Harbor Homes of Martha’s Vineyard, the Island’s homelessness prevention nonprofit, has named Brian L. Morris of Edgartown as its new executive director. 

Mr. Morris, who began his new job last week, recently earned a doctorate of social work from the University of Southern California.

A trained recovery coach, he worked at Island Health Care as an access coordinator for Vineyarders with mental health and substance use disorders beginning in 2018, and previously supervised the recovery coach program at Martha’s Vineyard Community Services, where he was hired in 2016.

His work over the past eight years has shown him first-hand the plight of homeless Islanders, Mr. Morris said Friday.

“More than half of my [recovery] caseload is now living in the woods,” he said. “I have to go into the woods to have coaching sessions.”

Mr. Morris estimated that at least half of the Island’s homeless population is suffering from substance use disorder, with 90 per cent of that subgroup experiencing some level of mental illness.

He brings deep empathy to his work with this community, Mr. Morris said, because he’s in recovery himself.

“The way I feel about somebody who’s unhoused is the way I feel about somebody with substance use disorder,” he said. “I’m one of them.”

As leader of Harbor Homes, which manages a winter shelter and two congregate houses for people transitioning out of homelessness, Mr. Morris takes on the challenge of establishing a permanent winter shelter — currently under consideration for Dukes County avenue in Oak Bluffs — and expanding the transitional housing network.

“We’re already looking at a third congregate house [and] I’ve been asked to look at alternative housing models,” he said.

Mr. Morris is replacing Kristin Leutz, who worked at the nonprofit for less than a year. Jennifer Frank, the president of the Harbor Homes board, said Mr. Morris’ education and extensive experience on the Vineyard made him a standout. 

“His genuine passion for helping those in our community who are struggling is clear in every professional decision he’s made in the last decade,” Ms. Frank said.

She said Harbor Homes is looking to expand programming and partnerships to help eliminate the structural causes of homelessness. 

“We believe that Brian’s leadership skills and passion will help us achieve that goal,” Ms Frank said. “We feel he was just the right balance of optimist and achiever to lead Harbor Homes in this next phase of advancing our community impact.” 

Mr. Morris wrote his doctoral dissertation on Hub MV, a network of Island agencies that collaborate to identify people at risk of harm to themselves and others, in order to offer counseling and diversion before trouble arises.

He also holds a master’s degree in rehabilitation counseling from the University of Massachusetts, Boston and a bachelor’s in sociology from Princeton University.

“I think I bring a lot of grit and determination. I’m not afraid to get my hands very dirty,” Mr. Morris said. 

“The cause couldn’t be more precious,” he added. “I’m in the right place and I couldn’t be more grateful.”