HF Voices: Jennifer Estrella Flores, Employment Services Case Manager

Jennifer Flores at All-Staff Party. February, 2024.

“I’m happy because I’m helping others. I realize how important this position is, and that’s why I stay, because I know that I’m making an impact.”

Hamilton Families not only aids in getting families off the streets and into stable housing but also ensures families can sustain themselves by helping them build careers. A major player in this vital initiative is Jennifer Estrella Flores, an Employment Services Case Manager, who has been with Hamilton for over a year. Originally working in human resources for companies in Ecuador, Jennifer came to San Francisco seeking meaningful work in the nonprofit sector. Curious about what motivated her transition from for-profit to social work, on August 27, 2025, I spoke with Jennifer to learn more about her story. 

Tell me a little bit about yourself, your background. I’d love to know your relationship with the city itself, but also how you came to work with Hamilton Families. 

JF: I’m Jennifer, I’m originally from Ecuador. I came to the country six years ago. I don’t have any background before Hamilton [working] in a nonprofit, but I came from a background of business administration. I’d been working for different companies in the past, and how I came [to Hamilton] was I wanted to change careers. I wanted to transfer my skills to a different environment. I wasn’t feeling great about companies because they’re so money-oriented, and that wasn’t my vision for my future. So, I started looking into something more meaningful, and that’s how I came to Hamilton Families.  

I’ve been living in the city for six years. I do not have any [personal] experience with family homelessness, but I [did] volunteer work when I was unemployed. My husband was working for both of us and I had the opportunity to do another sort of volunteer work with animals. I love animals, and I’ve been working [with animals] since I was in my country. That’s something that really filled my heart, when I helped others in some way. So that’s the reason why I wanted to look for something meaningful, but now with people that are in need. When I moved to the city, I saw the problem we have here with homelessness, and that’s the reason why I came to Hamilton. 

So, you work in workforce development for families. You mentioned your business background working for for-profit companies. How does your background in that setting translate over to your current work, and in what ways is it significantly different? 

JF: When I was in Ecuador, I used to work in a company in the human resources department. It was kind of the same, but not really the same; it was in workforce [development]. I worked with conflict resolutions; I worked in assessing personal needs and also helping to grow [employees] within the company. So, I would look for training for [employees] to take so that they can move up in the company. I think [I translated these] skills into workforce development [at Hamilton].  

Have you personally found anything surprising about working in the nonprofit sector or interacting with families? 

JF: I started learning more about black communities in this country. I’ve been reading and my husband has been teaching me a lot about the history of this country, and now I have a broader knowledge about all the problems and situations that they’ve been through. Because before coming to this country, I’ve never had any relationships with anyone in the black community. Where I come from, I come from a city, and [most] of the black community lives in the coast regions. In my country, we have the same problem, a lot of racism, but it was still surprising to me the way [African Americans] are treated here, all the stereotypes and situations they live in. 

Also, [I was surprised by] the amount of people that are on the streets as well. My country is a poor country, but we don’t have as much street homelessness as there is in this country. That was surprising to me. Even though we’re poorer than [the United States], there are so many more people that are left on the streets.  

Is there anything culturally about San Francisco or California that you think contributes to that irony? You know, San Francisco, at the same time as being one of the wealthiest cities in the States, is also the site of the most visible poverty and homelessness and income inequality. 

JF: I’m not sure a hundred percent, but what I can say is[...] families are very close [in Ecuador]. For example, if I have a family member who is on the streets, I will help them, I will never let them be on the streets. I don’t know[...] but maybe the difference is that Latin America is more family-oriented? I’m not sure. Maybe people here are more detached from one another? Because in the United States, every single state has the same problem, California more so because of how expensive it is to live here. But I’m not sure, I’d have to look into that. 

Obviously when you’re working in workforce development, it’s mainly aimed at the parents or parent of the family. How do the children factor into the ways that you interact with parents, if at all? 

JF: I mostly work with adults, but I’ve had some cases that [involved] youths that are 14-16 or 18 years old[...] because around the city we have a lot of trainings for them. I have helped some people sign up for trainings, but they’re usually not really interested because the trainings are, for example, a year long and can interfere with school. It’s mostly for adults. But it’s something I really want to start working on, push the idea that if they’re 18 years old, or 16 or 17, they can do something right now for their future. 

Tell me more about the perspective shift you had when transitioning from the for-profit sector to nonprofit. Was there something specific that happened, or was it more of a gradual process? 

JF: As I was saying, they were very money-oriented. I was working in sales, and they were always focused on sales, sales, sales; they never cared about us as people. At the end of each day, as I [would be] clocking out, I never felt fulfilled. I was just working for somebody who wanted more money, but it was not rewarding at all for me[...] I just didn’t want to spend more time doing what I was doing. It was just not rewarding at all. So, I decided maybe I can help in some way. I know I don’t have any experience in nonprofits, but I know I can learn, and I can put my skills into this nonprofit.  

When Hamilton was looking for a workforce development [employee], they didn’t have that position [previously]. This position is very new. I like that as well, because I consider myself a very creative person – I'm a belly dancer on the side, so I like to create things. And I know when there is something new, there are two ways to see the position: bad news, I don’t have anything to learn from, but good news, I have a lot to do here and I can create a lot of things. So, when I came into the position, that’s what I really liked. I can do things, I can create things, and I’m actually working right now in [integrating] processes and procedures into the position. I want people to know what I do but also have a structure so that the organization can understand better what I do. So, that’s the reason why I stay here, and I love it, I love this position. And I’m happy because I’m helping others. I realize how important this position is, and that’s why I stay, because I know that I’m making an impact. 

What’s been the most rewarding part about helping families? 

JF: When I talk to [families for] the first time, they come from different backgrounds and most of them are unemployed, because they have a lot of barriers but also because they have low self-esteem, because they believe nothing is possible for them and that’s it for them. But I think the most rewarding thing is when they start believing in themselves. I motivate them [by telling them,] “You have this opportunity right now, and if you take it your life can change. If you take this opportunity to better your education, in the future you’re not going to settle for lower paid jobs.” That’s why I think it’s very important to motivate families and say, “It is possible to change your situation and education is a very powerful tool.” That’s the most rewarding thing, when they change the way they see themselves. 

What are some of the most difficult obstacles you run into whenever you try to help a family? 

JF: I think the most difficult thing is when a family has [been impacted by involvement with the justice system], because they get rejected a lot for different jobs. Because that’s where I can’t do anything, other than refer them to different organizations and clinics which help them to clean their background, because sometimes it’s possible to clean their background. But some of them get very [discouraged] and say, “Oh no, it’s not possible because I have that in my past.”  

Another thing is when they have barriers to childcare. They can’t find it because it’s not affordable sometimes, or because they’re on a waitlist, or they just can’t find somebody who can take care of their children [while they work]. So that’s another barrier that really stops them from going to school or start working. New moms fall into this same category. 

What do you wish people who are detached from the nonprofit world and the homelessness world would be more aware of? 

JF: I think it’s really hard for other people to understand if you don’t work in a nonprofit, but I wish they knew that your zip code determines your future. There are so many people in this country who are not lucky enough to be born into the perfect situation where you can go to school, you have no problems with family, you don’t have to worry about what you’re going to eat tomorrow. I just wish they had more empathy and didn’t judge people and understood more about history as well. I just wish they read more about these situations before judging or have more empathy in general. If you can’t understand why somebody acts in a certain way, maybe you can be more empathetic and not judge.

Ryan Yim is a Communications & Development Intern at Hamilton Families, a nonprofit service provider to families experiencing homelessness in the San Francisco Bay Area. To help end family homelessness, visit hamiltonfamilies.org today.