Venice Community Housing

Monthly Newsletter   
 
 
The full scoop on our people, programs & progress
Volume 4 Issue 1                    
January 2014
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IN THIS ISSUE
Faces of VCH
Wish List
Free Venice Storage
Venice YouthBuild News
AmazonSmile
Thanks for your Support!
Upcoming Opportunities
Mission Statement

The mission of Venice Community Housing is to preserve the economic, racial and social diversity of Venice and the surrounding area by maximizing affordable housing and economic development opportunities and providing needed social services to the area's low-income population.  
Fast Fact

It is estimated that mental illness impacts at least 33% of L.A.'s unhoused population.


Click here to read Sarah Dasseault's recent LA Times op-ed piece, which highlights the complexity of of providing services to this vulnerable group of human beings. 
Faces of VCH

Sylvia Aroth

Incoming Board Member
   
I was introduced to Venice Community Housing during a political event at the home of Executive Director, Steve Clare. I was immediately impressed by Steve, and wanted to learn more about his work.

Since that time I have been building my relationship with Venice Community Housing, volunteering at Jazz at Palms Court, using my skills from my CPA career to support Development work, hosting "introduction to VCH" event at my home, and most recently organizing and co-facilitating tours of VCH properties and programs.

I am honored and excited to join VCH's Board of Directors this month and continuing to deepen my relationship with this one-of-a-kind organization.
Quick Links

 
Wish List     


From linens to laptops, Venice Community Housing is always seeking donations for our residents and programs. Please visit our online wish list to see if you can meet any of our current needs!
 
Dear Friends,

Two weeks into the New Year, and we already have much to celebrate, including record-breaking community contributions to our holiday toy drive, a successful end-of-year fundraising campaign, and standout performances by Venice YouthBuild alumni and volunteers at our second-annual Free Storage Venice program.

Read on for details! 
Second annual winter storage program for unhoused people in full swing
 
We are a month into our second-annual free storage program for the homeless and already operating at full capacity!

 

The program, known as Free Storage Venice, offers unhoused people a secure storage facility for their personal property and enables them to access the City of LA's Winter Shelter Program during the cold winter months (transportation to and from the shelter limits passengers' personal property to what they can carry on their laps).

 

Every day from 4 - 5 p.m. clients can access their property, stored in one of 26 65-gallon bins in a locked container provided by the City. Clients can retain their bins until Free Storage Venice ends on February 28th. With all 26 bins currently full, VCH is working to supply additional bins to meet demand.

 

A client registers for Free Storage Venice

VCH thanks the 16 dedicated volunteers and two volunteer managers, Gina Maslow and Barbara Milliken, who have staffed the program. We can always use more help! Contact Barbara at bmilliken@vchcorp.org if you would like to volunteer.

 

The popularity of Free Storage Venice over the past two winters highlights the need for a year-round storage resource for the homeless. VCH is seeking the support of Councilman Mike Bonin to obtain the vacant Senior Center building at Pacific and Westminster as a permanent resource for the unhoused population to provide storage and other services.  

 

To read more about the need for a permanent storage facility for the homeless and how you can help us achieve this goal, read Executive Director Steve Clare's statement here.  
Venice YouthBuild alumni recognized nationally for their leadership and academic achievement

 

Steven Love
Three Venice YouthBuild graduates have recently been recognized for their academic and leadership potential:  

 

Steven Love (2011) was elected Vice President of YouthBuild U.S.A.'s Young Leaders Council in the fall of 2013, and he will become President this year! Steven was elected to a three-year term on the Council in March 2012. 

 

Orlando Nava

YouthBuild U.S.A. awarded both Orlando Nava (2010) and Lorenzo Valencia (2011) with Helene D. Stoneman Scholarship and Civic Engagement Program grants of $2,000 to assist

with their college education.  

Lorenzo Valencia

Orlando and Lorenzo were two of 42 graduates of YouthBuild programs nationwide recognized for their academic achievement and civic engagement. Orlando was recently accepted to both California State University, Dominguez Hills and CSU Los Angeles, and Lorenzo is studying for his Associates degree at Los Angeles Trade Tech, with a focus in Architecture.

 

We are incredibly proud of Steven, Orlando and Lorenzo's achievements, and we congratulate them on their continued success! 

Support us each time you shop at Amazon! 

 

VCH registers as AmazonSmile beneficiary  

 

Are you a frequent Amazon.com shopper? If so, you may wish to register to donate 0.5% of qualifying purchases to charitable organizations such as Venice Community Housing through AmazonSmile.

To shop at AmazonSmile simply go to smile.amazon.com from the web browser on your computer or mobile device and enter "Venice Community Housing" when prompted to select a charitable organization.

You may also want to add a bookmark to AmazonSmile to make it even easier to return and start your shopping at AmazonSmile.

For full details on the AmazonSmile click here.

Thank you for your support during our holiday giving season!  

 

Local businesses boost holiday toy drive results  

 

Our 2013 Holiday Toy and Gift Card Drive was a resounding success, with every child and youth living in our buildings or participating in our After School Programs receiving a brand new toy or gift card.     

 

Board Member
Indico Arnell 

We were particularly touched by the many local businesses who contributed their financial and in-kind support. 

 

Among them was Velocify, where VCH Board Member Indico Arnell gave a presentation on Venice Community Housing and encouraged his fellow employees to contribute to our toy drive. As a result Velocify collected two large boxes of toys and games for children living in our buildings.

 

   

Year-end donations jumpstart a healthy 2014 

 

Thank you to everyone who has contributed so far to our 2013 year-end appeal. Your financial gifts have helped us begin the New Year strong! 

Upcoming Events and Opportunities 
 

wine-setup-grey-sm.gif Save the Date: Donor Appreciation 

 

March 13, 2014  

 

We will host our annual Donor Appreciation, celebrating our 2013 supporters, at the home of Venice architect Harlan Lee. Invitations coming in February!

 

Tour and Explore!

Learn about VCH's history and current efforts during a ride-along tour of our properties throughout the Venice area. This unique introduction to VCH is ideal for individuals who are new to the area and/or want to learn more about our agency. 

Tours will be held the third Wednesday of every month, or by appointment.

To schedule a tour contact Linda Lucks:
(310) 526-3857 or llucks@vchcorp.org.   
Until Next Month, 

 

VCH 
Venice Community Housing 
720 Rose Ave, Venice, CA 90291 
P: (310) 399-4100
F: (310) 399-1130