Meeting Communities Where They Are:
Inside Resilient Agency’s Case Management Team
At Resilient Agency, case management is rooted in cultivating individual and communal relationships grounded in trust and inspiration. Our team shares a belief that meaningful change happens when people feel seen, supported, and inspired. Courtney Reddix and Isela Aguirre embody this work in action, showing up each day for youth and families navigating complex systems, offering guidance, advocacy, and practical tools that help open pathways toward stability, healing, and opportunity.
Case Managers like Isela Aguirre and Courtney Reddix embody Resilient’s community-centered approach. Their work reflects Resilient’s commitment to hiring staff with lived experience who serve as credible messengers, individuals deeply connected to the neighborhoods they serve and trusted because they understand these challenges from the inside out. This License to Operate allows Case Managers to build authentic relationships, de-escalate crises, and guide clients toward supportive services with dignity and care.
Together, the Case Management team delivers wraparound services for youth and families across 32 zones countywide, connecting participants to life skills workshops, workforce development, court advocacy, community resources, and one-on-one mentorship. In FY24 alone, Resilient served more than 188,000 families and youth across 21 zones (expanding to 32 zones in FY25), with 99% of community members identifying as BIPOC and approximately 90% as Latinx.
That same year, the team logged:
2,619 hours of peacebuilding and conflict mediation
1,834 hours of community outreach
965 hours of conflict resolution
580 individual youth engagements
428 one-on-one case management meetings with youth
These numbers represent thousands of moments of listening, advocating, problem-solving, and walking alongside young people and families as they work toward brighter futures.
Wearing Many Hats, Building Real Connections
Isela Aguirre joined Resilient in February 2025 as a Community Health Worker before being promoted to Case Manager just a few months later. Her weeks are filled with case management meetings, court appearances, client check-ins, and program development, always grounded in following up on referrals and supporting clients through each step of their journey.
A cornerstone of Isela’s work is the Life Skills Lab, where youth build practical tools for everyday life. As she shares, “I especially enjoy the interactive problem problem-solving activities which allow participants to actively engage, think critically and apply real-lifeskills.” Through workshops focused on anger management, conflict resolution, substance use recovery, resource navigation, and career development, clients gain both confidence and concrete skills.
Workforce development is another key focus. Isela supports youth through resume building, interview preparation, and job readiness, offering personalized feedback and accountability along the way. For her, some of the most powerful moments come when perseverance pays off: “Seeing a client successfully secure stable employment after months of hard work is always memorable.”
Courtney Reddix, who recently joined Resilient, brings a background in education, civic engagement, and emergency medical service. As a former medic and middle- and high-school teacher, Courtney learned to run toward challenges, stay grounded in moments of crisis, and lead with calm–skills that now inform his approach to case management.
Courtney describes the role as one that requires flexibility, empathy, and creativity. “Sometimes people… know what they need, and then there’s some who don’t… or even know what’s out there. We wear multiple hats… a therapist one day, a job trainer another day, a soft skill helper, or just someone trying to pour confidence into a client, or simply being a listening ear.”
Life Skills Labs grow directly from community needs. As Courtney explains, case managers come together to recognize emerging challenges, whether that’s financial literacy, accessing a checking account, or basic first aid, and design workshops that respond in real time to what youth are asking for.
Showing Up in Schools, Courts, and Communities
For Courtney, one of his most memorable early experiences was participating in a large food distribution at a local high school. Watching students pass by between classes and call their families to share the news left a lasting impression. He reflects on “the community actually responding to something that’s basic but not basic… food is important… everyone needs to eat and drink, and I think that’s just part of being human.”
Beyond distributions and workshops, Case Managers regularly accompany youth to court, advocate within complex systems, and support families navigating moments of crisis. Courtney has been struck by how often staff show up in legal settings and how fiercely they advocate, seeing “how much the case managers go to court for the youth that they work with… how much they are willing to go to bat within the justice system.” He also emphasizes the importance of supporting entire care networks, youth, parents, and caregivers alike, by helping families access resources and feel supported during difficult times.
A vital part of this work is helping young people and adults understand how present choices shape future possibilities, while recognizing how challenging change can be in the same environment. Resilient’s Case Managers help clients build community, develop new routines, and stay the course even when progress feels slow.
Courtney captures this truth with honesty and hope: when self-motivation does emerge, “that’s encouraging, it’s motivating, and it’s something that you can lean on when it gets hard. Because it will get hard and it will be challenging.”
Mission in Action
In Isela and Courtney, we see Resilient Agency’s mission in action, building a stronger, healthier, more resilient community by walking alongside youth and families with consistency, care, and deep community trust. Through case management, court advocacy, workforce readiness support, and Life Skills Labs shaped directly by community needs, the team helps clients strengthen stability in the present while building tools for the future.
This work reflects Resilient’s strategy to provide personalized intervention, holistic healing services, and peace-building advocacy, meeting people where they are, supporting the full care network around them, and helping individuals develop the resources, skills, and confidence to stay the course even when change is difficult.
From one-on-one case management meetings and life skills workshops to court advocacy and workforce preparation, Resilient’s Case Management team stands beside youth and families every step of the way. Their work is grounded in lived experience, strengthened by trust, and guided by a shared commitment to community-centered care.
Together with the entire Case Management team, Isela and Courtney remind us that lasting change is built through relationships, and that with the right support, communities have everything they need to grow, heal, and thrive.