HomeAid Orange County

HomeAid Orange County spent more than a year searching for a building to turn into an emergency shelter that could serve as a safe, temporary haven for homeless families with children.

The organization scoured Orange County before finding the right place in a light industrial area, close to public transit and near the Orange Police Department: an empty building whose owner held indoor workouts for his daughter’s softball team.

HomeAid bought the Citrus Street building for $1.7 million and began converting it into a shelter in September.

On Thursday, July 20, the newly christened Family CareCenter on Citrus Street will be officially dedicated and ready to begin housing an expected 10 to 15 families at a time who will sleep in semi-private quarters where batting cages once stood.

Read the rest of the article from the Orange County Register here.

HomeAid Orange County was recognized as the Non-Profit of the Year as a part of California Nonprofits Day organized by CalNonprofits on Wednesday, June 28th. The award was presented by Senator John Moorlach and was accepted by HomeAid OC Executive Director, Scott Larson, on behalf of the organization.

Sen. Moorlach, who was succeeded by Scott Larson as Chair on the Commission to End Homelessness in Orange County, joined California legislators in addition to Attorney General Becerra and Assembly Speaker Rendon, to feature nonprofits and celebrate 2nd annual California Nonprofits Day.

“HomeAid does excellent work in my district dealing with a cause I’ve long fought for: ending homelessness,” Sen. Moorlach wrote in a post on his website.

Nearly 100 California nonprofit organizations from around the state were selected by legislators as their Nonprofits of the Year and were recognized at a luncheon event sponsored by CalNonprofits at the Sacramento Convention Center.

“We are thrilled to celebrate the second annual California Nonprofits Day,” said CalNonprofits CEO Jan Masaoka. "CalNonprofits initiated California Nonprofits Day as a way not only to honor and spotlight the excellence of individual nonprofits, but to raise the profile of the entire nonprofit community to legislators.”

About HomeAid:

HomeAid Orange County was created in 1989 by the Building Industry Association of Southern California, Orange County Chapter. HomeAid is the only community-based organization that has successfully completed 60 building and renovating development projects throughout Orange County, as well as across the entire homeless Continuum of Care spectrum, providing facilities that range from emergency shelters, to transitional/bridge housing, to permanent supportive housing. These projects have successfully transformed over 60,000 lives.

HomeAid’s vision to end homelessness starts at the core – where does someone go when they suddenly find themselves without a home? When the crisis of becoming suddenly homeless occurs, HomeAid’s purpose is to ensure that housing is available throughout the community and familieshave an immediate safety net where they can find resources and the assistance needed to get back on their feet. By strategically developing what is needed most in Orange County to serve those in need, HomeAid is able to move towards the goal of ending homelessness, one person and one family at a time.

Read the original article released by the Office of Senator John Moorlach here.

Sheryl Palmer of Taylor Morrison, Dave Kosco of Bassenian Lagoni join Non-profit's Board

Mar. 7, 2017 / PRZen / NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. -- HomeAid America, a building industry charity and one of the nation's largest builders of housing for the homeless, announced today that Sheryl Palmer, Taylor Morrison Homes' President and CEO, and Dave Kosco, Bassenian Lagoni Architect's Senior Principal and Director of Design, have joined their Board of Directors. Ms. Palmer will also be joining the Board's Executive Committee.

"We are extremely excited and fortunate to be adding two industry leaders like Sheryl Palmer and Dave Kosco to our Board of Directors," said Peter Simons, CEO of HomeAid America. "Sheryl is one of the leading homebuilder CEOs in the country and has led Taylor Morrison to great success during her tenure, during which the company has ramped up its involvement with a number of HomeAid's local chapters. The passion she has for our cause will now be taken to a national level at Taylor Morrison, and with her on both our Board and Executive Committee, we will greatly benefit from her leadership."

"Partnering with builders of housing for the homeless intensifies our ability to reduce homelessness and improve the quality of life for individuals and families across the nation," said Palmer. "Taylor Morrison's team members are passionate about giving back to the communities in which we build, and we hope to help HomeAid expand their local chapters' presence into more markets where we operate."

"We are also fortunate to be adding a leader of one of the nation's top architectural firms — Bassenian Lagoni — with the election of Dave Kosco to our Board," Simons added. "Bassenian Lagoni has been a partner of HomeAid for literally decades, and Dave has been involved in a number of their efforts to support us. He is well respected in the industry and has a heart for our cause that will be invaluable as we seek to help more families and individuals experiencing homelessness across the country."

"Providing shelter to the temporarily homeless must be our first step to ending this problem permanently," said David Kosco, AIA, Senior Principal and Director of Design at Bassenian Lagoni. "HomeAid, as the home building industry's own charitable organization, is in the perfect place to lead this effort and I am honored to be a part of this important work."

HomeAid is in its 28^th year of helping those who are homeless through the construction of housing for charities working to get those in need of shelter not only housed but permanently back on their feet. Homelessness remains a major problem in this country, and its causes are numerous and diverse, including job loss, medical crisis, domestic abuse, substance addiction, and post-traumatic stress syndrome in veterans. Indeed, 80% of these families and individuals are situationally homeless and can be moved back to self-sufficiency with the right help at the right time.

ABOUT HOMEAID AMERICA

HomeAid is a leading national non-profit provider of housing for homeless families and individuals, founded in Southern California in 1989. Through the generosity of builders, their trades and their suppliers, HomeAid has completed 475 multi-unit housing projects nationwide at a value of more than $215 million, of which nearly 50 percent — over $100 million — has been donated by the building industry. HomeAid currently has 70 additional projects in development across the country. HomeAid has added over 9,000 beds in facilities helping the homeless through HomeAid's network of 17 active chapters in 12 states across the country. These beds have been used by over 270,000 previously homeless people over HomeAid's history. For more information about HomeAid, call 1-888-3HOMEAID or visit www.homeaid.org.

Read the full press release by clicking the following link: https://przen.com/pr/32052775

HomeAid Orange County’s executive director and chairman of the county’s Commission to End Homelessness, Scott Larson, was honored at the OC Human Relations Awards 45 presentation in Anaheim on Thursday, May 4.

Scott Larson of Irvine, executive director of HomeAid Orange County and chairman of the county’s Commission to End Homelessness. Larson was honored for his work on the county’s 10-year plan to end homelessness and the effort to build a year-round shelter for the homeless that is expected to open in Anaheim this year.

BIASC member, Disneyland Resort, was also honored for its commitment to inclusiveness and promotion of diversity in how it recruits, hires and trains employees (referred to by the company as “Cast Members”) and other activities that include involvement in the multimillion dollar Accelerate Change Together initiative in Anaheim.

The ceremony will recognize honorees in four categories. Diverse Community Leaders, honoring individuals and groups for extraordinary contributions to Orange County in human or civil rights.

This year marks the 45th anniversary for OC Human Relations, which started in 1971 as the county government-appointed Orange County Human Relations Commission and has evolved into a nonprofit. The event celebrates efforts that embrace diversity and promote justice in Orange County.

To read the full article on the OC register click here.

HomeAid Orange County's Essential Drive Campaign kicked off with a huge success at the 2nd Annual Builders 4 Babies event Friday, April 29 underneath the Big "A" at the Angels Stadium of Anaheim. Building Industry Association of Southern California members came together to help collect diaper donations, and other essential items, for homeless babies in southern California.

BIASC members, Lennar, Brookfield Residential, Toll Brothers, Shea Homes, William Lyon Homes, the New Home Company, Reliable Wholesale Lumber, and CalAtlantic Homes all participated in the event by collecting donated diapers and building elaborate houses out of the boxes.

“This is a fun way to raise awareness about the need for diapers,” said Dave Prolo, vice president of operations for Southern California Cal Atlantic homes.

HomeAid OC’s goal this year is to collect more than 1 million diapers to be donated to 19 homeless shelters and facilities in Orange County before Mother's Day. Last year, the organization took in 1.8 million diapers.

“Not many people are aware of how important and expensive diapers are,” Scott Larson, executive director of HomeAid OC, said. “The average cost of diapers for a family is $100 a month. So, for some low-income families, they have to make a serious economic decision – food or diapers.”

Because diapers are considered a hygiene item, federal economic assistance programs, such as WIC, do not cover the cost. For more information about HomeAid OC's Essentials Drive go to homeaidessentials.org. To read the full Orange County Register article about the Builders 4 Babies event click here.

Click here for more photos from the Builders 4 Babies event.