Antioch’s new Unhoused Resident Coordinator getting to work on solutions to one of city’s major challenges
By Allen Payton
Antioch has its first Unhoused Resident Coordinator, to help address one of the major challenges the city is currently facing: homelessness.
Jazmin Ridley was introduced to the public during the council meeting on January 12 by Assistant City Manager Rosanna Bayon Moore.
“Jazmin joined the city team in early December as Antioch’s first Unhoused Resident Coordinator,” said Bayon Moore. “Jazmin is inquisitive, analytical, energetic and committed to serving others.”
“She is well acquainted with the importance of the safety nets that counties provide, having worked most recently in Sacramento County where she provided critical navigation assistance,” Bayon Moore continued. “For Jazmin, this is a return home to Antioch as a proud graduate of Deer Valley High School. Jazmin’s love of learning has been a journey. As a young adult she attended U.C. Davis where she studied Spanish with a minor in Latin American Studies.”
She also has two master’s degrees, one from the University of Illinois in Latin American and Caribbean Studies, specifically in Brazilian History and in Public Administration from National University, which she earned while working full time.
“Thank you so much for taking the chance on me. I know how important the issue is of housing our most vulnerable residents and I’m up to the task,” Ridley shared during her introduction. “I’m elated that I am in Antioch and working for the City is a blessing. I’m going to do everything I can to work and contribute back to the city that raised me.”
On her LinkedIn profile, Ridley in her role as Human Services Specialist for Sac County she wrote, “For the past several years, it has been a privilege to serve alongside the team at the Department of Human Assistance as a human services specialist, where I advocate for the health and well-being of public assistance applicants. During this time, I have been able to assist hundred of program applicants by working one-on-one with my clients to determine their needs, present available benefits, and explain complex social service policies in Spanish and Portuguese.”
Ridley “built expertise in a wide range of governmental programs, including CalWORKS, CalFresh, SNAP, healthcare programs, and the Affordable Care Act” and is “recognized as a subject matter expert in Welfare to Work eligibility.”
In her new role, she will work to “implement strategies, avail(able) resources, and collaborate with regional partners and stakeholders in working toward an effective response to the homelessness within the city.”
Ridley’s past employment also includes working for five years as a tutor to high school students and working as an instructional assistant in after school program with academic and recreational activities for elementary students. She is currently a Board Member and Secretary for the Brazilian Center for Cultural Exchange of Sacramento.
“Homelessness and the needs of the unhoused touch nearly every aspect of our agency,” Bayon Moore said during her introduction of Ridley. “We are excited to see staffing of this key role embedded in the city manager’s office to help strengthen Antioch’s response to such an important community topic. Please join me in welcoming Jazmin, sharing your insight and supporting her efforts.”
Ridley can be reached at (925) 779-6893 or via email at jridley@antiochca.gov.
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