, on-going case management, community building and leadership development activities. As Program Manager my primary responsibilities include: • Hire and supervise all program staff and interns. • Continue program development tasks and funding. • Develop and maintain strategic partnerships with other organizations to increase organizational support.
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Resident Services Coordinator
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Sep 2019 - Nov 2020
Voice of the People is a non-profit, community controlled affordable housing provider that has served the Uptown Community of Chicago for over 50 years. As the Resident Services Coordinator I was tasked with developing Voice's new Resident Opportunity Services (ROS) Program. Responsibilities included:• Providing Direct Support Services to Voice's 214 households.• Working with resident leaders to reinstate the Tenant Leadership Counsel and provide other leadership development opportunities. • Create and manage internal management systems and program policies/procedures.
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North River Commission (NRC)
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United States
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Civic and Social Organizations
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1 - 100 Employee
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Program Coordinator Intern
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Sep 2018 - May 2019
NRC is a community development corporation for the greater Albany Park community area with the mission to improve the quality of life through equitable development. As a member of the team my responsibilities include: • Promoting civic engagement through providing up to date information on local campaigns and planning a community forum to learn from mayoral candidates. • Creating a program proposal for residents at NRC’s senior housing center with 97 units housing 116 seniors with low-income. • Organizing professional development programs and updating the directory for the area’s Social Services Network representing about 40 organizations.
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Facing Forward to End Homelessness
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United States
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Non-profit Organizations
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1 - 100 Employee
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Case Management Intern
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Sep 2017 - May 2018
FF provides permanent supportive housing programs primarily funded through the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). As a case-manager for the scattered site programs my responsibilities included: • Case-manager for clients with high needs, tasks included: creating and outlying personal goals, developing safety plans, and connecting to appropriate resources and services. • Utilizing the Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) to complete intake evaluations, case notes, and annual recertifications.
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Heart Haven OutReach (H2O)
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United States
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Civic and Social Organizations
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1 - 100 Employee
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Youth Outreach Specialist
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May 2014 - Aug 2017
Partnered with the local school district, H2O provides daily, supportive programming throughout the year for youth (grades 6 – 12) and their families. As a member of staff my responsibilities included: • Planning and running all programs, such as case management, group work, outreach and publicity, program development, and event planning. • Developing organizational policies and procedures as organizational capacity grew. • Managing teams of volunteers during programming, outreach events, and fundraisers.
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Milwaukee LGBT Community Center
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United States
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Civic and Social Organizations
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1 - 100 Employee
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Youth Program Intern
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Aug 2013 - May 2014
Project Q is the Youth Program and Drop-In Center for LGBTQIA+ folks aged (12 - 24) in the Milwaukee area. During my time as a Program Intern my accomplishments included: • Developing and facilitating intersectional programming weekly for groups of 20+ youth. • Forming a network for Milwaukee area Gay – Straight Alliances at high school and collegiate levels to provide on-going support through mutual aid and peer relationship building. • Organizing and planning a “Breaking the Silence” community event that allowed youth a platform to express themselves through storytelling, poetry, music and similar creative outlets.
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Education
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2017 - 2019
Jane Addams College of Social Work at UIC
Master of Social Work - MSW, Organization and Community Pratice -
2009 - 2014
Marquette University
Bachelor of Arts (B.A.), Majors: Sociology, Social Welfare and Justice
Community
