HOPE YOU HAVE A GREAT NIGHT THAT SENT OVER LOGAN BIRD. OKAY. MARK MATHIS, THANK YOU.
WELL, STRESS CAN COME FROM MANY PLACES BUT FOR THOSE WITHOUT STABLE HOUSING, IT IS CONSTANT. CAN YOU IMAGINE, MELISSA PETERMAN FROM THE NONPROFIT TOWNSPEOPLE JOINS US NOW TO TALK A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT HER TEAM AND HOW THEY'RE TRYING TO TACKLE HOUSING AND MENTAL HEALTH TOGETHER. MELISSA, GOOD TO SEE YOU.
THANKS FOR COMING BY. HE CERTAINLY MAY TELL ME ABOUT YOUR ORGANIZATION HOW YOU'RE HELPING THEM. >> PEOPLE LOVE KIND OF ESCAPE.
HOMELESSNESS AND HELP STRESSFUL. IT IS TO FOR ALL OF THEM. I WOULD IMAGINE IT'S AN UNDERSTATEMENT PROBABLY TO DESCRIBE HOUSING, INSTABILITY AND HOMELESSNESS IS BEING THAT'S PROBABLY THE YEAH.
THE THE LEAST I COULD SAY ABOUT THE EXPERIENCE AND >> SO PART OF WHAT TOWNSPEOPLE DOES IS FIRST AND FOREMOST, PROVIDE HOUSING TO FOLKS LIKE ME. THAT'S THE NUMBER ONE WAY THAT WE CAN HELP REDUCE THE STRESS AND IMPROVE PEOPLE'S ABILITY PEOPLE'S WEALTH. IT BEING THEIR ABILITY TO THRIVE.
WE DON'T STOP THERE AND WE PROVIDE SERVICES TO FOLKS IN COORDINATION WITH NUMEROUS PROVIDERS AROUND THE COUNTY, BUT ALSO OURSELVES. WE'VE GOT ON STAFF CASE MANAGERS WHO ARE WELL TRAINED. WE'VE GOT A LICENSED CLINICAL SOCIAL WORKER, BUT WE'RE ABLE TO PARTNER WITH CLINICS AND SOME NON-TRADITIONAL PROVIDERS TO LIKE THE NATIONAL CONFLICT RESOLUTION CENTER FOR.
YEAH. WE'LL TELL ME ABOUT THAT. TELL ME ABOUT.
WE'LL HAVE MORE ABOUT THE STRESS THAT SOMEBODY IS GOING THROUGH AND HOW YOU CAN KIND OF HELP THEM OVERCOME. BUT ARE THERE DIFFERENT KINDS OF STRESS AND HOW DEBILITATING CAN THAT BE? YEAH, I MEAN, I THINK OF MY DAY-TO-DAY LIFE AND I'M VERY LIKE I'M IN A PRIVILEGED BUT IT'S REALLY STRESSFUL TO THINK ABOUT, YOU KNOW, HOW UNIT TAKE CARE OF YOUR FAMILY AND MAKE IT TO WORK.
AND THEN COME HOME AND DO IT ALL OVER AGAIN. BUT I HAVE THE RESOURCES TO HELP SORT OF MANAGE THAT. AND FOR FOLKS WHO ARE ON THE BRINK OF HOMELESSNESS OR WHO ARE FACING HOMELESSNESS, YOU'RE LOOKING TO ACHIEVE ALL THOSE SAME THINGS WITH LITTLE TO NOTHING.
AND SO WHAT TOWNS PEOPLE CAN DO IS STEP IN AND PROVIDE THAT HELPING HAND THAT FOLKS NEED. SO WE CAN PROVIDE TRANSPORTATION ASSISTANCE SO FOLKS CAN MAKE IT TO THEIR JOB. IF THEY'RE WORRIED ABOUT.
AND, YOU KNOW, MAKING ENDS MEET ARE NOT GOING TO BE THEIR CAR BREAKS DOWN. AND THIS IS THE WAY THAT THEY'RE GOING TO BE ABLE TO SUSTAIN THEIR HOUSING. WE CAN HELP WITH THAT.
IS THERE AN EXAMPLE, MAYBE SOMEBODY YOU THINKING AND THEY WERE ON THE STREETS AND THEY KIND OF GOT IN TOUCH WITH YOU. AND I DON'T KNOW IF YOU GIVE THEM HOUSING FIRST ARE. >> YOU HELP THEM WITH A JOB OR A KIND OF AND YOU TAKE THEM FROM THE STREETS TO MAYBE THEIR OWN APARTMENT OR SO.
YEAH, I'VE SEEN THAT TRANSITION SO MANY TIMES. HOW DOES THAT >> I ONE OF MY FAVORITE. I MEAN, IT'S FAVORITE IS NOT BUT SURE BEEN INSPIRING EXAMPLE.
AS OF THE WAY WE OPERATE. AN INITIATIVE CALLED THE SHARED HOUSING COLLABORATIVE AND WHERE WE'RE LOOKING TO HELP FOLKS WHO ARE EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS TO FIND HOUSE MATES TO SHARE HOUSING COSTS JUST LIKE MOST OF THE REST WERE AT THE TABLE LIKE TO SEVERAL PEOPLE UNLESS THEY CAN AFFORD ON THEIR OWN. >> MOST OF US HAVE HAD ROOMMATES.
YEAH. ASKED AND YOU PUT THEM TOGETHER. IT'S THAT HARD TO GET A LANDLORD TO MAYBE RENT A ONE-BEDROOM OR 2 BEDROOM TO A GROUP OF FOLKS WHO ARE WHO ARE HOMELESS AT THE TIME.
AND ARE THEY CONCERNED LIKE A? >> YEAH. WHAT'S THAT?
ONCE WE GET IN FRONT OF PROPERTY OWNERS ARE ABLE TO TALK TO THEM ABOUT THE SERVICES THAT WE OFFER IN THE WAYS THAT WE CAN HELP THEM WITH THEIR BOTTOM LINE AS WELL AS SUPPORT A COMMUNITY NEED. WE FIND THAT A LOT OF PROPERTY OWNERS ARE REALLY INTERESTED IN BEING PART OF THIS WORK. SURE TO HELP THEM FIND A JOB TO.
YEAH. YEAH. JUST REALLY DEPENDS ON THE SITUATION THAT FOLKS ARE FACING.
THE EXAMPLE THAT I WAS THINKING OF. WE HAD A SINGLE DAD WHO HAD A YOUNG DAUGHTER WHO THEY'VE BEEN LIVING IN THEIR CAR AND WE HELPS THEM TO FIND A HOUSING SHARED HOUSING SITUATION SO THAT THEY'RE NOW LIVING IN VISTA WITH ANOTHER SINGLE DAD AND HIS DAUGHTER SHARING A TWO-BEDROOM APARTMENT. YEAH, SUCCESS RIGHT THERE.
EXACTLY. AND SO NOT ONLY DO THEY HAVE BUILT-IN SUPPORTS FROM EACH OTHER LIVING TOGETHER, HAVING THAT SAME LIFE EXPERIENCE. BUT THEN WE CAN ALSO STEP IN AND MAKE SURE THAT THEY'RE ON TRACK TO MEET THE GOALS THAT THEY HAVE FOR THEMSELVES AND THEIR 3RD, THAT SQUATTERS FOR PEOPLE WHO WANT TO LEARN MORE ABOUT TOWNSPEOPLE AS THEIR WEBSITE.
ABSOLUTELY. WE ARE AT TOWNSPEOPLE DOT ORG. AND AND YEAH, PEOPLE ARE JUST IN LEARNING MORE.
