On June 1, Project Understanding will temporarily close its homeless services center to restructure services directed toward the homeless population of Ventura County. Project Understanding will reopen its homeless services center as a program called H2H (Homeless to Home) on July 5. Current homeless services include showers, mail pickup and laundry. Project Understanding will shift this program from a daytime, drop-in service to the new program.
Project Understanding is identifying homeless clients who are interested in participating in the new H2H program and will work with them on an individual basis to facilitate their first steps out of homelessness with the goal of becoming housed.
For those participating in the H2H program, showers, mail pickup and laundry services will still be provided.
In January the project initiated a trial version of the H2H program. For those individuals who agreed to a case management process and worked through it, small successes occurred quickly. The individuals are either on the pathway to housing or have been housed.
Project Understanding has also entered into a collaborative effort with three other social service agencies that will participate in the H2H program—the Salvation Army, Turning Point and Catholic Charities. As the H2H program develops funding and staff, case workers from all four agencies will work as a team to facilitate change for the homeless in the community.
Initial funding has been provided through the Ventura Social Services Task Force, the city of Ventura and Meadowlark Service League.
Depending on funding sources and amounts, H2H services will be expanded countywide.
For more information, go to www.projectunderstanding.org.
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