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Updates from FSC

February 2022

Hello Members, Partners and Stakeholders,

We are excited to publish our 2021 Annual Report. This report is only a snapshot of the systems-level work that was accomplished by the FSC and our Member agencies. We highlighted the incredible collaborative work in this report and the many ways we are working to help ensure that family homelessness is rare, brief and non-recurring in Orange County.

We aim to continue to make data-informed and community needs based driven decisions in the work that we do in this coming year, with a goal of reporting those impacts regularly.

This month we honor Black History Month and our Hero in Family Homelessness and you can learn more about our February Spotlight Member Agency.

For the families,

Nikki Buckstead, Executive Director

Family Solutions Collaborative

FSC 2021 Annual Report

We are excited to publish our first annual report! This report highlights some of the work accomplished by the FSC and our Members over the last year.

Something notable in our annual report is we saw a 28% increase of families requesting housing and/or shelter services, through the Family Coordinated Entry System. Despite this increase in families in need and seeking services through the FSC, our Family Access Points, Members, FSC Family Shelters and Housing Providers were able to serve these families at the same rate and pace prior to COVID. That is an incredible feat and shows the true spirit of collaboration and commitment to the families our collaborative members serve. This also is an indicator that we have been effective in spreading the word in Orange County on how to get families connected to services to help resolve their housing crisis.

We are grateful for the ongoing dedication and support of our members, partners and stakeholders. It is because of you, that collectively, we are making incredible strides to help ensure family homeless is rare, brief and nonrecurring.

2021 Annual Report

Date Change for the Point in Time Count in Orange County

If you are working with a family who is literally homeless (staying in a car/RV, on the streets, storage unit, shed, etc... or a motel paid for by a 3rd party social service agency, including a Church) please encourage them to participate and be counted!

Families can receive a $25 gift card, PPE and a snack for completing the survey. Families can drop-in or call to schedule a time to come to a family Access Point. Please see the flyer below for additional information, including locations and hours.

A family must include a minor child aged 0-17 or pregnant.

If you are working with a family who is staying in an emergency shelter or transitional housing, they will be counted separately and will not be eligible to be counted through a Family Access Point.

Below are the Family Access Point located throughout Orange County.

Point in Time Count - Families

2021 Award - Hero in Family Homelessness

Congratulations to our nominees of the 2021 Hero in Family Homelessness Award! All of the nominees were outstanding in the work they do - going above and beyond to help end family homeless in Orange County.

We are excited to announce that Ednil Dela Cruz is the 2021 recipient of the Award. Ednil works at Illumination Foundation, one of our Member agencies.

Thank you, Ednil for your dedication and work to supporting families. You sound like a true hero to us!

Learn more about Ednil

Black History Month

As we honor Black History Month, we must also recognize the ongoing systemic issues that continue to be prevalent in our society today. We must be willing to look at our own community, programs and services, to ensure our efforts are looked at through then lens of racial equality and do the work it takes to discover our own implicit bias.

The National Alliance to End Homelessness (NAEH) published a series of articles in 2021, addressing these ongoing systemic issues. In the work of homeless service providers, understanding the acts of red lining, generational inequality, income disparities and other acts of systemic racism are the start of understanding how and why we need to ensure the services we provide are fair and equal to all.

We hope you will each take time to reach NAEH’s multi-part series on Homelessness and Black History.

Read more here

February Member Agency Spotlight

WTLC is the oldest domestic violence program in Orange County and the third oldest in the nation. With a vision of ending the cycle of violence and exploitation, their mission is to help individuals and families escape the depths of domestic violence and exploitation. To do so, WTLC provides the tools and resources to build self-esteem and empower people for independent living.

According to the Status Report on Hunger and Homelessness, U.S. Conference of Mayors, “Domestic violence is the third leading cause of homelessness among families in the United States.” Research shows that housing is one of the main needs identified by survivors at the time of shelter entry.

With that, our work with our Domestic Violence Provider agencies are crucial to ensuring we can help resolve their housing crisis. We asked WTLC, how their agency works to reduce barriers for families so they can help end a families housing crisis - here what they told us:

We are grateful for the collaboration and the work of WTLC! Learn more about their work:

WTLC, Inc.

FSC Rescheduled Meetings

Thank you for your patience as we have had to reschedule several FSC meetings so that Member agencies can focus your efforts on the Point in Time Count. Stay tuned for new At-Large and Data and Compliance and the Marketing and Messaging Committee meeting dates!

FSC Trauma-Informed Care: Promoting Reslinency in Homeless Families

Our two training dates filled up in less than 24 hours! We are looking to add additional trainings and topics in the future. Stay tuned!

Family Solutions Collaborative Member Agencies:







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Family Solutions Collaborative · 1505 E 17th Street · Suite 220 · Santa Ana, California 92705 · USA