Ollie Renee Arnold
Eden I&R/211 Alameda County sadly lost one of our long-time beloved employees on May 1, 2014. This was a sudden and unexpected death of a 15 year employee who had just celebrated her 50th Birthday.
Ollie accomplished a variety of roles at Eden I&R including Housing Outreach Coordinator, Volunteer Coordinator, and coordination of the agency’s Disaster Preparedness, Recovery and Response efforts.
Ollie was a tireless advocate for affordable housing for low-income residents, and since over 50% of 211 Alameda County calls are housing related, her efforts to increase the agency’s unique housing database to over 80,000 units has had a tremendous effect on the agency’s ability to respond to critical 211 calls..
Ollie also played a pivotal role in disaster preparedness, both professionally and personally, through her involvement with the American Red Cross, Alameda County Emergency Managers Association, Alameda County and Northern California Voluntary Organizations Active in Disasters, Oakland Emergency Management and Disaster Preparedness Council, and Alameda County Emergency Volunteer Centers.
In addition, Ollie was instrumental in coordinating volunteers for Eden I&R, through her relationships with the Volunteer Center of the East Bay, Abode Services/CalWORKS, and Cal State University East Bay, a mutually beneficial arrangement that provided much needed staffing assistance to Eden I&R and valuable mentorship and work experience for the volunteers.
Eden I&R recognizes Ollie Arnold for the outstanding contributions she made during her fifteen year tenure to the residents of Alameda County, and for all of her fine life and numerous achievements. As a tribute, the agency renamed its housing division the Ollie Arnold Housing Department.
Ollie will be missed by those who loved her but her positive effects on people’s lives will live on for generations.