Get to Know Liz Mengers

As Planning and Development Manager at the Department of Human Service Programs (DHSP), Liz Mengers works to coordinate support and resources for some of Cambridge’s most vulnerable residents.

While her work sometimes occurs behind the scenes, Mengers manages the planning and development team, providing crucial grant support that makes services for unhoused residents possible.

“Our work is really focused on providing grant support to a broad range of community partners focused on serving people experiencing homelessness,” Mengers said. “Primarily, our role is that grant management function, and we also, as part of that, do a lot of communication and coordination with partners in the nonprofit community in Cambridge who are directly providing the services that we’re supporting.”

Mengers’ role involves building bridges with the various groups that make this work possible, from City departments to nonprofit organizations. As part of this, she seeks to share information and build trust with partners, all with a shared goal of improving outcomes for people experiencing homelessness.

“We have the grantee relationships with the agencies that we’re funding, but we also work to coordinate and collaborate with a broader continuum of service providers, from community meal programs, volunteer-based groups, and faith-based communities to some of the larger nonprofit service providers,” Mengers said. “It’s sort of a mutually beneficial relationship, where folks with boots on the ground have just a better sense of the needs and the issues arising day to day, and we try to address that the best that we can with the resources that we have available.”

In particular, Mengers emphasized the importance of listening to feedback in building trust with community members and organizations.

“I think it’s accessibility, transparency, and data-driven decision making. And it’s not perfect,” she said. “There are a lot of times where advocates or providers aren’t happy with any number of things, and we try to hear that feedback, work with them, and continue to show up. And I think that’s a really important piece ... just continuing to show up, hear the feedback with grace and openness, and try to go from there.”

Efforts to address homelessness can be difficult and heavy work, but Mengers aims to celebrate the progress and positive outcomes that do occur. She explains that even though shelters may remain full because new people move into them, there are often people leaving the shelters for permanent housing, and these triumphs are worth noting.

“It is challenging, and I think that it’s heavy work. It’s folks who are in crisis, providers who have that secondary trauma of working with people every day who are just trying to survive and get to a better spot,” Mengers said. “So there’s a lot of bad stuff that comes across my desk, but there are also really positive things, and I think it’s important to remind ourselves that, even if our shelters remain full, people are leaving and moving into housing.”

Mengers also pointed to the opening of the Permanent Supportive Housing development at 116 Norfolk Street as an important larger-scale success. She stressed that this would not have been possible without the support of the Cambridge Housing Authority and the Cambridge Affordable Housing Trust, and this collaboration created access to housing and services for 62 people who have experienced chronic homelessness.

“The ribbon cutting was an amazing celebration of all of this work and commitment from multiple partners to make that a reality. It is 62 new units of Permanent Supportive Housing for people exiting chronic homelessness, and that’s just an extraordinary thing in Central Square,” Mengers said.

To Mengers, her job is a way for her to do her part toward improving outcomes for those struggling with homelessness. She noted that, while the housing crisis stems from systemic failures far beyond the City, this work is an opportunity to positively impact individual lives in Cambridge and the systems that serve them.

“I think that people who are experiencing housing crises to the point where they’re living unsheltered or long-term in shelter facilities shows a failure of so many systems of care that are beyond the scope of the City of Cambridge,” she said. “And so, I feel really driven to do my little part, which is a lot of behind the scenes, administrative, bureaucratic grant compliance, to ensure that we are maximizing all of the resources that we can access to improve those systems of care.”

Outside of work, Mengers enjoys spending time at the beach with her husband and two daughters. While she no longer lives in Cambridge, the city in which she lived for years remains special to her, and she strives to both give back to the community through her work and appreciate all it offers beyond work.

“I lived in the city for eight years; I had both my kids here in Cambridge. So, it just feels like a huge part of my life, both personally and professionally,” Mengers said. “And I love the diversity of Cambridge. I love that there’s amazing public art, accessible art. I love the outside spaces, walking along the river, all the tiny little parks. And I have really enjoyed over time just learning more about Cambridge’s history.”

Above all, Mengers sees her work as a way to serve the residents of Cambridge, a place where many partners are coming together to help the unhoused community.

“I really feel honored to be in public service. I think it’s a wonderful way to offer the skills and talents that I’m privileged to have acquired through education, to give back to the community,” she said.