jews d

in
the

on the cover

Hertz believes finding long-term housing for SOS’ homeless individuals is key to the solution.

Lifelong Journey

South Oakland Shelter’s CEO Ryan Hertz brings spirituality to the job.

JOYCE WISWELL CONTRIBUTING WRITER

R

yan Hertz had no idea his spiritual journey
would take him so closely back to where he
began.
“Finding meaningful spiritual opportunities has
been part of my life since I was very young; but after
my bar mitzvah, it was probably another 15 years
before I did anything Jewish,” he says. “From age 13
to 30, I was pretty disconnected from Judaism and
looked for God in other traditions.”
As he learned more about the Torah, Hertz
embraced his Judaism and became Orthodox.
“Sometimes we think the grass is always greener,”
he said. “We’re running around looking for some-
thing and don’t realize we already have it and
already are it.”
As CEO of SOS (South Oakland Shelter), Hertz
finds that his religious beliefs line up perfectly with

his career in social work.
“Maybe, to some degree, SOS led me to take a
deeper dive into my own traditions because we
really engage with a wide variety of folks who are
inspired by their faith,” he said.
Based in Lathrup Village, the nonprofit SOS
(southoaklandshelter.org) works with some 67 reli-
gious congregations, including synagogues, church-
es and a mosque, to operate a rotating shelter
system to house and feed the homeless. Each week
a congregation hosts SOS’s shelter guests and pro-
vides them with overnight accommodations, three
daily meals and transportation.
“It’s secular, but the resources are all motivated by
the volunteers’ commitment to their faith and faith
community,” said Hertz, 36, whose father is well-
known local entertainment lawyer Howard Hertz.

“People not overtly religious are also involved.”

PROVIDING A LIFELINE

While it deals with people in crisis, the overall goal
of SOS is to get clients into long-term housing as
soon as possible. Securing quality housing (defined
as being in a safe neighborhood with a good school
system) may cost more at first, but Hertz said it’s
actually a cost savings.
“All the barriers related to why they became
homeless are better addressed with a bigger bang
for the buck where they are in housing. Expecting
someone to find a job when rotating from shelter to
shelter is not a recipe for success.”
The organization is funded by grants, private
contributions and three major annual fundraisers,
including the upcoming Rent Party on June 3.

continued on page 14

12

May 18 • 2017

jn

