People with lived experience have a story to tell. Nonprofits should listen

Restaurants shape their entire business operations around their guests’ palates. Hospitals tailor treatments to the specific needs of each patient. Libraries position their books in accordance with their patrons’ interests. All companies in the service industry invest a great deal of energy and resources into consumer testing so that they can build their models and products around the tastes, desires, and perspectives of people they serve. So why aren’t all nonprofits building their programs with direct input from the people they serve, especially when it costs them little to nothing to do so?

In the nonprofit world, critical decisions are too often made by committees of professionals that have never personally experienced the very challenges they aim to address. The lives and experiences of these decision-makers are often vastly different from those they serve, and their proposed policies and solutions, while well-intentioned, often fail to work for or even harm our most vulnerable communities.

That is why nonprofit leaders must choose to center lived experiences as part of their decision making, and Greenville Together: A Home for All understands this.

Greenville Together is a community-driven initiative working towards finding permanent supportive housing for 80 households by the end of 2025 and has the long-term goal of functionally ending homelessness in Greenville. While Greenville climbs in the rankings of places to visit in the United States, just a few minutes away from some of the city’s most beloved attractions lies its growing population of people experiencing homelessness. Greenville Together is working to solve this mounting challenge by empowering those it serves to take the lead on formulating real solutions through the creation of a Lived Experience Council.

The Lived Experience Council consists of people who have experienced homelessness in recent years. The council serves on core committees, including the Public Education and Engagement, Accountability and Sustainability, and Housing Surge Committees, within the Greenville Together initiative, further emphasizing the necessity of their presence to make a lasting change.

As an intern at Greenville Together, I created a strategic marketing plan designed to challenge misconceptions held by the Greenville community with facts, data, and storytelling. In our planning meetings, the Lived Experience Council played an essential role in shaping my approach. They asked challenging questions, offered creative ideas, and spoke with a level of passion that left a lasting impression on everyone around the table. The hope in their voices shaped the tone and direction of my entire project, reminding me of the real lives and stories at the heart of our work.

My experience is just one example of how Greenville Together values honest dialogue and passionate perspectives from those who have experienced homelessness, even when some viewpoints clash. Leaders of Greenville Together are well aware that silence and agreement for the sake of comfort only delay progress. Constructive disagreement is embraced and even seen as necessary for the betterment of local communities. To provide strong solutions that address the housing crisis, organizations must allow the platform for real-life testimonials.

The strategies developed by the Lived Experience Council have already had an impact on the Greenville community. People who once slept in tents are now waking up in apartments paired with wrap-around support services, such as case management. Life-changing transformations began when someone with lived experience had the platform to speak––and Greenville Together chose to listen.

I urge other nonprofits to follow the lead of other industries by centering their clients’ voices, needs, and desires. Creating a foundation of expertise, passion, and innovation all begins with including people with lived experience at every level of decision-making. Once that happens, meaningful change becomes inevitable.

Gabrielle Harvey is a junior at Furman University double majoring in Business Marketing and Communication Studies, on the pre-law track. She interned at United Way of Greenville County, specifically with Greenville Together: A Home for All, through the Riley Institute Summer Experience.