Sun, 30 May 2010 16:07:00
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Kerri-Suzanne Kyle
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 A look inside the Mercy Housing facility - Photo by Kerri-Suzanne Kyle. |
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By Kerri-Suzanne Kyle
Renting an apartment at the newly built housing initiative at 10th and Mission means a permanent home to many in need, along with access to case management and a host of additional on-site programs provided by Catholic Charities CYO.
Although Mercy Housing operates the facility, Catholic Charities Catholic Youth Organization – CCCYO – supports residents with resources to “navigate the system,” said the organization’s executive director, Jeffrey Bialik. Services available include a youth center, senior facility, a food pantry, ESL classes, party and event planning and intergenerational programming with the seniors.
Bialik said the partnership with Mercy Housing allows low-income residents and the recently homeless obtain “permanent supportive housing.”
Among the 136 units, about 30 percent of the residents are referred by the San Francisco Human Services Agency, with the rest available by lottery. The priority is to serve the “invisible homeless,” families, as many are separated, living within different relatives’ homes or are residing in their vehicles.
“You rarely see a homeless family on the street,” Bialik said.
The initiative is “a new model for support,” which integrates several services designed to mitigate additional stresses to economic hardship, such as an onsite extensive after-school youth programming. He added that parents have a difficult time focusing on regaining economic stability, in the absence of affordable child care.
“We wrap services around the family; we wrap our arms around the family,” said Bialik, defining family broadly and inclusively. To strengthen it, create and sustain community, and “go beyond a meal for today and address” poverty as a “multigenerational issue,” he added.
Recently opened in September, the 10th and Mission Youth Center will be fully operational by this fall, said residential services coordinator Raymon Cancino. Since its inception, the programs offered give priority to residents; later it will be open to the entire community. The new center features an art room for ages 5 to 12; a full kitchen with classes on healthy eating and food preparation; and a computer lab with equipment donated by a technology nonprofit One Economy.
As part of the San Francisco city requirement for newly constructed buildings to include art façades, Mercy Housing commissioned Ball-Nogues Studio to envelop the youth center with an art piece sandwiched within the windows. The project blends industrial design with handcrafting and is infused with the theme of community cohesiveness and support, said Jonathan Kitchens, Ball-Nogues project manager.
Two other art projects included for the facility are the stair tower in the teen center, which “can be seen from Bernal Heights,” said Kitchens, and an internal series of warmly-hued linking hands in the Senior Center. Completion is scheduled for this July.
CCCYO intends for the youth center to fill a gap left by the closure of its Mission Day Care on Fair Oaks Street, said Cancino. The center lost the location in 2009 after 26 years. He said the 10th and Mission’s center in the SOMA district will help recreate the sense of community established by the closed Mission District Day Care, two miles north.
Families and Community Coordinator Donna Talavera is one of several employees who transferred to the new youth center after the Mission District center closure. She’s currently planning the summer field trips for the 5 to 12 age group, with activities focused on cultural centers and nature exploration. The program will have several openings to youth not in residence.
Disappointed by the Mission Day Care closure, Talavera is dedicated to the new center.
“The economy is tearing down everyday life for families that were already struggling,” she said. “I’m so proud of these kids and want them to have everything they need to succeed. I imagine we’re molding future congressmen and women.”
History of CCCYO
Founded in 1907 to care for the orphans of the San Francisco earthquake, Catholic Charities CYO has been a leader in providing human services to the Bay Area for over 100 years.
Today, we operate more than 30 programs throughout San Francisco, Marin, and San Mateo Counties. These programs change the lives of children, families in crisis, single parents, the homeless, the elderly and disabled, those living with HIV/AIDS, and refugees and immigrants.
Our CYO programs bring youth—of all socioeconomic backgrounds—together to take part in organized athletic programs, summer camp, and environmental education.
Source: cccyo.org
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