The Loop - California (January 2023)

THE LOOP

As we continue into 2023, we are welcomed by a new year full of new possibilities for our organization, opportunities for growth for our staff, and services that we will be fortunate to provide to the communities in which we serve. However, we also can’t help but look back in pride of what we accomplished this past year and hope that we will be able to not only reach, but surpass the bar that has been set. But, never forget that all that we accomplish is thanks to the contributions of passion, talent, knowledge, and energy that we collectively bring to the table. After all, WE are WestCare!

While we are still early into this new year, we do have some exciting updates to share regarding our programs and services offered in California!

In the service domain of Treatment and Rehabilitation, our Bakersfield Outpatient program received new Drug Medi-Cal funding from Kern County Behavioral Health, which allowed them to add four additional staff members to their outpatient team! Welcome to the WestCare Family!

In Criminal Justice services, our STOP (Specialized Treatment for Optimized Programming) Area 1 and 3 contracts each received a three-year extension, allowing them to continue to serve recent parolees by way of linkage to local treatment services upon reentry to their community as well as vocational support, transitional housing, and more.

As for our Veterans Services, our San Joaquin Valley Veterans (SJVV) program received a renewal for their Supportive Services for Veteran Families (SSVF) grant from the Veterans Administration (VA), allowing them to continue providing permanent supportive housing for local Veterans and their families. We were also honored to be a recipient of the VA’s Staff Sergeant Parker Gordon Fox Suicide Prevention Grant Program (SSG Fox SPGP). Through this grant, we will provide outreach, baseline mental

health assessments, suicide prevention education, case management, and assistance with obtaining and coordinating public benefits and linkages to help enrich the lives of the Veterans and their families that we serve in Merced, San Joaquin, and Stanislaus Counties. We are honored to be one of four recipients of this grant within the greater WestCare family alongside our operations in Kentucky, Oregon, and Tennessee! Stay tuned to the Loop in the coming months for exciting updates on this program that we are proud to offer to those who have served!

Last but certainly not least, in the domain of Education and Prevention, our Behavioral Education And Treatment (BEAT) program also received a renewal, enabling us to continue to provide specialized treatment and rehabilitation services in Fresno County to individuals with a substance use disorder who are HIV positive or at-risk of contracting HIV/AIDS. Through this program, we are able to not only guide participants onto a path of recovery, but reduce the further spread of the virus by reducing risky behaviors associated with its transmission. We’d also like to take this time to congratulate their new Program Coordinator, Ashley Morris, on her recent promotion this past month!

As we continue into this new year, I see nothing but new opportunities for success and a year that brings peace, love, and happiness to you and your loved ones!

Chief Operating Officer WestCare Foundation - Western Region

Program Spotlight: Housing Services

By WestCare California’s Housing Services Team

Our Housing Services team in Fresno is focused on providing critical and quality services to assist individuals and/or families to quickly regain stability in permanent housing after experiencing a housing crisis or a period of homelessness. Housing programs include site and tenant-based rapid rehousing and scattered-site permanent supportive housing - both providing case management along with housing assistance to individuals and families. Our various housing programs consist of the following:

Homeless Disability Advocacy Program (HDAP) works with disabled individuals who are experiencing homelessness to apply and obtain disability benefits as well as supportive housing.

APS Home Safe provides supportive services for elderly and dependent adults.

Warm Handoff helps navigate criminal justice-involved persons as they reintegrate back into their communities.

Opening Doors to Housing and Wellness links individuals at risk of or experiencing homelessness to a vaiety of services.

Project LiftOFF (PLO) offers permanent supportive housing to families/individuals that are experiencing homelessness with a documented disability. They provide case management services that link the clients to wrap around services within the community.

ESG Project Unite offers rapid rehousing and homelessness prevention services to individuals/families that touch our Coordinated Entry System (CES) at any one of the various Access Sites within the counties of Fresno or Madera.

Home Sweet Home is a site-based rapid rehousing program where clients are linked to income opportunities within the community through case management services and move on to a more permanent housing option.

WestCare Rapid Solutions (WRS) offers a very light touch approach where clients that are newly homeless are diverted from the community homeless system and reunified with family or placed in a unit with little to no support.

Most of our housing programs utilize the Coordinated Entry System (CES) where our staff track information for our individuals served and use it as a road map for placement into permanent housing, offering diversion, homelessness prevention, and housing navigation services. WestCare uses the Housing First Model, which has proven that homeless services support after they are housed, rather

Vicky ' s HousingSuccess Story

Vicky R. has been a client of the Housing Services department since 2020. She was offered several housing opportunities that for one reason or another did not meet her needs. Our HUD CES Housing Navigator, Kristen Telles, started working with Vicky in 2021 and has worked tirelessly to provide her with resources and housing opportunities. With Kristen’s help, she was willing to accept housing, but barriers beyond her control kept her from public housing. However, they never gave up and wouldn’t take no for an answer. We are happy to report that Vicky is now housed at the new housing project named Butterfly Garden in Clovis! This was a collaboration with Britney Kisling, a former staff member that now works at the County of Fresno’s Department of Behavioral Health. Great job, team!

Donation Wishlist

Housing Services’ various grants are currently seeking donations of:

Bedding

Bus tokens

Dog food and care items (Bed, treats, toys)

Gift cards (Walmart, fast food, gas)

Household items (Pots, pans, cleaning supplies)

Hygiene kits and supplies

Inflatable mattresses

2022, Rocio Garcia has embraced the positive difference in her work environment positiveattitude and welcoming demeanor to compassion in the field with the elderly basis with transportation, home visits, strong advocacy, and linkage to much needed resources!

Storage bins

Warm clothing, beanies, socks, underwear, and blankets

If you would like to make a donation, please contact Housing Services by calling (559) 712-7114.

APS HOME SAFE CASE MANAGER

December: Paws and Gifts to Our Veterans!

This year, our Veterans served by San Joaquin Valley Veterans (SJVV) in Tulare and Kings County were blessed with many gifts and a toy drive this Christmas season thanks to the efforts put on by Hands and Paws Prevail Inc (HAPPI) HAPPI is dedicated to training service and therapy dogs and creating awareness to emotional support.

It has been such a beautiful sight to see everyone come together to support the heroes that we serve, making Christmas truly magical for our Veterans who are also staying in emergency housing.

pirits with Holiday Cheer!

own way whether it was with our San Joaquin Valley Veterans (SJVV) team in Fresno together away from our office, our Data team coming together for a holiday team photo, or helped make the holiday season a little bit brighter for the individuals and families that we

12 21: The National Guard Shares Some Holiday Cheer with a Family in our Care

On Dec. 21, Case Manager, Erica Moses helped organize a special donation of a Christmas tree! The California National Guard, who her partner Dayle is a part of, gives out Christmas trees to the families of soldiers and there just happened to be one tree leftover! Instead of tossing the tree out, they inquired if any of our Home Sweet Home clients could use one.

This client has gone from a two-parent household to a one-parent household. Currently a single dad taking care of two small boys on his own, there has been so much growth for him this year. Not only were they able to receive a Christmas tree this holiday season, but Dayle also went out and purchased ornaments and lights for the family. We hope this helps this individual and family enjoy the Christmas spirit even more this season

CORE Awards

October: Calm and Collected Jennifer Childers

Women’s Coordinator, MLK Residential

October: Calm and Collected Tracy Herrera

Counselor, MLK Residential

October: Calm and Collected Sara Florez

Program Coordinator, Adolescent Services

November: Mentor

Norma Gonzalez

Family Service Specialist, MLK Residential

November: Mentor Jenny Magdaleno

Program Director, MLK Residential

Kudos to Soma!

Kudos to Soma Norodom, Administrative Assistant, MLK Residential! We’d like to recognize Soma Norodom, Administrative Assistant at MLK Residential, philanthropist, and published author for sharing her story as a keynote speaker for the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) program at California State University Fresno on Dec. 8, 2022. The OLLI program offers learning opportunities to those age 50 and better. She was also joined with support from fellow WestCare staff, Terry Walker and Nancy Montano from our Contract Compliance department!

12.23: Staff and Community Come Together to Make the Holiday Spirit Felt at MLK

Just days before Christmas, gifts from staff were handed to our MLK Residential clients in Fresno alongside donations received in late November from the family of Richard Fraga, whom lost his battle against substance abuse in 2020. In his memory, his family made a generous donation to benefit the men, women, and children served at our MLK Residential facility in Fresno. Their donations consisted of hygiene items and warm clothing that were purchased with contributions from their friends and family members. Additionally, our staff organized a special holiday door decorating contest! Our clients were happy and grateful for the various gestures from their WestCare family and beyond!

On behalf of all of those that we serve at MLK Residential, we’d like to send our most heartfelt thanks to the Fraga family and to our dedicated MLK staff!

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December: A Local Family Helps MLK Residential Ring in the New Year!

In late December, the Segundo family made a special donation to our MLK Residential facility in Fresno of hot chocolate with candy canes! To help our clients celebrate, our team gave them out on New Year's Day.