Amy Narlock, Development Officer I, Dorothy’s Place
stabilize and heal from the traumatic experience of being unsheltered before moving into permanent housing. Housing first is a policy that prioritizes permanent housing before other needs such as income and substance use issues when assisting people out of homelessness. We certainly agree that every single person deserves the security of a permanent home and we welcome this shift in the response to homelessness among service providers and funding organizations. What we know from experience is that length of time on the street directly impacts the difficulty in transitioning back into independent housing. It is not always successful and often requires multiple attempts. In reality, some people are not prepared for the speed required to re-learn those independent living skills such as self-care routines, paying bills, and time-management. Some individuals who have spent years surviving unsheltered living may require permanent supportive housing or government funded housing. But not all unsheltered individuals require that type of housing and research is beginning to show that many individuals, given the chance to “selfresolve”, will do so.
How long it would take to get to an appointment if you were camping, had no running water, no internet, no transportation, and had to bring all of your camping gear and personal items with you to that appointment? Many of our consumers miss scheduled appointments with us and other providers because of the multiple barriers they must overcome to actually get to the appointment. Congregate shelters are not a good answer as they are only available certain hours and do not provide safe storage (or any storage) for personal items. Many individuals will refuse shelter stays because of personal safety fears, inability to have a pet with them, or lack of privacy in general.
Interim housing is the combination of stability and support that individuals need to recover from the trauma of being unsheltered and start rebuilding their life. Interim housing is not meant to be long term supportive housing, but it does offer supportive services such as case management and housing navigation. Flexible length of stay with focus on progressing to permanent housing (in whatever form is right for the individual), with private personal spaces that have locking doors, and community guidelines in place that prioritize safety over arbitrary rules such as curfews. The average cost to build a single new unit of permanent supportive housing (PSH) is $650,000.
It can take years to get a PSH project from concept to completion with planning, coordination, required approvals, and actual construction. While lots sit empty with potential, people are living in tents on the street next to them. In cities all over California interim housing has been built in 4-8 months. Santa Barbara, San Francisco, even Rohnert Park have seen great success with interim housing communities. Units typically cost $50,000-$70,000 to build and while they have a 20-year life expectancy, they can be dismantled at anytime. Interim housing will not solve homelessness, but it can act as a complementary strategy to homelessness prevention and permanent housing solutions. Could it work for Salinas and Monterey County? We think it could. To learn more about interim housing projects in California check out www.dignitymoves.org
12-16oz Bottles of Water
#6 Lunch Bags
The Drop-In Center and Dorothy’s Kitchen rely on the generosity of our amazing donors and volunteers. Recently we received 50 lb. of potatoes, 50 lbs. onions, 50 lbs. of carrots, deli meats and cheese from an anonymous donor! Our services never stop and neither do our needs. If you feel compelled and are able to contribute, please let us know!
Disposable razors
Travel size soap
For more info: 831-276-5123
“Wherever there is a human being, there is an opportunity
for a kindness.”
– Lucius Annaeus Seneca
Dorothy’s Kitchen
In June we started our long-anticipated workforce development program Red Artichoke. Residents from House of Peace (HOP) kicked off their training with HOP resident manager, Hilda. Red Artichoke will teach HOP residents the food handling skills required to earn a California Food Handlers Training Certificate, that will lead to future sustainable employment in the hospitality industry. Dorothy’s Kitchen is currently serving around 200 meals for breakfast and lunch daily to those in need. As always, we are humbled and grateful for our amazing donors and volunteers that help us ensure no one who comes to us leaves hungry
Dorothy’s Drop-in Center
As we talked about in our last newsletter, Chinatown has been experiencing on-going encampment sweeps. The April 11th sweep caused many people to be displaced and seek service from the Drop-In-Center. Our valued community health workers handed out toiletry bags, reusable water bottles, and more ID vouchers than usual. In July we saw as many as 200 people per day come in for our services. In June we provided over 3,000 services including mail, clothing, hygiene (showers and bathrooms), and device charging service.
Streets To Homes
The first half of the year has been extremely busy with assisting encampment residents to prepare for the sweeps and get the connected to housing and resources to the best of everyone’s ability. Incredibly we were able to connect six individuals to housing within our own House of Peace Supportive Living Program. We have
also been working diligently to expand our street medicine impact and are currently in the process of adding Hepatitis C (HCV) screening and testing to our toolkit. This will require some of our non-clinical staff to complete an intensive course that will certify them to conduct rapid HCV tests. We know this added service will save lives, encouraging individuals to get treatment that will also help them make better decisions about their health and housing goals.
House of Peace
Our Soledad Street location had successfully transitioned into HUD permanent supportive housing. While the program guidelines and restrictions add to our administrative process, we fully intend to keep daily life at Soledad St as consistent as possible. Our residents rely on the supportive services and counsel we provide for them. They also rely on each other for encouragement and accountability when tackling sobriety, job concerns, and social conflicts. This year already, our residents have overcome great obstacles to achieve some personal triumphs. Mr. K has been able to save enough money to purchase an automobile. He obtained his driver license, insurance and stays up to date on payments. He states owning this car keeps him on his toes since he knows every 1st of the month, he needs to put his program fee and the car payment aside. Mr. C, who is legally blind, earned a green team leader shirt for his hard work and leadership with Downtown Streets Team.
We are so proud of the work our programs do and we know we wouldn’t be able to do this without your support. We are so grateful to our community of donors and volunteers. Our successes are your successes!
August is National Make-A-Will Month, and as the saying goes, “Where there’s a will, there’s a way.” Did you know that nearly 67% of American adults do not have a will in place?
In just 20 minutes, you can create your own will with the help of our partner, FreeWill. It’s completely free, in thanks for your support. Join thousands who are making a will this month to:
• Dictate your vision for the future, and your assets
• Show your loved ones just how much you care about them
• Create a lasting, generational impact to charities and causes that are important to you
By using this service today, you’ll get lifetime access to make updates and changes to your plan at no cost. Additionally, you can consider including a bequest in your will to Dorothy’s Place, making our community an important part of your lasting legacy. LEARN MORE
No matter what you choose for your plans, I hope you make the most of your Make-A-Will Month.
Check with your employer for donation match! Many companies have corporate giving programs in which the employer will match their employee’s donation.
Get Involved by checking out our upcoming
Set it and forget it!
Sometimes the easiest way to give is to not think about it at all. On our donation page you can select the box next to “Make this a monthly recurring amount” DONATE NOW
1st Church of Christ Scientist
Brent Redmond Transportation
Carmel Valley Rotary
Catholic Daughters of the Americas
Coastal Roots
Costco United Way Campaign
Forever Friends
Girl Scouts of Californias Central Coast
Hortus Group
Italian Catholic Federation
KAR
Lafayette-Orinda Presbyterian Church
Lauralie and J Irvine Fund of the
Community Foundation for
Monterey County
Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd
Madonna Del Sasso Church
Monterey Center for Spiritual Living
Monterey Peninsula Foundation
Northminster Presbyterian Church
Nancy Eccles and Homer M Hayward
Family Foundation
Order of Malta Western Association
Rotary Club of Corral de Tierra
Salinas Valley Community Church
St. Joseph’s Parish
Temple Beth El SisterhooD
The Enersen Foundation
United Way California Capital Region
United Way Monterey County
Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 6849
Yellow Brick Road Benefit Shop
INDIVIDUALS
Alfred Becker
Andrew McClelland
Andrew McKenna
Angel Vega
Arnold and Janet Hedlund
Arthur Schuller
Arturo and Evelina Adlawan
Barbara Hughes
Barbara Mejia
Barbara Urciuoli
Benjamin and Rose Ann Luna
Betty Fowles
Bill and Barbara Garner
Bobbi Kamil
Bonnie Lou and Miguel Hernandez
Brita Ostrom
Brittany Smith
Carol Schmeh
Carolyn and Richard Gray
Carolyn Sims
Cathy Chavez-Miller
Christiane Singer
Christopher Bourke
Christopher Mena
Christy Baguio
Claire Borges
Clement and Barbara Richardson
Cliff and Joan Markham
Clifford and Claudia Cardoza
Connie Fields
Daisy Martinez
Daniel Duran
David and Martha Vazquez
David and Susan Courrejou
David Ligare and Gary Smith
David Spradling
Deanna Allen
Debbie Hale
Deborah Harris
Debra Reid
Deirdre Demorest
Dennis and Susan Mar
Dennis Ramirez
Diane Middaugh
Dolores Pia
Don Cremin
Donna and Allen Van Noy
Donna and Robert Honnors
Donna Tracy
Dora Martinez
Dorothy Becker
Douglas and Diane Hayashi
Douglas and Belle Fouts
Ed Matchak
Edmond and Mary Given
Edward Eisendrath
Edward Wong
Edwin Baptista
Elio and Geraldine Chiappe
Elizabeth Wrightmen
Elke Junger Making a Difference Fund
Emilia Proa-Flores
Emmett O’Boyle
Evangeline Forrest
Evelyn and Oscar Bolante
Felisa Hoogendyk
First Baptist Church
Frank and Lois Noonan
Frank Villareal
Freddie Capuyan
Gail and Richard Lack
Gary and Carolyn Pybas
Gary Sprader and Gail Abeloe
Gerald and Carolyn Griffin
Gerald and Jo Ann Reynolds
Geraldine Dorney
Geralyn Budenholzer
Gertrude and Alvis Moore
H. Jo Ann McCray
Harry and Glenna DeWeese
Heather and Richard Reimer
Helen Kosik-Westly
Helen Russo
Jacqueline Ambrose
Jaedon Cox
James and Colleen De Lorimier
James and Eleanor Cullem
James and Joan Stembridge
James Hashimoto
James Smith
Jane and Anthony Diamond
Janet Mason
Jay Ambe
Jeanine Spano
Jeffrey and Diane Wriedt
Jenny Wilshere
Jerry and Jan Finney
Jessa Rego
Joanne Castello
Joanne Robbins
Joanne Ryder
John and Diane Parks
John Lori Ann Sempek
John Moulton
John Pineda
John Wiechman
Joseph and Anne Zoccali
Joseph Donahue
Joseph Garcia
Joy and Bob Hall
Judy Parsons
Judy Tatelbaum
June Backus
Karla Wolf
Kate Egan
Katherine and Denise Sherer
Kathy and Donald Dawes
Kathy Clift
Kathy Cosaert
Katieann Vogel
Ken and Helen Dean
Kevin and Mary O’Brien
Krystal Vazquez
Kyung-mee Rim
Larry Hirahara
Laura McCord
Laurel Spinner
Lawrence Fink
Leigh Toldi
Linda and Daniel O’Brien
Linda and Takamori Saito
Linda Conway
Linda Frederiksen
Linda Rossi
Linda Saito
Lisa Sargisson
Lorriann Skorka and Graham Gottfried
Lynn Rombi
Mackenzie Murphy
Marc Tunzi and Danielle Acton
Marcella McClure
Marcia Caruso
Margaret Joan Kylander
Maria and Robert O’Farrell
Maria Gutierrez
Marie Zenorini
Marilyn McLoughlin
Marjory Lord
Mark Klein
Marsha Walsh Andrews
Martin Zuniga
Marvalee English
Marvin and Karin Grimm
Marvin Grim
Mary and Michael Borgeson
Mary Conway
Mary Soria
Maryanne Will
Melissa Pickford
Michael and Ann Briley
Michael Greene
Michael Whitaker
Micheal Cameron
Michelle Angelo
Michelle Pheasant Design, Inc.
Nancy and Charles Duncan
Nancy Rossi King and Loren King
Nathen and Nongnuch Hughes
Nayan and Nimisha Patel
Otto Stengel
Pamela Cope
Pat and Dean Alexander
Patricia Fuqua
Patricia Horsley
Patricia Marshall
Patricia Merrifield
Patricia Walworth
Patti Cordano-Smith
Prudencia Garnica
R.R. and M.J. Castello Trust
Ramon and Anne Jimenez
Raymond and Veronica Carrillo
Rebecca Kanow
Rene Ganaden
Reverend Greg Sandman
Richard and Rosalia Foster
Richard and Rosemary Ridge
Richard Cheatham
Riley Hathaway
Robert Brandewie
Robert Hylton
Roberta Christian
Roberto and Birthe Melendez
Rocio Reyes
Roger Anton Rolf and Kumi Milesi
Ronald and Aurelie Danko
Ronald and Barbara Sanches
Rosalyn Blachowicz
Rosamaria Kosaka
Roselyn Lambert
Rosemarie Pohl
Ruben and Yolanda Pulido
Russell and Sandra Seeger
S. Vindhurst
Sally Nator
Sally Reinmann
Salvatore and Hope Cardinalli
Sam Norris and Colette Erreca-Norris
Sharon Boyle
St. Joseph’s Parish
Stacy Carr
Stella Perea
Stephanie Flora
Stephen Eklund
Stephen Storey
Steve McShane
Susan Barron
Susan Nichter
Susan Oliviera
Susan Smith
Susann Cate Lynn
Tamara Harris
Teri Breschini
Thad Evans and Yolanda
Celaya
Thersa Morales
Thomas and Judith Wills
Thomas Kuna
Thomas Prelle
Tim Ryan and Nina Dereschuk
Ryan
Todd Bliss
Tom and Dianne Mouisset
Tom and Rosemary Favazza
Troy Boutonnet
Van Nguyen
Virginia Canipe Swan
Walter Defaria
Wayne and Shirley Moon
It wasn’t Elanor’s lined face or the small tent she sat in that first caught my eye.
It was the meticulous attention she paid to folding and stacking her clothing in the tent.