FEBRUARY 2022
Vanessa’s Story
At age 20, Vanessa had never imagined living out of her car. And yet — estranged from her parents and having fallen out with her only close relative — that was precisely her current state. A hard-working student at a local community college who held down multiple jobs at a drug store and cleaning houses, Vanessa urgently needed a permanent place to live.
Without anyone to guide her, she turned to her community for help and found The Village.
Vanessa connected with The Village’s Housing initiative and its Rapid Rehousing program. Her case manager, Gio Garcia, helped her search for an affordable apartment in her local area. He introduced her to prospective landlords and represented her throughout the application process. Thanks in part to Gio’s advocacy, Vanessa now has a one-bedroom apartment close to where she works and studies.
At The Village, our goal is to minimize instability, so young people like Vanessa can continue working and attending school with minimal disruption. Gio will continue to serve as Vanessa’s case manager over the next year to ensure she remains in permanent housing and has the resources she needs to thrive in her new home.
“Adulthood isn’t easy, and being new to it without parents, it’s even harder,” says Vanessa. “The Village gave me confidence, and Gio has helped me gain the knowledge and tools I need to be a responsible adult.”
Donor Spotlight
Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center
The Village is pleased to announce a $200,000 grant from Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center. The grant will provide a full spectrum of behavioral health services for Latinx children, youth and families in underserved areas in the city of Burbank. We look forward to developing our partnership with Providence in order to reach more vulnerable children, youth and their families in our community. Special thanks to Anthony Ortiz-Luis, the medical center’s Director of Community Health, for championing our programs.
Youth Mural Completed
Clients from our Drop-In Center recently completed an ambitious mural project in partnership with the youth organization Connectopod. The mural is located at Hope of the Valley’s Navigation Center and was created with celebrated local muralist, Levi Ponce. It represents our clients’ experiences as unhoused youth. You can see more of Ponce’s work here: https://www.leviponce.com/. We’re proud of what this mural represents and the hope it brings to our community.
19th Annual Holiday Toy Drive a Success — Thank You!
A huge thank-you to our special supporters who generously contributed to our 2021 holiday toy drive. We collected and distributed more than 600 toys and 70 gift cards to children and youth in our foster care and homeless youth programs. Mark your calendar for this year’s toy drive, which will kick-off in the Fall!
To learn more about how you can get involved and help today, visit our website.