James Ewell

As intake coordinator at the Looking Glass New Roads Program office on West 7th, James Ewell meets some 250 new homeless young people every month. "I'm always up front," he says. "I sign in each youth and ask how we can help ." New Roads offers shower and laundry facilities, three meals a day, and medical services to drop-in visitors ages 16-21, plus a long-term transitional living program. "We have 32 slots every year," says Ewell. "Stable employment is the first step to getting into housing." A Eugene native, the son of a psychologist and a teacher, Ewell had friends who were mall rats. He studied psychology at the UO and volunteered at New Roads during his senior year. "Two days before graduation, they offered me a job on the street outreach team," he says. Six months later, he started doing intakes. Now, three years later, Ewell also coordinates volunteers and works with individual clients as a case manager. "I love working here," he says. "I get to see the growth of each person. Today I have a seventh client getting approved for the housing program."