Our direct-service team brings lived experience of homelessness, foster care, or the justice system. Lived experience is valued here, and never required to be disclosed.
Dontae grew up in San Jose in shelters, group homes, and foster placements, and co-founded Razing the Bar in 2017 on what that road taught him: no one should walk it alone. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Psychology from San José State University.
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Brandy Wright, MNA
Chief Operating Officer
Brandy joined Razing the Bar in June 2026 to build the structure that holds the work up: the systems, policies, finances, and people that keep the homes open. She leads operations, finance, human resources, and compliance.
Mentors meet with young people every week, toward goals the young person chooses. Mentors hold no authority over anyone’s housing.
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Angelina “Lina” Rodriguez
Lead Community Mentor
Lina is a community advocate and organizer with more than a decade of experience supporting young people and families through the child welfare and legal systems, rooted in her own experience in foster care.
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Carlos Yepez
Community Mentor
Carlos grew up in foster care and knows its obstacles from the inside. He walks beside young people every week toward the goals they choose.
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Mike DiGino
Community Mentor
Mike has navigated both the foster care and justice systems, and uses that road as a bridge to trust. He leads with consistency.
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Alondra Orozco-Contreras
Community Mentor
Alondra holds a bachelor’s degree in Legal Studies from UC Santa Cruz and draws on her own lived experience to build the connection young people have too often gone without.
Operations and life skills
Keeping the homes open. And the table full.
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Raymond Lopez
Operations Coordinator
Raymond keeps the homes running day to day and coordinates the Friday Community Market, where young people come together around a full table.
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Tony Louangprasert
Culinary and Life Skills Instructor
Tony leads our cooking workshops, teaching the everyday skills of feeding yourself and running a home.
The people
who stay.
Our direct-service team brings lived experience of homelessness, foster care, or the justice system. Lived experience is valued here, and never required to be disclosed.
The structure
that holds it up.
Dontae Lartigue
Co-Founder and Chief Executive OfficerDontae grew up in San Jose in shelters, group homes, and foster placements, and co-founded Razing the Bar in 2017 on what that road taught him: no one should walk it alone. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Psychology from San José State University.
Brandy Wright, MNA
Chief Operating OfficerBrandy joined Razing the Bar in June 2026 to build the structure that holds the work up: the systems, policies, finances, and people that keep the homes open. She leads operations, finance, human resources, and compliance.
LinkedIn →One mentor.
The whole way.
Mentors meet with young people every week, toward goals the young person chooses. Mentors hold no authority over anyone’s housing.
Angelina “Lina” Rodriguez
Lead Community MentorLina is a community advocate and organizer with more than a decade of experience supporting young people and families through the child welfare and legal systems, rooted in her own experience in foster care.
Carlos Yepez
Community MentorCarlos grew up in foster care and knows its obstacles from the inside. He walks beside young people every week toward the goals they choose.
Mike DiGino
Community MentorMike has navigated both the foster care and justice systems, and uses that road as a bridge to trust. He leads with consistency.
Alondra Orozco-Contreras
Community MentorAlondra holds a bachelor’s degree in Legal Studies from UC Santa Cruz and draws on her own lived experience to build the connection young people have too often gone without.
Keeping the homes open.
And the table full.
Raymond Lopez
Operations CoordinatorRaymond keeps the homes running day to day and coordinates the Friday Community Market, where young people come together around a full table.
Tony Louangprasert
Culinary and Life Skills InstructorTony leads our cooking workshops, teaching the everyday skills of feeding yourself and running a home.
Build relationships
that last.
Give your time, bring your skills, or open a door with a gift.