Letitia Robinson

In my first job directly out of university, I worked with families and children experiencing homelessness and it set me on my career path. I learned I could be an agent for transformative, positive change in the lives of those around me and later I would bring that same purpose with me as I joined the state government to work with and lead state-wide programs that serve families. 

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Since then, I am proud to have served as the project manager for a $5.4 million public/private new construction build for a 48-unit permanent supportive housing complex in south Georgia for individuals who were experiencing homelessness and living with disabilities. It was a major accomplishment from the clearing of the land, to creating the design concept with the architects, and working with the developers, the city, the county, and all the stakeholders involved. I was there when each family received their key and walked into their beautiful new apartment. I remember fondly when one of the individuals said, “I am home. I am finally safe. Thank you.” That is what public service has meant to me.

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Today I am honored to serve as the Assistant State Director for the Office of Supportive Housing with the Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities. As the Assistant Director, I oversee the office that runs three main programs that help people who are homeless and those with mental illness: The Georgia Housing Voucher Program serves over 2,000 people with severe psychiatric disabilities; the Projects for Assistance in Transition from Homelessness (PATH) Program funds nine street outreach teams around Georgia; and the SOAR program helps the same individuals with their application to federal disability benefits (SSI/SSDI) to support their recovery and exit from homelessness. Through this work, I get to collaborate with other professionals in behavioral health around the US, sharing best practices and supporting each other in this work.

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