Francis House of Sacramento

Francis House center is a community-based organization providing some of the most basic services and resources to those living on the edge as well as those who have become homeless. We believe that every individual deserves to be treated with dignity and respect. We give the disenfranchised and the destitute some hope and a helping hand to get them started on their way to self-sufficiency and self-respect. Francis House offers programs, resource coaching, and advocacy to the homeless and nearly-homeless. During the past year, Francis House center served approximately 9,000 people, including nearly 450 children, through a number of our programs. Some examples are:- 215 families each received 7 days of temporary shelter in a local motel;- more than 75 of those families found stable housing with the help of our staff and volunteers;- 300 individuals were assisted in our job development center, where they received personalized coaching from staff and volunteers as they developed resumes, accessed on-line job opportunities, received counsel regarding job interviews, etc. ;- 75 people found jobs through our job development center;- 20 people received transportation assistance to get to those jobs for their first few weeks until their first paycheck;- 3,400 bus passes were distributed to people needing to attend interviews, visit doctors, or apply for benefits;- 2,000 forms of identification were funded by Francis House center; - 3,300 individuals received discount vouchers for their California id, reducing the cost from $28 to $8.in addition to our California id program, regional transit assistance, family rescue temporary shelter program, and the job development program, we offer free notary services, veterans' advocacy, a free eyeglass program, and hot coffee every morning.our staff and volunteers field numerous calls each day from those seeking information and referrals. Francis House center also produces "the street sheet," which is distributed widely among the homeless community and social service agencies and features a comprehensive and definitive listing of resources in the Sacramento region for medical and dental care, housing and shelter, drug and alcohol programs, and more. Francis House center is one of the very few non-profit agencies in the region that provide clients with financial assistance to purchase California ids. Without a valid picture id, one cannot cash a check, board a greyhound bus, or even obtain food at many food closets that rely on ids to check zip code qualification. In the past year, we helped over 5,300 individuals obtain government issued identification.the following is an overview of our direct client costs for the 2015 fiscal year:- $520 for gasoline vouchers - $17,900 for California ids and drivers' licenses- $27,000 value in transit passes ($13,500 actual cost)- $3,000 for hospitality and hygiene supplies for clients- $65,700 for motel vouchers- $5,300 for food assistance- $1,150 for holiday gifts and meals our resource coaches help clients navigate the maze of social services in Sacramento. Some of the resources to which our clients are directed are: - clothing closets, - welfare facilities,- safe houses for battered women, - alcohol & drug abuse programs,- food closets and meal programs, - legal aid, - housing resources and shelters, - jobs or employment programs, - veterans' services.francis House center has an agreement with the Sacramento regional transit district by which we can purchase transit passes for 50% of face value to distribute to our clients. As a service to other area non-profits, we do all the ordering and distribution of passes so that they can offer the same to their clients. We assist approximately 75 agencies with this service.

Francis House provides for many needs, but there are needs which we are unable to cover. For these, our resource coaches provide clients with information and referrals to other agencies and organizations that can help. Our staff and volunteers are well-versed and capable, working closely with clients to make a plan to improve their lives and helping them find ways to obtain the basic necessities of life. Our goal is to be a concrete step for our clients on the road to self-sufficiency.

As these numbers indicate, we provide emergency aid for many men, women and children in need. However, our most important product is the personal attention and care extended to our clients through a team of 25 to 30 weekly volunteers and interns. These volunteers, along with our special event volunteers and our board members, log a total of nearly 8,000 hours each year, working hands-on with our clients and helping to keep the organization focused on its mission of service. Using the national average wage equivalent of $22.14 for these hours equates to $177,120 of donated time. Without our volunteers and interns, we could not accomplish the magnitude of good that we do in the Sacramento region.our paid staff includes an executive director, a program director, a family rescue program manager, a job development center manager, a communications assistant, a bookkeeping assistant, and a mercy volunteer corps staff member. We also maintain a student intern program to train local college students in the field of human services.