Page 8 - Sonoma County Gazette June 2017

North Sonoma County Services Changes Name to Reach for Home
By Je rey Scott
E ective May 13, non-pro t agency North Sonoma County Services will
be known as Reach for Home as it ramps up fundraising to assist homeless individuals and families. The new name, along with a new logo, are designed to more e ectively convey the Reach for Home mission to help people in the area who are struggling with, or are at risk of, losing housing.
Reach for Home launched its new identity at the second annual exhibit of student artwork on homelessness at the Paul Mahder Gallery. Research found the previous name was an impediment to public awareness and fundraising for critical homeless services.
Homelessness in Sonoma County is three times higher than the national rate for similar regions. According to the 2016 Sonoma County Homeless Census and Survey, nearly 3,000 adults and children live in Sonoma County without stable housing. Sixty-seven percent of the area’s homeless cited high rent as a reason why they could not obtain stable housing. The cost of housing in Sonoma County is 59% higher than the national average. Newly released guidelines from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development show a family of four in Santa Rosa is classi ed as “low-income” if the annual household income is below $70,500.
“Today our outreach team serves approximately 220 people daily. They deliver food, emergency equipment and supplies, assist in arranging and providing transportation to medical appointments, and o er guidance on solving crisis situations,” said Tom Hart eld, Board Chair, Reach for Home. “For people without housing, the need for assistance is urgent. In collaboration with the Committee on the Shelterless (COTS) we’ve placed 24 families in
the Family Transitional and Rapid Re-Housing programs over the past year. We would like to do so much more. With the help of residents and public and private partnerships, so much is possible.”
“Behind all the statistics are real individuals and families. Our new identity highlights the success people can achieve when they engage in action plans and work hard for positive outcomes, especially learning the life skills needed to attain permanent housing and independence,” said Reach for Home’s Executive Director Colleen Carmichael.
She added, “In early 2017 we received a private grant to conduct stakeholder research and make bold moves based on the results. We learned that although our team is perceived as dedicated and e ective, we are challenged by a tendency in the community to deny the existence of the homeless problem along with confusion about our name and a lack of awareness about what
we do. This combination limited our ability to raise funds and carry out our programs.”
More information about Reach for Home is available at reachforhome.org. Reach for Home is based in Healdsburg.
Everyone agrees that we want to support our most vulnerable communities and foster an environment where hardworking families and people can a ord a safe, local place to live. But with reduced funding for a ordable housing and rising housing costs, it has put a severe strain on our ability to respond to the needs of our community.
HOUSING cont’d from page 1
“Most of us already know family or friends impacted by the housing
crisis. But the data show the problem is much wider and deeper, requiring a systematic response,” said Matt Schwartz, CEO and President of the California Housing Partnership, the organization that released the data.
Over the past 8 years, our communities have seen a dramatic decrease in state and federal funds for a ordable housing, at the same time need has grown the most. Sonoma County has lost nearly 90% of state and federal funding for a ordable housing since 2008.
How did we Get Here?
Funds have been slashed even as needs have grown, and even as a ordable housing has proven bene ts for our communities. For Sonoma County residents who are able to secure a ordable housing, it is a lifeline to opportunity and an important driver of equity in our region.
“Fortunately, there are important opportunities in front of us, if we have the will to seize them,” said Schwartz.
LOCAL RECOMMENDATIONS
» Create a Housing Trust Fund for public and private investment in affordable homes serving people experiencing homelessness, seniors, veterans, people with disabilities and working families.
» Pass a Countywide Housing Measure to fund affordable homes for these groups as well as innovative approaches to addressing housing needs.
» Ensure that Sonoma County communities can continue to compete successfully with other regions for State and Federal investments by providing local matching funds.
» Review opportunities to create affordable housing on vacant and underutilized publicly-owned sites. suitable for residential development.
» Incentivize land contributions and fee concessions where they can yield greater impact.
» Link local investments in health care to affordable housing and services that improve health outcomes.
» Provide quality, affordable local homes to address the needs of agricultural and hospitality industry workers.
» Ensure adequate funding for supportive housing affordable and accessible to all those in need including for low-income seniors, our fastest-growing demographic, and people experiencing homelessness.
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There are solutions at hand
The Non-Pro t Housing Association of Northern California (NPH) works across Northern California, including Sonoma County, to secure resources, promote good policy, educate the public and support a ordable homes as the foundation for thriving individuals, families and neighborhoods.
“It’s important for Sonoma County to be able to support the most vulnerable among us, as well as be able to house the agricultural and hospitality industry workers so vital to the local economy,” said Amie Fishman, NPH’s Executive Director.
NPH’s work across the region provides a unique perspective on the needs and opportunities facing Sonoma County, and Fishman noted that new trends seen across the region were promising.
“It’s a turning tide,” said Fishman, observing new urgency for action on the issue, as seen in both Bay Area and national polling. “And it’s not just polling – we saw in last November’s election that, when given the chance, voters come out strongly in support for a ordable housing.”
HOUSING cont’d on page 9