To house, empower, and rejuvenate those facing the rigors of homelessness, displacement, and domestic violence.
Our two DV shelters are almost always at 100% capacity. Most clients arrive “in flight”—after law enforcement responds to a 911 call. These individuals had five to ten minutes to gather things before departing for the shelter—and more than half of our clients arrive with small children. The needs of our clients fleeing violence include everything from clothing and shoes to replacing IDs, obtaining legal services, finding/maintaining employment, getting medical care, and finding a new place to live. Last year we delivered support services and over 20,000 nights of safe sleep in our shelter beds (and cribs) in Monterey County. We have a 97% rate of moving our clients into safe, sustainable housing within 90 days. Last year 387 of our DV clients left with a key in their hand for their new, safe housing—and every child left with their favorite toy from the playroom.
This program helped my daughter and I at a time when we had nowhere else to go and our only option was to sleep in our car. Thanks to this domestic violence shelter and the wonderful people who work here, we didn’t have to. The stress of not knowing where we were going to sleep was affecting my depression and anxiety. Since being in this program both have improved greatly. The feelings of safety and security and stability are not what I expected to feel at a shelter, but I am so grateful for that.
- E. J.
