South County Compassion Center
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Mission Statement
To provide access to the services homeless people need to survive, become stable, and achieve self-sufficient lives. Be an active partner in creating permanent affordable housing.
About This Cause
Providing for Today, Building for the Future Compassion Center provides for the immediate needs of South Santa Clara County residents who have lost their homes. We’re also paving pathways toward ending homelessness, by helping dissolve the barriers that keep people on the streets. Meeting Them Where They Are Our innovative mobile outreach team provides the essentials to residents at local encampments throughout the South County with the goal of reaching every single unhoused person who desires support. We also host weekly “Unhoused Popup Markets" that offer a one-stop access to a variety of services that improve the quality of life for our unsheltered clientele. Among these are a medical van, weekly food boxes, donated clothing, personal portable toilets, mail delivery and shower and laundry service via a weekly mobile unit. Additionally, an on-site case manager provides referral services, including mental health treatment, legal services, job training, and vouchers for ID cards, entry into housing lists, and much, much more. Wrap-around Support and a Path Toward Self-Sufficiency We all need more than a meal, shower, and warm clothing to reach our goals. For that, we offer our unhoused residents one-on-one support to help them create their own path toward a brighter future. For some it may literally mean an eye exam and new glasses. Others may decide to get their GED, or enroll in a technical job-training program that gives them the skills to secure a career and generate rental income. Our case managers also enter our clients’ information into a County-wide housing database that puts them in a queue for supportive housing. We also provide case management for clients residing at South County’s only year-round shelter. Other wrap-around services include dental care, mental health treatment, transportation vouchers, referrals to legal services, shelter referrals, help with their resumes, and job searches. If they want to get treatment from a substance addiction, we’ll refer them to an in-patient provider. If they are a candidate for our Safe Parking Program, we’ll recommend applying for that as well. Safe Park: A First Step Toward a Home Begun in 2017, in collaboration with the City of Morgan Hill, the Interfaith Community of South County, and Morgan Hill Bible Church, this supportive transitional housing model provides eight households with a safe place to live in their vehicles while working on making a lasting transition to affordable housing. Residents have access to on-site restrooms, showers, laundry and meals, as well as clothing, mail delivery, and other supplies and services to fulfill their needs. The communal environment offers support and encouragement. Households meet weekly with case managers to register for services, build job skills, and follow a customized plan to make them likely to sustain a permanent residence once they attain it. To-date, 58% of participants have transitioned to permanent housing. We are working with the City of Gilroy to open a Safe Parking program in that city that would host double the number of households at our Morgan Hill site. Homeless Prevention For every one unhoused person who finds housing, two more lose their homes. That’s why we aim to stop homelessness before it starts, by providing emergency rental assistance and housing retention case management. In partnership with the State of California, Housing Industry Fund and Seasons of Sharing, we provide emergency rental and utility assistance to those on the brink of homelessness. We also provide first and last month’s rent to qualified unhoused people who manage to meet the rental income requirements but can’t afford the deposit. Since this program began in June, 2021, we have helped hundreds remain in the homes despite loss of income due to the pandemic. By the Numbers In fiscal year 2021-22, our impact in service of our clients speaks for itself: • 799 individuals served (up 67% from previous year) — almost all of those counted as unhoused in last count • 488 added to housing list via a housing vulnerability survey (up 639% from previous year) • 325 received case management (up 480%) • 89 chronically unhoused individuals guided toward permanent housing • 150+ families received rental assistance that helped them avoid eviction • 14 Safe Parking individuals found permanent housing (in addition to the 89 above) Resolving Homelessness To end the pandemic of homelessness, we need to do much more—and we cannot do it alone. We are collaborating with other homeless service providers, municipalities, our county government agencies, houses of faith, business partners, and ordinary citizens of our community to explore and develop novel approaches toward ending homelessness. We invite participation for our corporate partners and their employees through monetary donations and volunteer service. To help us assist those most in need in our community, please visit our website to learn more, and to sign up to hear the latest: www.thecompassioncenter.org It takes a village. Together we can make a difference!