Sara Fleurant has been hired by the city of Portland to be its next director of the Oxford Street Shelter Ms. Fleurant has worked for the city for nine years now in a variety of roles. In her new role, she will be responsible for managing the administrative operations of the Oxford Street Shelter and its overflow spaces as well as for managing programs that work to end homelessness. She will also play a key role in the city’s ongoing work to create a new and modern homeless services center.

Fleurant worked for four years as a Community Policing Coordinator for the Portland Police Department and for three years at OSS as a Shelter Attendant and Human Services Counselor. Since July 208, she has worked as a Program Coordinator in Support Services at the Oxford Street Shelter where she coordinated housing and support services for clients and supervised the Shelter’s support services team. She was responsible for implementing shelter housing policies and programming and assisting in preparing grant proposals. She also played a key role in maintaining relationships with area service providers and landlords to develop beneficial coalitions for guests, including active involvement in the Long Term Stayer’s initiative.

She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Sociology from Smith College.