Transitional Housing Program for Families
The Transitional Housing Program for Families brought my daughter and me happiness and a solid foundation. Through their services I learned to be a better parent, get our health in order, and organize my finances. As someone living with cancer, I am blessed for this program and for all the help I received.
Our program provides formerly homeless families with a drug- and alcohol-free environment, and a safe place to address the issues that led to becoming homeless. We create individual plans to help meet each family’s needs, including mental health and substance abuse issues, parenting and family unity, and income and budgeting.
Many adults in the program have a mental health diagnosis, including chronic depression, bi-polar disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder, and many are in recovery from addictions. Many are single mothers, and have experienced domestic violence, both as children and as adults.
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The two-year program allows families the opportunity to recover from being homeless, and assists them in taking steps to move toward permanent housing. These steps may include education, job training, interviewing skills, budgeting, credit repair, and housing referral and placement.
The team approach at THPF means that case managers and children’s services staff address family needs as a whole, from enrolling children in school and day care, to providing group and family activities. Families soon learn that the staff is there to help them succeed, and that any concerns will be addressed quickly. We use community resources, from CalWorks and Child Action to Women’s Empowerment and recovery programs, to provide families with a broad base of support.
Several months before the anticipated graduation date, the THPF team works closely with each family to assess their housing needs, including proximity to schools and employment, neighborhood safety, and affordability. Referrals are made to supportive and low-income housing as needed, and ultimately, 78% of families finishing the program move to permanent housing.