Upward Bound House

Description

Upward Bound House is a non-denominational community-based, nonprofit organization designed specifically to deal with the unmet housing and social service needs of homeless families and very low-income elderly. Incorporated in 1990, Upward Bound House was developed by the congregation of the First United Methodist Church of Santa Monica as a mission to its community. The success of the pilot project encouraged Upward Bound to raise significant capital funding (over $16 million), develop and open Family Place in 1997 and in 2000, Senior Villa and the Intergenerational Center. Upward Boundâ s Family Place is Santa Monicaâ s only transitional housing program for children and their parents (most of whom are single women). It offers 21 apartments of free housing and comprehensive services to help dispossessed families transition into permanent housing. We have served 219 families including 421 children since opening in 1997. Family Place provides a comprehensive support service program to get families back into permanent housing and provide them with the skills to stay there. For the parents, the program develops the skills, resources and confidence they need to find employment, re-establish their families in permanent housing and see to their childrenâ s well being. Twice weekly, the parents attend either a parenting class or a life skills class to better enable them to get back on their feet and maintain their new found self-sufficiency. During these sessions, the children are engaged in supervised activities such as arts and crafts, computer instruction, tutoring and healthy outings. Senior Villa, Upward Bound House's facility for very low-income seniors provides housing to 90 seniors in 70 one-bedroom apartments. This facility has a closed waiting list from its public lottery before opening in 2000.