Today we’d like to introduce you to Michelle John.
Michelle, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I care about others deeply. When I see someone homeless on the streets it hurts and it generated in me a deep desire to make a difference in my community. So, in 2014 my husband, Chris, and I founded New GateWay Solutions initially to help the unemployed find jobs or start businesses. Over these last four years, we saw more and more homeless unemployed and we jumped in to try to give them a hand up and get them back to work.
We discovered along the way that it is much more expensive and stressful to re-house and employ someone who is already homeless. We had quite a lot of success but there were so many obstacles to overcome. I found myself wishing that I had met these people before they became homeless. What if we tweaked our program a bit to provide help to those travelling on the road to homelessness?
With this question in mind, I did the research and this is what I found:
• There are numerous factors that impact an individual’s ability to be re-housed after becoming homeless in San Diego. These include affordable housing and adequate transportation. Additionally, the average wait to obtain a Section 8 housing voucher is 8 to 10 years.
• 25% of the current homeless, became homeless due to a loss of employment.
• San Diego County received requests from over 17,000 unique persons for homeless-dedicated services in the last fiscal year. 58% of these requests were new to the System of Care.
What a difference New GateWay would make if we could reduce the numbers of newly homeless living on the streets or in their cars? We decided that this would be our contribution to ending homelessness….. stop the bleeding as best we could! So, in 2017 we started our Homelessness Prevention Program, helping people stay in their current housing by, not only helping them find a job but providing help with rent, bus passes, gas cards, car repairs and outstanding bills while they are waiting for that first paycheck to arrive.
Funding is extremely limited so we are doing all we can to make the biggest impact we can with the few resources we have. It is not a high profile area of operation but for those who have lost their income and are about to lose their housing, with no-where to turn, it makes all the difference in the world. One by one, they are rising and standing on their own two feet once again. That alone is worth every bit of the time, treasure and talents spent by New GateWay on behalf of those traveling the road to homelessness.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
This has definitely not been a smooth road.
The major struggles we have encountered have been:
– Adequate, affordable housing
– Funding, both for the program and for paid staff
So, as you know, we’re impressed with New GateWay Solutions Corporation – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
New GateWay Solutions is a 50(c)(3) nonprofit organization located in Chula Vista, CA and serving all of San Diego County. Our goal is to alleviate poverty and homelessness….. one job at a time.
We provide assistance through several programs:
– Homelessness prevention – keeping people in their homes, helping them find jobs, training and a support group
– Business startup – helping business owners who need extra help navigating their administrative and marketing responsibilities necessary to build their business, starting with registration and licensing
– Career readiness and training – helping clients find jobs and providing training on how to keep a job
– An internship program – work experience within our organization for clients with gaps in employment who are unable to find work as well as for college students needing the experience to obtain their first job within the career for which they are preparing.
To date we have been able to help clients who:
– Have been laid off
– Are stay at home parents returning to the workplace
– have gaps in employment
– have been unemployed for months and even years
– are over 50 and are finding it challenging to find a job that can pay their bills
– are returning from illness or from taking care of a loved one who was ill
There are many who work to alleviate poverty but few work in the area of homelessness prevention, making us unique. We are most proud of the fact that 95% of the clients we served, who initially came to us homeless or on the brink of homelessness, are currently working and housed, and 90% are projected to maintain stable housing well into the future.
When someone is out of the woods and back on their feet again… the smiles, every ‘thank you’… those are our greatest achievements.
So, what’s next? Any big plans?
Our vision is to create a model that can be duplicated easily and to open a New GateWay in every city in this nation. This is a big vision, we know, but we will take it one city at a time starting with San Diego.
Contact Info:
- Address: 49 Third Avenue Chula Vista, CA 91910
- Website: www.newgateway.org
- Phone: 619-272-6017
- Email: info@newgateway.org
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/newgatewaysolutions/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/newgatewaysolutions/
Getting in touch: SDVoyager is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
