NEWS RELEASE

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For Release May 14, 1999

Services to homeless women and children will be cut due to
United Way funding shortfall.

InnVision’s Commercial Street Inn will be closed
during the day on weekends, starting June 5.

SAN JOSE, CA – InnVision, a leading provider of services to the homeless in Santa Clara County, will soon reduce hours of operation at the Commercial Street Inn, an emergency shelter for homeless women and children. InnVision’s administrative expenses will also be cut, to offset the $133,000 that will not be received as a result of the United Way funding crisis.

"This was a very difficult decision to make. A large portion of our United Way funding had been designated for the Commercial Street Inn. Our concern was to cut expenses in a way that would not impact our job search assistance or adult education programs, reduce the number of clients served, or reduce the amount of nighttime shelter provided. We are very concerned about the increasing numbers of homeless women and children on the streets. Any reduction in services for them can have a negative impact on their recovery plans.

United Way funding is valuable because it is unrestricted, and can be applied to programs like this. We are hopeful that the community will continue to support the United Way, and that this cut will not be permanent – we can reinstate these services if the funding is replaced, either through a revitalized United Way, or through some other source. Anyone who would like to help in this regard should give me a call," says Christine Burroughs, Executive Director of InnVision.

InnVision’s Commercial Street Inn provides emergency shelter, for periods of up to 90 days, for 55 women and children. During their stay, clients work with a case manager and access a wide array of support services, in order to become independent and self-sufficient.

On Saturdays and Sundays, clients have been able to stay at the Inn, have lunch there, and access the computer lab. As many of the women are employed, or in job training, and the children are in school during the week, weekends are a time they can spend together without having to rush to leave the shelter in the morning. Volunteers from local schools and community groups often visit to provide arts and crafts, structured playtime, and schoolwork assistance for the children. With funding diminished, those weekend services will be lost.

Mothers with young children now make up over half of those seeking shelter in Santa Clara County. These families are becoming homeless faster than ever before, due to the area’s extremely high cost of housing. Many families become homeless after divorce or domestic violence, layoffs, or difficulty working because of problems with transportation, childcare, or disability. Any of these problems, combined with the high cost of housing, can lead a family to homelessness.

InnVision operates 11 sites serving the homeless in Santa Clara County. Programs for men, women and children, and adults with mental illness serve nearly 8,000 individuals every year. InnVision’s continuum of care includes emergency shelter, meals, multi-service centers, transitional housing, and job search assistance.

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