Not Quite Home: When Systems Meant to Help Fall Short

On this episode of Fostering Change Podcast, Rob Scheer is joined by Temple Lentz — nonprofit CEO, local elected official, and debut novelist — for a thoughtful conversation about what happens when the systems designed to protect vulnerable families don’t always work the way they’re supposed to.

Temple is the author of the novel Not Quite Home, which explores the cracks in America’s social service safety net. While the book is fiction, its themes are grounded in real-world experience. Having worked both inside nonprofit leadership and as an elected official, Temple brings a rare systems-level perspective to the conversation.

Together, Rob and Temple discuss the gap between policy and lived reality, how well-intentioned systems can sometimes cause unintended harm, and why storytelling may be one of the most powerful tools we have to illuminate the need for reform.

Episode Highlights

• Why systems meant to help families often fall short

• The unintended consequences of well-intentioned policies

• What people misunderstand about how social service systems actually function

• Why fiction can humanize policy failures more effectively than reports and data

• How civic engagement and storytelling can open doors to meaningful reform

About the Guest

Temple Lentz is a nonprofit CEO, local elected official, and debut novelist. She earned a BA from the University of Chicago and a master’s degree in Organizational Leadership from Claremont Lincoln University. Her writing has appeared in outlets including the Portland Mercury, Vancouver Business Journal, Live Wire! Radio, New City Chicago, and the Windy City Times.

Her first novel, Not Quite Home, examines the human impact of systemic gaps within America’s social safety net.

Connect with Temple

🌐 Website: templelentzbooks.com

📘 Facebook: Temple Lentz

📸 Instagram: @gototemple

🐦 X/Twitter: @gototemple

🧵 Threads: @gototemple

🔗 LinkedIn: Temple Lentz

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