Words of Encouragement

As our neighbors completed the program and moved on, they were asked the question, “Do you have any further comments about Our Place Housing Solutions, case management, or the HPRP program,?”  Here are what some of them had to say…

Marcena – “I would like to thank God for your organization.  If it wasn’t for you guys, I don’t know where my 9yr old and I would be.”

Paula – “…I thank God for this place.  No one knows what it’s like to be out in the streets and have no one to help, not even a family member.  My case manager was the best.  She was very caring, understanding and supportive…”

Tanya – “It helped us to open our eyes and learn how to start saving for any kind of emergency.”

Leona – “My overall experience was a great learning experience.  I had my case manager there to help me in any way possible.  It gave me a sense of confidence…When I was taught a different way to view things, it all worked out with a little help.”

Katrinka – “The program is very helpful.  The workers are kind, respectful and good listeners and very understanding.”

Chevelle – “A total and complete blessing.  I prayed to God for help and he sent me to Our Place Housing Solutions.”

Helping a Lakewood Family to Stay off the Streets

Susie doesn’t fit my stereo-types about homeless people. She has got a college degree and is used to working two jobs at a high-paying employer in town. She’s used to having enough, she lives in a middle-class town amongst middle class neighbors.

But when Susie came to our office in April 2010 she was facing the reality of being evicted from her apartment and moving into her car with her daughter while struggling with chronic depression. You see, she’d lost her second job and had been placed on disability at her primary employer. Things looked really bad, little did she know things would get worse before they got better.

We were able to enroll Susie and her family in the Homelessness Prevention and Rapid Rehousing Program (HPRP), a program that is designed to help families through rental and utility assistance when they fall behind because of economic hardship.

Susie was able to remain in her apartment with her children and with some coaching from Staci, her case manager (pictured above), she learned more about her rights as a renter. Empowered, Susie was able to work with her landlord to lower her monthly rental payments. Things were looking good. But then Susie was laid off by her primary employer.

I’m thankful that Staci was there to help, encouraging Susie to remain steadfast in her attempt to find a new place of employment, providing the family with just enough financial help to remain stable and housed.

The good news came today. After only a few months without work, Susie was offered a new position with her old employer. She’s following a monthly budget and housing sustainability plan, she has been able to cut costs and locate other community resources that weren’t previously accessible to her.

Susie’s family is going to be safe from the streets. We are so thankful for this innovative program that provides financial and emotional support to families who are not used to the difficulties this economy is presenting all of us with.

family in need

One of our clients is a single mother of two. She and her two sons fled their previous home two months ago when there was a drive by shooting on their street. That night the family went to stay at a relative’s place in Bellflower because of the danger in their neighborhood. However, when they returned the next day, their house had been broken into and almost everything had been stolen. The mother contacted OPHS and wanted to be re-housed in Bellflower. After a brief episode of homelessness, we’ve been able to move her into a new place and will be providing her with assistance for a short while longer as she gets back on her feet. The family is doing much better and are very grateful for the assistance they’ve received. However, the client has been struggling to provide her two sons with some basic living needs. If anyone would like to donate shoes or clothing, please call our office at 562.804.2189. Any clothing that is still in good condition would be great. The boys wear sizes 5T and 6. Their shoe sizes are: kids 8-9 and 10-11.

Paramount Success Story

In early February, a woman got in touch with us who had been living in Paramount. Her husband had just left her and their two daughters and she was forced to move out of their apartment because she could no longer afford the rent. She and her daughters had been sleeping in their car for a short time before contacting OPHS in February. Although the woman works full time, her wages were being garnished because of a past eviction so she needed assistance in order to move into a new place. We were able to get her into housing in early March and have been supplying minimal rental assistance for the past few months. Our assistance will continue until the garnishments end in July and the family will become completely self-sustaining. The family is thrilled to be in their own place and off the streets. However, they are still in need of some basic essentials. The client and her two daughters don’t really have any furniture. Since they don’t own a bed or a couch, all three of them sleep on the floor. If anyone would like to donate a bed, couch, or other household items to this family, please call OPHS at 562.804.2189. It’s a very tangible opportunity to really change this family’s life.

Lakewood Success Story

A few months ago, Our Place Housing Solutions received a call from Dionne Labostrie. Dionne had heard about OPHS from a CalWorks employee when she expressed to them that she was having a hard time paying rent because her disability checks weren’t coming in. OPHS decided that she would be a great fit for the Homelessness Prevention and Rapid Re-Housing Program, which provides short term financial assistance for people who are either homeless or at imminent risk of becoming homeless. Dionne didn’t know how she was going to be able to pay her rent and feared that her family would soon become homeless. OPHS was able to assist Dionne with a few months worth of rent, as well as create a budget plan for her to better manage and control her monthly income. With this help, Dionne was able to get caught up on all of her payments and is now completely sustaining her family. Dionne said that her overall experience with OPHS was exceptional and that “OPHS was a life saver and stress reliever for me and my family”.

Pics from May 1 Volunteer Day

If you’re interested in volunteering at Project Oak, please email us at v o l u n t e e r @ o u r p l a c e h o u s i n g s o l u t i o n s . o r g

P.S. Thank you, Jerome Park, for taking photos at our workday!

Got the thumbs up to being construction!

Thanks for your patience! We received the thumbs up from the City to begin demolition and construction on the Oak house.  We already have a group from Project Apple and Rosewood Church signed up to volunteer.  If your family, small group, co-workers, etc. are interested in volunteering, please contact Chrissy at 562-804-2189.

Check out our updated work calendar on the Project Oak page!