Welcome back to the ACT OUT podcast! In this episode, host Adam sits down with community leader and Project U First founder Erica Wright—the 2025 Phenomenal Women’s Community Servant Award winner—to talk dignity-first outreach, mental health, and what actually helps our unhoused neighbors. Together, they dive into Erica’s origin story (a Sunday-school prompt and a woman washing her hair under a bridge), how hygiene and “being seen” can unlock hope, and why real change requires wraparound services—not just photo ops. Expect candor, compassion, and a practical roadmap for helping that helps.

Erica shares stories from 10 years on the ground: launching hygiene kits from church hallways, serving during the pandemic out of a Honda Civic, and scaling impact with partners (hello, sock drives!) while refusing to lose the human in the metrics. She and Adam unpack the realities of living with bipolar I, anxiety, and OCD, the non-glamorous side of nonprofit work, and the difference between short-term relief and long-term stability. Along the way they explore: care closets in schools, the U First Kids Bus, day services vs. shelters vs. “housing first,” and what happens when leaders roll up their sleeves and ask someone’s name before handing them a bag.

Listeners will gain insights into designing support with dignity, why hygiene is often the first domino to employment and stability, how to collaborate across orgs without exploiting stories, and concrete ways to help today (from keeping kits in your car to building school-based resources). Adam and Erica also get real about self-care for caregivers—why the work is unsustainable if the worker isn’t well.

Tune in every Thursday for episodes that inspire, challenge, and entertain. Whether you’re here for heart, realism, or action steps, the ACT OUT podcast is your space to rethink growth, embrace self-awareness, and act out your passions.

Connect with Erica & Project U First:
Website: Project U First (http://projectufirst.org )
Instagram & Facebook: @‌projectufirst

Other ways to follow and connect with the ACT OUT podcast:
Learn more at:https://www.theactoutpodcast.com/
Subscribe to the show on YouTube:https://www.youtube.com/@theACTOUTpodcast
Follow the show on Instagram: @‌actoutpodcast & TikTok: @‌actoutpodcast

Credits:
Mural: Tara E. @‌taradiiiise and @‌tarayakisauce
Music: Matt Hobbs @‌matthobbs & Puppy Songs @‌puppysongs