To launch its new Coming Home Program, Destination: Home is issuing a Request for Qualifications as part of a two step process to:

1) Certify intensive case management partners whose current practice aligns with Destination: Home’s criteria for the Coming Home program

2) Allocate funds available in Phase I to expand intensive case management services.

For more information, please got to http://www.uwsv.org and follow the link to the Destination: Home RFQ

In a podcast hosted by Eden Housing, Santa Clara County Supervisor Don Gage describes how his community has made significant progress is getting access to free transportation for homeless community members, lowering the turnaround time for getting food stamps, and providing job counseling and assistance.

In celebration of its 40th year, Eden Housing launched the "Affordable Housing Podcast", a series of free, short audio programs, available by subscription. Sign up at www.edenhousing.org and yo… Continue

Destination: Home, the public-private initiative seeking to end homelessness in Santa Clara County through the application of “housing first” principles, has announced the appointment of Carol Lamont as their first Executive Director.
Carol has worked to address housing needs for over thirty years. For the past six years she has served as Program Officer for Community Development with The San Francisco Foundation where she focused on anti-poverty grantmaking and proactive strategies to invest in… Continue

IFC Films Presents
Best Sundance Feature Film Award Winner
WHERE GOD LEFT HIS SHOES
Starring John Leguizamo

Winner of the Humanitas Prize for Best Sundance Feature Film, WHERE GOD LEFT HIS SHOES is the story of a homeless family on Christmas Eve that refuses to break apart during the darkest time of their lives. Screen International describes the film as "Authentically heartwarming. [John] Leguizamo has never been better."

WHERE GOD LEFT HIS SHOES will be available via video-on-demand in over… Continue

More publicity for our announcement of 11/20, and for our generous donors, from the 11/21 edition of the San Jose/Silicon Valley Business Journal.

Valley life briefs
Destination: Home connects homeless with support care

Santa Clara County Supervisor Don Gage and San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed, co-chairs of Destination: Home, said prevention and medical respite centers for San Jose residents will be open by Dec. 1.

The programs share a common goal: to connect people who are homeless or at immediate… Continue

A very nice lead in the Saturday, November 22 San Jose Mercury News in our friend Sal Pizarro's "Around town" column:

"Silicon Valley leaders turn out to support Destination: Home

It was good to see a wide range of community leaders Thursday night supporting the efforts of Destination: Home to end homelessness in Santa Clara County.
Hundreds turned out for a preview showing of the movie "Where God Left His Shoes" at the Mexican Heritage Plaza in San Jose.
S.J. Mayor Chuck Reed and Santa Clara… Continue

Hundreds and hundreds of our supporters and new friends gathered on Thursday night, Nov. 20, to celebrate the progress our community is making toward our goal of ending homelessness.
Our model is clearly a workable solution, and many of our community's advocates, service providers and leaders agree -- and now, the San Jose Mercury News approves of the "housing first" concept we're implementing as well. Below is today's editorial, the opinion of the San Jose Mercury News:

"Project to end homeles… Continue

At a press conference on Thursday, November 20, Santa Clara County Supervisor Don Gage and San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed, co-chairs of Destination: Home -- a task force charged with implementing the recommendations of 2007’s Blue Ribbon Commission on Ending Homelessness and Solving the Affordable Housing Crisis in Santa Clara County -- will announce the scheduled opening of two One-Stop Homelessness Prevention Centers and a Medical Respite Center for homeless men and women, all located in San Jose.… Continue

Destination: Home has joined Asian Americans for Community Involvement (AACI), Mexican American Community Service Agency, Catholic Charities of Santa Clara County, Community Service Agency for Mountain View/Los Altos, FIRST 5 Santa Clara County , The Health Trust, Second Harvest Food Bank, Silicon Valley Community Foundation , Silicon Valley Council of Nonprofits, Sobrato Family Foundation, and United Way Silicon Valley in supporting the Silicon Valley Open Arms campaign, which was launched on N… Continue

There's a great article in the 10/3/08 edition of the San Jose Mercury News about one of Destination: Home's key initiatives, the One-Stop Homelessness Prevention Centers that will open later this year. The One-Stops were conceived and created as part of the Blue Ribbon Commission of 2007, and are being implemented with considerable support from Destination: Home. Kudos to our local providers for accepting the help and direction of the Commission and D:H and for working with us to try a new appr… Continue