Sam Meier-Bates, an advocate for equal rights and fair housing, is Civic Nebraska’s new community organizer with the Collective Impact Lincoln partnership. Sam, a Lincoln native, focuses on the University Place and Hartley neighborhoods. He began his new role this week.
Sam works with neighbors, attends and organizes community events, and engages residents in grassroots leadership development, neighborhood revitalization, and low-wage worker organizing. He also organizes volunteers for neighborhood revitalization projects, asset mapping, and leadership development.
A partnership of Civic Nebraska and Nebraska Appleseed, Collective Impact Lincoln works with residents of six Lincoln neighborhoods – Hartley, University Place, Near South, Everett, Belmont, and Clinton – to build community, develop neighborhood leaders, and take action on policies that are responsive to the experiences of Lincoln residents.
“I am a fierce advocate for the city of Lincoln and its residents,” Sam said. “One of my favorite things about Lincoln is its diversity and the uniqueness of each neighborhood.”
Sam is a self-described human services employee who is dedicated to advocacy and activism and bettering his community and its people. Most recently, he was the community outreach housing specialist with The Hub Central Access Point for Young Adults in Lincoln. In that role, he provided case management and wraparound services to unhoused and at-risk young adults, and he helped clients with applying for rent and utility assistance.
Sam also has worked in various roles with Lutheran Family Services, People’s City Mission, Hudson Bay, and ACLU of Nebraska.
Sam studied human services at Southeast Community College and is an alumnus of Lincoln Southeast High School. In his personal life, he enjoys spending time with his friends and family, longboarding, hiking, going to local events, and watching documentaries. He and his partner, Chloe, an English teacher at Lincoln High, have three cats and are new homeowners in the Near South neighborhood.
We’re excited that Sam has joined Civic Nebraska and the Collective Impact Lincoln team. Join us in welcoming him – he’s at sa************@ci***********.org.