Getting Engaged- United Way, City Ministry Network & Love Our Cities

Community engagement is an integral piece of the Focus on Prevention movement. The United Way Board of Directors, with the endorsement of the Stewardship Council, identified Sector Capacity Building as one of the priority areas for United Way funding in FY 2018-19. Because of United Way’s role as a backbone organization for Focus on Prevention, it is well positioned to come alongside organizations in our community, providing resources and support to help strengthen their work in alignment with the result areas of Focus on Prevention.

United Way has funded a project in partnership with City Ministries and Love our Cities that will actively engaged the faith sector in the collaborative efforts of Focus on Prevention.

Love Our Cities will develop and implement a web-based platform that will serve as a one stop shop for Focus on Prevention community engagement. In addition, they will work alongside City Ministry Network and other faith-based partners to implement a sector engagement plan consisting of summits and leadership meetings to help promote and support the platform throughout their communities. The implementation throughout the Faith Sector, and subsequently other sectors in the community, will be a collaborative effort with multi-sector leadership.

This proposal is led by City Ministries Network, one of the leading organizations to strengthen relationships within the faith sector, and Love our Cities, a leading organization for volunteerism in cities throughout the county. Their partnership in this effort will expand the reach of Focus on Prevention and United Way to new audiences across Stanislaus County.  

• Phase 1 of the project launched in Nov. and is grant funding to LOC for web development and CMN for planning and internal capacity building.
• Phase 2 is scheduled for early 2019 (Jan/Feb) and will be the launch of the Faith Based Sector Engagement & Capacity Building pilot.

The Project Management Team has been convening regularly and consists of representation from

• Marvin Jacobo , City Ministries Network
• Jim Applegate, City Ministries Network
• Eric Jung, Love our Cities
• Menne Hall, United Way of Stanislaus County
• Sarah Bautista, United Way of Stanislaus County

FOP Provides Platform for Unique Housing Solution

Over 2 years ago stakeholders from 10 sectors of the community embarked on a journey to work creatively and collaboratively to address important issues in Stanislaus County. From there, the collective impact movement Focus on Prevention was born.  Supporting all residents to escape homelessness has been one of FOP’s priority areas since its inception. Supported by the FOP movement…  click here to read more

Modesto and Turlock review proposal for Downtown Streets Team

The City of Modesto and City of Turlock are reviewing a proposal from the non-profit organization Downtown Streets Team as part of the collaborative efforts to prevent and reduce homelessness throughout Stanislaus County.

The California Downtown Streets Team proposes launching a Team under direct management of it’s headquarters in Modesto with the option to expand to Turlock. The proposed program is a partnership with elected officials and staff from various departments in Stanislaus County, the City of Modesto and the City of Turlock.

The Community C.A.R.E.s

The C.A.R.E outreach team at work in Modesto     photo: City of Modesto

C.A.R.E | Community Assessment, Response and Engagement issued a 90 day program report detailing the project and its initial findings.

Homelessness is an issue that is immensely disconcerting in Stanislaus County. This
challenge is not unique to our community and represents a crisis throughout the State of California and beyond. In Stanislaus County alone, data over last several years reveal that on average 1,400 individuals are experiencing homelessness with many more at risk of homelessness while struggling with the lack of safe and affordable housing. For the last few years, efforts such as Focus on Prevention have begun to make progress in strengthening the community’s system of care. However, even with these efforts, this population continues to cause significant distress for themselves and in the community.

Community members often see individuals wandering through the streets and throughout Downtown Modesto and along McHenry Avenue in what seems in obvious distress, and ask: “Is anything being done to help these people?” There appears to be a new norm in what is acceptable when it comes to individuals living in distress in the community.

The most compelling statistic that has emerged from the CARE planning efforts is that during the course of planning meetings since December, seven individuals identified within the priority population have passed away.

This report outlines how Stanislaus County and the City of Modesto are joining together to take immediate and direct action to no longer accept this as the norm in our community. Although this initial work is focused on the CARE population in the City of Modesto, the County intends to expand this effort throughout the community as the program model is established and becomes operational.

 

C.A.R.E QUICK LINKS

City Manager’s Blog: This City CAREs
Download full CARE report
CARE Video

CAREing for those experiencing homelessness

One of Stanislaus County’s top priorities is our newly created cross-sector, cross-agency, multi-disciplinary team. The C.A.R.E. team focuses on helping to restore the individuals in our community causing the most significant distress in our community and for themselves.

This priority population, those not connected or engaged in services, often struggle with:

• High-Risk Health and Safety Behaviors
• Vagrancy-Related Criminal Behavior
• Severe and Persistent Mental Illness
• Substance Use Disorders

Read the full story here

Release of Request for Qualifications

United Way of Stanislaus County in alignment with Focus on Prevention and the Community System of Care Stanislaus County is embarking on a unique and powerful partnership to bring hope and change to those at risk or experiencing homelessness in Stanislaus County. Through a collaboration of private and public partners and funding sources, plans are underway to open and operate an Emergency Low Barrier Shelter for a two-year period in Modesto. As part of the community wide Focus on Prevention initiative, this Immediate Action Plan will bring relief now to the serious condition of homelessness while we work toward a Permanent Access Center.

Click here for full details on the Request for Qualifications 

Click the button below to apply

Modesto and Stanislaus County officials look at bringing Downtown Streets Team to the Modesto area

Modesto and Stanislaus County officials are looking at bringing Downtown Streets Team to the Modesto area. Turlock officials have expressed interest in having the program in their community, too.

In the News: Next Steps for Low Barrier Shelter

photo: Joan Barnett Lee jlee@modbee.com

Excerpt from Modesto Bee article published August 4, 2018

Stanislaus County picks its spot for temporary homeless shelter

Stanislaus County is proposing to open a temporary shelter in two buildings of its former hospital at its Scenic Drive government center to deal with the growing homelessness crisis.

The shelter could be open for about two years until the county is able to open a permanent access center at another location and which would provide comprehensive services for homeless people.

County leaders unveiled the plan for the temporary shelter at a Friday afternoon Bee editorial board meeting. They expect to bring the proposal before the Board of Supervisors at its Aug. 28 meeting as part of a comprehensive discussion about homelessness, the county’s efforts to address it and potential next steps.
Read full article here

Are you homeless and need help now?

VISIT OR CALL THE OUTREACH AND ENGAGEMENT
825 12th Street in Modesto
Monday-Friday, 8:00 am-5:00 pm
Telephone: (209) 272-8200
OEC Webpage
Download OEC Brochure

Visit the Outreach & Engagement Center for assistance with these services and more.

• Centralized Homelessness Outreach and Engagement
• Housing Assessments & Navigation
• Homelessness Support Services Referrals
• Homelessness Court Outreach Program (HCP) & Navigation
• Multiple co-located partners connecting individuals to their services

 

About the OEC
The Outreach and Engagement Center “OEC” IS part of the county’s outreach and engagement efforts for individuals at risk or currently experiencing homelessness. The OEC provides a physical entry point that centralizes connections to housing, necessary supports, provides assessments, referrals, and help navigating a wide-range of homelessness services available throughout the county.

This effort is not about the building, it’s truly about partnership, collaboration & the willingness to serve and build hopefulness.

In the past, services were available through an office appointment, which often excludes those without access to transportation. The OEC has a unique, “meet you where you are” strategy. Each day, engagement teams go into the community seeking out individuals in need, building trust, creating relationships that and facilitate efforts and services to escape homelessness, for the night and forever.

Collaborative CARE Program

Community members often see individuals wandering through the streets and throughout Downtown Modesto and along McHenry Avenue in what seems in obvious distress, and ask: “Is anything being done to help these people?”

In December 2017, over fifty community leaders were convened to discuss noticeable problem behaviors in and around the core of downtown Modesto. The group made a commitment to support a 90-day review and strategy process focused on addressing what many see as a crisis in our community. Out of that meeting, the Community Assessment Response Engagement (CARE) program began as an intensive effort to address the issues that arise in communities when homelessness is coupled with mental illness and substance use and/or alcohol abuse.

Read more about CARE
CARE Report 4-Page Summary
Video of CARE in action