One Family's Story...

"My name is April, and I would like to share my story of success with Solutions for Change program. I cannot imagine what my life would be today had I not ended up on the Solutions for Change doorstep.

It was just a few years ago and as a young 20-something wife I wasn't much worried about anything. My husband made good money, we lived in a decent place... life was pretty good. But due to some bad decisions and immaturity I messed up and spent two months in jail. Shortly thereafter I became pregnant. The relationship with my husband feel apart and we separated. All of a sudden my life started to spiral out of control. I applied to several recovery and housing programs and did not meet the criteria to enter those programs. My last stop was Solutions for Change, if I was turned away, I did not know what would happen to me and my unborn child.

On July 3, 2007 I entered the Solutions for Change program, scared and unsure of what was to come. The program was stringent, but I had a child on the way and needed a place to get my life in order. I was willing to do whatever was needed to end my homelessness, regain my life, be a loving mother to my child and be a successful woman.

My son Joseph was born on Christmas Eve and as of September 2009, I have been sober and drug free for almost three years. I was given the opportunity to help with the Solutions for Change childcare program and activities. Additionally, I work in the evenings at the intake shelter, which is a very rewarding experience. I have the opportunity to warmly welcome new residents, share with them my personal experiences. I have the blessing of watching the transformation that occurs - the same transformation that occurred in me.

Thanks to Solutions for Change, I have permanently ended my homelessness; my son has a safe, loving environment in which to grow up in. I am now moving forward with my college study in Child Development. None of this would have been possible without the support and love I received from Solutions for Change."

We thank you for reading our stories and your continued support of our Solutions University.

Have a wonderful Labor Day Weekend!

A Picture Is Worth a Thousand Words...

A picture is worth a thousand words. Solutions For Change solves family homelessness in 1,000 days for one family, one community at a time.

Be part of the change - for today, tomorrow and forever.

Click here to join the cause.

"We Are Winning" Documentary Continues...

Here are 3 more videos from the "We Are Winning" Documentary on members of one community in America who are SOLVING Family Homelessness.

Mayor Morris Vance, Mayor of the City of Vista - from the government sector

The project was lauded by officials in Sacramento and Washington D.C. as one of the greatest multijurisdictional collaborative efforts ever developed around solving family homelessness. Recognizing that there was plenty of access to temporary solutions through emergency winter shelters and feeding programs, this communitywide initiative developed an integrated and comprehensive access around permanent solutions using a new model called the Solutions University. Vista Mayor Morris Vance’s leadership was instrumental in bringing the public and private sectors together around a common vision of solving family homelessness for kids and communities. Says Mayor Vance; “the programs provided by Solutions for Change transforms people’s lives. It is something to us here in our community that is very special, in that it provides long term solutions.”

Sarah Nichelson, VP North Island Credit Union - from the private sector

Sarah Nichelson isn’t your average every day banker. Sarah describes how the principles of North Island Credit Union and Solutions for Change came together around the common goal of making a healthier community around the idea of “giving back”. Solutions for Change is an organization that equips those that it helps, the actual residents of their programs, to get out in the community and give back to help others. As an example, when Katrina hit, the residents of the Solutions programs organized a community wide project, engaged more residents of other shelters and collected over $20,000 which then went to relief efforts to aid the Katrina victims. Says Sarah; “I don’t think that in all my years of banking have I ever been so connected to a nonprofit that changes lives like that of Solutions for Change.”

Vern Soderstrom, Volunteer and Rotarian – from the civic sector

It is simply one of the greatest projects I've seen, and I've spent 40 years in government." Every community in America has a Vern Soderstrom. Vern served 40 years in the public sector, and as a longtime Rotarian he remains active in his Vista community still serving and helping others.

Promises Made

Dear fellow believers in change,

When it comes to helping families in crisis and giving kids who've lost everything something to hope for, the people in and around the Solutions for Change organization know what it’s like to believe in the impossible. Now that you are getting more involved in our cause we want you to start believing too…

In 1999 the Solutions vision was born. It was a simple vision that started with a nine year old homeless girl’s tug on a shelter workers sleeve and an innocent question: “excuse me mister but could I have a pillow please?” This little girl had no home. Her dresser was a black hefty trash bag and her bed as a half inch thick green Army mat on the floor of a church. When she got the pillow Amy was so happy because back then there weren’t enough pillows for the hundreds of homeless children seeking help.

Something happened in that moment and a promise was made to Amy and all the other little boys and girls. A promise that meant whatever it would take to SOLVE the root problems of this horrible thing called homelessness. A promise that meant that others would be engaged in a PURPOSEFUL and MEANINGFUL way around a plan to DEFEAT homelessness for these kids. Could we really solve this thing so that families and children could build a future that didn’t include being stuck in a dependency cycle of welfare, soup kitchens and shelters?

Feeding and sheltering would be done of course, but 90% of the plan would take place around what would happen AFTER the bowl of soup and the warm shelter bed was given. It was quickly learned that solving something as complex as homelessness wasn’t going to be easy. Many groups were feeding and sheltering the homeless and meeting their immediate needs but there was a massive gap separating the access to temporary solutions which seemed to be plentiful, and access to permanent solutions which were woefully nonexistent and which if available, would interestingly greatly reduce the need for the other.

It’s easy to get in the trap of containing homelessness and managing its symptoms by feeding and sheltering because feeding and sheltering is easy to do, but it’s really REALLY hard to develop partnerships around a plan to solve the underlying issues related to poverty, addiction, domestic violence, under-education and unemployment….to name a few. Solving it could happen with a big plan around a big attitude and that is why the name Solutions for Change was chosen. And so a plan was made and big attitudes were born. Then the real work began.

We built the plan around three core areas: 1) Improve Health (mental, emotional, behavioral and spiritual), 2) Equip with education and skills that would increase income, 3) Achieve housing stability. Activate the plan not in a shelter or a soup kitchen environment but in a “university type” setting where families could live, learn and work together to get equipped with the skills, knowledge and resources needed to solve their problems and defeat homelessness, permanently.
Now ten years later Amy isn’t homeless anymore. She grew up, graduated High School and now attends college. 542 families with over a thousand kids believed and are no longer homeless today because the idea of hope and change meant hard work, learning to be accountable and responsible and developing partnerships with others who would equip - NOT give hand outs or foster dependency.

Solutions took its message of SOLVING this thing to the community and thousands of people from all the different sectors of the community responded. Church folks, business leaders, civic organizations…just average people. The Solutions University was created and now on any given day 60 families work hard to transform their lives within its walls. It’s still not easy. Solving something as complex as homelessness just is never easy. The Solutions staff, residents, volunteers and supporters work tirelessly to help families get equipped with the skills, knowledge and resources needed to defeat this thing.

We need you to help us. We need you to believe. Now more than ever we MUST believe that we can solve this thing called family homelessness for kids and communities. Join us in believing. Sign up on our Twitter and FaceBook pages. Recruit your friends. Spread the word. Come visit us. Save lives with us. Solutions for Change is not just a name, it’s a promise! You are now part of the promise.

Sincerely,

The Megison's

P.S. It's all divinely navigated anyway so you must be here for a reason.