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Roseville Home Start

Timothy A. Capron, Ph.D.California State University,

SacramentoDivision of Criminal Justice

Member, Board of Directors, Home Startcapron@csus.edu

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Outline For Today What is Home Start? History Significant Issues Treatment Plans Successes Challenges for the future Summary

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What is Roseville Home Start, Inc.? http://www.rosevillehomestart.org/ Home Start is the only non-profit Transitional

Housing Program and Shelter serving homeless children and their families in Placer County.  These families are chronically homeless, substance abusers, mentally ill, victims of domestic violence, teen parents, disabled, and general population. 

Home Start provides housing, mentoring, education, job search, and life skills training, onsite.

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The Mission The goal of Roseville Home Start is to

successfully transition homeless families into affordable, sustainable, permanent housing and self-sufficiency.  This is to be achieved through the development of a system of housing and support services that is comprehensive, flexible, accessible and accountable.

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Home Start Emphasizes Serving Families No single persons accepted. Always have a waiting list, often

sixty families. Single parent families are the

norm, often with several children. Clients may have alcohol, drug,

emotional problems, or meager education, or sent by Drug Court.

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Children Outnumber Adults At any given time (though renovation

will begin next month impacting population), we have 30 adults and generally 70 children, on average.

Children are almost always at least one grade level behind, if not more.

Roseville Schools very accommodating.

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History Home Start has operated since 1995. Purchased an old motel (previously leased)

at 410 Riverside Dr., Roseville, CA. on Dec. 13, 2001, with 27 rooms, office and learning center.

A renovation project has been approved with federal, state, county and city monies, for 2005 (Ground Breaking Ceremony Apr. 16th).

Operates on a 70/30 split, private and government funding.

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History: Personnel Executive Director, three staff

personnel, augmented by professional services personnel on contract basis.

Supplemented by a Board of Directors from business, education, clergy and other non-profit agencies.

Huge number of volunteers supplement staffing.

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Significant Issues Security of the facility (gated community). Screening of volunteers who teach, train or

mentor (background, finger printing and course).

Screening of other volunteers (identification, sign in sheet, name, address, next of kin).

Zero tolerance violence policy. Zero tolerance alcohol or drug policy. No volunteers in resident’s rooms. No “cherry picking” but self-selection exists.

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Treatment Plans Highly Structured Unique to each individual, including

children. All adult residents must find employment,

unless exempt. Residents must pay a small rent to Home

Start, save a fixed amount, and budget. They must take GED classes, if not a high

school graduate. They must take parenting classes, life skill

classes and self-improvement classes.

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Treatment (Cont.) Home Start program is one year in length in

residence. Home Start, upon completion of the

program, will locate housing and guarantee rent payment for another year, to all clients.

Children receive tutoring and mentoring in a learning center, as well as art instruction and therapy.

On-going professional therapy by certified social workers.

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Successes 100 % of adults who have been in

Home Start for more than 90 days are employed or in job training programs.

Nine families graduated last year, with all of them maintaining their housing.

66 persons have enrolled in GED program in the past three years.

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More Accomplishments Home Start provides about 35,000

shelter nights every year. On-site parenting class certified by

the State of California. Learning center staffed by retired

librarians and teachers and volunteers.

Arranged for meals four nights/week.

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Challenges for The Future Renovation will be a challenge. Shut down half of the facility,

renovate, then open and do the other side.

Must hire a full time Program Manger. Record keeping, allowing

comprehensive research was inadequate, prior to the current director.

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Summary Home Start is a unique facility, that

works. It is a lengthy process, really two

years. Requires a commitment on the part

of Home Start and clients. Requires support from the entire

community, on a continuous basis.