Our Partnerships
Shelters:
- The ARCH: Year-Round Shelter
- Salvation Army
- Tender Life Maternity Home
- City Center Transitional Living
- Turning Point Foundation
- NHF Recuperative Care
The ARCH Year-Round Shelter: All Roads Lead to Housing
The City and County’s first year-round 24/7 shelter The ARCH, opened in February 2020. The shelter, run by Mercy House, is low barrier and can 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.
Salvation Army
The Salvation Army supports a transitional shelter with 12 beds, including beds specifically for veterans, and permanent supportive housing throughout the city.
Tender Life Maternity Home
Since 1985, Tender Life has offered a safe place to transform lives. Some of Tender Life’s early babies have graduated from college, found careers, and are living productive, fulfilling lives. With a capacity of six women at a time, the Maternity Home is a warm, nurturing refuge where residents are encouraged to focus on making their future positive and fulfilling.
Tender Life’s integrative vision provides comprehensive support and assistance to pregnant women (18 years and over) in need and encourages healthy alternatives for a better and productive life. With every dollar donated, comes hope for a young mother and her unborn child. The goal is to ensure Tender Life Maternity Home is operated with love and dignity for all who have a need.
To donate to Tender Life Maternity Home, click here.
To learn more about the program, click here.
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 is a converted motel which provides a Transitional Living Center for the homeless or at-risk families with children, focusing on a complete transition, providing for the needs of the heart, soul, and mind of its residents. The effort is supported by more than 20 local churches and several businesses. Make a difference with volunteers, local businesses, churches, partners and donors and see life - changing transformations one miracle at a time.
To donate to the City Center, click here.
To learn more, click here.
Turning Point Foundation
Turning Point offers care to homeless who struggle with mental illness. In addition to permanent supportive housing, they offer Our Place Safe Haven, a 14-bed shelter which provides a safe place to sleep, as well as case management.
National Health Foundation 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.
Care & Outreach:
- Backpack Medicine
- Buddy Nation
- Catholic Charities
- Downtown Ventura Partners
- Family Reconnection Program
- Family to Family
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. Their goal is to find permanent housing for people and their pets so they can start to break the cycle of homelessness because of having a companion animal. Donations, volunteers, questions are welcome. Please call Cappi Patterson, Buddy Nation President, at 805-766-5920 or email ccparis@sbcglobal.net.
Catholic Charities
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 8:00 a.m. - 9:00 a.m. Sack lunches are provided Tuesdays and Thursdays from 1:00 p.m. - 2:30 p.m.
Downtown Ventura Partners (DVP)
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 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, someone to welcome them, and no outstanding warrants. Since 2012, there have been over 200 successful reconnections.
Family to Family
Family to Family, Ventura’s food kitchen at 303 N. Ventura Avenue, offers free meals Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 11:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 8:00 a.m. -9:00 a.m. They’ve been feeding the hungry and homeless for more than 36 years. If you’re hungry, they will feed you a hot meal no questions asked. In 2018, they served over 48,000 meals.
- Human Services Agency
- Pathways to Home
- Project Understanding
- River Community Church
- One Stop
- Step Up
Human Services Agency (HSA)
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.
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.
Project Understanding
Provides outreach and a food pantry on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday from 9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. at 2734 Johnson Drive, Suite E.
The River Community Church
Operates a food pantry every 2nd and 4th Sundays of the month from 11:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. 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-Thursday from 9:00 a.m.- 5:00 p.m. and is available to connect people with resources in our county. The River Community partners with all the major social service agencies to help individuals find the resources they need.
One Stop
One Stop, operated by Ventura County Health Care Agency, provides health care and access to social service agencies and professionals every Tuesday from 10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. This includes Behavioral Health assistance, general relief application assistance, free HIV testing, case management, and more.
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.
- Alisa Ann Ruch Burn Foundation
- Ventura County Rescue Mission
- Whole Person Care Pod
- Whole Person Care Case Management
- 211 Ventura County
Alisa Ann Ruch Burn Foundation (AARBF)
The Alisa Ann Ruch Burn Foundation is a California 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to significantly reducing the number of burn injuries through prevention, education, and enhancing the quality of life of those affected by burn injuries in California. The City of Ventura's Safe & Clean Program partnered with AARBF's "Safe and Warm" campaign to reduce the number of fires and burn-injuries among Ventura's unhoused community.
Ventura County Rescue Mission
The last Friday of every month a team of Rescue Mission graduates and staff outreach in areas frequented by homeless individuals in Ventura.
Whole Person Care Pod
The Whole Person Care Pod is located outside River Haven on Monday from 12:30 p.m. - 3:30 p.m. 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, and have had 2 or more hospitalizations or 4 emergency room visits in the last year.
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.