LETTER FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Peers&Partners,
As we close out 2024, I’m excited to reflect on our growth and share what’s next for our agency
Guyton Colantuono
PRPSN Executive Director
This year was marked by significant development--we doubled our PEERS reentry staff, served over 150 incarcerated individuals, and expanded our CAPS program in partnership with the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation to provide the Medi-Cal Peer Support Specialist Training to individuals inside Chino Hills Men’s Prison. Our community partnerships flourished, including co-hosting the EmpowerMIND Mental Wellness Summit with CD9 Coalition, bringing holistic wellness to South Central We are also partnering with Tri-City Mental Health to outreach individuals and gather data for their Community Planning Process Through the Community Integration Project, in collaboration with the LA County Department of Mental Health and Union Station Homeless Services, we’re providing peer support and system navigation services for those experiencing homelessness and staying in interim housing.
Looking to 2025, we are very close to purchasing a peer respite house in South Los Angeles. This respite will provide a vital alternative to hospitalization, offering a healing space for individuals in recovery Peer-run respites have been shown to reduce need of inpatient care by 70% and significantly improve self-esteem and mental health, results we have seen first-hand in our Long Beach-based peer respite house South LA urgently needs these services, and we’re eager to bring this resource to a community facing ongoing disparities.
Thank you for the important role each and every one of you has played in Project Return's success. Please enjoy the pages of this year’s impact report as we showcase our what we do as well as what is to come
We introduced two new board members, Cynthia Ray and Joe Ruiz
In just two years, we’ve doubled the size of our reentry program
We served over 8,500 unduplicated individuals
We doubled our contract with the LA County Department of Mental
We’re in escrow on a new peer respite house
ONLINE SUPPORT GROUPS
SOME OF OUR MOST POPULAR
UP TO 40 ATTENDEES PER GROUP
Emotional Sobriety: Learn and share practices and tools on how to regulate negative feelings.
Dealing With Relationship Challenges: Find tools and solutions for dealing with relationship difficulties
Healthy Relationships: Join us as we explore how to maintain healthy relationships We will discover how we relate to one another
We Are & She Is - The Group for ALL Women
Seeking Balance: A group where we talk about living life with the dual diagnosis of addiction and mental health.
Finding the Message Through the Mess: An online support for surviving suicide and those living with suicidal ideation.
United & Living with Bipolar: Talk about our experiences living with bipolar disorder.
Dealing With Anger: We explore solutions and healthy ways of channeling and resolving anger issues
Building Boundaries for the Future: Reclaim your narratives; the first step to doing such is staying strong in our boundaries
22 average registrants per meeting
63 different groups each week
5,637 INDIVIDUALS BROWSEOURONLINEGROUPSHERE!
Peer support is a hand held out from someone who's walked your path, offering understanding and strength where words often fall short.
12,127 registrations and 712 new members retained from online groups
10% growth in attendees since last fiscal year
Our Members are from all 50 states and 38 countries worldwide. Our reach has expanded globally demonstrating the growing need and impact of our services in providing accessible, vital peer support, to people across diverse communities
IN-PERSON SUPPORT GROUPS
Project Return got its start in 1980 by by running in-person peer support groups. Today, these groups remain the backbone of our services and embody the spirit of taking charge together. We offer 88 inperson support groups each week. We are in every service area of Los Angeles in a variety of locations ranging from wellness centers, outpatient clinics, board and cares, shelters and community centers.
2,161 people attended our groups last year.
Our regional coordinators are the heart and face of our in-person support groups They play a crucial role as peer mentors; they guide nearly 100 volunteer Facilitators in leading groups that align with our core principles and values Their dedication and leadership ensures that our mission is reflected consistently throughout each area.
COMMUNITY INTEGRATION PROJECT: CAN’T COME TO US? WE’LL MEET YOU WHERE YOU ARE.
CIP expands peer support into more restrictive living environments such as Institutes of Medical Disease (IMDs), locked board and cares and hospitals
CIP and SPA 4 Regional Coordinator, Narcisa Salazar
HOMELESS OUTREACH & MOBILE ENGAGEMENT (HOME) TEAM
This year, CIP teamed up with the LA County Department of Mental Health and Union Station Homeless services to provide peer support to over 60 unhoused individuals in interim housing in the San Gabriel Valley.
HACIENDA OF HOPE
Hacienda of Hope is a harm reduction based, welcoming, non-clinical environment, staffed by others who are able to relate, empathize and offer hope and support through crisis The two-story home can accommodate up to ten guests at a time Guests can participate in cooking and household activities, on site peer support groups, self-help and wellness activities. PRPSN draws on our established community networks to link guests to resources to sustain their wellness upon departure.
I love coming to Hacienda of Hope It's like a home away from home I feel secure here and the staff are so sweet to me Hacienda of Hope helps me by learning new stuff about myself, coping skills and getting away from the stressors of life
~Nyisha, Hacienda of Hope Guest
Nyisha and her mother at Hacienda’s 10 year anniversary celebration.
FROM LONG BEACH TO SOUTH LA
After dreaming and planning for nearly two years, we think we’ve found the perfect site for a new peer respite house in South Los Angeles. Located on a quiet street, near USC, the house has five bedrooms and three bathrooms and a backyard. It is within walking distance to parks, grocery stores and close to public transportation. More news to come!
BUILDING COMMUNITY WHILE APPROACHING THE FINISH LINE
By attending local provider meetings, community networking events, and hosting groups, we're fostering connections in South LA that enhance our mission. A standout partnership has been with Council District 9 Mental Wellness Subcommittee. Together, we co-organized Empowermind: A South Central Wellness Summit, where we provided over 200 meals, conducted surveys on community needs, gathered more than 30 wellness providers from South Central, and offered live music, yoga, and healing workshops. This event was a powerful step toward supporting holistic wellness in the area.
To furnish our upcoming peer respite home, we hosted Walk in Our Shoes, a fundraiser to kick off our Long Beach Gives campaign. The event featured an open mic, tours of the peer respite house in Long Beach, and a special workshop where participants decorated shoes with notes for someone who might one day walk in their shoes. Thanks to the incredible support from our community, we raised $15,000 through this campaign!
Peer Education and Empowerment Reentry Services
Staffed by credible messengers with lived experience of incarceration
“This particular [program] was impactful to me because [their credible messengers] were very passionate and sincere in what it is they wanted us to know, learn and share. [They also come] from and share the same background and experiences I came from so it easy for me to grasp on the information that was being shared.”
Tanamo, Anger Management Graduate
139
BY THE NUMBERS
Enrolled in support groups: Anger Management & Seeking Safety
Individuals receiving system navigation services
134
247
Individuals receiving mental health services for the first time
What Makes PEERS Different...
While many are forgotten in prison, our program has chosen to invest in these individuals Many in society look at them as dirt, yet even dirt has a purpose
Consider the grain of sand at the bottom of the ocean, a worthless piece of dirt to many but not to the oyster When that single grain finds its way into the oyster's shell it goes through a transformation, where it gets made into a magnificent pearl
Just like that grain tucked away in that oyster shell, the darkest moments in life can be the greatest moments One can discover who they are, what they were created to be, and what their value and place in life is
-Jose Zapata, Director of PEERS
WE PUT AN EMPHASIS ON SUPPORTING THOSE INSIDE
WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO BE A CALIFORNIA MEDI-CAL PEER SPECIALIST?
The California Association of Peer Supporters (CAPS) Academy is statewide joint venture between PRPSN and Mental Health America of California (MHAC).
peers have graduated CAPS as of November 2024. 468
Our Vision
Our Vision is to be the training vendor of choice for all of California. We envision doing this by creating a welcoming learning community where everyone's voices, perspectives and experiences are shared and heard. We bring an unwavering commitment to our values as peers. We believe the student experience can bring about individual transformation and are devoted to helping students become agents of change.
Qualifications for CAPS Academy
You must be 18 or older, have personal lived experience with a mental illness, addiction, justice involvement and/or a close family member with lived experience
REACHING IN SO OTHERS CAN REACH OUT
This year, in partnership with the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, we launched a pilot program at the California Institute for Men, Chino Hills. 12 incarcerated students will graduate from the program on January 11, 2025.
We are also teamed up with Friends Outside Los Angeles to offer pre-vocational workshops at Men’s Central Jail, introducing incarcerated individuals to peer employment pathways. These initiatives foster skill-building, meaningful work opportunities, and smoother transitions to reentry peers.
THE WARM LINE
(888) 448-9777
or Spanish
Monday through Friday 2:30 PM to 10:00 PM and Saturday and Sunday 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM
Warm Line Director
Leslie V. lvelderrain@prpsn.org
We are Los Angeles County’s first after-hours noncrisis telephone line for individuals with mental health challenges and are staffed entirely by peers with lived experience. We are available to listen when traditional mental health services are closed.
The Warm Line can also provide referrals to services or organizations that are of interest, such as healthcare facilities, mental health services, family planning agencies, shelters, self-help and support groups.
One of my favorite things about my job as a Warm Line Supporter is being able to provide a space for callers to feel validated, supported and most importantly, not alone. It has allowed me to grow as a peer and learn from not only the Warm Line Staff but from our callers.
~Tanya, Warm Line Peer Supporter
Calls Per Month By the Numbers
hours of one-on-one peer support provided each month by Warm Line staff
SPANISH LANGUAGE PROGRAMS
Un Paso Mas
Where peers reach out into the community of East LA
Un Paso Mas provides linguistically and culturally appropriate mental health and educational services to underserved communities in the cities of Huntington Park, Bell, Bell Gardens, South Gate, Maywood, Vernon, Cudahy and Hawaiian Gardens Each week support groups are offered to individuals with loved ones that experience mental illness Topics include but are not limited to: groups for couples who are on the verge of divorce, parenting, and physical beautification for better self-esteem These groups create an invaluable space to share, empathize, exchange ideas and support one another
89% OF MEMBERS HAVE FOUND A RESOURCE FOR THEMSELVES OR THEIR LOVED ONE AT OUR PROGRAM
Map of East Los Angeles; each pin is a location where we host groups
El Centrito de Apoyo Where members drop-In
The center provides referrals and linkage to resources, job readiness preparation services, mental health Promotoras classes, workshops on citizenship, social opportunities, a drop in center where people can access the internet and use computers, and multiple groups which range from mental health support groups, physical wellness (Zumba, Yoga, Balet Folklorico,etc ) to recreational groups (sewing, drama, etc )
Our services are available from Monday to Friday from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm.
2677 1/2 Zoe Avenue Huntington Park, CA 90255
Program Highlights
87% OF MEMBERS FEEL THAT AFTER ATTENDING OUR PROGRAM, THEY ARE BETTER ABLE TO WORK TOWARDS THEIR LIFE GOALS
79% OF MEMBERS AGREE THAT IF THEY HAD OTHER CHOICES THEY WOULD STILL COME TO THIS PROGRAM
94% OF MEMBERS STRONGLY AGREE THAT THIS PROGRAM FITS THEIR CULTURAL NEEDS
MONOLINGUALSPANISH MEMBERSRECIEVED CAREERSUPPORT
93% OF MEMBERS SAY THEIR BELIEFS ABOUT HEALTH AND WELLBEING ARE RESPECTED IN OUR PROGRAM
AGENCY UPDATES
T WE’RE GROWING
his year we added two larger office spaces in our headquarters building in Huntington Park. One puts our PEERS, CAPS, Support Groups and Development & Communications teams in one space. The second space can accommodate up to 100 people for community meetings, celebrations and trainings.
We have a new Manager of Workforce Development who developed an all-agency intranet, is growing our professional development trainings, supporting our staff in renewing their California Medi-Cal Peer Specialist Certification and leading our COPE (Council of Peer Engagement) to continue to develop our culture of inclusion, mutuality, hope and fun
MEET MARY
WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT MANAGER
Mary has worked in a variety of roles and programs at PRPSN which lends to her new role as Manager of Workforce Development. In this new role, Mary is committed to fostering a supportive work culture because it directly enhances the quality of services PRPSN provides.
At PRPSN, we are a community of peers dedicated to creating a culture rooted in healing, understanding, and shared growth. Guided by core values of hope, empowerment, integrity, recovery, and mutuality, we foster an environment where every individual is respected and encouraged to reach their fullest potential. Our commitment to these principles shapes a supportive space for self-help and positive change.
PEERS NEED SUPPORT TOO
For our own selfcare we have invested in a wellness room for staff.
As we grow, we’ve rebranded and launched a new website to better connect with our community and to showcase the true culture of PRPSN.
Check it out at prpsn.org
We ensure staff are equipped for anything. All staff completed End Overdose’s Narcan training, First Aid training by the American Red Cross, and Mental Health First Aid.
SCAN TO GIVE OR VISIT PRPSN.ORG
WORDS FROM OUR BOARD CHAIR
I first learned about Project Return in 2006 through their Spanish outreach program, Un Paso Mas. The staff were passionate about reaching the underserved Latino/Hispanic community in Huntington Park and surrounding cities. They met with people at churches, schools, community centers and did whatever it took to find and support youth struggling with mental health conditions and their families. Today, I am extremely proud to serve as Project Return’s Board Chair.
Across its many programs, Project Return staff demonstrate how lived experiences elevates authenticity towards efficacy in care. This year we took charge with over 8,500 people--a testament to our dedication and hard work. Through our programs, people learn to support themselves and each other while enhancing the quality of their lives.
We are also closer to purchasing a new peer-respite house in South Los Angeles, a significant investment and growth from the successes of our Hacienda of Hope. The team has accomplished these goals while maintaining our services.
Our future promises continued growth. I thank you for your support and guidance throughout our years and look forward to working together on how to grow bravery, love, and hope in our communities.
-THERESA NGUYEN, BOARD CHAIR
