2005–2006 ANNUAL REPORT COMMITMENT to our CLIENTS onprofit or- had increased by more than 40%. grams. But the economic recovery in Silicon Val- ganizations This prompted changes in how we served our ley has been largely a jobless recovery and client like Com- clients. We set up an appointment system for cli- levels remain higher than fiscal year 2000-2001 in Nmunity Services Agen- ent intake meetings. Front line staff learned to all our programs. cy are often judged by differentiate between those clients who had se- So, while our client numbers may change, rest the number of clients vere and immediate needs, and those clients who assured that we continue the battle against pov- we serve. The more could be dealt with at a later date. While we’re erty that has always been our guiding principle. As clients served, the more we are needed, right? very proud of the fact that we were able to serve we approach our 50th Anniversary Community Well, not always. so many more people over the last five years, the Services Agency is committed to serving our local When the economy began to falter in 2000- sheer numbers of clients have taken a toll on staff, neighbors in need. 2001, the number of clients we were serving volunteers and facilities. Client loads went up, And thank you for your commitment and con- increased dramatically. As you can see from the staffing did not. tinued support. chart on this page, the number of people requiring With the economy finally starting to turn Emergency Assistance, especially food, grew very around, the number of clients we are serving is Tom Myers rapidly each year. At one point, our client load starting to level off—even decreasing in some pro- Executive Director Mission Statement The mission of Community Services Agency is to promote independence and self- sufficiency through direct service, advocacy, and referrals to residents of Mountain View, Los Altos, and Los Altos Hills who have economic, physical, or social needs. COMMITMENT to the COMMUNITY n June 13th a horrible fire swept through an apartment complex lief and the long-term needs of these families, partnering to pay for extended on Latham Street in Mountain View. The scope of the fire was motel stays and provide rent assistance to help the families move into new unprecedented in our community. A total of 19 families were apartments. The Mountain View City Council passed a special resolution al- Oleft homeless. locating $25,000 to reimburse both agencies for their extraordinary expenses The Palo Alto Area Chapter of the American Red Cross and Community in this disaster. Services Agency worked together to address both the immediate disaster re- A Continuing Need Senior Services By 2020 it’s projected that the number of people age 65 or over in the SF Bay Area will increase 84%. The number of people age 85 and older, the group with the most severe mobility and health-related issues, will increase 108%. Senior Lunch Clients Emergency Assistance Clients caring for our community COMPASSION caring for the HOMELESS n any given night there are between 200 and 250 homeless individuals (and Tara Chua that includes families) in the Mountain Alpha Omega Homeless Services Coordinator, Case Manager OView, Los Altos, and Los Altos Hills area. (SCC Homeless Count, December 2004). The Santa Since most homeless people don’t have phones, they hear about Clara County 10-Year Plan to End Chronic Community Services Agency and just walk in. The initial intake in- Homelessness recognizes that homelessness will terview can take up to 1 ½ hours. There’s an initial assessment, along not and does not end until a person becomes with release forms, a County Homeless Management Information Sys- permanently housed. tem* (HMIS) initial assessment, County HMIS release forms, VTA pass forms, budget sheets, basic needs and goal attainment sheets and Case Management more just required to evaluate a situation before exploring options: dis- The homeless person can come from any kind ability, SSI (Supplemental Security Income), GA (General Assistance), of background—divorce/separation, loss of job, VA (Veterans Administration) benefits, food stamps, MediCal, hous- mental illness, substance/alcohol abuse, eviction, ing waitlists, shelters, transportation, employment, clothing, mental health services, dental and domestic violence, family problems, etc. Reach- vision services, legal services to name a few. Follow-up appointments are scheduled, files opened ing them can be difficult. There are “Homeless and all case notes input into the County HMIS database. Connect Events” throughout the County held The new Alpha Omega Homeless Services now allows us to reach, case manage, and assist more at affordable housing complexes and emergency homeless people in our area than the Alpha Omega Rotating Shelter program did. It is estimated shelters where homeless people can be found and that almost 10% of our Food & Nutrition Center clients are without a permanent home and in available services presented. But not all homeless need of assistance. people even make it that far; they are content with their current situation and may not be open to *HMIS is a centralized County database to accurately track and count homeless people and coordinate services to them. change. So, it’s not at all unusual for the Alpha Omega Case Manager, accompanied by Associate Director Maureen Wadiak, to literally take to the streets (with food and information) in search of a reported homeless person. Staying Connected & “People who live on the Committed to our Homeless streets don’t need a hand- out, they need a hand up.” • Support the Alpha Omega fund that Gisela Daetz was honored provides rental, vision, and dental “Empty Bowls” is an annual fundraising event benefiting and celebrated as our 2006 Hometown Hero for her untiring our Alpha Omega Homeless Services. It’s held in efforts on behalf of our Alpha Omega Rotating Shelter assistance; tools, special clothing collaboration with the Orchard Valley Ceramic Art Guild program and homeless people in Mountain View, Los Altos, and uniforms; bus passes etc for the and local churches that had participated in the Alpha and Los Altos Hills. homeless as part of the new Alpha Omega Rotating Shelter Program. Omega Homeless Services program In 2004, Lee found himself unemployed and diagnosed • Study the County 10-Year Plan and its with a number of health problems. He was no longer able “Housing First” model to handle strenuous workloads without aggravating his health. He was residing in a nearby hotel and was barely • Stay involved and participate on the getting by on his monthly state disability and unemploy- Alpha Omega Homeless Task Force ment checks. When they ran out, he in effect became to come up with new and innovative homeless, making do with living on the streets. He had ways to help our homeless been denied SSI and his income was and still is only $147/ month in General Assistance and $162/month in food stamps. In early 2005, Lee began receiving food through • Get involved in proposals to bring our Food & Nutrition Center. low-income housing to Mountain With the help of the Alpha Omega case manager Lee Although unhoused until this past Septem- View and Los Altos applied and was approved (in September 2006) for a unit ber, Lee has been a regular volunteer in our Food & Nutrition Center since Thanksgiv- at Innvision’s new affordable housing complex Opportu- ing 2005, loading and unloading the vans —Rev. Matthew Broadbent nity Center in Palo Alto. Now that he has a roof over his and organizing the food donations, help- Foothills Congregational Church and head and a place to call home, case manager Tara Chua ing others, even as he needs and needed help himself. Community Services Agency meets with Lee on an as-need-be basis to discuss employ- Board Member ment, financial, and transportation assistance to ensure his self-sufficiency and independence. COMMUNITY SERVICES AGENCY • 2005–2006 Annual Report COMPASSION caring for the WORKING POOR & UNEMPLOYED unger is not Not Just Food s o m e t h i n g The Hispanic Foundation of Silicon most of us Valley has awarded us funding this year Hmay be familiar with, for two separate but health-related educa- except at 10pm when tional components of our Food & Nutri- we raid the refrigera- tion Center. “Food for Thought” is a par- tor. But hunger is very ent focused nutritional education project real to 1 in 25 people in that when combined with “Time for Fit- Mountain View, Los Al- ness,” a physical activity project for the tos, and Los Altos Hills. kids, will engage families with increased One in twenty five peo- awareness of healthy choices around ple in our community diet that will reduce are living in a food-inse- childhood obesity cure household. in low-income and food insecure His- Food & Nutrition panic households. Center Sixty-two percent For the past three (62%) of our Food years over 3,000 people & Nutrition clients each year have depend- are Latino families The Food & Nutrition Center is set up as a mini-grocery for ed on the groceries that with children. clients to “shop” for what they need and want. we provide through our Food & Nutrition Cen- Kids learn the value of exercise while participating in our 2006 Sweat Week. Their parents line up to “shop” at the Food ter on Stierlin Road. Unlike many “food banks” we do not pre-package bags & Nutrition Center. of groceries in a one-size fits all model. Our Food & Nutrition Center is set up like a mini-grocery store where our clients “shop” for the food items they “Educating a family about nutrition is one thing; and now thanks need: breads, dairy products, canned goods or even fresh produce.