MICHELE
STEEB
Michele Steeb, author of “Answers Behind the RED DOOR: Battling the Homelessness Epidemic”, has dedicated her career to causes serving the public good. As a “homelessness” fellow for the Independent Women’s Forum (IWF) and a past fellow with the Texas Public Policy Foundation, Michele’s work on homelessness policy has been published in several national outlets including the Washington Post, the New York Post, USA Today, Fox News.com, Newsweek and the Washington Examiner.
Michele’s work in homelessness began in 2006 when she joined a struggling shelter for homeless women and children. During her 13-year tenure, she transformed it into one of the nation’s beacons of success by helping women and children overcome the root causes of their homelessness. Under her leadership, she tripled their daily capacity, launched three social enterprises, increased the annual budget seven-fold to $7.5 million including a 5-year, $8 M contract with the California Department of Corrections to serve women transitioning from prison.
She served on multiple boards to address homelessness and was appointed by Governor Brown to serve on the State’s Prison Industry Authority (2012-2020). Michele received multiple awards for her service, including: the Martin Luther King Jr. Difference Maker award, the Regional Social Equity Leader award, the Women Who Mean Business Award, the Non-Profit Visionary of the Year Award, the Allied Professional Award from the US Congressional Victims’ Rights Caucus, a woman of the year by the California State Legislature and the prestigious Ignatian Award by her alma mater, Santa Clara University.
Her dedication to public service began with leadership roles in both federal and state senate campaigns and included four years as the Vice President of Political Affairs for the California Chamber of Commerce.
MICHELE
STEEB
For over 12 years, Michele served as executive director of Saint John’s Program for Real Change, transforming what was once an ordinary 30-day emergency shelter into a robust, comprehensive, 18-month program supporting homeless women and children in their battle to overcome the very root of the ongoing cycle of poverty. She worked tirelessly to incorporate, not just a roof over their heads, but mental health services, educational assistance, and extensive hands-on employment training in an effort to bring about real and lasting change.
In 2012, Michele was appointed by California Governor Jerry Brown to serve on the Board of California’s Prison Industry Authority. Her passion for helping those trying to gain a solid foothold and re-enter society quickly led her down a broader path, becoming an outspoken voice in the face of the growing crisis of poverty and homelessness in California. Serving on the Policy Board to End Homelessness, she led the effort launching numerous programs such as Sacramento Steps Forward and the Stepping Stone Task Force.
For her undying commitment and exemplary work, she has been honored with the Martin Luther King Jr. Difference Maker Award, recognized as a Regional Social Equity Leader, Women Who Mean Business Award, Non-Profit Visionary of the Year Award, Sacramento’s People of the Year Award, and the Sacramento Metro Chamber’s Al Geiger Memorial Award. In 2013, Congresswoman Matsui presented Michele with the Congressional Victims’ Rights Caucus Allied Professional Award for her work as a victim’s advocate. She was also named one of the Top Execs of 2013 by Sacramento Business Journal. In 2014, she was named Woman of the Year by Assemblyman Roger Dickinson for District 7she was named one of the Top Execs of 2013 (Sacramento Business Journal) and in 2014 was named Woman of the Year by Assemblyman Roger Dickinson for District 7. In 2015, she received the Women Helping Women Award from Soroptimist International and in 2016 was the recipient of the Outstanding Achievement Award from APSEA’s Navigating Leadership Program. She is the recipient of the prestigious Santa Clara University Ignatian Award and most recently was recognized with the 2019 Community Service award from the American Society for Public Administration.
SPEAKING
ENGAGEMENTS
NOW
AVAILABLE
Celebrated keynote speaker and
co-author of the upcoming book
"Answers Behind the RED DOOR,"
Michele wakes up the audience.
With an impressive and entertaining
approach, she provides fresh insights
and staggering realities with a sense
of humility and genuine hope...and a
message that we truly can create a
better tomorrow for those in need, for
our nation, and for the world at large.
Answers Behind
THE RED DOOR
NOW AVAILABLE!
MICHELE STEEB
BLOG
JANUARY 2023: THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION’S “NEW” HOMELESSNESS BLUEPRINT- ALL IN
In late December, the Biden Administration released its new homelessness blueprint– All In. Most of its assertions were predictable: some, however, capriciously absurd. Assertion #1: The
OCTOBER 2022: “NEW RESEARCH UNDERSCORES FAILURES OF ONE-SIZE-FITS-ALL HOUSING FIRST APPROACH”
A new and kindred body of research– this one from the Discovery Institute- exposes the failures of “Housing First” as a one-size-fits-all approach to homelessness.
SEPTEMBER 2022: AFFORDABLE HOUSING CHARGE TESTIMONY
On September 13, 2022, I provided testimony on the Affordable Housing charge to Texas Senate Committee on Local Government. Here is my opening statement. “As
AUGUST 2022: “THE ADVOCATES” ARE GETTING NERVOUS
How do we know? There are a plethora of new “studies” and books emerging from their side to claim that Housing First—more aptly titled “housing
MAY 2022: MEET ANN
Ann is one of the ‘secret campers’ I recently met. Ann worked as an infusion pharmacist for decades. Approximately seven years ago, her husband unexpectedly
APRIL 2022: IT’S PREMATURE TO CALL HOUSTON A MODEL
With homeless spikes everywhere throughout the country, it is understandable why U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness (USICH)/U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development would attempt to
MARCH 2022: POLICYMAKERS CONTINUE TO SUGGEST WE LOWER EXPECTATIONS
Below is a tweet from a student at UT Austin. I see similar messages daily from people around the country, but this one, from a young
FEBRUARY 2022: WHAT IS FUELING AMERICA’S HOMELESSNESS CRISIS
If you are concerned about the growing homeless crisis, and why our decade-long approach to it has failed, here are links to a short video