About Us
Impact
Our dedicated and passionate team works to change lives and to create healthier, more vibrant communities.
The Right Support Changes Lives
Amanda struggled with addiction for most of her adult life. Starting a family was her motivation to get clean, and Amanda welcomed a beautiful daughter. When her husband died of substance-use related complications in 2019, Amanda lost her apartment and became homeless. Her daughter was able to stay with family, but Amanda was on the streets alone. In the beginning of 2021, Amanda got COVID-19, and the County of San Diego connected her with the COVID-19 Hotel Sheltering Program. She quarantined safely through the support of our staff. “They saved my life,” Amanda said. The team worked with Amanda to ensure she had temporary housing until she was able to find an apartment. She now has her own home, for the very first time. “I have been through so much in my life, but I’m now sober and so proud of how far I’ve come.”
Without stable housing, Iliya often slept in vehicles or outside. The Hotels to Housing program team connected him with a safe place to stay at a hotel. “During the program I had somewhere to shower, a place to eat and I had the chance to meet people with different stories,” Iliya shared. Then the team worked with him to find his own apartment: “The stability of having a roof over my head allows me to feel good about myself,” he said.
– 2022 Dane County, WI Hotels to Housing Client
“Before entering the program, I was homeless and sleeping on the streets. I was trying to get away from bad influences. I felt very overwhelmed and I didn’t think I would ever get out of that situation because I didn’t have any support. I have a job now and with my new apartment I feel like I can accomplish everything. I feel like there are opportunities waiting for me. I am bettering myself very day so I never go back to where I was.”
– 2022 San Diego Regional Homeless Assistance Client
“My life was very desolate. I was living in the riverbed of San Diego. It was very difficult to take care of basic needs. I was pretty down. My Housing Navigator was the most beneficial part of the program for me. I have a place to call my own…I get to buckle down and re-enter the workforce. I am more than grateful to my Housing Navigator and the program for helping me get back on my feet and get a place to call home.”
– 2022 San Diego Regional Homeless Assistance Client
“My life has changed by receiving help and alleviating a lot of stress. Stressing whether you have a safe place for you and your children to sleep at night is heartbreaking and sometimes can be so debilitating because it causes so much depression, and you feel like a failure by not being able to provide the basics for you and your family. I currently feel like my life is back on a path to success and I’m finishing my college degree.”
– 2021 San Diego CalWORKs Participant
“I was living house to house. I had no goals, no work ethic. I felt like I had no hope for things to change as a single mother. Because of the program, I have my own place. My son and I are stable. With my new resume, I was offered a job at my apartment complex. I’m so blessed…I finally feel like I’m worth the good things happening.”
– 2022 San Diego CalWORKS Client
Karissa was recently released from jail and had no place to go, bouncing from couch to couch. Karissa and her partner Kenny were experiencing a host of challenges stemming from legal concerns, addiction and housing instability. The pair was referred to the Hotels to Housing program. Karissa and Kenny were first connected with a safe place to stay at a hotel site. They immediately began working with the team on more permanent housing options. Now, Karissa and Kenny have been clean for a year and have moved into a “real” home. “We feel we are both more responsible and living a more healthy and safe life now. We remind each other daily of how fortunate we are to have all this guidance and assistance since we entered into this program,” Karissa shared.
– 2023 Dane County, WI Hotels to Housing Client
“I never would have seen myself here eight months ago. Living on the street was difficult and planning showers and food and shelter for the dog and my partner was always a stress. The first day in the program, I saw myself in the motel room mirror and was embarrassed at what I saw and decided this first day would be the change. I had the chance to choose where I wanted to work and make money for the first time in over 20 years. Joining the program has made me realize I can actually have goals again.”
– 2021 San Diego Regional Homeless Assistance Client
“I was evicted from my home which led me to be homeless. I faced many barriers applying to housing such as not having enough income, credit score and I had an eviction on my record. The Housing Navigator advocated for me. My life changed by obtaining my first home. This program helped my confidence, my independence and hope that everything will be alright.”
– San Diego CalWORKs Participant