Heidelberg alumna Jocelyn Everett ’24 is quietly doing extraordinary work in Seneca County. As the Executive Director of Transformation Life Center, she supports some of the community’s most vulnerable families. The center serves women and children facing sudden housing crises, uncertainty, and situations that require immediate stability.
Transformation Life Center provides emergency housing for up to 90 days, giving families space to regain their footing. It also partners with Morrison House on Perry Street to offer transitional housing for up to 180 days for those experiencing chronic or generational homelessness.
Inside these walls, Jocelyn’s responsibilities shift constantly. She reviews policies, responds to community needs, coordinates volunteers, manages social media, works with partner agencies, and checks in daily with the center’s wellness and resources coordinator to ensure that each household receives the support it needs.
“A typical day is hard because there’s not a lot of typical days,” she said. “A typical day has to include flexibility.”
A Heidelberg beginning
Jocelyn’s path into the nonprofit world began during her time at Heidelberg. As a Bachelor of Science student majoring in Business Administration, she joined Enactus, where she and her classmates partnered with the Seneca County Council on Homelessness on communication and marketing projects. That early experience helped her discover the impact of mission-driven work.
A service trip to Biloxi, Mississippi, deepened that interest. While working with unsheltered populations, she saw how collaborative and people-centered nonprofit work could be.
“I always knew I loved collaboration and teamwork,” she said. “Nonprofit work connects so closely to mission and values. It just made sense.”
When she later learned that the Council she had worked with as a student was hiring an executive director, she applied. Shortly after graduating, she stepped into the role.
Moments that matter
Every family that arrives at the shelter carries a complex combination of challenges. Housing searches, healthcare access, employment concerns, childcare needs, budgeting, credit rebuilding, and document recovery often happen all at once. Jocelyn sees how overwhelming that can be.
“It’s not that any one service is difficult. It’s that it’s all of them together,” she explained. “The support we provide helps people manage everything at once.”
Success takes many forms. Sometimes it is a family finding safe housing sooner than expected. Other successes are small but significant, like watching someone gain confidence in calling a landlord or organizing their documents. Some residents leave having discovered new favorite places in Tiffin, a sign that they are beginning to feel part of the community.
“That’s really rewarding,” she said. “To help someone fall in love with Tiffin after everything they’ve been through.”
The most challenging moments occur when someone’s needs exceed what the shelter can reasonably provide. Jocelyn and her team support guests as much as possible and connect them to appropriate resources, whether that is assisted living or higher-level mental health care.
Looking forward with hope
Jocelyn also acknowledges an important gap in the county. Seneca County currently has no dedicated homeless shelter for men. The Transformation Life Center’s board is discussing how this need can be addressed in the future.
Even with the challenges, Jocelyn finds motivation in her team, her board, her family, and the purpose behind the work. She encourages students and young professionals not to underestimate themselves.
“If you had told me I would land this job as quickly as I did, I wouldn’t have believed you,” she said. “Try to fight that imposter syndrome. We are all just here.”
Jocelyn is a powerful reminder of how Heidelberg graduates embrace opportunities, serve others, support their communities, and lead with compassion.