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Fast Fact
1 in 4 children live in poverty in Southern California. 27.2% of all children living in Los Angeles County are living in poverty. We know that if life starts in poverty, it is tough to get out. Poverty is not a problem confined to individuals or families who are impoverished; it impacts the overall well-being of cities and counties.
~Southern California Association of Governments
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Staff updates:
Congratulations to two of our YouthBuild staff members: Rick Solis Jr. and Kevin Machini, who were promoted to YouthBuild Director and YouthBuild Transition Coordinator respectively.
Over the past five years Rick has held positions as Program Manager, Transition Coordinator, and Case Manager within YouthBuild.
Kevin, formerly a YouthBuild Case Manager, was promoted to Transition Coordinator. He will focus on strengthening the career pathways we can provide to youth in our program
Introducing VCH's three new staff members:
Tijana Quilici is our YouthBuild Leadership Coordinator. She will be providing leadership development & engagement opportunities for our students.
Our former AmeriCorps VISTA member, Sarah Norman, now serves as our YouthBuild AmeriCorps Coordinator. She will be working to further develop the community service component of our program.
Kendelle Matheny joined us as a Resident Services Coordinator. Kendelle will be managing our Study Lounge program at the Oakwood site and providing tenant case management services.
Please join us in welcoming Tijana, Sarah, and Kendelle to the VCH family!
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Please support VCH and join us for a private shopping event at Agabhumi!
Agabhumi, a truly lovely jewelry and clothing store at 2665 Main Street in SM (N. of Hill, east side of block) is throwing a catered party in the courtyard adjacent to the store to make it fun and easy to shop for gorgeous and very reasonably priced, fair trade imports from BALI. Shop for holiday clothing and gifts for yourselves, family and friends and what better than to shop for a cause! Venice Community Housing will receive 20% of the net proceeds. Questions? Or to RSVP please contact: Linda Lucks - llucks@vchcorp.org or (310) 526-3857
Agabhumi 2665 Main Street Santa Monica (310) 396-2422
be interested! Shop for a Cause
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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.
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| 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.
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While here in Southern California we may not experience the leaves turning shades of red, yellow, purple orange, and brown, here at VCH,we have plenty of indicators that the season of Fall is upon us! As you will read below, our new YouthBuild class has begun, our after-school programs are in full swing, and we are preparing to begun construction of our much anticipated Gateway Apartments project.
We would also like to remind our readers that Election day is upon us! As an American Citizen, your vote is your voice. It's your opportunity to be heard, to hold our elected officials accountable for their decisions and to have a say in important issues that affect our community. On Election Day, every vote matters! Please remember to vote on Tuesday, November 4th - YOUR vote matters to us!
Read on!
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JAZZ at PALMS COURT
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photos by Sherri Determan
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The 22nd Jazz at Palms Court was fabulous and exceeded our fundraising goal by almost 25%!
We are so very grateful for all those who braved the unseasonably hot weather and attended the event, financially contributed, donated an auction item, volunteered, and sent us good wishes! It is truly a collaborative event with the results touching the lives of so many. Thank you again!
VCH Resident and Jazz Speaker YouthBuild Graduate and
Helen Crutchfied and Director Jazz Speaker Teresa Lucas
of Programs Timothy Sweeney
 
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AFTER SCHOOL PROGRAM
Quality after school programs are in high demand. According to a recent study by America After 3pm, on average, there are two children waiting to get into a program for every one child enrolled.
Study Lounge
School is back in session and our Study Lounge is up and running at both of our sites! We currently have 53 students enrolled. We are excited to once again partner with the UCLA TEACH Program which enables us to offer a 3:1 student to adult ratio.
Teen Court
Five students from our Venice Teen Court program attended the annual 5 day S.H.A.D.E.S. training at the Museum of Tolerance. The students were taught listening skills to improve their effectiveness as Teen Court jurors. The largely interactive program also encouraged student awareness of their own biases while engendering empathy for others who might be of a different race, ethnicity, religion, ability, or sexual orientation.
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VOLUNTEER CORNER
by Barbara Milliken
VOLUNTEERS PULL TOGETHER FOR JAZZ AT PALMS SUCCESS!
All types of volunteers pitched in to help with VCH's premier yearly fundraiser. They set up tables, signed in guests, arranged flowers, poured champagne, placed auction items, prepared and served food and much more.
The volunteers, old and new, ranged from VCH employees, Board members, YouthBuild students and graduates to Free Storage Venice stalwarts, Palms Court residents, members of the Jazz Committee, neighbors, friends and relatives. The photos show just some of our volunteers at work.
Thanks to all who participated. We couldn't have done it without you!
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(Photo: Jack Prichett)
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(Photo: Jack Pritchett)
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To learn more about volunteer opportunities at Venice Community Housing, visit our web site or contact Barbara Milliken at (310) 399-4100 ext. 134 or bmilliken@vchcorp.org.
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RENTAL CRISIS - UCLA Anderson Forecast and UCLA Ziman Center for Real Estate "Los Angeles has a lower median income than New York or San Francisco but only a small difference in median rents." Los Angeles is now the most unaffordable rental market in the country. It is also the metro area with the largest share of renters vs. homeowners: While U.S. rentership has fluctuated around 35%, Los Angeles is at 52%. The studies show severe housing burden among poor renters has existed since 1970, and that during periods of increasing inequality the burden has grown even more severe. Vacancy rates have risen only slightly, even dipping at times when housing burden has increased. Renters are also paying more for the same quality housing, suggesting that neither market forces nor changing housing quality fully explain the increasing rents. Together, the data show that the solution to this long-term crisis is to address its root causes - low incomes and high rents - by increasing both renter earnings and affordable housing.
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HOLIDAY FOOD AND TOY DRIVE
We are getting ready for our upcoming holidays and are in need of some help!
- Turkeys and the fixin's for our annual Thanksgiving Lunch that serves our Shelter + Care clients and unhoused individuals in our community. This lunch will be held on Wednesday, November 26th. If you would like to donate to this event and/or help serve please contact our Supportive Services Program Manager - Yadira Enriquez (310) 573-8414 or yenriquez@vchcorp.org.
- To help our residents during the holidays we are distributing non-pershable food items. We invite you to bring donations to our administration offices at 720 Rose Avenue.
- We are also hosting our annual Holiday Toy and Gift Card Drive. We strive each year to provide each child/teenager living with us and/or participating in our programs with a gift for the holidays. Gifts may be dropped off at our administration offices.
Thank you.
Until next month..
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Venice Community Housing
720 Rose Ave, Venice, CA 90291
P: (310) 399-4100
F: (310) 399-1130
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