When she first came to Seattle to work with Childhaven after a stint consulting in the UK, Caitlen (Cate) Daniels quickly learned about what’s happening locally with housing, homelessness and inequality.

“It seemed to me that Solid Ground was really influential and an important part of the conversation in the region,” she says. Cate, who joined us in July, is excited to bring her experience in direct service, advocacy and organizational development to Solid Ground as our Chief Program Officer (CPO).

“Creating a more equitable community for future generations is a tall order. It’s a commitment to come together every single day across different locations and programs to build a better future alongside so many of our neighbors.” ~Cate Daniels, CPO

Cate is thrilled to be part of an agency with a strong reputation for providing quality direct services to help people out of poverty, as well as taking a systems approach to improving our community for all.

“We need to understand regional changes and be responsive while also informing systemic solutions to adverse implications of those changes. As a social worker, and coming from both direct practice and advocacy, I hope to partner with others to think about how we enhance well-being and undo systems of oppression in communities we may or may not partner with currently.

“I’m also working to understand the gap between what we are doing and the impact we want to make over time as we assess what we do today.”

Outside of the office, Cate enjoys being outdoors in our beautiful region, and indoors – at the movies. “I see a lot of films; I put out a list of my top 40 or 50 every year. I really enjoy watching social justice titles, including last year’s Delores, The Florida Project, I, Daniel Blake, and this year’s BlacKkKlansman and Won’t You Be My Neighbor. I think about how social justice themes in film and art can drive conversations, and I try to have dialogue about them. It helps me process what I am doing.”

Cate says, “Creating a more equitable community for future generations is a tall order. It’s a commitment to come together every single day across different locations and programs to build a better future alongside so many of our neighbors. We need to continuously focus on building each other up.”

Featured image at top by Chris Villiers Photography