30 April 2026

Meet Jessi: Helping People Find Home on the Peninsula

After earning her degree in Human Services, Jessi Hanson joined the City of Hampton’s Department of Human Services, working in benefits and gaining hands-on experience through Adult Protective Services. Now, as a Housing Specialist at LGBT Life Center, Jessi helps clients in the CHAP Peninsula program find stable housing, often supporting people as they move into a place of their own, often for the first time.

Name/Nickname: Jessi Hanson
Pronouns: she/her/hers
Job title: Housing Specialist

Where’d you come from and what’d you do there? I recently made a big career switch after graduating (finally!) with my undergrad degree in Human Services. I left a 12+ year career in Human Resources and got a job with the City of Hampton’s Department of Human Services, specializing in benefit programs while interning with Adult Protection Services. Honestly, I loved it. Some great people work there, to boot!

I’m here to help you with…CHAP Peninsula housing, officially! When clients in the CHAP program over here on this side of the water are approved for our agency to step in, I find them a place to live and work with them throughout the process to support them in what is sometimes their very first place all their own.

Unofficially, I’m here to help with Excel (I LOVE Excel), easy tech issues, and whatever I can scrounge up from my HR experience. I might as well still put it to use somehow.

How did you become interested in working at LGBT Life Center? I have wanted to work for the LGBT Life Center for a couple of years, actually. I did a project on the Life Center during my undergrad at ODU, which made me more aware of the center’s existence. When the Hampton office set up shop, I was excited to see it here. I have always wanted to work with the community. In fact, my ultimate goal is to work with trans youth and assist them in counseling, achieving a sense of belonging, and obtaining gender-affirming care.

What’s an interesting thing about you that most people don’t know? I have an Etsy shop where I sell crochet plushies that I make by hand. My best seller is a little bunny. I also make clothes for them, so you can dress them up in different outfits. 🐇

What excites you most about being at LGBT Life Center? Being able to get a good foothold in what I hope to be the rest of my life.

Rapid Fire…what is your favorite…

Animal: Bunnies
Color: Pink
Song/Music: Cosmic Love by Florence and the Machine
TV Show/Movie: Girl From Nowhere (show) and Labyrinth (movie)
Hobby: Gaming (or napping!)