Candace Timmerman - Chair

United Housing Connections

Candace Timmerman is from Greenwood.  She has a bachelor’s degree in political science from Lander University and a Certificate in Non-Profit Management from Winthrop University.   She is currently the CEO of United Housing Connections and the Chair of the Upstate Continuum of Care. She formerly served as the Director of Housing and various other roles at Meg’s House in her 14 years there.  She served as the President of the Advisory Council of the Upstate Continuum of Care (formerly Upstate Homeless Coalition) from 2015-2021 and currently served as an At Large Member from 2021-2023 .  She served as the Chapter President of the GAMES (Greenwood, Abbeville, McCormick, Edgefield, and Saluda) Chapter of the Continuum from 2013-2021. She has served on many committees in the CoC and has helped build the Coordinated Entry System and Written Standards of the Upstate from inception.  She currently chairs the Upstate CoC Monitoring committee and formerly --chaired the Upstate CoC Grants Committee.  She was a County Coordinator for the annual Homeless Point in Time Count for the GAMES region for 10 years.   She served on the Board of Greenwood Chamber of Commerce, the Steering Committee of the Lakelands Counts Consortium, and the Domestic Violence Task Force.  She enjoys gardening, traveling, and spending time with her family, friends, and pets.

Beth Rutherford - President

City of Spartanburg

Beth Rutherford has served as the Homeless Engagement Specialist for the City of Spartanburg since July 2022.  Prior, Beth worked with the Spartanburg Interfaith Hospitality Network (SPIHN) since 2007.  SPIHN started as a family homeless shelter but she grew the agency to include housing programs – transitional and rapid rehousing as well as prevention funds to help others not to become homelessness.  In 2019, SPIHN partnered with the City of Spartanburg and the Homeless Task Force to open up the Spartanburg Opportunity Center, a place for the homeless to go for resources, showers, laundry services, and case management.  She started working on the homeless Point In Time Count in 2008 and became the PIT Count coordinator for Cherokee, Union and Spartanburg Counties in 2012.  Beth has worked with the homeless population since 2005 when she started volunteering at SPIHN and continues with her outreach and resource efforts through the HEART (homeless engagement and response team).  We need to remember that they are homeless not hopeless.

Beth and her husband, Larry, and their 5 boys moved to Spartanburg in the summer of 2005.  They have been married for 38 years.

Bruce Forbes - Vice President and Treasurer

SHARE

Bruce Forbes has served homeless families and individuals in Greenville County and the Upstate of South Carolina since 1999.  He ran a day shelter for the homeless in Greenville for 6 years.  There he helped many street homeless suffering from job loss, mental health issues, addiction problems, and/or education deficits to overcome those barriers and get into housing.  For more than 15 years, he has served as the President of the Greenville Chapter of the Upstate CoC.  For the past three years he serves on the board of the South Carolina Interagency Council on Homelessness -- working with state agencies and the other Continuums of Care in the state to provide better services to our homeless neighbors.  Mr. Forbes has been employed with SHARE since 2008 and oversees their Homeless Services program which provides transitional housing, rapid rehousing, and prevention services.  

Taylor Young - Secretary

The Salvation Army of Greenville

Taylor Young began her career at The Salvation Army in 2017 as a case manager and resident advocate for the men's, women's, and children's emergency shelters. She has had a significant success rate in stabilizing individuals experiencing homelessness each year. In 2020, Taylor engineered a Diversion program to assist individuals and families within Greenville County financially and educationally, diverting them from homelessness. In 2021, she was promoted to Assistant Director of Social Services, overseeing a staff of social workers/case managers, interns, and volunteers.

In 2024, Taylor was promoted to Director of Social Services, responsible for over 15 staff members, two homeless shelters, a dining hall serving three meals a day to residents and community members, a food pantry, and more. She is currently developing a new transitional housing and clinical program for the campus.

 Taylor holds a Bachelor of Science in Human Services with a concentration in Family and Child Services, a Master's degree in Forensic Psychology with a concentration in Law Enforcement Psychology, a Master's degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling with a concentration in Forensic Counseling, and was recently accepted into a doctoral program for Clinical Counseling Education and Supervision. Taylor is a licensed clinical mental health therapist and a certified mental health facilitator. She works closely with the Greenville County Coroner's Office, Greenville County Drug Court, Nevaeh Counseling Services, and Let's Figure It Out Counseling.

Michelle Gilbert - At Large Member

Michelle Gilbert is a servant leader with a desire to make a difference in the lives of others.  Compassion is her superpower.  A life that amplifies the voices of others and leaves a seat for the last person is the legacy that she is building.  Michelle strongly believes that “it is not what you gather in life; but what you scatter in life that determines the person you are and the life you lived.”

As a social worker, seasoned advocate, and change champion, Michelle has a rich history of helping others grow through storms.  She has worked at Safe Harbor, a comprehensive domestic abuse program serving individuals and families in Greenville, Anderson, Oconee, and Pickens Counties, for 16 years in various capacities.  Michelle currently serves as the Director of Housing and Advocacy where she oversees multiple areas, including Rapid Rehousing and HAP, a transitional housing assistance program.

Michelle earned a B.S in Sociology from Lander University and a Master of Social Work from the University of South Carolina, but her greatest lessons have come from those who rose above everything that was intended to destroy them.  Michelle is active in the community and her titles vary. Her work has earned local and state accolades.  But at the end of the day, her greatest honor is her family.

PLANNING

Beth Rutherford-Chair
Bruce Forbes
Colin Bauer
Mark Derouin
Natalie Rivera
Nath Briley
Tim Gordon

GRANTS

Natalie Rivera-Chair
Beth Rutherford
Bruce Forbes
Brooks Bryant
Candace Timmerman
Casey Cunningham
Michele Murff
Nancy Shepard
Stephanie Cole
Stephany Melton
Tim Gordon

MONITORING

Candace Timmerman-Chair
Bruce Forbes
Natalie Rivera
Tim Gordon

RANKING

Armilla Moore
Chris Padgett
Josh Crocker
Stephanie Goodale

PROGRAMS

Tee Wallace-Chair
Hiram Spain
Jeanne Vernon
Jesika Davis
Kendra Meeks-Rice
Lauri Rooney
Salcha Rambo
Star Whitaker
Summer Glover
Vanessa Johnson

HMIS

Anna Johnson-Chair

DIVERSITY, EQUITY, INCLUSION AND BELONGING

Co Chairs- Marilyn Nguyen and Anna Johnson