Looking Glass Homeless Youth Services Director, Ashley Kirkhart, in front of Station 7 shelter
Looking Glass Homeless Youth Services Director, Ashley Kirkhart, was elected to a 3-year term as a full voting member of the Lane County Poverty & Homelessness Board. The Poverty and Homelessness Board (PHB), started in 2018 and is an action-oriented group of elected officials, community stakeholders, and individuals who represent low-income and homeless people's concerns. Kirkhart, the first Looking Glass staff member to be elected to this board as a voting member, is one of 15 voting members on this important board.
“I am very excited and honored to be on this board,” Kirkhart explained. “It provides us with the opportunity not only to have our voice heard at the county level, but have the chance to be involved with county-wide changes, particularly involving youth homelessness.”
Looking Glass Homeless Youth Services Director, Ashley Kirkhart, with other staff at the Cottage Grove rural program during a visit from Senator Jeff Merkley in 2025
Kirkhart started working at Looking Glass in 2022 at Station 7. She was promoted to her current role in 2024. She also has lived experience and utilized services at Station 7 in her younger years.
“This is a huge honor and an important opportunity, not just for Ashley, but for all of us and the communities we serve,” said VP of Homeless Youth Services, Brittany Means-Luna. “Ashley will be sitting alongside leaders from Lane County, the cities of Eugene and Springfield, and other key partners working to address poverty and homelessness across our region. Ashley’s selection really reflects what we already know: she brings an incredible mix of lived and professional experience, deep expertise, and a strong commitment to youth and families experiencing homelessness. The City Council and appointing partners were incredibly impressed by her leadership, insight, and passion.”
The Board Membership consists of 15 voting positions - A quorum for the purpose of doing business shall be a majority of the PHB membership which constitutes half plus one. Five non-voting members attend meetings and participate in the discussion representing their agencies. See the full current member list here.
“We’re especially proud that Ashley will help make sure the voices and needs of our Looking Glass guests are represented and elevated in these high-level conversations,” Means-Luna explained. “Her voice will help shape decisions that directly impact the systems our youth and families rely on every day.”