Former Resident Attends National Homelessness Conference

A former resident at the Next Key Apartments has been chosen to attend the National Conference on Ending Homelessness next month in Washington, D.C.

Lynes Downing, a Novato native, has been granted a scholarship to attend and potentially speak at the conference organized July 22 and 23 by the National Alliance to End Homelessness.

One of the first residents at the Next Key Apartments, Lynes now has his own apartment and operates a business that imports and sells collapsible water bottles. His new sales kiosk recently opened at Northgate Mall.

He has interrupted his busy schedule several times to speak to community groups about Homeward Bound and how his life changed with support from our services.

“I’m excited to go to this conference and take good notes or attend anything that might be helpful for Homeward Bound,” Lynes says. Workshops at the conference vary from “Messaging that Makes an Impact” to “Retooling Transitional Housing” to “Funding Strategies.”

A self-decribed “country club brat” in his youth, Lynes says he also will be happy to share his story if asked. His tale includes receiving a business degree at University of Southern California, opening a coffee house, working as a corporate trainer, and triumph over personal and financial challenges that left him homeless for a time.

Shikira Porter, program director for the Next Key Apartments, says Lynes arrived at Homeward Bound as a member of the “new homeless” who have grown up with a comfortable lifestyle yet find themselves facing homelessness for various reasons at some point in their lives.

“He has an incredible story to share with others,” Shikira says, adding that Lynes exemplifies how people can fine-tune their “survival skills” to move forward through steep obstacles.

Calling himself a curious person who enjoys travel, Lynes says he looks forward to the event.

“I like learning all kinds of things and mingling with people,” Lynes says. “It’s going to be a real adventure.”