11 Oct 2007 Doing a lot with a little -- Heather House helps with a hand up, not a handout DAILY REPUBLIC
  by Joe Giovannetti  

 

 FAIRFIELD - From the front yard view on Ohio Street, Heather House looks fairly modest.

The house has a fresh coat of paint. The shades are drawn. There's nothing to distinguish it from any other house on the block.

But when clients walk through the front door, they're stepping into a different world. One where discipline, structure and responsibility reign.

Since opening in 2000, Heather House, a program of the Interfaith Council of Solano County, has given its clients a hand up, not a handout.

'The one thing that draws people to this program is the hands up philosophy,' Heather House fund developer Margaret Manzo said. 'They are really responsible for themselves when they come here. Everything is free, but you're making them self-sufficient.'

Some people at Heather House are battling substance abuse or domestic violence. Others might be a transitional homeless case and have problems keeping a job and permanent residence.

In a client's six-month stay at Heather House, they get the direction they so sorely need.

'They're getting a roof over their heads for six months, three square meals a day and all other needs paid for,' Heather House case worker Richard Rivera said. 'We want them to save as much of their money as possible. We help them with job referrals, housing referrals, parenting and life skills, we help them repair their credit, we help in all phases of their lives.'

Heather House accepts single females with children and married families with children. The major requirement to receive entry is to prove you can save 75 percent of your earnings.

The capacity of the house is only 24 people, which means clients get in, get out and into permanent housing.

Heather House accomplishes this by providing structure that many clients have been lacking all their lives.

A sign in the living room reads: Wake up is 6 a.m., If you're not up by 6:20, a zero will be issued.

If a client accumulates three zeroes, the client could lose his or her place in the house.

'The program is structured with rules and curfews,' Rivera said. 'They all have a chore to do.

'A lot of them come in and they don't know how to clean the house. They're required to keep their rooms clean. They all have a chore to do, they're all required to cook one night a week for the whole house.'

The clients keep the house clean, but it's Rivera's job to keep it safe. He screens all incoming clients for substance abuse, domestic violence and mental health issues in order to create a secure environment.

The results are staggering.

Manzo said that 100 percent of this year's clients that completed the program have made it into permanent housing.

Manzo herself isn't sure how Heather House is able to operate with a yearly budget as modest as their house first appears $300,000 per year.

'What we're doing with that small, minute budget and the success we're having, it would cost a state agency millions to service these clients and get them into housing,' Manzo said. 'We're doing it for $300,000 per year.'

One success story, Rosalind Williams, recently joined the Heather House board of directors. In June, Williams won the Sergeant Shriver Award, which honors a member of the community who has changed his or her life, achieved economic sufficiency with assistance of an agency and has contributed to improving their community through advocacy, volunteerism, public service or some other vehicle.

'The thing she said she was missing in her life was structure,' Manzo said. 'I found her case to be telling because the common thread with these people is they have no consistency in their life.'

They get it at Heather House.
  SHOP AMAZON and support the Interfaith Council and Heather House!  A portion of proceeds from any purchases using this link goes to the Interfaith Council and Heather House through Amazon's Associates program.
  DONATE NOW!   Your donation will be processed by PayPal, the simple, easy, secure way to donate online. Just click the Donate Now button.