Lauren Velez
Lauren Velez is the Family and Community Services Team Leader at Avalon Housing, a Permanent Supportive Housing Agency in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The Team provides direct case management support to families who have experienced homelessness in an effort to help them maintain stable housing and improve their overall quality of life. The Team also provides support through food pantries, youth activities, community gardens, and other community-based efforts. Avalon’s Youth programs have collaborated with Telling It for the last five years. Lauren is originally from New York, where she earned a BA in Psychology and spent several years working as an investigator for Child Protective Services in Suffolk County. Lauren was selected to be a member of the Family Assessment Response team, which was a pilot program at the time focused on a less threatening and more therapeutic approach to working with families in the Child Welfare system.
