Safe Housing United States Project #50326

Creating Affordable Housing Options in Chico, CA

by Chico Housing Action Team

Creating Affordable Housing Options in Chico, CA

Project Report | Dec 20, 2024
CHAT Update: Reflecting On a Year of Success

By Chrys Bello | Program & Grants Manager

Affordable Housing for All

As 2024 ends, we reflect and take stock of all our wonderous successes these past twelve months at CHAT (Chico Housing Action Team) – none of which would be possible without your support and generosity. THANK YOU for all that you are and all that you do! Every single dollar donated is largely impactful to our organization and the local community members that we uplift through access to affordable housing and related resources.

As we excitedly shared in our last report, with your assistance, we blew past our previous funding goal. As such, we have doubled our funding goal to $400,000! To date, we have received 4,152 donations, raising a total of $209,155 for our charity.

Since August, CHAT has had 16 new residents move into our programs: one family with 3 children, 7 adults, 1 transitional-aged youth (18-24 years old), and 5 college students. In 2024 overall, we had 73 new residents move in: 66 adults and 7 minors. CHAT currently operates 57 houses in Chico, providing 154 housing units. With your help, this year we were able to provide affordable housing solutions to 235 people: 188 adults and 47 minors, with additional wraparound services to keep them housed. Beyond housing services, we work diligently to provide residents with access to food, furniture, and other social services. This year, our Food Box Program delivered a total of 1,260 custom food boxes to more than 150 individuals across town through bi-weekly home deliveries! Every food box is tailored to the needs of each household, containing fresh bread from Camina Bakery, fresh produce, protein, and other nutritious goods donated by Trader Joe’s and local churches. What incredible feats we can accomplish when we unite behind a common cause!

By removing barriers like income requirements, credit scores, and more, we are making housing accessible to all. It starts with a key… but we cannot do it alone. Over 1/4 of CHAT’s revenue comes from donations, making your support crucial to advancing our mission. Together, we can create lasting change to build a better, safer community. Watch this 2-minute video to learn more about the importance of your contributions and why we do what we do: CHAT explained

Thank you for joining us on this journey of creating life-changing impact through affordable housing solutions for all… we are forever grateful to you and your ongoing commitment to our cause.

“Home is the starting place of love, hope, and dreams.” – Unknown

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Aug 27, 2024
Affordable Housing for All

By Angel D Wellman | Office Manager

Affordable Housing for All

Thank you to all our generous donors for your support and help with our mission to provide affordable housing for all. We have some extremely exciting news to report! All of your support has helped us reach our donation goal of $200,000! With 3,898 donations, we raised $201,723 for our charity, which helped us provide affordable housing to those in our community.

As of this year, 77 individuals have received permanent housing services through our housing for all program, and our housing now program has 63 individuals. While we continue to work on increasing our permanent housing capacity CHAT (Chico Housing Action Team) has purchased 24 properties and master leased 48 additional properties so far. These 72 properties equal 157 units, which can house 157 individuals! CHAT has had 34 new residents move into our programs since May 1st. In addition to working on increasing affordable housing for all we continue to work on providing residents with access to furniture, food, and other social services.

Chico housing action team’s food box program provides food to 55 households, servicing 126 adults and 34 minors bi-weekly. We have hired additional case workers for our social services department allowing the residents to have access to one-on-one support through case management. This department also has been working on building onto our family programs by supporting families within our program with back-to-school resources. During CHAT's back-to-school event social services was able to hand out 24 back packs and back to school clothes to families in our program in addition to providing them with water games and one on one fun with the staff.

We are forever grateful to our supporters for their contributions and all your support in our cause to continue providing affordable housing to all.

“Peace-that was the other name of home.” Kathleen Norris

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Apr 26, 2024
CHAT Affordable Housing Options

By Nicole Drummond | Executive Director

Gratitude

Thank you to all the generous donors who have supported our crucial mission. With a total of 3,621 donations since March 2021, amounting to $193,139, we've been able to make significant strides in providing affordable housing opportunities to countless individuals in our region. These contributions have been instrumental in ensuring that those who would otherwise face homelessness or rely on shelters now have a place to call home.

Our region has faced numerous climate disasters in recent years, exacerbating an already declared shelter crisis. As a result, the demand for housing options with support services has only intensified since the inception of this project. At CHAT, we've established a fully staffed Social Services department dedicated to implementing best practices aimed at ensuring the stability of our residents.

One of our key interventions, Critical Time Intervention (CTI), encapsulates the momentous transition from homelessness to housing, fostering momentum for residents to engage in a tailored plan of action leading to long-term stability and independence. By providing comprehensive wrap-around support from the moment someone moves in, we've consistently observed positive outcomes, with an 88% success rate in maintaining housing stability, whether within our facilities or through relocation to alternative accommodations.

We persist in our commitment to furnish homes fully and deliver food boxes through our volunteer-driven donation programs, fostering an environment where our housing truly feels like home. Our resident workshops encompass a range of activities, including social gatherings, life skills training, and financial education, empowering individuals to thrive.

CHAT has cultivated numerous formal and informal partnerships with community organizations dedicated to supporting the homeless population, ensuring seamless coordination and optimal efficiency. Recently, CHAT was honored as the Nonprofit of the Year by our local Chico Chamber of Commerce, a testament to our impact and dedication.

Through the generosity of private donations and grant funding, CHAT has acquired several homes, offering stability to residents and allowing us to maintain rents at fair market value. While challenges persist with the master lease model, including owners opting to sell or raise rent, part of our strategic vision entails transitioning towards property ownership.

We extend heartfelt gratitude to all who have contributed to this cause. True healing begins with a home and a key, and your support has made that possible for countless individuals.

furnished living room

so many homes

Happy Family

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