VOA PROUD TO HAVE PLANTED SEEDS OF HOPE IN AUBURN WITH THREE YEARS OF SERVICE AT HOMELESS SHELTER

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

VOA is proud to have planted seeds of hope in Auburn with three years of service at homeless shelter

Auburn, CA June 15, 2018 -Volunteers of America Northern California and Northern Nevada (VOA) has been honored to work with Placer County staff, the Placer County Board of Supervisors, and the Right Hand Auburn organization in launching Auburn’s first homeless shelter.

VOA helped homeless men and women, and their pets, in the Auburn area overcome their barriers to housing and employment, and gain access to resources and training to live positive, healthy independent lives. As a result, over 225 individuals exited the shelter to move into a favorable housing situation.

As of July 1, 2018, the Auburn Temporary Homeless Shelter will be operated by a new provider.

VOA has been working closely with Placer County Health and Human Services to ensure a safe transition with as little impact on the current shelter guests as possible.The staff has been regularly meeting with shelter guests and has provided a detailed outline of the transition process which will allow VOA to exit and the new operator to enter.

During the staggered move-out and move-in process, shelter guests will continue to have morning and evenings in the shelter, and all meals will still be provided. During the week of June 25^th, all shelter guests will be off-site during the day with lunch and continual access inside at the Welcome Center, also located on the Placer County Government Campus at 11512 B Avenue, Auburn, CA.

Well in advance of the transition, Auburn Shelter assets and inventory were disclosed to the County during the Request For Proposal (RFP) process. Upon the Board of Supervisors recommendation in May to have another provider begin all aspects of shelter operations, staffing, services, and food as of July 1, 2018, further meetings were held on the transition process. The new shelter operator, The Gathering Inn, was kept informed by County staff and also had a comprehensive walk-thru of the Auburn Shelter.County property was identified and confirmed by all involved, some of which included bunk bed frames, mattresses, commercial washers and dryers, ice maker, and picnic table.

Additionally regular monthly and ongoing reports detailing budget, expenses, donations, contributions, operations, facility improvements, and statistics of the Auburn Shelter have been provided to the County since the shelter opened in June 2015.

In-kind donations such as clothing, bedding, small toiletries, laundry soap, or janitorial supplies that have been provided to the Auburn Shelter by the public were immediately put to use or distributed to residents as they were received. However, donated items still remaining in inventory during the transition will stay at the Auburn Shelter to help future guests.

Through the wonderful coordination of the non-profit Right Hand Auburn, who are the core group of individuals and faith-based organization that advocated and founded the Auburn Shelter, many community groups have provided over 200,000 meals to the guests at the shelter. As this transition becomes complete, both VOA and Right Hand Auburn encourage all those groups to continue to volunteer and help those in need.

VOA remains dedicated to serving those in need in the region and will continue to focus on our long-standing programs in Placer County - affordable housing for seniors, veterans services, and at-risk youth programs.

“We are proud to have plowed the field and planted the seeds of hope in Auburn with our service at the homeless shelter. Now we turn to expand our efforts and focus towards affordable housing, our community's biggest challenge,” Leo McFarland, CEO/President VOAncnn

During this housing crisis, affordable housing is critical. As a leader in providing 300 units of affordable housing for seniors in Placer County, VOA believes much more is needed to alleviate the isolation and suffering of our most vulnerable residents, and will work tirelessly to change individual lives, instill hope, increase self-worth, and facilitate independence through quality housing, employment, and related supportive services for the well-being of our community.

THANK YOU to all the services providers, businesses, regional non-profits, donors, community members, and faith-based organizations that partnered with VOA for your support over the last three years in our efforts to establish Auburn's first homeless shelter. We hope you will join us as we continue our ministry of service to our community in new ways as the work to help those in need is ongoing.

PLEASE NOTE, the intake process for the Auburn Shelter remains the same. If you are in need of emergency shelter services, please call Placer County Coordinated Entry toll-free 1-833-375-2237

For those interested in making future donations, volunteering, providing meals, or employment at the Auburn Shelter, please contact The Gathering Inn www.thegatheringinn.com or 916-791-9355

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About Volunteers of America Northern California & Northern Nevada (VOA)

Founded locally in 1911, VOA is one of the largest providers of social services in the region. The professional paid staff operates more than 50 programs in categories that include: employment and rehabilitative services, supported housing assistance, corrections and reentry programs, affordable housing properties, and homeless shelter services. In fact, Volunteers of America provides shelter or housing to nearly 1,900 men, women and children every night in the Greater Sacramento area and Reno. Nationally, Volunteers of America affiliates help more than 2.5 million people annually in more than 400 communities.