Many families and homeless individuals throughout the city of Ventura, find it difficult to provide even the basic food staples to their families, others are also in need of shelter, medical assistance, employment, public assistance, legal services, alcohol and drug treatment programs, pregnancy testing, perinatal care, help with their utilities or mental health needs. These clients are simply not aware of the many services available to them in our community, and they need our help in reaching out to these resources.
The Reception Center plays a vital role in their lives. Every day, clients arrive at the Reception Center requesting information and help. The Reception Center serves as a point of entry for the services that Project Understanding provides, including the Pantry and eviction prevention programs. It is also the entry point for Healthcare for the Homeless, a program through Ventura County Public Health which provides access to a nurse practitioner and licensed vocational nurse. This program offers diagnosis, treatment, medication and referral for people who are homeless or at immediate risk of homelessness. Fifteen to twenty homeless clients are seen every Friday afternoon. Many illnesses are detected early and diseases prevented from spreading throughout the community by the quick attention provided by these wonderful healthcare professionals.
In cooperation with the Ventura Breakfast Lions Club, the Reception Center has continued to provide eyeglasses to many clients in need.
In addition, the Reception Center is the nerve center for the agency. It is hard to believe, unless you are sitting in the receptionist’s chair, that over 3,600 telephone calls are received at Project Understanding each year. Also, there are over 4,000 client visits each year. We have seen over 420 new clients this year. We have seen a trend toward larger numbers of young women as heads of household and also senior citizens entering our rolls this year.
The source of our strength is our volunteer base and the knowledge and compassion they possess. It is only because of the interest, enthusiasm and compassion of our case assistants, that we are able to provide services to our clients. Our case assistants come from many different backgrounds but all have the necessary commitment to give of their time whether it is three hours a week or six. Year in and year out they arrive to help, to listen and to begin assisting individuals and families in defining and solving their problems, planting seeds of love today which will bear fruit in God’s own time. Our case assistants, identify, research, assess, explore, respond and facilitate with the clients concerning their needs. They then discuss with the client one or two or three realistic objectives or goals for his or her case management plan and appropriate referrals and resources are identified.
We are also grateful to our clients, who by their very presence help us to understand how much we need each other, how fortunate we are and what grace there is in a life spent helping others.