Angela Pustorino

As COTS’ CEO, each month I take a moment to consider what I want our community to know about our organization and our progress in serving Sonoma County’s homeless. I look forward to sharing these thoughts with you in this Virtual Cup of Coffee – my monthly communique about the business and mission moments of COTS (Committee On The Shelterless). In the Business portion, I will share the nuts and bolts of what we do to serve the homeless – our successes and our challenges. In the Mission Moment, I will share stories about our clients and our wonderful staff who make it all happen. I hope you enjoy it, and I look forward to your feedback.

Merry Christmas,
Chuck

What I learned in the last twelve months

Closing the year is a traditional time to step back and reflect on one’s successes and challenges, to make resolutions, and to determine what we have learned. I’ve learned lots of things every day at COTS – from our clients experiencing homelessness, our wonderful staff and board of directors, and our generous community. So…I’d like to share just two of those learnings.

The first is that homelessness does not define who we are. Instead, it is a point in time for someone, hopefully a rare or brief occurrence. When we say, “Those homeless” or “the homeless” or “them,” it is a derogatory and disrespectful way to describe someone experiencing homelessness. The words “those” or “them” can put a distance between us and “them” and, in a way, from the responsibility of helping to solve the issue. It can also put people into a category and thus become a source of prejudice much like, sadly, someone’s race, religion, or socioeconomic status. Having worked in a faith-based environment for ten years before coming to COTS, I believe that we are all God’s children and we should strive to treat people with dignity and respect. Saying “people experiencing homelessness” has helped me to see the issue with much more grace, dignity, and love.

The second thing I’ve learned is that homelessness is complicated. There are never just one or two reasons why a person experiences homelessness. It can happen to any one of us because of a divorce, domestic violence, substance abuse, job loss, mental health challenges, physical disability, death of a loved one, a traumatic event, and more. In the same way, there are never just one or two silver bullets to solve homelessness. And while some define homelessness as the absence of a home, we also can’t build our way out of homelessness because we don’t have the billions necessary to make that happen. At the same time, more housing is only part of the solution. Case management and mental health support is also necessary to wellness and sustainability once in a home.

This is enough to keep a person up every night. But we are COTS and our mission is to transition people from homelessness to a permanent home. We do it, along with our community partners, to make our community a better place to be.

Our cherished family member

This week, I attended funeral services for a special member of our COTS family – Cecily Kagy. Cecily was one of our Homeless Street Outreach Workers. It was a beautiful celebration of Cecily’s life, and while it was a sad occasion because we lost a loved one, it was also a story of someone who touched so many lives.

Pastor Chris and Cecily’s family and friends talked about her many gifts she so generously gave and of her challenges. I have often said that working with those experiencing homelessness is a messy business. Well…being human is messy and complicated. This messiness and the imperfect way we do things is what makes us all human. And that is what made Cecily so special. Instead of going around barriers, she often charged right up the middle. That was the essence of who she was. Rules didn’t matter if it meant she could get a person off the streets and into a house or shelter or into treatment.

I had the honor of accompanying Cecily on her Street Outreach into homeless encampments, under bridges, near streams, into broken-down cars and RVs. Regardless of where we went, she was always the same – positive, with a deep love and compassion for others, a fierce loyalty and advocacy for her clients regardless of who she was talking to. She would get excited when telling me about bringing a person off the streets and into housing. She would go to great lengths to help someone, including using her own car to drive a client into COTS who hadn’t showered in years. She had a profound respect for the dignity of those she served.

For many of us, the sooner we can own our own imperfections, vulnerabilities, and our edges, the sooner we can stop judging other’s imperfections and vulnerabilities. One reason why Cecily was so loving and caring with others is that she owned and made fun of her own human imperfections. She understood those she served because she had been in their shoes before. That is what made her unique. She could relate and share her own struggles with what they were going through.

Cecily – while we may not be so fortunate again to hear your booming laugh, or see you break into a huge smile, or hear about all the people you loved and served, your legacy and the changes you inspired will live on. We will always honor our time with you. We love you Cecily.

Cecily is now in heaven with two special people: her brother and her mother. She can also do something she has long been wanting to do – give them a hug.

Until next month,

Chuck Fernandez

As COTS’ CEO, each month I take a moment to consider what I want our community to know about our organization and our progress in serving Sonoma County’s homeless. I look forward to sharing these thoughts with you in this Virtual Cup of Coffee – my monthly communique about the business and mission moments of COTS (Committee On The Shelterless). In the Business portion, I will share the nuts and bolts of what we do to serve the homeless – our successes and our challenges. In the Mission Moment, I will share stories about our clients and our wonderful staff who make it all happen. I hope you enjoy it, and I look forward to your feedback.

Happy Thanksgiving,

Chuck

What is trauma-informed, strength-based and client-centered care?

In the social service world, especially in the homeless arena, we often hear people talking about “a trauma-informed, strength-based, client-centered approach” to working with those experiencing homelessness. What does it mean and why is it important?

The 2019 Point in Time Count showed that 25% of those experiencing homelessness suffer from PTSD; 9% reported a traumatic brain injury; 34% have a history of domestic violence; 16% traded sex for money; and 38% suffer from alcohol and drug abuse. We also know that people who experience trauma are 15 times more likely to commit suicide; 3 times more likely to experience depression; and 4 times more likely to be an alcoholic or inject drugs.

This is who we serve at COTS. The trauma they suffer impacts every part of a person’s being – physical, mental, emotional, and social functioning.

Being trauma–informed means that at COTS, we treat the “whole person,” understanding their triggers and coping mechanisms as a way to better understand the person and provide a path for their recovery. We have to be careful of our body language, tone of voice, choice of words, and our behavior. Homelessness itself is a risk factor for trauma given the many challenges that homeless individuals face – loss of social connectivity, increased threats, harm through victimization, exposure, and deterioration of health. Being trauma-informed also means we keep an awareness of trauma when developing programs, policies, and procedures in the shelter.

A strength-based approach means to focus on someone’s inherent strengths, self-determination, and the resources they possess to help with their recovery and empowerment instead of focusing on their deficits or weaknesses. It views people as strong, resourceful, and resilient especially in the face of adversity, and gives them more credit for what they are capable of achieving than what we would typically do. It’s an asset-based approach that focuses on the positive.

Being client-centered means that the clients we work with in the shelter must take an active role in their case management and plan to find housing. The case manager plays a supportive and non-directive role and the shelter clients take responsibility and accountability for the choices they make. We do not work harder than the client is willing to work on themselves. That means we try to empower instead of enable.

These approaches work, and our wonderful staff put this into practice every day at the Mary Isaak Center. Leaving life on the streets and moving into housing requires courageous transformational change. Our staff are a major inspiration in that change.

Another fire and another heroic response

This fall, Sonoma County experienced another fire and another hugely heroic response from our community. I was not with COTS during the October 2017 fires but I can’t imagine that the response then was any different than the response this month – courageous and selfless.

In the book, Heroic Leadership by Chris Lowney, he says that “leadership is defined not by the scale of the opportunity but by the quality of the response and that one cannot control all of one’s circumstances, only one’s response to those circumstances.” I sound like a broken record when I say I continue to be humbled by the COTS community and family.

At COTS, our phone rang continuously with people asking “What do you need?” or “I have prepared meals, extra food, toiletries, dog food, blankets, linens, towels, sweatshirts, socks – who shall I ask for and when can I drop these off?” We had truckloads of gourmet cheese, eggs, meats, and dairy products. When the evacuation shelter in Petaluma closed, they gave us their extra sleeping cots, pillows, and blankets.

All of this generosity was vital to our work. Our shelter was at capacity. All 112 beds were filled and we were sleeping about 35 people in the dining room. Due to the fires and smoke, people came from the Joe Rodota Trail, encampments, the streets, or the evacuation centers when they closed. It was chaotic and we weren’t really prepared. But this is what we do – we care for people, and with everyone’s help and generosity, we managed.

At the end of the day, it’s not only about the bed provided or the meal served that makes COTS and our community so special. It will always be the people who make it special. The people are the motivators, the ones who inspire, and the ones who set the example of compassion, the common good, and helping a neighbor in need…during fires, during rain, and even on a perfect Sonoma day. On behalf of our Board of Directors and staff, thank you for being the people who make all of that happen – for our clients and our community.

Until next month,

Chuck Fernandez

With the fires this last week upending so many lives, I feel strongly about communicating with our supporters about the work going on here at COTS. There is so much uncertainty in Sonoma County right now, and yet our staff is exceptionally suited to moments like these – and we remain here to serve our community as best we can.

In the Business Portion of this month’s Virtual Coffee, I wrote about how our staff is growing and learning in new ways as part of a six-month Management Cohort that builds our leadership capacity for the future. In the Mission Moment, I wrote about the relaunch of our Winter Shelter, which will allow us to welcome guests out of the cold and rain when a roof and a hot meal are needed most.

I hope that this Virtual Coffee finds you safe and warm as well. I hope you enjoy learning more about our work this month, and I look forward to your feedback.

All my best,
Chuck

Building Management Capacity…Collaboratively

This month, we started our six-month Management Cohort Program. It’s a program designed by COTS and Rich Soublet, an Organizational Effectiveness Consultant whereby we bring staff together for one full day a month for six months to learn management principles. The sessions include How to Build High Performing Teams; the importance of Respect, Integrity, and Trust in building teams; Managing Conflict and Courageous Conversations; Emotional Intelligence; Communications; and Managing Transitions and Change.

There have been lots of changes in the last several years in how Sonoma County addresses homelessness. Specifically, the change from a Housing Readiness Model to Housing First. Making those changes require homeless service providers change their strategy, staffing, systems, and culture. Those changes also require that homeless service providers work together. That is why we invited Catholic Charities of Santa Rosa to participate in the Cohort Program alongside COTS staff. They are the largest provider of homeless services here in Sonoma County and are good at what they do. We can collaborate and learn together for the benefit of everyone.

The goals of our cohort are to provide an educational process that will ultimately improve our results and impact with our homeless programs and services, create a high performing culture, provide a framework for our managers to build their teams, and increase understanding of how to lead ourselves, each other, and our community. We also wanted to create a sense of belonging where everyone shares their experience and knowledge so that in the future, we will all work better together.

So on October 13, 24 staff from both agencies came together for the first of six sessions.

It was wonderful to see staff meeting each other for the first time and learning about each others’ challenges and successes; sharing ideas and best practices; and exchanging contact information so that they could communicate with each other between sessions.

Our hope is that we can continue these shared learning experiences and not only involve other homeless service providers but also learn about Leadership Principles in future cohorts.

Winter Shelter is Back

Our Winter Shelter (WS) is back. Last year, the absence of the Winter Shelter caused lots of hardship and disappointment among those experiencing homelessness. This year, thanks to a grant from the County, we will open for four months – from December 1, 2019 through March 31, 2020.

Getting people off the streets in cold wet nights is important. It can be a matter of life or death, especially in colder areas of our county, state, and nation. One study showed over 700 people in the U.S. die on the streets every year from hypothermia and other cold related issues. We don’t want that in Sonoma County.

So here’s what you can share with the community:

• • Winter Shelter (WS) beds will be available on a first come first serve basis – we will have space for 35 people.
  • We start taking names at 4:00pm every day.
  • Dinner will be at 5:00pm and Winter Shelter folks will eat with our other Mary Isaak Center residents and can expect a hot and nutritious meal.
  • After dinner, WS guests can do their laundry and take showers.
  • Guests will sleep in the Dining Room – on mats with clean sheets, pillow cases, and blankets. Bedding and mats will be cleaned every day for the next guests.
  • At 10:00pm, lights are out in the entire shelter. It is critical that all people at Mary Isaak get their rest.
  • Lights come back on at 6:30am with breakfast starting at 7:30am that will include a hot, protein-based nutritious meal – eggs, juice, muffins, fresh fruit, cereal, milk, coffee.
  • All WS guests will then get a bag lunch to take with them for the day.

We also do a brief intake interview with each WS guest – to get some general information, give them an orientation of the shelter, set behavior expectations and rules (no drugs, no alcohol, take responsibility for one’s actions), and show them where guests can store their personal belongings. On a full night during the winter, we could have as many as 158 guests at the shelter, so rules and behavior expectations are required.

We will also partner with the Redwood Gospel Mission (RGM) and their Nomadic Shelter Program so that up to ten guests who we could not accommodate at Mary Isaak will be picked up nightly by RGM for their program. Those guests will be cared for just as they would be at the Mary Isaak Center. RGM is a valued partner and we are excited to work with them.

In the weeks to come, we would be grateful for your donations of extra blankets, bed linens, and towels for our guests. Please call Diana Morales, Engagement Specialist, at (707) 765-6350 ext. 136 to donate. Thank you for supporting this program and others at COTS as we strive to serve our neighbors in need.

Until next month,

Chuck Fernandez

As COTS’ CEO, each month I take a moment to consider what I want our community to know about our organization and our progress in serving Sonoma County’s homeless. I look forward to sharing these thoughts with you in this Virtual Cup of Coffee – my monthly communique about the business and mission moments of COTS (Committee On The Shelterless). In the Business portion, I will share the nuts and bolts of what we do to serve the homeless – our successes and our challenges. In the Mission Moment, I will share stories about our clients and our wonderful staff who make it all happen. I hope you enjoy it, and I look forward to your feedback.

All my best,
Chuck

Program Funding

I’m often asked how much funding we get from the government, foundations and private donations. In 2018, about 17% of our revenue came from government grants while 71% came from private donations and foundations. The remaining comes from contracted services, rental income, and what we call in-kind contributions including donated food, supplies or even the time our wonderful volunteers spend helping COTS.

In the past several weeks, you’ve likely read in the newspaper how Sonoma County was in the process of approving funding for homeless services. This funding will support capital improvements to shelters, the expansion of available housing, and operating costs for the various homeless programs. Yesterday, the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors approved $14M for those expenses.

Prior to this approval, the County received over 80 applications from various homeless services agencies requesting a total of $32 million in funding. There is never enough money, so it is difficult to determine who gets what and why and how Sonoma County can best achieve our goal of ending homelessness. It is estimated that the $14 million approved by the county will reduce homelessness by 20%, support development of 172 new permanent supportive housing units and rehabilitate 104 existing units; provide intensive services to 257 chronically homeless people; support a tiny homes pilot project; and more.

Of the available $14 million, COTS received about $1.3 million – over 80% of the funds we requested. This will go toward our Diversion Program to keep people out of homelessness; support for daily operations of the Mary Isaak Shelter; our housing programs; capital funds to improve the Mary Isaak and Kids First Family Shelters; and a Winter Shelter beginning in December 2019 to get people out of the cold during the rainy season. Especially here in Petaluma, where we’ve seen so many people die alone in the outdoors, Winter Shelter funding is a godsend.

In the end, the process for review and awarding the grants was fair, unbiased, and done with integrity and professionalism. Those who reviewed and scored each grant application took their roles very seriously and responsibly. We are truly grateful for the process and what we received.

Mission Moment – Our Landlords

The Housing First model is about getting our homeless clients in housing as soon as possible and then providing “wrap around” services that help them succeed, including case management and mental health counseling. Our clients all have different needs, so we offer a variety of housing programs, each offering a different level of services. One of these programs is called Integrity Housing, in which COTS master-leases or owns houses and then rents available rooms to individuals or families. The cost of renting an individual room in a house is significantly less than a market-rate unit, thus more affordable for our clients. Integrity Housing is one of the ways we utilize existing housing stock to provide opportunities to our clients.

Thanks to COTS’ partnering landlords, we have over 13 houses and 50 rentable rooms. We’ve rented to hundreds of people – including families and children – thanks to these generous and warm-hearted landlords. Our Property Management Department does monthly inspections, repairs and maintenance, helps tenants move in and out, and takes care of any issues with the tenants. Our landlords entrust in us their very precious investment and we hold ourselves accountable to take care of that asset as if it were our own.

Claire and John Werner currently rent one house to COTS and are adding a second to our Integrity Housing portfolio because they are so happy with the experience they’ve had working with us. Claire said, “we are helping people get back to where they belong – in a home.” She also said that, “I have to use [the properties] in a way that’s good for my family, but the beauty of these programs is I can make it good for another family too.” The fact that Claire and John can count on COTS to pay the rent on time and do regular inspections and maintenance means that they can forgo the cost of a property manager and pass the savings on to our clients.

Thank you, Claire, John, and all of our wonderful landlords who make it possible for people to live their lives with dignity and respect.

Until next month,

Chuck Fernandez