HOUSING PROGRAM

Marissa spent last Thanksgiving in jail. Her incarceration was related to drug addiction, and her experience in jail persuaded Marissa to enter the drug treatment program at PROTOTYPES' Women's Center in Pomona. A year later, Marissa has completed the program, achieved one year of sobriety, found a good job, and is being considered for a promotion at work.

Marissa and her two children will be among the first residents moving into PROTOTYPES' new Pomona apartments. This Thanksgiving Marissa's children told her that they feel like they have their mom back.

PROTOTYPES has a long history of providing housing to women with mental illness and other disabling conditions, including those with co-occurring disorders, and their children. Since 1994 PROTOTYPES has provided, in partnership with the City of Pomona, 54 units of Shelter +Care (HUD funded) each year for women and their children who have completed the residential program at PROTOTYPES Women's Center in Pomona.

PROTOTYPES also provides transitional housing, funded by the HUD SHP program, for 30 women and their children each year at PROTOTYPES Women's Center in Pomona. Additional transitional housing is provided for women with co-occurring disorders, and their children, in the community, under a second HUD SHP grant. Supportive services in each of these housing programs include, case management, mental health and substance abuse counseling, parenting education, child care and assistance with finding and keeping employment.

In 2006, PROTOTYPES completed construction of a 32-unit affordable housing complex on the grounds of its Pomona Women's Center for women with co-occurring disorders of substance abuse and mental illness and their children, including those who have graduated from PROTOTYPES' substance abuse treatment programs. The project provides both transitional and permanent housing in the same complex (with one-half of the units transitional and one-half permanent). The 32 units consist of 12 three-bedroom units, 16 two-bedroom units and four one-bedroom units. The housing development can serve 105 women and their children at any one time. Residents are in close proximity to the PROTOTYPES outpatient program that is located adjacent to the proposed housing. The orientation of the affordable housing program, built around a commons area, is to create a place where residents know and care about one another, and where it would be difficult to become isolated.

In addition, the new housing development is a model for sustainable ("green") building principles in the field of affordable housing. By following sustainable building practices, this development is good for people and good for the environment, while offering the economic advantage of lower maintenance costs.

For information on PROTOTYPES' Housing program, please contact Maryann Fraser, Executive Vice President, at 310-641-7795.