 |
| Above: Alivia Alessi (AmeriCorps Member), Luis Beltran, Yolanda Salgado-Tovar, Kelly Arredondo, Nancy Saengjaeng, and Dalet Alvarado. More members will be identified once project is underway. |
Santa Barbara County was selected through a competitive
application process as one of fifteen counties to participate in the CalWORKs
2.0 Innovation Initiative 2020. Through this initiative, the state challenged
counties to select an area of focus to improve business as usual. In
turn, the counties selected, receive professional coaching and training in
customer-centered design and implementation. Our county’s focus will be to
assist Housing Support Program (HSP) clients learn good habits and establish goals to overcome their
homelessness.
Nancy Saengjaeng, the project lead for HSP 2.0, as it’s been
dubbed, has brought together a team comprised of representatives from the HSP
program, job services, and our community partner, AmeriCorps. They attended a training on January 7 and 8
in Sacramento (photos) where they went through a comprehensive process to define the
goal and create an action plan. Though the plan has various components to it,
the capstone product will be a workshop to equip clients with the tools to
improve their chances to get housing and stay housed. The project outcomes will
be showcased in an inter-county event in Sacramento, in April this year.
There will be opportunities for you to learn more about the
Housing Support Program, and availability of resources to help your clients.
Stay tuned for more information to follow!