Our mission at Colette's Children's Home is to provide homeless single women and homeless mothers with children a safe home and nurturing environment where they obtain compassionate support and services needed to achieve self-sufficiency.
Click Here to see the women we serve tell their powerful stories or read for more information on our programs and the need we are meeting in the community.
The Need
The Orange County Community Indicators Report (2006), states that Orange County has the second highest rate of homelessness per capita in the entire United States next to Detroit, MI. The 2009 Orange County Indicators Report reports a 29% increase in the number of children in grades K-12 who are either homeless or unstably housed- over 22,000 children.
CCH was founded in response to the overwhelming community need for homeless services, especially housing, for homeless women and their children. The need for shelter and supportive services cannot be overstated. The graph below illustrates our capacity growth each year, as well as the overwhelming number of requests we receive.
Our Programs
Since our incorporation over 12 years ago, we have been able to take well over 1,800 homeless women and children off the streets. Our three core housing programs include:
Emergency Shelter Program- provides emergency services for up to 30 days.
Transitional Housing Program- provides shelter and supportive services for 9 to 12 months
Permanent Housing Program- provides permanent, affordable housing to graduates and members of the community.
We are one of the few homes that serve homeless women who suffer from a variety of issues such as economic hardship, domestic violence, mental health issues, and substance abuse. Our goal for each client is self sufficiency and independence, breaking the vicious cycle of homelessness.
The Process of Healing Homelessness
When a woman first comes into our program, she is assigned a case manager who works with her to identify the issues that led to homelessness. An individual recovery or work plan is then developed with clearly defined goals and objectives. Each client is required to meet with her case manager on a minimum of a weekly basis to discuss progress towards each established goal. We assist clients in securing gainful employment within 30 days of program entry. We then begin a monthly budgeting and savings program with them, requiring each client to save 80% of her discretionary income while in our program.
Clients are also required to attend life skills classes on a weekly basis. These classes offer an educational experience on a variety of subjects ranging from healthy eating, parenting skills, health issues, relapse prevention, and conflict resolution. Concurrent to these life skills classes, children attend a weekly children's program that is run by our case managers and assisted by child development and social work interns and volunteers from the community.
CCH also hosts family-centered events year round including holiday parties, picnics, opportunities to attend professional sporting events and theater productions as well as many other volunteer-run events. All of these activities are designed to support and enrich the lives of our mothers and children, helping them build positive family memories while working toward major goals of independence and self sufficiency while residing in our shelter programs. We keep in touch and provide follow up care long after our clients graduate. They become part of our family.
Along with comprehensive, goal-oriented support services, we offer practical assistance such as food cards, bus passes, hygiene supplies, and household items. CCH has a long established and collaborative relationship with other agencies in the area where we refer clients for counseling, healthcare, childcare, job training, and education.
- Remove issues causing displacement into homelessness
- Build character that supports sound decision-making
- Teach relevant knowledge and life skills
- Transition families into stable, permanent housing
- Compassion
- Dignity
- Respect
- Accountability
- Efficiency
