How NSP Might Help You

• Gives you access to an inventory of immediately available bank-owned single family homes for you to select from.
• All homes have been build after 1978 and are in Move-In condition
• Mortgage assistance of up to $65,000 is available to help make the home affordable to you at your current income level
• The mortgage assistance is forgiven if you live in the home for 15 years or more

How to Participate

Attend one of the program orientations

English orientations will be held on:
May 20th, May 27th, and June 10th

Spanish orientations will be held on:
June 3rd, June 17th, and July 1st

For more information contact the Housing Resource Center of Monterey County at (831) 424-6487 or (831) 424-9186

A flyer for public distribution is available by clicking here. An email blast sample is also available, to obtain this please contact Nicole Rainier.

Catalyst for Social Change Now Available to All of California

Healthy City gives California tools to turn passion into action

(Los Angeles, CA) – What if community residents wanted to build a park in their concrete-covered district?  What if a community group wanted to build more school facilities in a high-need area? Making those arguments is especially daunting if opposing special interests have more money and better information.  One organization – Healthy City – is leveling the playing field so all Californians can now turn their passion into action.

Healthy City unites community voices with rigorous research and innovative technologies to solve the root causes of social inequity.  They provide detailed information for service referrals, easy-to-use data, and technical assistance to help communities fuel social change.  First established in Los Angeles, Healthy City has recently expanded to serve all of California.

Healthy City’s web platform, HealthyCity.org, is becoming California’s online catalyst for social change. On HealthyCity.org, users can create interactive maps to help visualize social problems and move towards community solutions.  “We give you ammo to make your case to City Hall,” says Healthy City Director John Kim.

“Corporations and special interest groups have enjoyed a historical advantage in influencing public policy in part because of their ability to quickly access resources and data.   Healthy City now enables community organizations to wow decision-makers by telling their community’s story with compelling maps, charts, and graphs.  It’s putting data in to action.”

Kim also notes that during a time of deep financial crisis throughout all levels of government in California, data is helping community groups remain relevant and maintain support in their communities.

“We give both community organizations and policy-makers the tools to make smart decisions,” says Kim.  “We give all players objective research and analyses to help bridge differences and encourage collaborative problem-solving.”

Healthy City is information + action for social change.  Join the action at www.HealthyCity.org.

The call for action is timely. Unemployment in Monterey County is in double digits, at 16.7 percent and rising. The local economy shed 16,500 jobs in December, according to the state Employment and Development Department.

Things are worse in Salinas, where the jobless rate in December was at 22 percent. The unemployed only add to the swollen ranks of those in need in this community. It is a self-perpetuating problem, as the unemployed no longer have money to spend at local businesses, causing the businesses to cut back, creating more unemployment.

The need for help is growing. Proud folks who normally depend on themselves to make ends meet are depending on others. More people are struggling to feed and clothe their families as the job market continues to shrink. This is not just agriculture’s off season in the Salinas Valley; job losses are having an impact on government, tourism and the retail sector. In 2009, the number of hospitality, retail and construction jobs in Monterey County dropped by 4,000, according to state figures.

Meanwhile, look to the federal and the state governments for less help. They each have their budget crises. Many community services are funded by the feds with matching funds from the state. But given California’s multi-billion dollar deficit, the state is cutting or eliminating those sources, putting more pressure on charitable organizations that offer food, shelter and other help to people with no other options.

Just five years ago, only one in six residents was being helped by a community agency funded by United Way of Monterey County. That rate has worsened. Today, the local United Way says one in three people is showing up for help at any one of 40 programs and services under its reliable wing.United Way reports that it is giving more to local agencies that provide the basic needs — food banks and shelters, for example. The majority of its funding goes to fight hunger and homelessness and to benefit children and youth. It also supports services for victims of rape, suicide and domestic violence. It supports drug and alcohol rehabilitation and programs to help senior citizens. The new 211 Monterey County phone line was a roaring success in its first year of operation. The help line handled 13,144 calls. Most calls were for housing and shelter, legal services, mental health counseling, employment and food assistance. The United Way even helps people with their income taxes. (And those refund checks can be spent in the local economy!)

United Way gives you a chance to have an impact on the social and community issues important to you or the causes dear to your heart. The United Way says 97 percent of the money it receives stays in Monterey County. The other 3 percent goes to outside agencies of the donors’ choice.

Applaud the United Way for its good and important work, but remember it is you — the people and businesses, loyal, longtime contributors and new ones — who fuel the agency’s success. And even in a recession-racked economy like ours, many of you continue to contribute from your own wallets or through company payroll deductions because you realize many other people in our community are worse off.

There is no gift too small, and if you can’t make a monetary contribution, you can serve as a volunteer.

Give to the United Way and help 40 local agencies do their invaluable work. Your donations are tax-deductible.

Posted in the Santa Cruz Sentinel: 02/12/2010 01:30:44 AM PST

Santa Cruz County has a well-deserved reputation for caring about people.

That’s just one reason the drive to establish a 211 phone referral service, spearheaded by the United Way of Santa Cruz County, is both overdue and essential.

The service already is available for about 90 percent of California residents. The free service operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week and connects local people with health and human service assistance through a phone call — much like a 911 call provides emergency assistance.

A local call center could provide people in need with information about food and shelter, elderly people with medical services, people experiencing mental health problems with counseling.

It also could prove a lifesaver in natural disasters. In 2007, San Diego residents displaced by a huge wildfire were able to find coordinated assistance by dialing 211, which received 130,000 calls seeking information.

The system has been around for a decade, since the Federal Communications Commission designated the three-digit code for health and human services information. No money was provided, however, to help set up the service.

Monterey County’s 211 system just celebrated its first anniversary. Organizers, led by United Way of Monterey County, say the service has logged 13,000 calls about housing, shelter and legal services plus information about food assistance, mental health counseling and family supportive programs.

Santa Cruz County, however, is still seeking the money to get 211 under way. The cost is negligible, considering the services offered — $142,000 annually.

To raise the money, the local United Way is asking 14 local government and foundation sponsors to make small grants, along with corporations and individuals. The goal is to get the service operating by July 1.

Unfortunately, the Scotts Valley City Council, which considered a request for $5,000 as its share of funding the service, questioned if the city has the money at this time. We hope that before making a final decision, council members consider the cost of providing referral information if a natural disaster strikes.

United Way of Santa Cruz County has done an admirable job of carefully planning how to bring 211 to help local people. And, in a year where many budgets are tight, it has put together a proposal using a call center in San Francisco that is both frugal and feasible. In a county with as many nonprofits and human-service agencies as ours, 211 is a natural.

It’s time for local sponsors to step forward and make 211 happen.

“In these lean times, it’s important that people have one number they can call to find the help they need,” said Ronn Rygg, Director of 2-1-1 Monterey County. “We’re very pleased that the community sees 2-1-1 as a valuable resource and using it.”
2-1-1 acts as centralized clearinghouse that connects people with health and human services. Based on current usage, 2-1-1 expects to have handled 12,000 calls by Feb. 10, 2010. Since it’s inauguration, the service has provided referrals to a wide variety of services. First-time users made up the majority of callers. Most learned about 2-1-1 from local non-profits and government agencies.

“Often people require more than one type of assistance and service providers find it’s most efficient to have their clients call 2-1-1 directly to get the most current information to meet their needs,” said Rygg. “2-1-1 unburdens service providers from having to track down information outside their expertise and keep that information continuously updated.”

In addition, 2-1-1 centralizes the collection of data and is helping to identify unmet needs by capturing requests for which there is no appropriate referral. In times of disaster 2-1-1 relieves the burden on 9-1-1 by providing people with vital information about evacuation sites, temporary shelters, road closures, etc. It’s fast, free, confidential and available in more than 170 languages 24 hours a day.
A service of United Way Monterey County, 2-1-1 is sponsored by Community Foundation for Monterey County, Driscoll’s Berries, First 5 Monterey County, Monterey County Department of Social and Employment Services, Monterey County Health Department, Monterey Peninsula Foundation and Monterey Salinas Transit.

Written by M. Fatima Dias, Director of Marketing and Communications, United Way Monterey County