Our office has been busy with appointments for the CA COVID-19 rent and utilities relief program. We assisted one client who was behind three months in rent and utilities. The reason she is behind is due to her mother passing away from COVID-19. Her mom was part of the household income. She was trying to deal with the loss of her loved one and then her aunt also passed away a week later from complications from COVID-19. During our appointments we really get to know our clients and the difficulties they are going through during these hard times. Our client also mentions during the appointment her mother had custody of her niece and nephews which are twins. Our client took the niece and the client sister took the twin boys to help raise. Our client missed some time at work and was force to be unemployed due to covid-19. As we were finding out more about her situation we realized she was eligible for other services such as the emergency housing voucher and resources for food distribution, since she mentioned she was also a victim of domestic violence. We were able to sign her up for all of the services to help her get on the road to success.
Open Door has hired their new Community Outreach Coordinator. Bernadette Valdez came to us after working for Salvation Army and Kindred Health Care agency. She will be offering trainings on Human Trafficking and will be facilitating a new 40-hour Human Trafficking Advocate training starting in February 2021. Please contact her if you or your agency are interested in individual trainings or the next 40-hour training. Her email is bernadette@familyassit.org.
Congratulations to Advocate Vanessa Montes. She is getting married this month. Long and happy marriage to you Vanessa!
Open Door will be getting ready for the holidays with special Thanksgiving dinners for our Safehouse participants and our residential participants. Below are some of the things they are thankful for this holiday season:
Each month Open Door would like to feature one staff member and ask them why they do the work they do. Emily Dickson has been working with victims and survivors of human trafficking for the past 8 years. She began as an Advocate and is now the Housing Director for Open Door’s housing programming.
Here are her thoughts about why she does the work she does:
“In my experience in providing supportive services to victims of Human Trafficking, there have been times that were very rewarding and other times that have left me feeling very defeated. I must say that those feelings of reward, far outweigh the feelings of defeat. It took me quite some time to really grasp the reality that each individual that I support have their own journey to live in life. I had to understand that I was not in control of, or responsible for the decisions they made and the path that they chose/choose to take. I had to realize that I am responsible for the role that I play in supporting the individual and providing them with all the options and opportunities available to them, that maybe they weren’t aware of. I am in control of planting a seed of encouragement, motivation, education and awareness. That is what I remind myself when I do have an individual that has chosen to go down a path with several red flags. I continue to encourage, support and redirect with kindness. It also has helped me to understand that even though I may feel they have chosen the “wrong path”, it may be the “right path” for them in their journey.” – Emily Dickson
We here at Our House continue to encourage our clients to thrive and succeed each and every day. We have 1 client in particular who came to the shelter with the intentions to shelter hop until her 18th birthday. With our encouragement and guidance, she has re-enrolled back into high school with the hopes to graduate soon, and has even obtained employment with a nearby fast-food restaurant. We continue to make our clients feel welcome and safe. We are extremely proud of our youth who have been able to stay at Our House and continue with their participation and dedication to following their program. All our youth love participating in our wide variety of groups and outings.
Join us on Saturday November 20th 11am – 3pm at the Victorville Old Town Street Fair starting on 7th Street & B Street!
Thank you to everyone who came to join us for our 1st Taco Tuesday fundraiser on 11/2! It was a great success and a fun event! See you at the next one on December 7th.
Family Assistance Program envisions a community where each person has a loving, nurturing home life. We provide the tools necessary to create healthy interpersonal relationships, economic empowerment, and stable housing.
15075 7th Street, Victorville, CA 92395
Main Office: (760) 843-0701
Toll Free: (866) 770-7867