Priest Martinez

Priest Martinez currently lives in Santa Rosa, California, and is a member of the Redwood Valley Rancheria Little River Band of Pomo Indian Tribe. Through his experience of homelessness with his family, Priest has learned to strive to find another way. Through education and the trial and error of everyday struggles, Priest has grown to believe that humbleness and having an open mind for learning are key to personal and community growth. His life work is centered on creating a path for members in the community dealing with trauma and hardship to find a way back to hopefulness. Wellness and Cultural practice have given him the tools of productivity in the community.

Priest sits on Northern Circle Indian Housing Board, Redwood Valley Tribal Council Board, California Indian Manpower Consortium Board and now the LEAB at BHHI.  His passion and energy are invested in community outreach through Northern Circle where Priest works with youth on suicide and overdose prevention. In addition, Priest focuses on finding resources for Native American homelessness, and addresses family violence, motherhood, and fatherhood. On the weekends, Priest works with local tribes and ensures youth have a safe place to stay. He hopes to one day build centers for homeless youth to gather in each county focused on around-the -clock safety and prevention from being on the streets. Priest regularly travels across counties and gives talks and speeches on his experience of homelessness and his hope for ending homelessness for good.