Staff Profile: Leon Gordon
Leon Gordon, senior housing specialist for New Hope Family Shelter, at his desk
Name: Leon Gordon
Job title: Senior Housing Specialist
New Hope employee since: Sept. 2014
Hometown: Bloomington since 2010 (originally from the south side of Chicago)
Favorite color: Black
Favorite food: Gyros
Favorite book: The Major Political Writings of Jean-Jacques Rousseau
Children: 4 daughters, ages 6, 13, 17, & 19
Fun fact: Leon enjoys weight lifting and still dreams of throwing shotput and discus
Leon consults with a colleague at New Hope Family Shelter
Leon moved to Bloomington in 2010 to begin work on a PhD in learning sciences at Indiana University. He already has a MS from Northwestern University, along with a BA from the University of Chicago.
“I came to New Hope in the midst of my doctoral program at IU. I hoped to engage with a client base I was passionate about, leaning on my interest to mitigate intergenerational poverty.”
Leon started out as the overnight site supervisor for New Hope Family Shelter and eventually became New Hope’s shelter director. He left New Hope for a while to serve as administrative director for Bloomington Housing Authority. Leon returned to New Hope in September 2023 in the role of homelessness prevention coordinator. During summer 2025, while Shelter Director Mary Hamric has been on maternity leave, Leon has been acting as New Hope’s interim shelter director.
Why I work at New Hope
Leon is integral in the support that we provide to families. “I enjoy helping folks find their path back onto their feet, encouraging and motivating them to have courage and hope about a better future for themselves and their family, despite what past challenges they may have faced.”
What I hope to achieve at New Hope
“I hope to obtain my JD/Law degree and enhance my professional capacities, while continuing to work for New Hope. I want to help New Hope thrive, fortify its existing services, and follow the ministry in whatever growth makes sense in its stewardship of resources and services for our community.”
Leon wants people to examine and understand the profound ways in which their actions directly and indirectly influence the stability of those around them — to lead with kindness. “Life can be full of micro-injustices people encounter on a daily basis that make life harder. But we all have the ability to potentially make life less stressful for others by virtue of what we have control over. We should lead with fairness, respect, humility, accountability, and the Golden Rule of doing unto others what you would have them do unto you.”