Meet a Virginia Home Visitor

Lisa Allen

An Unstoppable Force in Home Visiting: Meet Lisa Allen

Lindsay Saenz remembers the compassion and sense of connection that radiated from her first home visit almost five years ago. Saenz is a home visitor with HumanKind’s Healthy Families of Central Virginia, one of the state’s many programs that connect pregnant and parenting families with young children with family support professionals. Specially trained, home visitors provide customized coaching and guidance through pregnancy and the early stages of a child’s development.

On one of her first days at the organization, Saenz shadowed colleague Lisa Allen. The two women met with a mom struggling with post-partum depression symptoms, as well as the not uncommon emotions and uncertainties that accompany being a new parent. Allen sat with her, actively listened and the home visiting team devised a plan of support for the young mother. By the next visit, having incorporated Allen’s guidance, the mom was already feeling more confident and calm.

Witnessing the interactions between Allen and the new mom, and the tangible impact it had, cemented in Saenz’s mind that home visiting was the right path for her.

It turns out, Allen has that effect on people.

“We’re fortunate to have allies like Lisa Allen in the home visiting sector,” said Laurel Aparicio, executive director of Early Impact Virginia, an organization that advocates for the commonwealth’s home visiting programs. “She is an unstoppable force.”

In Virginia’s home visiting sector, she’s earning the reputation of a rockstar—a dedicated human service professional that makes a lasting impact wherever she goes. But if you ask her, she’ll tell you she’s just committed to helping parents in her community succeed.

Allen is a family support professional with Lynchburg’s Department of Social Services, where she helps reconnect local families with safety net resources and support programs. Her experiences in home visiting—both as a parent receiving services and a family support professional—continue to inform and inspire her work today.

When Allen gave birth to her daughter Layla in 2014, she struggled with post-partum anxiety and sought out support. A friend recommended that she check out the Healthy Families program. Allen was matched with home visitor Donnetta Davis who began coming to her home to share parenting best practices and breastfeeding tips.

The experience changed her life. Allen and Davis met regularly as Layla grew into a toddler. For two years, Davis connected Allen with resources like breastfeeding support and parenting best practices to help her feel more confident as a parent. She also learned a greater sense of compassion—in herself as a parent.

When Davis revealed she was being promoted to supervisor and Allen recognized that she would be assigned a new home visitor, at first she was devastated; but then she wondered: Was there a job opening?

Indeed, there was. Allen applied and was offered the role.

“I love the Healthy Families program dearly,” said Allen. “To be able to go into home and see parents in the same place I was at, trying to do the best they can, and being able to support them in their parenting—the thing that was most important to them—was such a beautiful experience.”

Allen brought empathy and relatability to every interaction with families and was able to draw on her own personal experiences to support families.

Allen added, “You don’t get the full picture of what people are experiencing until you are able to step into their homes. Because it offers us the ability to understand what is going on in their world.”

“She was an amazing colleague,” said Meredith Fulcher, Healthy Families of Central Virginia Director. “She was never judgmental. She’s been with or around home visiting for a really long time. She just does so much for women and children in our community.”

Even after transitioning to her DSS role, Fulcher appreciates how Allen continues to refer new moms to Healthy Families.

“It makes it a lot easier to close out a case knowing a family is in good hands,” said Allen. “I know home visitors will work with families to build out the informal supports system they need.”

Allen’s impact is still felt today.

“One of the things I always remember about Lisa was how passionate and dedicated she was to her families,” said Katie Esswein, who shared an office with Lisa and serves as a Healthy Families Central Virginia program supervisor. “From the get-go, she would come in and knew exactly how to serve families. You could see the love for her families, and the connection she had with her families.”

Allen spent three years as a home visitor in the Healthy Families program, working alongside Lynchburg families. She moved to the Lynchburg DSS to continue her support for area parents.

The skills she learned at Healthy Families make her a stronger and more effective human service professional, according to Allen. Pictures of the families she worked alongside are proudly displayed in her current office, friendly reminders of the power of home visiting. She often runs into families at Lynchburg community events as well and sees home visiting’s ongoing impact.

Thanks to professionals like Allen and her peers, home visiting is working to create stronger and healthier families in Virginia. It’s welcome progress that’s benefiting us all.