The Ripple Effect: Kerry Stevens and Open Doors

Living in Maine with her family during the pandemic, the last thing Kerry Stevens thought she’d find was a new career path in Fairfield County, but as we’ve all learned over the last few years, life has a way of taking unexpected turns.

Kerry first joined Impact FFC in 2019, when she was living in Norwalk, and then she continued to participate virtually from Maine when COVID shut the world down. She quickly became an active member and served as a Review Committee Chair for two years, leading a group of about 20 members through a detailed review of more than 12 applicants each year.

In 2022, one of those applicants was Open Doors. When the Open Doors team pitched her RC with their Financial Opportunity Center, Kerry was already familiar with the nearly forty-year-old organization, which supports people dealing with poverty and homelessness in the greater Norwalk area. The Financial Opportunity Center (which was ultimately funded by an alternative source) would become a pillar of Open Doors’ preventative services work, providing the financial coaching, employment services, and income support services needed for families to achieve and maintain a stable income and housing stability.

Open Doors and the merits of their Financial Opportunity Center left such an impression on Kerry that she reached out to a friend who was an Open Doors board member to ask for an introduction to the non-profit’s CEO. A consultant by training, Kerry shared her passion for the organization and asked if there was a project that she might be able to help with.

Over time, her consulting role with the organization grew into a full-time position, and today Kerry is thrilled to serve as Open Doors’ Director of Strategic Partnerships. Open Doors recognizes that strategic partnerships with other non-profits are crucial to achieving a high rate of success in moving individuals and families into housing. Over the last couple of years, Kerry has helped Open Doors build and strengthen partnerships with organizations like Catholic Charities’ Furniture Ministry to help get donated furniture into the homes of newly housed clients, Norwalk Community Health Center to ensure community members receive primary and behavioral healthcare, and Adult Continuing Education to offer clients ESL & GED prep classes.

The partnership Kerry is most grateful for is hers with Impact FFC, which helped her learn more about Open Doors and start her down this path! Kerry shares, “Being a part of the grant review process has provided me with the opportunity to learn about so many non-profits who play such a critical role in our community. I am grateful for my continued work with Impact FFC, as I am always discovering new potential partners and opportunities to collaborate with others!”

As the cost of living in Fairfield County has skyrocketed, Open Doors provides critical support to low-income earners living paycheck to paycheck to ensure their economic and housing stability. Open Doors’ food pantry and clothing closet help alleviate some of the cost burden of household essentials.