3 Oct 2006 Heather House hosts annual open house FAIRFIELD DAILY REPUBLIC
  by Andrea E. Garcia  

 

 FAIRFIELD - Three years ago, Martha Maldonado and her 3-year-old son would fall asleep crying, not knowing what the next day would bring.

They were homeless and starting from ground zero, Maldonado recalls, after she spent five months in jail on drug-related charges.

Upon release, she had the option to reside with her family but instead chose to stay at the Heather House, a temporary shelter that provides food and case management to the homeless. Staying there was the only way she could start over. And it was a decision that turned her life around.

'I went all the way to rock bottom and wanted to start over on my own; I didnt want to depend on my family,' she says. 'The Heather House gave me strength and a foundation. If it wasnt for them, I dont know what would have happened to me.'

Today, Maldonado is working as an industrial safety trainer and recently purchased a house in Vacaville with her fiancˇ. To sweeten the pot further, Maldonado came out of probation one month ago.

'Good things are happening to me,' she admits and is grateful for the many opportunities presented by the Heather House.

Maldonado is one of the 850 clients the Heather House has assisted during the last five years and is one of the many success stories that have emerged from the homeless shelter.

'Last year, 75 percent of our clients who completed the program moved into permanent housing,' says Linda Mahoney, Executive Director of the Interfaith Council of Solano County, which manages Heather House. 'Even people from five years ago will come back and visit us.'

On Thursday, Mahoney is expecting many more to visit as the Heather House hosts its annual 'Open House' from 4-6:30 p.m. at 724 Ohio St., Fairfield. Its an opportunity for the public to see the inside of homeless shelters.

'We give our guests a tour of all the buildings, talk about the program and clients will be on site to speak to about their experiences with homelessness,' Mahoney says. Maldonado and her 6-year-old son will also be attending.

The Heather House complex, comprised of four buildings, includes three two-bedroom apartments; two houses; and a 24-bed shelter.

The Heather House began in November 2001 when a then-small grassroots group, known as the Interfaith Council of Solano County, collaborated to create a positive impact in the community.

Solano County has more than 4,000 homeless individuals on any given night and has the fifth-largest population of homeless people in the Bay Area, according to a report by the Association of Bay Area Governments Regional Task Force To End Homelessness.

'Even though we come from different faith communities, we have been able to work hand-in-hand and side-by-side to help people,' Mahoney says. 'What were doing is breaking the bands of generations of poverty and changing the lives of those who live here and their children.'

Reach Andrea E. Garcia at 427-6953 or agarcia@dailyrepublic.net.

At a Glance
Who: Heather House
What: Annual Open House for the public to tour the four-building facility.
When: 4-6:30 p.m. Thursday
Where: 724 Ohio St., Fairfield
Info: 427-8518
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