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The mission of Tri-City Homeless Coalition is to end homelessness by assisting low-income unhoused people to secure stable, supportive housing and to be advocates for the removal of the causes of homelessness.
TCHC became a non-profit organization in 1989.
TCHC is the primary provider of services for the homeless in southern Alameda County. We were the first organization in California (and the nation) to design and build a homeless shelter from the ground up. We were also one of the first agencies to develop a homeless prevention program for young people leaving the foster care system.
TCHC is a nimble organization, with the ability to respond quickly and effectively to the emerging needs of homeless families and individuals. Whether a homeless person or family is living on the street or in their car, is in short-term shelter or moving from motel to motel until their money runs out, with TCHC they have a range of housing options and a full-spectrum of supportive services to help them successfully transition to independent living. TCHC recognizes that being homeless is traumatizing for people, especially children, and is well known for providing services in a dignified and respectful manner. We honor and support each client's commitment to their health and well being while maintaining clear guidelines and expectations for their return to community interdependence.
We plan to grow our permanent supportive housing programs for special needs populations, which includes the elderly, the disabled, the homeless, disadvantaged youth, battered women, the mentally ill and those suffering HIV/AIDS or recovering from substance abuse problems. We also envision providing more housing and mental health services to chronically homeless persons with severe mental illness in southern and eastern Alameda County, where there is a large gap in services for this population.
We offer a continuum of housing and supportive services to help homeless families, single adults and youth return to stable living. Housing options include emergency shelter, transitional housing and permanent supportive housing. Supportive services include case management, mental healthcare counseling, drug and alcohol counseling, job counseling and placement, life skills classes, financial literacy training, parenting classes, children's program and support groups.
Permanent supportive housing is affordable rental housing that integrates supportive services, such as case management, job counseling and placement, recovery groups and healthcare. Services are optional for residents. Supportive housing especially benefits low-income families and individuals with special needs who require consistent access to social services to live independently. The development of permanent affordable supportive housing is now recognized nationally by organizations such as the Corporation for Supportive Housing and the National Coalition to End Homelessness as the permanent solution to ending homelessness.
Our administrative offices are located at 40849 Fremont Blvd. in Fremont, California. Our emergency shelter, Sunrise Village, is located at 588 Brown Road in Fremont off Warm Spring Blvd. near Mission.
People learn about our services through referrals from other agencies, from listings of homeless providers in the area and by word of mouth. Once a person or family enrolls in one of our programs, they meet with a case manager who works with them to assess their needs for housing, education, healthcare, and other services. The case manager and client then work together to create an action plan that serves as a road map by which the person obtains the services they need. The case manager helps each client access resources on site and in the community, and monitors their progress in meeting their goals.
We serve adults, children, teenagers and seniors. Sixty-five percent of the agency's adult shelter clients are women and 35% are male. The majority of single parents are mothers with children. The agency serves individuals who are disabled and dually diagnosed and many clients are new immigrants. Ethnically, the client population breaks down as follows: White 44%, Black/African American 32%, Latino 18%, Asian 3%, Pacific Islander 2% and Native American 1%.
Approximately 1,500.
One of the most pressing issues is the lack of affordable housing. With housing affordability at an all-time low in the Bay Area, more and more low-income and at-risk families are falling into chronic poverty and homelessness. In Alameda County, alone, more than 4,500 people are homeless on any given night, the majority of whom are children in families. Housing that integrates social services represents an innovative and systemic change in confronting the long-term needs of at-risk families and individuals caught in the cycle of poverty. However, the demand for permanent supportive affordable housing in Alameda County far exceeds the supply. Lorenzo Creek Apartments is a good illustration of this: as the building reached completion in January 2006, Tri-City Homeless Coalition and its housing partner, Allied Housing received 4,000 applications for the 28 new apartments! To begin to meet the housing demand, Tri-City Homeless Coaliton has committed to providing 1,000 units of affordable supportive housing in Alameda County within a ten-year period.
The lack of affordable housing and services is especially urgent for chronically homeless people with severe mental illness. Right now there is a gap is housing and services for this population in the southern and eastern portions of Alameda County, where it is estimated that more than 25% of the homeless population have a serious mental illness. TCHC plans to expand its mobile health clinic program to reach these individuals with increased mental health services, permanent supportive housing and employment counseling.
Another urgent issue is what happens to young people when they leave the foster care system. When foster youth turn age 18, they become "legally emancipated youth", teens that are now considered adults and no longer eligible to receive housing and other support from the state. While some emancipated youth continue to receive some financial and emotional support from their foster family and friends, most find themselves suddenly alone with no adult mentor, no money, no job, no medical insurance, and no place to live. According to the 2003 U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's "All the Way Home Conference", when youth emancipate from foster care, 65% have no place to live, 44% have not completed high school, 62% are unable to maintain employment for at least one year, 40% of young women report pregnancies and 38% have no healthcare. These conditions make it extremely difficult for emancipated foster youth to establish the permanent stability they need to meet the challenges of becoming independent adults. The H.U.D. conference reports that as many as 50% of foster youth become homeless within the first 18 months of emancipation.
TCHC launched Project Independence in January 2001 to provide emancipated foster youth with safe, affordable supportive housing to transition safely into adulthood and become productive members of the community. "Affordable supportive housing" consists of subsidized apartments with a network of comprehensive supportive services, such as case management, education and vocational training, employment placement, financial literacy training, mental and physical healthcare, addiction recovery programs and connections to community resources. This strategy/model is effective because it provides young people with a stable foundation and adult support while they finish their education or job training, find new employment and/or overcome psychological problems that interfere with their ability to live independently.
Tri-City Homeless Coalition offers numerous ways for you to support our work. Make a financial contribution, contribute in-kind gifts of food or other household items, include TCHC in your estate plans or tell a homeless person in your life we provide the help they need to get off the streets.
Yes, TCHC has individual and groups volunteer opportunities. Call Jean Morgan, Community Outreach Director at 510.657.7409 x203 or email rubyjmorgan@tricityhomeless.org.
In addition to contributions of time or money, you can make an in-kind donation of household goods, food or other items on our Wish List. Sorry, we don't have enough storage space to accept donations of clothes.
We benefit from having contributions for general support. These donations give us the flexibility to put funds where they are needed most. One exception is the Winter Relief Program, which provides shelter in church halls, case management and supportive services during the colder months for families on the waiting list for Sunrise Village shelter. The more money we raise, more families can benefit from the program. If you are interested in supporting Winter Relief, please call Gay McDaniel, Chief Operating Officer at 510-657-7409 x 202 or email gmcdaniel@tricityhomeless.org.
We receive funding for a variety of sources including government agencies, private and community foundations, corporations, churches, service and business groups and individuals.
No, all services are provided to clients free of charge. Rental housing for clients is subsidized with families and individuals paying up to one third or more of their rent.
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