Sacramento Area Emergency Housing Center’s (SAEHC) new Resource Center is the product of a dedicated AmeriCorps VISTA whose vision is the elimination of the barriers to employment experienced by homeless families. Many homeless people face significant barriers to employment, including appearance or lack of appropriate clothing, lack of access to computers or computer skills, and lack of transportation. There is a disconnection between a homeless individual’s strong desire to work and the practical skills they possess to find and maintain long-term employment.

At SAEHC, these identified barriers to finding employment hugely impact the families staying in our shelter. SAEHC’s AmeriCorps VISTA, Christophe Gonzales, has addressed the problem by developing the SAEHC Resource Center, an all-encompassing program with three departments: the Donations Center to help clients access clothing, the Computer Resource Center for technology access, and the Transportation Program for access to transportation.

Christophe Gonzales has built an innovative program which relies on the recruitment and training of strategic volunteers to be sustainable. He has created a strategic plan and allocated specific tasks for each department’s volunteer Program Manager. Specific activities include client outreach, grant writing, and developing community partnerships. Descriptions for each department are as follows:

Donations Center: The Donations Center provides no-cost clothing and basic household items for all homeless or formerly homeless families and individuals enrolled in SAEHC programs, as well as homeless women and children referred by community partners. The Donations Center is entirely operated by volunteers who dedicate their time to ensure that the resources are available when a father or mother may need business clothing for a job interview or when a child needs a uniform to attend school.

Computer Resource Center: The purpose of the Computer Resource Center is to make computer technology accessible for all, improve computer literacy and promote self-sufficiency through job-skill related trainings and classes. Partnerships with individuals, congregations, e-waste facilities, businesses and other regional organizations provide donated computer parts and volunteers to build computers, run classes and solve computer technical problems.

Transportation Program: The Transportation Program is dedicated to support homeless clients by providing access to employment services, health resources and other service sites in the Sacramento area. Last year, SAEHC was fortunate to receive the donation of two 20 passenger shuttle buses. The transportation program, by utilizing volunteer drivers and community partnerships, is self-sustaining and provides this much needed service at no cost to the homeless participants.

Outcomes: While this program has been in operation only six months, more than 650 clients were served, over 620 volunteer hours were worked, and more than 2000 donated items were distributed. Since the first two quarters of this fiscal year, our AmeriCorps VISTA has formed 31 essential active partnerships with local organizations, recruited two volunteer program managers and recruited 156 volunteers to sustain the program.

Thanks to Christophe Gonzales, the SAEHC Resource Center has become an essential resource for the homeless community and has helped to improve the self-sufficiency of many families and individuals currently living in homelessness or poverty.