Steven Pepper has been working with military veterans for more than 30 years after their return home from deployment., helping provide needed transition services and support, especially for veterans in recovery from substance use disorders. For the past two years, Pepper has been working with adults experiencing homelessness in southern California, both at formal shelters and in the Skid Row neighborhood in Los Angeles. Pepper completed a graduate-level internship at the Weingart Center - a comprehensive human services center for homeless men and women living in Skid Row - where he created curriculum and programs for individuals on probation and parole.  

Pepper holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in both Human Development and Sociology and a Master of Social Work degree, with emphasis on adulthood and aging, all from California State University, Long Beach.