Welcome, readers! Thank you for visiting The Village Visionary, the blog dedicated to highlighting the work of the local nonprofit. This particular post highlights the work of an organization called Dreams for Change, which strives to help people struggling with housing insecurity and barriers to entering the workforce to create stability in their lives. Read my conversation with Founder and CEO, Teresa Smith.

Tell us your role at Dreams for Change, and what Dreams for Change is.

Dreams for Change Founder and CEO, Teresa Smith.

My name is Teresa Smith and my role with Dreams for Change is CEO, and I actually was the founder of the organization. We’re a nonprofit that operates out of San Diego County, and we look at some different pathways to build stability in individuals’ lives. We do this in a variety of different ways. We do this through workforce training and development and education; we work directly with homeless individuals through safe parking, those who are homeless and living in their vehicles. And then, we also have a whole separate program where we work with asset-building strategies and providing financial education, financial coaching and tax preparation services.

What would you say your mission statement is?

Our Dreams for Change mission is to use innovation and cost-effective techniques to strengthen and empower underserved individuals and families, and we do that through asset-building strategies, through workforce development and building supports into individuals’ lives.

How did Dreams for Change begin?

We started ten years ago -- we’re hitting our ten-year anniversary this year. When we started, it was just toward the height of the recession. We really started looking at what was going on as a result of the recession, and one of the things that I had noticed in my previous work was this new face of homeless[ness] that was surfacing. They were not necessarily the traditional homeless that we were seeing that one would [typically] think of, with drug and alcohol issues, mental health issues, extreme poverty. These were individuals that had just lost their job because of the recession…maybe their home was foreclosed on. And what was happening was [that] the systems weren’t set up to deal with this new face of homeless[ness], and one of the consistent things that we heard over and over again is that they had their vehicle, and instead of staying in the shelters they’d rather stay in their cars. We started looking at safe parking as an answer to address this kind of emergent issue around homelessness, to hopefully catch people before they ended up on the streets and really leverage that car as an asset, and build in some of those asset-building and financial education components to grab people before they [went] down a path of chronic homelessness and move them on a path back towards housing stability. So, safe parking became our initial program that we started with, and working with those individuals in their vehicle and providing that safety overnight, providing that case management, the resources that were very targeted to that population.

Safe parking clients check in with the case manager for their evening stay.

How do you provide safe parking?

We have parking lots that are not used overnight, and clients can start arriving every evening at six o’clock. And we have case managers onsite each night working with those individuals, providing those resources and those connections. And then, they just stay in their vehicle in this secured, safe parking lot off the public roadway, where they have access to bathrooms and other amenities, in essence, to make it a little more bearable, with the whole goal of working toward moving back toward that housing.

Do the case managers also act as security guards?

We’re really dealing with a population that, in essence, was my neighbor at one point in time and just had that one issue that pushed him homeless. We haven’t had any security concerns. The first three and a half years that we ran the program, we did stay overnight with the clients to ensure security, and determined that security wasn’t necessary. We were literally just watching people sleep. Individuals were very self-regulated and really motivated towards bettering their lives. So, we do not provide overnight security. Our case managers are there nightly from 5:30-9:30, providing those services, and then, for the most part the residents go to sleep overnight in their vehicles. And then we have a point of contact, one of the clients who we’ve built rapport with, [who] ensures that people leave in the morning and secures the property for us.

Do you bring in portable bathrooms and such?

Dreams for Change Case Manager, Ava Blackwell, is present onsite to provide services to clients at one of the organization’s safe parking lots.

At certain sites we’ve had to do that in the past. At our current locations we have actual bathroom facilities that we can use, and it’s just sink and toilet. We’re at a church at one site that has a bathroom on the outside of the building that’s accessible, and then our other property has a little office that has a bathroom. One of the sites has a couple [of] refrigerators that they can use.

So basically, you’re standing in the gap between them and the organization that owns the lot, and vouching for them, securing permission for them to be there.

We actually hold leases at all these spots, so we’re actually leasing the space and are responsible for that space and our time of usage. So, it is a very comprehensive program in a sense. We are there every evening with the clients. Once you’re in the program, the spot is yours. They go through an intake process and assessment when we have someone new that comes onto the site. They have to check in every evening. There is a system in place to manage the program and to be able to provide that assistance.

So, the case managers give them job advice and that sort of thing?

It depends on the individual and it depends on their situation. Sometimes we’re doing employment work with them if they’re not employed and need employment, or better employment. Our financial coaches come in and look at their credit reports and budgets, really taking a look at those finances and how to get them stable. We’re always looking at housing options and going through all the different types of affordable housing and housing assistant programs, and trying to determine which ones they may qualify for, to get them linked into those. So, they assess what their needs are and we try to fill in that gap, wherever that may be.

So, the case manager’s case is basically that parking lot.

Yep, that is correct. We have two per site, and they divide the group out between the two leads, and then we also layer in social work interns that also provide additional case management assistance.

And it’s the same people every night in each lot.

Yep, for the most part.

Do they become friends?

They do. That is one of the biggest surprises from the program, honestly…the community that’s developed, and just being able to watch that happen time after time over the years. What happens is, a community does develop at each one of the sites. The clients get to know each other; it helps with their mental health, knowing they’re not alone. The children play together. And they also help with that resource providing because they’re out there, accessing those services, and so they kind of get those insights as to what’s really going on versus when we talk to other organizations [and] get the management view of what should be going on. So, they’re able to share some of that learning and [those] experiences with each other and form this community.

Tell us about your food truck program.

One of the Dreams for Change food trucks serves the homeless population of downtown San Diego.

That is what we call our social enterprise, and a social enterprise is basically blending a business model with a common cause. And for us, it’s workforce training. We operate three food trucks currently here in San Diego County, that are operated by individuals that have extremely high barriers to employment. The number one barrier is housing, so, the majority have housing instability – either are homeless, on the streets or in a shelter, [or] couch surfing. The other high barrier is prior criminal records. Most of them have recently left the justice system and [are] trying to enter back into employment. And then, we do a little work with that transitional-aged youth, 18-24, that are trying to enter that workforce for the first time. They receive on-the-job training that is paid as if they are employed, with a lot of flexibility, knowing that they have barriers. And they work with our staff and case managers to eliminate some of those barriers so they can transition to a permanent job in the general community that’s not supported as such in our social enterprise, and begin that career employment pathway.

One food truck is what we call our “senior truck.” It serves low-income seniors at mobile home parks. And we go in and do a lunch with them and bring them into their community center at the mobile home park and provide a full menu off the food truck for the seniors to choose from. Our first truck that we put on the road was, and still is, for individuals that are homeless and live downtown. So, that goes [to] downtown San Diego Monday through Friday, where the homeless can purchase whatever they’d like and utilize their CalFresh/food stamp benefits to purchase their meals throughout the day. Then our third truck is really for events; it goes out and does different types of events.

One of the “senior truck’s” customers, Jeanne, carries her lunch order.

Each of our trucks is operated by individuals in this training program, even up to our leads, our trainees that have been hired now by our organization to be leads and [do] on-the-job training. They’ve gone through the program and exhibited having those base management-type skills, so we bring them to the next level up, where they go through about a month of additional management training. And then they run the trucks…get the trucks ready, drive the trucks to the site, and oversee the trainees on the truck.

And have you been able to see this system as a whole work for individuals?

We have multiple success stories across all [of] our programs, and being in the position I am, that’s obviously the best part of the work we do. Just seeing one of our individuals that spent seven years, (I think), in the women’s correctional facility, and had lost her kids in the process…watching her come out, getting that first chance to work, and hearing that comment over and over again, “I never thought when I left prison someone was going to give me that opportunity to even start.” And then slowly tackling those barriers. Looking at housing, how are we going to stabilize [her] housing; and getting her into the right program so now she has two years of housing paid for, with enough bedrooms to be able to start visitations and overnights with her children again and reunify with her children. She started in the training program and completed it, while at the same time doing a trade school, and then has now moved on to a full-time job, able to maintain a life now…and producing an income that will move her forward for the rest of her life.

What would you say is your favorite thing about Dreams for Change?

Participants in Dreams for Change’s programs get a second chance at life.

My favorite thing is our clients. That’s honestly what keeps me going. Working in the nonprofit space, working with these types of issues such as homelessness and unemployment and the whole host of things our community faces on a regular basis, while at the same time dealing with the struggles of the system -- the political system and the political environment that we operate in – can be tough at times, and can be very discouraging, honestly, many times. But all it takes for me is seeing the clients, hearing their stories…seeing the client that’s been homeless for almost a year with their three kids in the car finally get that apartment…that’s what keeps me going. That reminder [that] that’s why we have to keep fighting the systems, keep bringing awareness to the issues. Because it shifts all the time. The homeless issue is a tremendously growing issue here in California specifically, and the west coast, and it’s impacting a broader depth I think than people ever imagined. How do we continue to have those narratives and conversations? It is not what we traditionally have thought about, the drug and alcohol, the mental health issues. It’s everyday individuals and families, that are working full-time, that are trying to bridge that gap.

Do you also serve those who are facing those traditional challenges you mentioned?

We do, most definitely. It wasn’t necessarily part of our core for the longest time, but where we’ve started seeing it is in our workforce program. As I mentioned, one of our trucks goes down and provides that service, meals and opportunities, for the homeless. And what we heard over and over again was, “How do I get the opportunity to work? I’m living against that fence over there, but I want to go back to work. How do I get a job with you?” And, for us, they’re right. The idea that people living on the streets don’t want to work is not true. We hear it all the time. They want to work. And so, for us this has happened within this past year, we really started taking a look at what kind of extra supports we needed to put in place for those who are living on the streets to have the opportunity to go back to work.

What would you say is Dreams for Change’s biggest challenge?

I would say our biggest challenge at this time is trying to change that narrative around homelessness. And it’s a tough battle because there’s always that “not in my backyard” [and]

“people just need to pull themselves up” [mentality], when there’s not really many pathways for them to do that. And so, for us it’s how do we take a look at a system’s approach to really start creating those pathways for individuals to move from homelessness to stability? And that’s very challenging because we’re not in the political environment [where] that’s a high priority, to really make that happen and put the politics aside.

How would you say working in the nonprofit space has changed you or your life?

For me, it’s what I do and what I know. I’ve been in the nonprofit space now [for] 20 plus years. It’s what I have committed myself to. It comes up all the time: “you could go double your salary if you did something else with all your experience and knowledge.” But for me, this is what my passion is. Making life better for everyone, and whatever it takes to do that. This is what I know and this is what I do, and I’m committed to it, full-force. And it’s pushing that window, I guess --what I’m really committed to. How do we continue to push that window, how do we continue to leverage data, innovation, and in some ways, disrupt some systems in that process, to really get to the solutions to a lot of these social issues?

In general, what function or role do you think nonprofits play in our society?

I think that nonprofits play a very huge role in our society. Over all, I think the biggest value of a nonprofit is the direct connections within the community. The nonprofits know the communities, they know the people, and they really are that liaison between communities, governments, and systems, and being able to leverage those key pieces. But then, when we look at all these large social issues, such as homelessness, hunger, I’m also a believer that the only way to solve these issues is going to be through a cross sector. You need the nonprofits that know the communities from the street level, but you also need the business side that can leverage the efficiencies of businesses. You need the government side that has the financial resources. Each group has a role in addressing some of these large social issues. But the value of the nonprofits is [that] they know the issues. they live the issues. And it’s how do we bring those groups together to make those changes?

In your opinion, what is a visionary?

Someone who sees solutions and can at least start putting a plan in place. They may not have all the answers, but they at least know enough of who and what needs to be brought to the table to make that solution, that goal, a reality and a success. And a visionary’s able to take it from that beginning to that end, and bring that team along with them to make that happen.

How can people get involved with Dreams for Change?

The easiest way is to go to our website, www.dreamsforchange.org. There [are] inquiries there, a whole list of things that people can do to get involved. They can get directly involved with our safe parking program. Every night we have a group of individuals [who] are looking to be engaged, either through a meal, activities -- our kids love it when people come down and play games with them and do different things. We run a very large, free tax preparation program, so, we take in about 100 volunteers between January and April to do that kind of work. Drives – you know, our clients have multiple needs, such as blankets in the winter time – those kinds of things are ways to get involved. If you go to our website, you’ll be able to see all those different opportunities, and we can definitely get you connected.

So, there you have it, folks! If you have the heart and/or resources to help Dreams for Change achieve realize its mission, I encourage you to take the next step, visit their website, and get involved. It takes a village.

If you like the images accompanying this story and would like to explore how visual storytelling could help your organization share the heart of its mission, please visit my website, www.soulvoyagerstudios.com, or send me an email at soulvoyagerstudios@gmail.com. To receive each blog post in your inbox when it is posted, as well as regular content regarding visual storytelling and inspiring ways to make a difference in this world, subscribe to my newsletter below!

Addressing the New Face of Homelessness - with Dreams for Change