Mather Community Campus losing transitional housing for homeless

Funding loss also strikes jobs training program

Sacramento, California – Volunteers of America (VOA) is facing a funding shortfall that will permanently impact Mather Community Campus, the region’s most successful program to combat homelessness. This loss of funding is forcing VOA to cease critical components of the Mather program model which will significantly affect the program’s ability to help clients get off the streets and back on their feet.

Without immediate and ongoing support, Mather will no longer be able to operate at full capacity and will have to cease operations in one of the campus’ 13 residential buildings – a building that can house 90 individuals for up to one year in a transitional housing setting. That’s 90 people who are on the streets now, ready for change, but will have nowhere to go.
Loss of funding also strikes fatal blow to Mather’s Community Dining Hall/Culinary Training Kitchen.

• The Community Dining Hall will close; clients will no longer receive 3 hot meals daily at a shelter without kitchen facilities in resident quarters.
• The Culinary Training Kitchen program will close – clients will no longer receive valuable job training that prepares them for employment once they leave the shelter.

Since 1993, Mather Community Campus has helped more than 4,500 people forge their own path out of homelessness through an innovative, proven approach that combines transitional housing with a multitude of supportive services.

“We actually give people their life back. We help them recover the things they need to function in society like getting their driver’s license, opening a bank account, and working on credit repair or record expungement. Mather also helps with clothing, vocational training, and employment placement,” said Sherman Haggerty, Division Director, VOA Employment Services. “We provide the foundational tools people actually need to become a part of the community again. No other program does these things.”

Volunteers of America has created a webpage that details the budget deficit and impact more fully. Anyone wishing to learn more can visit www.savemather.com. Individuals and organizations who are interested in supporting Mather Community Campus should contact Christie Holderegger, VP/Chief Development Officer at (916) 213-4133 or donate online at www.voa-ncnn.org.