At ReloShare, we understand the complex realities that social service providers face every day. That’s why we've assembled a team of industry experts—former shelter directors, nonprofit leaders, policy advocates, cybersecurity specialists, gender-based violence experts, and direct-service professionals—who have been exactly where Reloshare’s users are today.
In each installment of this series, you'll meet one of our team members, hear about their experiences, and learn actionable insights to enhance your community's emergency and transitional housing strategies. Best of all, Reloshare’s expertise is available to you free of charge as a Safe Stays or Grove customer.
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Kaela Gearhart— Safe Stays Partnerships, Senior
Previous Experience: Training specialist, hotel assistance program coordinator, group therapist, assessment counselor
See Kaela's full background and connect with her on LinkedIn.
Tell us briefly about your professional journey in social services. How did you get started, and what roles have you had?
My path into social services started during undergrad at Ohio State University, where I earned my bachelor’s degree in psychology. I was drawn to community mental health and harm reduction around substance use. That passion carried me into Ohio State’s Master of Social Work program, where I focused on clinical social work. While in grad school, I worked as a graduate assistant at the Student Wellness Center, working on recovery and harm reduction initiatives on campus. My field placement took me to the Ohio Domestic Violence Network, where I supported the training team. After my placement, I stayed on at ODVN as the interim program coordinator for the hotel assistance program, where I helped shape the program and coordinated hotel stays for survivors through ODVN’s 70+ member agencies.
After completing my MSW, I shifted back into direct services, working as an assessment counselor and group therapist at a community-based recovery center.
Describe how you first encountered ReloShare’s products. What problem were you looking to solve at that time?
I first came across ReloShare—back when Safe Stays was the only product—during my time at the Ohio Domestic Violence Network in 2021–2022. ODVN was in the early stages of rolling out its hotel assistance program, which was created during the pandemic to help when shelters were full and to reduce the risk of COVID spread. When I stepped into the Hotel Shelter Program Coordinator role, I was the third person to take it on since the program launched. At that time, the program operated 15-20 hours a week, with a single coordinator managing the full process.
That meant receiving hotel stay requests from advocates across Ohio, coordinating bookings, and handling all the logistics—sometimes through Safe Stays, and other times manually by calling hotels/booking through travel sites, completing credit card authorization forms, and chasing down receipts for grant reporting. The difference between the two processes was night and day.
When I saw that a requested hotel was listed on Safe Stays, I genuinely breathed a sigh of relief. ReloShare’s platform handled the payment and communication directly with the hotel, cutting down on time, stress, and room for error.
I was so grateful the program leads before me had found and implemented Safe Stays because it made the work more sustainable. With limited time and staffing, Safe Stays helped us expand access to safe temporary housing for survivors who didn’t have other options. It streamlined the process, took pressure off advocates, and helped us get survivors what they needed faster. It was such an important tool during a critical time.
How did using ReloShare's products help you scale or launch your housing programs? Share specific outcomes or milestones.
Safe Stays helped us significantly reduce the time it took to process hotel requests, which meant we could respond faster and support more survivors with the capacity we had. The platform streamlined the entire booking process, freeing up time that would’ve otherwise been spent on administrative tasks like back-and-forth communication with hotels, billing, and paperwork. One feature that made a big difference was consolidated monthly billing. It gave us a clear and organized way to track spending, which was essential for grant reporting. ReloShare also went a step further by hosting a webinar specifically for ODVN’s member programs. I remember reaching out to Ananya and Mackenzie from Safe Stays to help plan a webinar for the member programs, and they jumped on the opportunity and made it happen (now I get to work closely with them everyday and I’m so grateful!!). The webinar gave advocates across the state a chance to learn about Safe Stays and consider how to use it in their own hotel-based shelter programs. That kind of support not only helped our internal team but empowered member programs to expand housing options and better serve survivors and their families.
Why is it critical for social service agencies to develop robust emergency and transitional housing strategies today?
Having a strong emergency and transitional housing strategy is important right now, especially as the needs in communities continue to grow. Housing is a basic need, and for survivors and other vulnerable populations, it’s often the first step toward safety and healing. We know that shelter availability and services look really different depending on where you are. What’s available in a large city might not be available in a rural area. The type of funding agencies receive and how long it lasts can really shape what housing options they can offer. That’s why it’s important for agencies to think creatively and build out a range of options..from emergency shelters to hotel stays to transitional housing. People with intersecting marginalized identities often face even more barriers when it comes to safe housing, and if we’re not intentionally expanding access, we risk leaving people behind. Everyone deserves a safe place to land and housing plays a huge role in making that possible.
What’s one common challenge you see agencies facing when trying to improve their housing programs, and how do you typically advise them to address it?
One challenge I see come up a lot is trying to balance flexibility with structure in housing programs. Agencies are doing their best to meet a wide range of urgent needs, but they also need systems in place to manage limited resources, keep things safe, and set clear expectations for staff and for the people they serve. What I usually advise is to start by listening to both staff and the folks they serve. Often the best insights about what’s not working and what could work come from the people who are living the reality every day. From there, co-create some core guiding principles that reflect your housing program’s values, and build simple processes around those. Kind of like setting a strong foundation that allows for flexibility in how you respond to unique situations. Housing work is dynamic. Communities shift and needs evolve. The best programs are the ones that stay grounded in their purpose but aren’t afraid to shift how they get there.
Can you share a success story or memorable experience from your time working with an agency to improve their housing strategy using ReloShare’s products?
One of the first agencies I connected with at ReloShare reached out a few months into using Safe Stays to share a story that stuck with me. Their team had been trying to support a survivor who had nowhere safe to stay for the night. Because of language barriers and the time of day, every traditional shelter option had been exhausted. Despite all their best efforts nothing was available. Through Safe Stays, they were able to quickly book her into a hotel room. After checking in, she shared that she’d seen stories like this on TV but hadn’t expected to experience it firsthand. She expressed appreciation for the support she received. The agency director who shared this with me said, “This is exactly why we wanted to partner with you all.” And honestly, same. That story is one of many reasons why we keep going.
What unique insights or strengths do you personally bring to the ReloShare team and the customers you support?
One of the strengths I bring to the ReloShare team and the agencies I work with is really trying to listen to understand. Whether I’m chatting with an advocate, executive director, program manager, or staff at ReloShare, I do my best to listen and try to understand, because I think that’s where trust and meaningful solutions start. I also try to bring flexibility and a sense of calm, especially when things don’t go as planned. Challenges come up, systems get complicated, and needs shift quickly. I do my best to stay grounded. And I’d say positivity and humor are just as important. This work is hard, emotional, layered, and it can be heavy..but it’s also full of purpose and I really believe we can do meaningful work, and find moments to laugh and keep each other going.
If an agency is hesitant to explore new housing solutions or tools, what advice or encouragement would you offer them?
I’d say start by listening to your team, the people you serve, and your community. What are they asking for? What’s missing? Sometimes the answers are right there we just have to create space to hear them. I also encourage agencies to collaborate and get creative. Maybe that looks like partnering with a local organization, business, or government agency/department to pool resources, working with culturally specific orgs to better meet community needs, or leaning on technology to remove some of the red tape. Innovation doesn’t always have to mean something huge or expensive. It can just be doing something differently with intention.
Lastly, stay open. Trying something new can feel risky, especially in systems that already feel stretched. But some of the best outcomes we’ve seen came from agencies taking a chance on a new tool, a different process, or an unexpected partnership. You never know what’s possible until you give it a shot, and something really awesome might come out of it. And if you try something and it doesn’t work, you can always pivot again.
Let’s Keep the Conversation Going
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