“Prior to taking advantage of our services, Edmund had spent the last eight months staying at The Warming Center, a local homeless shelter. He has had various life obstacles including a substance use disorder and a period of homelessness. However, when we met, he stated that he was starting a new life with a clean slate. He had literally walked away from his old life and left everything behind.
I was touched by his story of how alcohol took over his life, but he has been sober for about a year now. As his case manager with Opening Doors to Housing and Wellness, I discussed resources for him such as local Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) groups and services offered by Fresno County’s Department of Behavioral Health, if he is ever in need of them.
After he moved into his new apartment, our program was able to provide household items like dishes, flatware, pots/pans and cooking utensils. We also provided a kitchen trash can and trash bags as well as other household items. Meanwhile, Chelsey Ramirez, Program Manager of our Coordinated Entry System and David Bethea, Program Manager of Opening Doors to Housing and Wellness, assisted him with getting a bed for his new place.
I saw Edmund today and can say that he is doing very well! He is settling well into his new home and is looking to go back to school to further his education at Fresno City College.” – Christine Killebrew, Case Manager, Housing Services: Opening Doors to Housing and Wellness
For over 40 years, WestCare California has been providing an opportunity for individuals to lead fuller, richer lives. Our team of multi-cultural, experienced and credentialed staff is dedicated to providing the best care to everyone who enters our doors. Our goal is to uplift the human spirit by providing the skills and support necessary for individuals to achieve their dreams and transform their lives.
WestCare provides a wide spectrum of health and human services in both residential and outpatient environments. Our service domains include mental health & wellness, substance abuse and addiction treatment, housing opportunities, education & prevention, criminal justice and veterans programs. These services are available to adults, children, adolescents and families.
“Following her incarceration, Diane, a mother of two, was enrolled with our Opening Doors to Housing and Wellness program in May of 2020 following her time with MLK Residential where she successfully graduated and transitioned into WestCare’s Recovery Residence for women and mothers, Liberty Plaza. Around this time, she began receiving services from the Day Reporting Center and Opening Doors where we began linking her to community resources such as HIV services and virtual NA/AA groups. Diane was appreciative of us providing her with gas cards and a welcome/cleaning kit for her new apartment when she was housed this past September.
She went on to refer her boyfriend, Christian, who graduated from MLK the same time as her and entered into our McKinney Plaza Recovery Residence for men not long after. The two are currently housed together, doing well and as of mid-December, are expecting a child of their own! Congratulations to you both on your recovery, housing and journey of parenthood that lies ahead!
A journey like Diane’s speaks to the potential in everyone. With the proper motivation, lives change. The next time that you think something is impossible, remember Diane’s story!” – The Staff of Opening Doors to Housing and Wellness/WestCare California, Inc.
Diane’s Recovery Timeline:
– 2019: Incarcerated
– 4/2020: Graduates from MLK Residential
– 5/2020: Enrolls in Opening Doors
– 6/2020: Begins attending AA/NA groups
– 9/2020: Moves into stable housing
– 2021: Sober, housed and expecting
For over 40 years, WestCare California has been providing an opportunity for individuals to lead fuller, richer lives. Our team of multi-cultural, experienced and credentialed staff is dedicated to providing the best care to everyone who enters our doors. Our goal is to uplift the human spirit by providing the skills and support necessary for individuals to achieve their dreams and transform their lives.
WestCare provides a wide spectrum of health and human services in both residential and outpatient environments. Our service domains include mental health & wellness, substance abuse and addiction treatment, housing opportunities, education & prevention, criminal justice and veterans programs. These services are available to adults, children, adolescents and families.
On December 9th, 2020, WestCare California, Inc.,a behavioral health and human services organization that provides assistance in the areas of housing opportunities, mental health and wellness, Veterans services, criminal justice services, education and prevention as well as treatment and rehabilitation, announced that it has been selected to receive a $2.5 million grant from the Day 1 Families Fund. Launched in 2018 by Amazon founder and CEO, Jeff Bezos, the Day 1 Families Fund issues annual leadership awards to organizations and civic groups doing compassionate, needle-moving work to provide shelter and hunger support to address the immediate needs of young families.
“Our organization prides itself in the impact that we have made, with the support of the other agencies in our community, to successfully transition the men, women and families that we serve from a state of homelessness to one of dignity, confidence and security. With the generous support that we have received from the Day 1 Families Fund, we will assist even more families in obtaining housing. On behalf of our staff and those that we serve, thank you for joining us in Uplifting the Human Spirit!” said Shawn Jenkins, Deputy Chief Operating Officer of WestCare Foundation’s Western Region.
This one-time grant, awarded to organizations doing meaningful work to connect families with shelter and support, will allow WestCare California to continue to secure permanent, supportive housing for individuals and families experiencing homelessness, as well as provide wraparound services to help them maintain their independence.
WestCare California is one of 42 nonprofits across the U.S. to receive the third annual Day 1 Families Fund grants, as part of a continuing commitment by the Day 1 Families Fund to help end homelessness for families. The Day 1 Families Fund issued a total of $105.9 million in grants this year. To select these organizations, the fund worked with an advisory board of homelessness advocates and leaders whose expertise spans housing justice, racial equity, direct services, homelessness policy, equity for Native American communities and anti-poverty work.
Through the generosity of the Bezos Day One Fund, we will be able to continue to house and assist more Central Valley families like Akisha’s. This is her story:
“Akisha enrolled at WestCare California’s Home Sweet Home rapid rehousing program in September of 2019. In her initial meeting, our Case Manager learned that her Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) was ending and her CalFresh and CalWorks benefits were deactivated. She expressed feelings of frustration and later as we built a relationship, her Case Manger learned she was going through grief and her emotional and mental health desperately needed support.
Step by step, as we set her goals and in a matter of four months, Akisha worked hard and was able to reenroll in her public benefits, gain more income, achieve Section 8 residency and enroll in mental health services.
In late October 2020, she moved out with her daughter, Shairone, into permanent housing, renewed her guard card and is in the process of looking for employment. Shairone is graduating high school early and is already applying to colleges and universities with an interest in pursuing a degree in the medical field!
Through hard work and no matter how tough things became, Akisha never stopped trying and the results of her perseverance are a testament to her accomplishments!”
The Bezos Day One Fund was launched in 2018 with a commitment of $2 billion and a focus on two areas: funding existing nonprofits that help homeless families, and creating a network of new, nonprofit tier-one preschools in low-income communities. The Day 1 Families Fund issues annual leadership awards to organizations and civic groups doing compassionate, needle-moving work to provide shelter and hunger support to address the immediate needs of young families. The vision statement comes from the inspiring Mary’s Place in Seattle: No child sleeps outside. For more information and the full list of recipients, please visit: www.BezosDayOneFund.org/Day1FamiliesFund
For over 40 years, WestCare California has been providing an opportunity for individuals to lead fuller, richer lives. Our team of multi-cultural, experienced and credentialed staff is dedicated to providing the best care to everyone who enters our doors. Our goal is to uplift the human spirit by providing the skills and support necessary for individuals to achieve their dreams and transform their lives.
WestCare provides a wide spectrum of health and human services in both residential and outpatient environments. Our service domains include mental health & wellness, substance abuse and addiction treatment, housing opportunities, education & prevention, criminal justice and veterans programs. These services are available to adults, children, adolescents and families.
The document linked below includes all parts of the Fresno Madera Continuum of Care Consolidated Application, including the CoC Application attachments and the Priority Listing with reallocation forms.
“On Friday, July 19th, The Fresno-Madera CoC held an informational Technical Assistance (TA) Workshop for the 2019 CoC NOFA. This workshop provided attendees with an overview of the local application process, as well as instructions for completing the local project applications. The materials from the TA workshop, including the local competition materials and scoring tools are availablehere.
Renewal Project Applicants: please begin your project applications in e-snaps. Renewal project applications are due in e-snaps on August 12th by 3pm.
New Project Applicants: answers to thesupplemental questionsfor the local competition are due inPRESTOby Thursday, August 8th at 3pm.New project applications (including budgets, the submission checklist and supporting materials) are due in e-snaps on August 12th by 3pm.
If you have a specialized need and would like to receive this information or any of the TA workshop materials in another format, pleases contactfmcoc@homebaseccc.org.”
If you missed the attachments in the recap, please see below.
The document linked below includes all parts of the CoC Consolidated Application, including the CoC Application attachments and the Priority Listing with reallocation forms.
“Megan (Name changed for confidentiality) is a prime example of someone who refuses to give up. After having spent 23 years in prison, she was released and then shortly after, was diagnosed with Cancer. Not only did she not let her time spent in prison keep her down, she beat her cancer after multiple surgeries and rounds of medication that would make many of us want to give up. Megan’s more recent battle however was finding housing for herself. After being approved by the Fresno Housing Authority for the Housing Choice Voucher Program, the struggle of being approved for an apartment was a daunting task. We all know how frustrating the application process can be, not to mention costly with all the application fees. It was not easy, but after a couple of months, she was approved and recently moved into her new apartment! But that is not all. It was not just Megan who got a new home. We had a kitty, loved by many of the staff here at the Belmont Health & Wellness facility that she adopted and now has a forever home for as well. We are very proud of Megan here at the Day Reporting Center program. She is a perfect example of not giving up and finding happiness despite what life throws at you.” – Edan Keven, Placement Coordinator, WestCare California’s Day Reporting Center
For over 40 years, WestCare California has been providing an opportunity for individuals to lead fuller, richer lives. Our team of multi-cultural, experienced and credentialed staff is dedicated to providing the best care to everyone who enters our doors. Our goal is to uplift the human spirit by providing the skills and support necessary for individuals to achieve their dreams and transform their lives.
WestCare provides a wide spectrum of health and human services in both residential and outpatient environments. Our service domains include mental health & wellness, substance abuse and addiction treatment, housing opportunities, education & prevention, criminal justice and veterans programs. These services are available to adults, children, adolescents and families.
“Ending homelessness is not an easy task. It requires more than just wanting to get it done. It requires determination, perseverance, the ability to work tirelessly and sometimes going against seemingly impossible tides. It requires collaboration and commitment.”
During the month of September, such collaboration and commitment of various agencies resulted in a Rapid Rehousing housing push, coined “Fresno HOMERUN”. The idea for this housing push came from Iain De Jong of OrgCode Consulting, as he was in Fresno providing a training to our coordinated entry agencies. Funding for this initiative came from the County of Fresno ($65,000) and needed to be expended by September 30th. As these funds were to provide short term rental assistance, Fresno decided to focus on individuals identified as needing rapid rehousing intervention through our coordinated entry assessment tool. WestCare California, Poverello House and Turning Point of Central California joined forces and were able to assist in housing a total of 43 people in just two weeks. Services offered included, double deposit, rental assistance for 2 months and PG&E deposits and arrears if needed. From September 16th to September 30th, these agencies expended a grand total of $54,156.72 that ended homelessness for 23 households, 7 of which were households with children. The lives of 43 people have been changed. They have a new lease on life and a second chance at the American dream. During this housing push, we were also able to establish relationships with 8 new landlords. Regency Property Management made a substantial commitment to our efforts, offering 13 of their vacant units. Las Villas apartments were also very receptive and were able to reserve 3 units for this initiative. The staff of Royal Realty secured 2 units, while Cedar Tree II, Carl McNight, Canyon Park Apartments, and Park Avenue Apartments all committed 1 unit each for the housing push. The success of the housing push would not have been possible if it weren’t for the collaborative efforts of these agencies and property companies. Thank you to everyone that participated in making this housing push a “Homerun!”
– Esther Carnegie – Housing Locator and MaryAnn Calderon – Program Coordinator, WestCare California Housing Services
For over 40 years, WestCare California has been providing an opportunity for individuals to lead fuller, richer lives. Our team of multi-cultural, experienced and credentialed staff is dedicated to providing the best care to everyone who enters our doors. Our goal is to uplift the human spirit by providing the skills and support necessary for individuals to achieve their dreams and transform their lives.
WestCare provides a wide spectrum of health and human services in both residential and outpatient environments. Our service domains include mental health & wellness, substance abuse and addiction treatment, housing opportunities, education & prevention, criminal justice and veterans programs. These services are available to adults, children, adolescents, and families.
