Consistent and Committed: Steve Horsfield Reflects on 12 Years at Simpson

In 2024, Executive Director Steve Horsfield celebrated 12 years with Simpson Housing Services. He shares some insights and reflections from his time with the agency.

Twenty years ago, Steve Horsfield was working in healthcare operations and wondering, “Where can I be of the most use and have the most impact?” When the volunteer group he led toured a homeless shelter and spoke with shelter guests, Steve was deeply affected. He chose to leave the corporate world to focus on expanding access to shelter and housing.

Taking a position as Chief Operating Officer of Salvation Army’s Harbor Light Center, Steve brought a community engagement focus and built relationships with other shelter and housing providers—including Simpson Housing Services.

“I would meet with Wendy [Wiegmann, Associate Director]. I would meet with my predecessor, [former Executive Director] Julie Manworren. I was in a community meeting one day when I learned that Julie was leaving, and I was encouraged to apply in order to build on the work Julie and the agency had been doing.”

Steve had not been looking for a new position but was open to having a conversation with the Simpson Board of Directors. Through the ensuing dialogue and interview process, Steve says, “I came to feel strongly that the place where I was supposed to be next and where I could have the most impact would be at Simpson. That was really what drove that decision.”

Simpson had been in operation for three decades when Steve came aboard. With that in mind, he approached the role of executive director as both a leader and a steward: “It’s always been so apparent that [Simpson] is bigger than any one person. It felt that way from the moment I walked in the door.”

Looking back on his 12 years with Simpson, Steve is proud that the agency has remained consistent in a changing sector. He attributes Simpson’s success and growth to its authentic culture and values, dedication to anti-racism, and unwavering focus.

Steve is quick to lift up others’ accomplishments and contributions but is often reluctant to talk about himself and the broader impact of his leadership. Marion Greene, Hennepin County Commissioner for District 3, says:
 
“Steve has been a leader not only at Simpson, but [also as] a thought leader more broadly in our region’s homeless response system and among shelter providers. He is an inclusive leader who is approachable and humble. He’s also passionate, and that passion energizes those around him.”

Culture and Values

When he stepped into his role over a decade ago, Steve says that he was “humbled” to support existing, high-quality programs and services, and that the agency’s continual focus on relationships and learning stood out to him.

Steve notes, “Simpson is 42 years old; it’s got a really broad base of community volunteers, donors, and supporters. There’s a lot of shared energy, a lot of potential, amongst all the folks that are engaged in the Simpson community.” He’s been proud to partner with leadership and staff in continuing to build “an environment where people want to continue working here, want to be part of how we learn and grow, in a way that is rarely seen in other places in this field.”

“Simpson is a long-standing, trusted partner to Hennepin County,” says Greene. She says that the agency combines operational effectiveness with a person-centered approach to working with county residents who are impacted by homelessness.

Greene adds, “Simpson Housing Services embodies the values of our community—of looking out for one another, of providing a safety net for people [who need shelter and housing], of putting people at the center of their own stories. It is a powerful thing to contemplate the lives lived more fully due to Simpson’s work.”

Steve continues, “As I learned and embraced our values, I was refreshed to work within an organization that respects the autonomy and strengths of everyone. We embrace those values in everything that we do…not only how we engage with [program] participants and [shelter] guests…but also in respecting staff, volunteers, and everyone in our community. We shine that light just as brightly inside as outside.”

The agency recently updated its mission and values to reflect its growth and anti-racism focus. Steve is drawn to the word “empower” in the updated mission. He says, “The idea of power, acknowledging the importance of it, who has it, and how it shifts in our work—that’s something I’m deeply committed to [honoring] with the advocacy work I do. To shift power back [to people from whom] it has been stripped is…why we have to do this work and how we have to do the work.”

Commitment to Anti-Racism

Black, indigenous, and people of color comprise over 80 percent of Simpson shelter guests and housing participants but approximately 20 percent of Minnesotans (U.S. Census Bureau, MN State Demographic Center). Simpson understands that this disparity is a direct result of systemic racism. Steve openly and readily acknowledges that Simpson, as a social services nonprofit, is part of a system rooted in white supremacy. He says that the agency has a responsibility to “continue to inform and educate ourselves and others about anti-racist work to deliver more equitable support.”

During Steve’s tenure, Simpson has made space for difficult, necessary conversations about racial justice—both through grassroots, staff-led internal spaces and a more formal effort to invest in anti-racism training for staff and volunteers. He acknowledges that Simpson is building on an established practice of anti-racist education and equity work:

“When I joined the agency, I was brought up to speed by existing staff on the work underway related to racial justice. Our board of directors approved our first Racial Justice Plan in 2014, which informed work in the following years. Our hiring practices improved, we increased diversity in our board room, and we continued to embrace the voices of program participants in the development of programs and agency structure. We embrace opportunities to learn.”

Four years after the murder of George Floyd sparked a reckoning, Steve observes that other organizations’ priorities around diversity, equity, and inclusion have shifted recently. However, redlining, housing covenants, and other systemic inequities stemming from racism have ongoing consequences for the people whom Simpson supports today. Steve believes that it’s more important than ever for Simpson to boldly address the connection between racism and homelessness:

“This is an important and challenging time on our journey towards becoming an anti-racist organization. We must be steadfast as we work to shift power back to those most deeply impacted by homelessness.”