Ashlee Hernandez brings data-driven expertise and community health leadership to newly created role
PASO ROBLES — The City of Paso Robles is pleased to welcome Ashlee Hernandez to the newly created position of homeless services manager in the city’s Community Services Department. In this role, Hernandez will coordinate internal and external efforts to align with the city’s mission and goals related to homelessness, serving as the primary contact and coordinator for homelessness and related social and behavioral health issues.
Paso Robles is only the second city in San Luis Obispo County, after San Luis Obispo, to establish this position, making it a unique and proactive step in addressing homelessness at the local level. Addressing homelessness has been a key priority for the Paso Robles City Council since 2023. As part of its two-year budget cycle, the council has prioritized hiring a homeless services manager, conducting a financial needs assessment, and developing a communication plan to share progress with the community. The Paso Robles Strategic Plan to Address Homelessness (approved by the Paso Robles City Council in December 2023) can be viewed at prcity.com/Homelessness
“We are excited to welcome Ashlee to our Community Services team as we work to address some of the root causes of homelessness in our city,” said Community Services Director Angelica Fortin. “Ashlee brings leadership and experience in building successful collaborations that improve services, as well as a strong ability to use data to drive informed decision-making.”
Hernandez brings extensive experience in launching impactful community health initiatives to her new role. Most recently, as director of the Fresno Community Health Improvement Partnership, she led the development of California’s first evidence-based Community Health Worker HUB, designed to connect individuals experiencing disparities — such as homelessness — to critical services, including medical care, mental health, and substance abuse treatment, housing support, and food assistance.
Under her leadership, the HUB implemented a comprehensive care coordination model, facilitating access to essential services while raising public awareness of the intersection between homelessness, health, and social needs. Hernandez worked closely with diverse stakeholders — including county departments, health care providers, school districts, and community organizations — to create a unified system that aligned resources and strengthened data-driven decision-making.
A resident of north San Luis Obispo County for the past decade, Hernandez is a graduate of Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, holding a master’s degree in counseling and a bachelor’s degree in social sciences. In her spare time, you can find Ashlee enjoying local farmers markets with her husband and two sons. Please visit prcity.com/Homelessness for more information.
