Shelters
NHF Recuperative Care

Local hospitals have the opportunity to continue healing care for homeless individuals after medical treatment by discharging to the National Health Foundation's (NHF) recuperative care program located inside the Salvation Army. Guests receive medical case management and are connected to social services and housing opportunities during their short-term stay.

City Center Transitional Living

The City Center Transitional Living Center is a faith based transitional living center for homeless children, 12 years and under, and their parents.  The City Center equips parents to rebuild their lives for self-sufficiency through mentorship, case management and therapy. The City Center truly offers a hand up…not just a handout.

Salvation Army

The Salvation Army supports a transitional shelter with 12 beds and permanent supportive housing throughout the city.

Turning Point Foundation

Turning Point offers care to homeless who struggle with mental illness. In addition to permanent supportive housing, they offer Safe Haven, a 14-bed shelter which provides a safe place to sleep, as well as case management.

2020 Shelter

The City and County's first year-round 24/7 sheltering efforts was approved by City Council and is slated to open in January, 2020. The shelter, run by Mercy House, is low barrier and will accommodate 55 individuals (17 women, 38 men) as well as their pets! Every individual at the shelter must work on their housing plan and be committed to transitioning out of homelessness.

Tender Life Maternity Home

Tender Life Maternity Home is a faith based transitional living center for homeless pregnant women and their unborn and newly born babies.  Tender Life truly offers a hand-up, not just a handout.  Tender Life provides pregnant women with safe housing and supportive services in an environment that instills dignity and promotes self-sufficiency. Tender Life’s program includes training in parenting, child development, and life skills. Tender Life Maternity Home is where “courage meets compassion to build new lives.”

Care and Outreach
211 Ventura County

Run by Interface Children & Family Services, 211 is a phone and text comprehensive information and referral service that links callers to appropriate venues for assistance.

Backpack Medicine

Once a month local doctors, nurses, behavioral health, police and City staff go into our local River Bottoms to offer care to vulnerable individuals.

Buddy Nation

Buddy Nation was formed to help homeless people in Ventura, CA keep their pets.  These pets are often the only ones who love their people and give them affection, protection and companionship.  Our goal is to find permanent housing for people and their pets so that we can start to break the cycle of homelessness because of having a companion animal. We welcome donations, volunteers, questions.  Please call Cappi Patterson, President, Buddy Nation - 805-766-5920 or email ccparis@sbcglobal.net

Catholic Charities

Operates a food pantry and houses Family to Family, Ventura's food kitchen at 303 N. Ventura Avenue, which offers free meals Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 11:30am-12:30pm and Saturday and Sunday from 8am-9am. Sack lunches are provided Tuesdays and Thursdays.                                                                                   

Family Reconnection Program

Downtown Ventura Partners & Downtown Ventura Organization created the Family Reconnection Program to assist needy, often vulnerable, individuals who are not from Ventura and seeking to reconnect with family members or a support group/treatment facility. Before transportation is provided, DVP’s Park Ambassadors, working with Police and service providers, ensure the individual or family has a safe place to stay and a someone to welcome them and no outstanding warrants. Since 2012, there have been over 180 successful reconnections.

Human Services Agency

A County agency that links homeless and those about to become homeless to appropriate services which can include immediate temporary housing, rental assistance, and supportive services. Call 805-385-1800 to leave a message; a case manager will return your call.

One Stop

Operated by Ventura County Health Care Agency and provides health care and access to social service agencies and professionals every Tuesday from 10am-1pm. This includes Behavioral Health assistance, general relief application assistance, free HIV testing, Case Management, and more.

Project Understanding

Provides outreach and a food pantry on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday from 9am-1pm at 2734 Johnson Drive, Suite E.

Ventura County Rescue Mission

The last Friday of every month a team of Rescue Mission graduates and staff outreach to Ventura areas frequented by homeless individuals.

Whole Person Care Pod

The Whole Person Care Pod is located outside River Haven and is facilitated by the Ventura County Health Care Agency. The Whole Person Care Pod is a mobile shower and medical unit that focuses on the coordination of health care, behavioral health, and social services.

Whole Person Care Case Management

The Whole Person Care programs offers intensive, high quality, field-based care, paired with information technology for real-time coordination among providers. You may qualify if you are 18-64, are Medi-Cal eligible, are a Ventura County resident, have had 2 or more hospitalizations of 4 emergency room visits in the last year.

Downtown Ventura Partners

Downtown’s nonprofit improvement district is dedicated to providing clean, activated, safe public spaces for all users. DVP’s Park Safety Ambassadors work 7 days a week, providing collaborative outreach, wellness checks, referrals and a positive presence throughout Downtown.

Family to Family

Family to Family, Ventura's food kitchen at 303 N. Ventura Avenue, offers free meals Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 11:30am-12:30pm and Saturday and Sunday from 8am-9am. We’ve been in the trenches feeding the hungry and homeless for more than 36 years. If you're hungry, we will feed you a hot meal no questions asked. In 2018, we served over 48,000 meals.




Pathways to Home

Pathways to Home is the Ventura County Continuum of Care’s (CoC) Coordinated Entry System. This system allows individuals and families to access services needed to move them out of a state of homelessness as quickly as possible. Pathways to Home includes a client-focused approach to minimize the complexity and challenges associated with accessing multiple programs to avoid or exit homelessness. Service providers within the VC CoC work collaboratively to coordinate services and information with the intent to provide the most effective and efficient client services.

Step Up Ventura

Step Up Ventura provides attachment-based, trauma-informed supportive services to children ages zero to five years who have been affected by or are at risk of homelessness.  Children attend full-time therapeutic childcare and/or preschool so their parents can obtain full-time employment and work towards stable housing.  One-on-one support is given to each child to assure growth towards developmental milestones and kindergarten readiness. Parents receive parent coaching and guidance on meeting their child’s developmental and emotional needs.

River Community Church

Operates a food pantry ever 2nd and 4th Sundays of every month from 12:30 PM to 1:30 PM at 859 E. Santa Clara Street in Ventura.  The River Community Church also collaborates with Community Memorial Health Systems and offers a free health clinic every month.  Doctors from CMHS offer complete checkups, flu shots, wound care and many other services.  The River Community Church is open Monday thru Thursday from 9 AM to 5 PM and is available to connect people with resources in our county.  The River Community partners with all the major social service agencies to help you find the resources needed.