Fall Newsletter 2023

FALL 2023

Circle of Friends A supportive group of friends and neighbors. Delicious food. And a worthy cause close to our hearts.

We enjoyed all of that and more on a recent Sunday in Fremont, where we hosted a fiesta-themed event for members of our Home Builders Society and Harriet Despeaux Legacy Circle.

We were so pleased to welcome this gathering of supporters, whom we thanked for doing so much to help further Abode’s work.

The Home Builders Society has more than 100 members who commit to give at least $1,000 or more per year for five years.

This allows us to make long-term fiscal plans, helping us provide housing and services to formerly homeless people and strengthen our foundation for building and expanding Abode programs.

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CIRCLE OF FRIENDS (cont. from page 1)

At the annual luncheon, we also hosted members of the Harriet Despeaux Legacy Circle, who are donors who have included Abode in their will or trust.

The circle is named for a former Abode board member and volunteer who generously left us a gift in her estate plan.

Together with members of both groups, we shared a meal provided by Arteaga’s Food Center, while Abode’s leaders — such as Chief Executive Officer Louis Chicoine, Chief Operating Officer Vivian Wan, and Chief Real Estate Officer Jon White — presented updates about our work throughout the Bay Area.

In addition, we would like to express our appreciation to Fremont’s Downtown Event Center, where we hosted the Sept. 24 event.

Those who made contributions to the fiesta help make our work possible, and the efforts by those who attended the gathering will go a long way toward helping Abode fulfill its mission of ending homelessness in our community.

For more information about how to join the Society or the Legacy Circle, please contact us at donors@abode.org or 510-459-1663.

If you are interested in giving to Abode without joining one of these giving societies, you can send a donation to us via regular mail at: Abode, 40849 Fremont Blvd., Fremont, CA 94538.

You can also give online at www.abode.org/donate.

Thank you again, Home Builders Society and Despeaux Legacy Circle members, for your continued support!

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New Look, Same Impact We have a new look and logo, but we remain as focused as ever on our mission.

Every day at Abode, we drive solutions for our region’s homelessness crisis through every possible lens — from services that meet people where they are on the street to managing and building the places they’ll call home.

At Abode, we believe finding homes for our unhoused neighbors is the first and most important step in ending homelessness. We all need the stability and security that only a permanent home can bring.

We are excited to announce our new look and to start another chapter in our organization’s history.

At the same time, our three main entities continue to work in unity on one mission: Ending homelessness in our community.

Those entities are: Abode Services, Abode Property Management, and Abode Housing Development.

Our organization founded in 1989 in Fremont under a different name — Tri-City Housing Coalition — when it was a tiny local group trying to address poverty in Southern Alameda County. Many years later, our name now is Abode and we’ve expanded our mission. We work to end homelessness in several Bay Area communities, including Alameda, Santa Clara, San Francisco, Napa, San Mateo, and Santa Cruz counties.

At Abode, we have tried to consistently change with the times so that we can continue to help those in need, transforming the lives of our clients and strengthening the communities in which we work.

Through it all, there is one main constant: We continue to provide housing and services, developing and implementing innovative programs to end homelessness.

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Welcome Aboard We are excited to announce the addition of two new members to the Abode Board of Directors: Claudine Sipili and Lynette Stolarzyk.

Claudine is the Director of Lived Experience and Innovation at Destination: Home, a nonprofit organization that convenes public and private partners to end homelessness.

Claudine served in the United States Navy and the Army National Guard before starting her work in the nonprofit sector. Her prior work experience includes developing and implementing programs to help unhoused individuals, families, and justice-involved populations to earn a living wage and find stable housing.

Her lived experience has developed her expertise for helping those in need, making her a champion of building compassion, disrupting status-quo systems, and helping sector leaders clarify our local community’s understanding of the root causes and scope of homelessness.

Claudine is an active advocate for ending homelessness and improving quality of life for unsheltered individuals.

She serves on the Santa Clara County Continuum of Care Governance Board, and as the Northern California Co-Chairman of the Statewide Lived Expertise Advisory Board.

In addition, we are equally pleased that Lynette Stolarzyk has joined our board.

Lynette is managing partner in the Bay Area practice of Baker Tilly US, LLP — one of the nation’s top 10 advisory tax and assurance firms. Lynette is a seasoned tax advisor and consultant who leverages her experience in private CONTINUED ON PAGE 5

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WELCOME ABOARD (cont. from page 4) industry, the public sphere, and academia to provide effective tax consulting and planning services.

Lynette is a proven, natural leader. She continually expands her managerial skills, as she now leads more than 180 team members at Baker Tilly. She believes that effective leadership is about empowering others to help them achieve success and grow in their careers and at the firm.

She is an inaugural participant in the firm’s Future Leaders Engage and Excel program, which includes education and experiences that are connected by applied learning, senior leader mentorship, coaching, and cohort community engagement.

Please join us in proudly welcoming Claudine Sipili and Lynette Stolarcyk to the Abode Board of Directors!

EXECUTIVE TEAM Louis Chicoine, Chief Executive Officer Vivian Wan, Chief Operating Officer John Reiber, Chief Financial Officer Jon White, Chief Real Estate Officer Juana Nunley, Chief Property Management Officer Bronwyn Hogan, Vice President of Community Relations Marilyn Lovelace-Grant, Vice President of Talent & Culture Kara Carnahan, Vice President of Programs – Alameda, Napa & San Francisco Counties Katie Fantin, Vice President of Programs – Santa Clara, Santa Cruz & San Mateo Counties Camilla Llaguna, Controller – Abode Jenny Zou, Controller – Property Management & Housing Development

BOARD OF DIRECTORS Tarrah Henrie, President Tejas Saraiya, Vice President Darrian White, Secretary John Lee, Treasurer Rohit Angle John Barton

Vishnu Beri Sameer Bhasin Ann Danner John Domantay Brian Friss Reshma Inamdar

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Hassan Khawaja Claudine Sipili Ken Smith Lynette Stolarzyk Tom Wasow

Lived Experience The Lived Experience Advisory Board (LEAB) is a collective of adult advocates of all ages who have lived experience of homelessness.

There are 12 members serving on the board and they are tasked with helping Abode improve its ability to end homelessness. LEAB members partner with Abode’s leadership and offer feedback to improve the quality of Abode’s programs and services for current and future program participants.

Members meet monthly in Zoom meetings held remotely to provide maximum accessibility — with lunch and tablets provided to members.

Members are volunteers who receive a monthly stipend, as we appreciate their help and expertise.

LEAB members are from Abode programs and service areas – representing the full spectrum of those we serve.

To qualify for LEAB membership, applicants must: • Be at least 18-years-old.

• Be or have been enrolled in Abode programs.

• Have lived experience of homelessness. (Current or former experience.)

• Participate in monthly LEAB member meetings.

• Be willing to partner with decision-makers and share feedback about service-related matters with Abode staff.

Applications to join the Lived Experience Advisory Board are on our website at: www.abode.org/leab-board.

Questions? For more information, contact Abode Special Projects Coordinator Rachel Cole-Jansen at rcolejansen@abode.org.

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