Today I had the pleasure of visiting Contra Costa Interfaith Housing and Development Director Elba Goostree for #TinaTuesday.  If you are like me you are probably wondering what they do and who they are.  Well, I am here today to shed some light on an amazing program that is right here in Contra Costa County.  Contra Costa Interfaith Housing provides permanent, affordable housing and vital support services to homeless and at-risk families and individuals in Contra Costa County.  Today we visited one of their Housing Units located in Pleasant Hill where they not only lease out units to families in need, they provide much needed support to the families that live there.
 
Things you may not know about Contra Costa Interfaith Housing…
-It was founded in 1997 by two churches of different denominations (Temple Isaiah and Lafayette, Orinda Presbyterian Church, hence the word “Interfaith” in their name)
-There are now over 30 member Church’s of different denominations helping to end poverty and homelessness in Contra Costa County through CCIH.
-It started as a Homelessness Task Force, went on to Transitional Housing, and now they provide permanent affordable housing.
-They serve over 1100 people from working poor families and individuals, homeless families with special needs, chronically homeless single adults and people living with chronic illness.
-They assist their residents in creating individualized life plans, budget, increase income, negotiate with landlords, and create long-term strategies toward self-reliance.
-They provide on-site mental health support
-They assist their residents in accessing basic needs such as food, transportation, health care and employment
-They provide daycare, after school programs, cooking classes, swim lessons and on-site summer camps
-Next year they will host their 10^th Annual Gala “Ruby Slippers” at the Blackhawk Auto Museum.  For more information on this amazing event you can visit their event page https://ccinterfaithhousing.ejoinme.org/MyEvents/RubySlippers2018/tabid/888325/Default.aspx  
 
I barely scratched the surface on all of the things that Contra Costa Interfaith Housing is doing to change lives in our community.  Thank you Elba, for taking the time today to educate me on all of the amazing work CCIH is doing each and every day to end homelessness and create a lasting impact for homeless and very low-income families and individuals in Contra Costa County.  What a rewarding mission you are on.  To learn more about CCIH, check out their website at http://ccinterfaithhousing.org/