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Women of Distinction
Right now Wesley House can
accommodate 34 students in their
current facility, and at San Diego
State University alone, there are
currently over 3,000 unsheltered
students. “We are a drop in the
bucket, but we are working very
hard to expand by partnering with myriad of additional challenges.
developers who are building large
mixed-use and modular develop-
ments throughout the County. So,
for example, ground level retail
and then, four or five stories of
residential living space. These
developers allocate a portion of
the residential units for affordable
housing and a portion of those for
student housing. Wesley House
will then provide onsite support
services to the student tenants
to ensure they are successful and
graduate from college.
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Not only does Wesley House In San Diego, we have over
provide housing, but they offer 11,000 non-profits doing amazing
many additional services. “Sup- and very necessary work. With
port services are provided for this large number of non-profits,
our residents because, although the position of Director of Devel-
housing is the biggest hurdle, opment can be a challenge. When
the students who we serve face a I asked Nicole what it was that
she loved most about her job, she
We serve former foster youth responded with the following, "I
who are experiencing homeless- love being able to interact with
ness, students who were formerly the students. Our office is in the
incarcerated, and first-generation residential complex, it's great that
college students. We have pro- we're able to be on site with them.
grams for all of our students once Students pop in every day with all
a month on topics like financial types of questions about every-
literacy, stress management, and thing you can imagine... I have
voter registration. We also have attempted to interpret blood work
individual wrap-around support results, approved outfits for dates,
services for each student based and reviewed resumes. I'm very
on their needs. We offer resume honored that the students trust
review, career coaching, interview me and come to me for help. They
attire, healthy eating, and any- are an absolutely incredible bunch
thing and everything they could of students. I admire them all. I
need, including mental health struggled through college, and
care services.” I didn't have to deal with hous-
Wesley House also partners ing insecurity or food insecurity.
with some amazing organizations College by itself is hard enough
“currently we are working with without having to deal with all of
Just In Time for Foster Youth on the the challenges they face.
launch of our Second Start Pro- Nicole and her husband
gram. This program provides one Dustin, who is a professor at City
year of no-cost housing specifical- College, share their home with
ly for foster youth experiencing their adorable spaniel mix named
homelessness. We have a goal for Enzo. Enzo has become a sort of
them that at the end of that year, mascot to the residents and staff
they can transition into one of our at Wesley House, accompanying
affordable units and stay with us Nicole there to help make Wesley
through their college graduation. House feel even more like home.
We launched the program this What is in the future for
year, and it's my baby. We have Wesley House? “We are actively
four amazing gentlemen living growing our community partner-
with us. It's great because it's a ships, growing our relationships
pilot program, so we get to build with different developers, growing
it around them and make sure our relationships with govern-
that we're keeping it flexible and ment. We're very fortunate that we
adaptable because every student is just received our first government
different and every foster youth is grant from the City of San Diego.
different, and everyone who expe- So, we're extremely excited to be
riences homelessness is different. working in partnership with the
So, it's vital that we keep every- City and USD on a non-profit
thing responsive and not standard- accelerator program for small and
ized. emerging organizations.”