10. COTS graduate wows his landlord
Brad found a landlord willing to accept his Section 8 voucher, but the property did not pass inspection, frustrating the landlord and delaying Brad’s ability to exit homelessness. Brad was determined and persevered – he went above and beyond to help the elderly landlord complete the repairs.
The property has been approved, the landlord is thrilled with his new tenant, and Brad is so happy to have a place to call home.
9. Our kids go to summer camp
Here’s a note we received from one of our teens:
8. The COTS Children’s Program expands to serve 200 kids
We now offer activities in Rohnert Park and Petaluma, at three different sites.
Look what the kids made!
7. Landlords help our clients weather the affordable housing crisis
Finding affordable units can be tough. But several generous landlords have reduced the cost of their rental units to fit within what our clients can afford.
6. Collaboration makes a difference in Healdsburg
In our first year in collaboration with North Sonoma County’s Family Transitional Housing program in Healdsburg, 100% of families (8 of 8) who left the program successfully moved into a home of their own.
5. Work: Ready Apparel outfits 200 program participants
Heavy-duty work boots pictured in the shop. Work: Ready Apparel is 100% volunteer run.
4. We catch up with Charmaine in her new home
3. Foster kittens bring joy and healing to the Mary Isaak Center
Our CFO began fostering kittens at the Mary Isaak Center. One of the residents, Joanie, often asked us about the kittens and was excited when she found out that one of the kittens was also named Joanie.
Benefits Advocate, Barbara, pictured with Joanie.
Recently, our CFO went to a local restaurant to pick up a quick lunch. She says, “The cashier greeted me by name, and it was Joanie! I asked her how she was doing and she shared that she had been working there for 4 months and was now in permanent housing.”
2. Mary walks through the front door
Mary lost her job over the summer, became depressed, and lost her housing. Her friend brought her to the Mary Isaak Center, but Mary’s anxiety was so extreme that she was afraid to walk through the door.
Her mental health worsened while living on the street, and she spent time in psychiatric units before deciding that living isolated on the streets was making her situation worse.
This time, she decided to just walk through our doors.
She says staff and clients all welcomed her in and helped her to feel safe and at home. “This is the first time in 20 years that I can remember feeling happy,” she said.
Mary was recently hired part time at a local church doing janitorial work and is looking for a home with roommates. She realized that a community makes all the difference.
1. Sober Circle makes a BIG impact
Sober Circle encourages 30 street homeless to engage with substance abuse treatment and housing programs. Sober Circle is a collaboration between the Petaluma Health Care District, St. Joseph Health, Kaiser Permanente, Petaluma Health Center, the Petaluma Police Department, Partnership Health Plan, and Catholic Charities.
Best of all, we will be adding a second case manager in 2017, meaning even more people will have a chance to transform their life.
Randy Clay, pictured above on the right, walks the streets to connect with homeless community members needing our support. When they are ready, he can quickly connect them with services.