Leading in Times of Challenge & Change
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Leading in Times of Challenge & Change 2019 – 2020 ANNUAL REPORT LifeMoves Annual Report • page 1 FY20 began like most years: Silicon Valley was facing an ever-growing homelessness crisis, and we at Our Proven Model Our Success LifeMoves had planned for a year of growth, increased support programs, and additional capacity. We did not anticipate a LifeMoves breaks the cycle of homelessness global pandemic that would bring much of the world to a with complete supportive services. grinding halt while forcing the work of LifeMoves into overdrive. 2,002 clients returned to This year brought about enormous challenge and change in stable housing annually our communities. With historic unemployment levels and an overarching economic crisis, more people and families, just like you and me, are facing unimaginable difficulties – including the Housing loss of their homes. In the last year, about 37% of our clients Moves 1,200 reported being homeless for the first time. And this population clients per night is more vulnerable than ever before. Learning Financial LifeMoves was built for this. I am proud of our leadership Moves Moves through this unprecedented emergency. Our teams met the 1 of 4 crisis head-on, responding rapidly and efficiently, instituting shelter beds are Achieving programs and processes that answered the diverse and occupied by children increasing needs of our clients while we navigated through Our Mission uncertainty. Health Career Moves Moves Despite the challenges of last You made this work possible. You met our urgent call to action 1 of 10 adult clients are Veterans year, we are proud of being by donating your time, resources, and critically-needed funds Behavioral able to accomplish our mission: to our relief efforts. It has paid off – your support helped us Moves to support families and continue to provide healthy and nutritious meals, expand our capacity to serve even more people, develop COVID-safe living individuals experiencing environments, and manage emergency shelters. homelessness in their efforts to rapidly return We know how to fight homelessness. Our model works – to stable housing and 86% of families and 67% of all those engaging in our programs Where We Serve return to stable housing. In FY20, we continued to help more achieve self-sufficiency. than 2,000 of our unhoused neighbors return to a stable home LifeMoves operates 24 facilities across – maintaining our pre-pandemic levels of client success even San Mateo and Santa Clara Counties. through the worst of the pandemic and its economic impacts. As you may know, I will be retiring as CEO by the end of our “With the love and support current fiscal year (June 2021). My last six years with LifeMoves have been the most rewarding of my 35-year career. I have of LifeMoves, we saved been privileged to serve our clients and work with all of you, enough money to move our wonderful volunteers, donors, and partners. Thanks to you and our amazing team, LifeMoves is stronger than ever and Daly City SITES SERVING INDIVIDUALS into our own beautiful ready for the challenges to come. SITES SERVING FAMILIES home in Hayward.” I know that I, and LifeMoves, can continue to count on your YENNY support which matters now more than ever. We are powerful San Mateo Measuring Success together, and, on behalf of our entire LifeMoves community, Redwood City 86% of families in shelters and we are deeply grateful for your partnership in our fight against Palo Alto homelessness. 67% of all clients engaging in Menlo Park San Jose LifeMoves shelter programs secure stable housing and Mountain View achieve self-sufficiency. Bruce Ives Chief Executive Officer LifeMoves Annual Report • page 3 Leading in Silicon Valley “Being here at LifeMoves, I’ve never felt more secure and in place with my life... even though I have rules and a case plan, I feel like I’m running my own show and marching towards what I want.” CRISANTA Housing Moves Foundational to the LifeMoves mission is to support our clients through their entire journey to self-sufficient, Career Moves stable housing, and our staff work tirelessly to make this goal a reality for every person whom we engage. Even before the pandemic, the Silicon In FY20, LifeMoves served 6,497 people and provided Valley job market was highly competitive over 230,000 nights of shelter. Despite COVID-19, and many of our clients worked at jobs LifeMoves helped our clients find housing at the same that simply didn’t pay a living wage for rates as before the pandemic — successfully moving the Bay Area. Once COVID-19 hit, many more than 2,000 clients into stable housing amidst of these same clients were placed on this unprecedented crisis. furlough or laid off. However, our staff swiftly and successfully shifted focus to Each person that we serve receives comprehensive help find jobs that were urgently hiring support from LifeMoves services and programs, and paying competitive wages due to in- through custom-designed case management plans creased demand. By committing to career based on each client’s unique needs. In addition to skills development, resume workshops, guidance from housing specialists, clients receive and regular job searches, our clients have assistance with rapid re-housing programs, finding found new careers and maintained stable affordable housing, connecting to housing benefits, employment – a crucial element to secur- and submitting rental applications. ing a home of their own. LifeMoves Annual Report • page 5 Financial Moves Behavioral Moves As our clients faced a devastated econ- 2020 presented a series of seemingly The experience of homelessness is omy, it became even more critical for our insurmountable hardships. Our communities traumatic in and of itself — and many teams to help them navigate financial coped with incredible loss – loss of of our clients have experienced chronic uncertainty with specialized training to routine, loss of career, and loss of loved trauma over the course of their lives. save and manage their money. Through ones. In response to increased stress LifeMoves provides integrated behavioral group workshops and individual coach- and trauma, LifeMoves offered resources health services and support designed to ing sessions, clients learn key skills to best support the mental health and foster mental and emotional wellness, including budgeting, building/repairing wellbeing of all clients and staff, including enhanced interpersonal capacity, and credit, and strategies for wise borrowing. therapeutic services provided by video self-efficacy for the children, families, By building a secure financial foundation, or tele-health. adults, Veterans, and seniors we serve. our clients leave LifeMoves equipped Services include addiction and recovery with the tools and resources they need support, on-site mental health assess- to make informed financial decisions that ments, and both one-on-one and group will prepare them for long-term stability. therapy. Learning Moves Of the 1,200 people whom we serve every day and night, about 25% are children. When COVID-19 emerged, our teams needed to rethink existing education programs to help the children staying at our shelters succeed in the virtual classroom. From outdoor Health Moves Summer Camp sessions to online classes, LifeMoves staff worked quickly While health and wellness has always Thanks to partnerships with public health to make academic programming safe, been a pillar in our programs, in FY20, officials, community partners, and our engaging, and socially distanced. COVID-19 shook our community with dedicated staff, LifeMoves worked hard a public health emergency, posing to protect the health and safety of clients Recognizing that parents would not be unique and life-threatening risks to and staff within our sites. Our clients are available to assist their children during the homeless populations we serve. generally higher-risk than the general the workday, our Children’s Services Hygiene became a top priority – our public – many are elderly, have chronic Coordinators and Education team teams conducted deeper and more health conditions that have been left worked with students one-on-one to frequent cleaning, hand sanitizer turned untreated, or are Veterans with medical maintain their in-person school-day into a necessity, and we focused on vulnerabilities. We are honored and routines. Every child and adult enrolled educating clients on the importance of feel extremely fortunate to have rapidly in educational programming received increased hygiene in their communal developed the capabilities and the trust a Chromebook to take classes online, living environments. Thanks to over- to protect our clients during this health and staff coordinated breaks for crafts whelming community support, LifeMoves emergency. and other activities to keep the days provided (and continues to provide) fun yet structured and informative for masks and personal protective equip- young students. ment to keep our community safe. We Our teams took on a colossal challenge developed strict screening protocols to “If you ever need a safe place to be, LifeMoves | and turned it into opportunity, encour- prevent virus spread within our sites — New Haven Inn is a great environment, and the aging adults to enroll in post-secondary all clients and staff have temperatures education and training programs, and checked and are required to answer staff really push you to thrive. And they’re just good. facilitating improvement in basic math screening questions before entering, Good-hearted people trying to make it better for and reading skills among children. and we created space for safe quarantine when necessary. people like me, and I really appreciate it.” CHRIS LifeMoves Annual Report • page 7 NEW PROGRAMS & UPDATES COVID-19 Motel Program To help keep our most vulnerable clients “Even during COVID-19, safe and continue serving clients who tested positive for COVID-19, LifeMoves [LifeMoves] provided the nurture partnered with Santa Clara and San and safe environment I needed.