Guided by Purpose: Debra Sue Pearson on Leadership, Collaboration, and Lasting Change
April 28, 2026
Guided by Purpose: Debra Sue Pearson on Leadership, Collaboration, and Lasting Change
A Calling Rooted in Community
For Debra Sue Pearson, serving as board president of Leading Families Home isn’t just a leadership role. It’s a deeply personal commitment to her community. After retiring, she knew she wanted to stay involved in meaningful work, and her experience serving on other boards had already exposed her to the realities many families face. What drew her to Leading Families Home was both the urgency of the issue and the organization’s approach to solving it.
“Homelessness doesn’t affect just one person,” she shared. “It impacts entire families, and the truth is, many of us are just one unexpected event away from it.”
That perspective has shaped her several-year journey with the organization, including her time as vice president and now as board president. What started as a way to give back has become something much more: a role she feels deeply connected to and committed to every single day.
More Than Shelter
What sets Leading Families Home apart, in Debra Sue’s eyes, is its focus on transformation rather than temporary solutions. While many organizations provide short-term relief, Leading Families Home takes a holistic, long-term approach, supporting families as they move from crisis to stability and ultimately toward independence.
“This work is about more than ending homelessness,” she said. “It’s about walking alongside families as they rebuild their lives and helping them stay on that path.”
Through wraparound services, strong partnerships, and a focus on the entire family unit, the organization ensures that participants aren’t just housed, but truly supported. “We don’t just provide a place to stay,” she explained. “We hold their hand and say, ‘Let me help you get back up.’ That’s what makes this organization so unique.”
Moments That Matter Most
Over the years, Debra Sue has witnessed countless examples of the organization’s impact, but it’s the quieter, deeply human moments that stay with her the most. Watching families transition into permanent housing, especially those with children, is something she describes as both powerful and emotional.
“The most meaningful moments are when families can finally sit down together, have a meal, and feel safe,” she said. “That sense of stability—it changes everything.”
These milestones represent more than just a change in housing; they signal a turning point where families can begin to envision a different future. For Debra Sue, those moments are a constant reminder of why the work matters.
Growing to Meet the Need
Under Debra Sue’s leadership, Leading Families Home has continued to evolve to meet the growing needs of the community. One of the most significant milestones has been the acquisition of Family House, which expanded the organization’s capacity to serve more families and strengthened its overall impact.
Alongside that growth, the organization has prioritized building strong partnerships with local leaders, government agencies, and other nonprofits to ensure families receive comprehensive support. Programs like childcare services have also been introduced to address critical barriers, helping parents pursue employment and long-term stability.
“We’ve come a long way, and we’re still growing,” she said. “We’re not done yet. We’re on the brink of something even bigger.”
A Community Effort
For Debra Sue, one of the most important aspects of Leading Families Home’s work is its role as a connector within the community. The organization doesn’t operate in isolation. It collaborates, shares resources, and aligns efforts with others who are working toward the same goal.
“Ending homelessness takes all of us,” she said. “If we don’t have what a family needs, we go out and find it. That’s how we create real, lasting change.”
That collaborative approach creates a ripple effect, extending the organization’s impact far beyond housing and into areas like employment, education, and overall well-being. It also reinforces a simple but powerful truth: community support is essential. “Without it, we can’t do this work,” she added.
Shifting Perspectives and Looking Ahead
While progress has been made, Debra Sue believes there is still work to do in helping people understand the realities of homelessness. Too often, it’s seen as something that happens to “other people,” when in reality, it’s far closer to home than many realize.
“I wish more people understood that homelessness can happen to anyone,” she said. “In today’s world, many families are one event away from losing their stability.”
Even so, her outlook on the future is filled with hope. She sees it in the resilience of the families served, in the dedication of the staff, and in the growing support from the community.
“The resilience of the families we serve gives me hope,” she said. “And I’m incredibly proud of our team. Their dedication is unmatched.”
For Debra Sue, Leading Families Home is more than an organization—it’s a movement grounded in compassion, connection, and real change.
“It was a blessing for me to get involved,” she reflected. “There’s something special about this place. When people become part of it, they don’t just support the mission… they become part of it.”
Deborah Nugent knows firsthand how important Family House and Leading Families Home are to the homeless in Toledo. While she was battling addiction, Ms. Nugent lived in the Family House shelter on Indiana Avenue, she said. She now works as a residential staff supervisor for Leading Families Home, which acquired the service organization in January. “Giving back is the greatest thing you can do,” she said. “These are our neighbors. ... You don’t want them to slip and fall, you want to help them.” Ms. Nugent was joined by Mayor Wade Kapszukiewicz and other city leaders Thursday to celebrate Leading Families Home’s acquisition in January of Family House through a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the Indiana Avenue shelter. “For many years, our organizations have operated side by side within the same space, working to help families,” said Jennifer Jacobs, executive director of Leading Families Home. “We are excited to say we are now operating together as one big family, united in our mission to serve families experiencing homelessness in our community.” Ms. Jacobs said merging the two shelters will allow Leading Families Home to serve more than 1,000 people a year. The acquisition was supported by $290,000 in funding from the city and a $20,000 Strategic Alliance Partnership Grant from the Greater Toledo Community Foundation. “We save lives by allowing families to live here and regroup so that they can go out and be productive citizens and live the dream [in] the city of Toledo,” said City Councilman Cerssandra McPherson. Leading Families Home began as Beach Family Shelter in 1921 and has served hundreds of families throughout its tenure. Family House started as the Interdenominational Ministerial Alliance in 1985. Rosalyn Clemens, director of the department of neighborhoods for the city of Toledo, said she was visited by leaders of Family House in November, who told her, “We think that we can be more impactful if we combine forces.” She said it’s her job to help manage federal resources at a time in a country where those resources are dwindling. “Nonprofits tend to be territorial,” Ms. Clemens said. “They work in their silos and as we deal with this issue of dwindling resources, we have to address how we can become more efficient with the resources that we have. “When they came to me that day and asked for $290,000 for this transition, it was just a no-brainer for me to [go] before council … and ask for this money because it was such a visionary move on their behalf,” she continued. “It was such an impactful thing to combine forces to be able to serve more people.” The mayor shared the same sentiment. “It’s a difficult time in America right now for nonprofits, social service providers, frankly, like Family House,” Mr. Kapszukiewicz said. “It’s good if you’re Elon Musk and you need a tax break. It’s bad for everyone else. We have to have organizations step up to fill in the gap and that is what is happening here.” First Published March 12, 2026, 6:07 p.m.
https://www.wtol.com/video/news/local/leading-families-home-and-family-house-unit-celebrate-collaboration-with-ribbon-cutting/512-a04e21a5-6873-4eb3-9938-02305c319442
TOLEDO, Ohio (WTVG) - Leading Families Home has been helping people achieve independence and economic stability for more than a century. Now, leaders say they are seeing a sharp increase in requests for emergency help. Leading Families Home has three different campuses around Toledo that can provide shelter for more than 200 people on any given night. But doing that is becoming more and more challenging. “We are an agency that helps families in crisis. We have three different properties that have shelters for emergency family shelters for homelessness and we have two housing programs, we offer behavioral health and substance abuse, so that we can help people full cycle,” Jennifer Jacobs, the executive director, said. But providing that support is becoming more difficult. “We’ve had probably 20 to 30% cuts amongst grants this entire year and so as the need grows, our financial support is decreasing at the same time and so that is leaving a large gap to make up,” Jacobs said. Jacobs loves what she does. In fact, her work goes home with her most nights. “It’s a lot of sleepless nights, it’s constantly on my mind, it’s constantly in my heart, I’m constantly thinking where do we go from here, what are the answers, where are some answers we haven’t thought of before, what else could we be doing?” Jacobs said. 13 Action News visited the Beach House Ashland, one of the organization’s emergency shelters. While the group helps hundreds of families at the three shelters every year, it is not enough. “Our numbers are higher than they have been; we have 146 families on a waitlist just waiting to get into shelter in Toledo,” Jacobs said. What keeps the staff going is the success stories and there are plenty of them. Lurnetta Brackette said her world was recently turned upside down. “I’m trying not to cry, because I’ve been through a lot,” Brackette said. She said her husband was the primary provider. He got sick and had to retire from his job, the two lost their home and are now at the shelter. “There is a better day coming, you just have to do the work, that’s what we did. I am thankful, truly thankful,” Brackette said. “We know that we are making a difference, with the help of the community, we’re definitely making a difference. It’s just sometimes, I just wish I could snap my fingers and help everybody all at the same time and end the problem,” Jacobs said. Brackette and her husband are looking at a new place to call home this week. Leading Families Home also runs Beach House on Erie Street, as well as Family House. There are a lot of ways you can help, you can donate things like canned goods, bedding, money and time. If you need the shelter, call 211. To learn more about Leading Families Home, click here. Source: https://www.13abc.com/2026/01/15/more-local-families-need-shelter/?fbclid=IwY2xjawPWE1dleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBicmlkETFqWGhGbktMZ3RocHN1T2FXc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQQMjIyMDM5MTc4ODIwMDg5MgABHsgMdiahWZCNRyRah7J5ijuTRajGokQO0Ep0dN-sUZsoSXSzG-37ixjudV7Y_aem_yrWN5Ev2ipukk-ya_20J2w
