Feburary 13th 2024 Presentation to the board Of Supervisors

Mission statement: Del Norte Mission Possible provides emergency shelter, relationship-based case management, and connection to support services for those who are homeless or at risk of being homeless. We also partner with individuals and agencies in the community to collaborate on locally-driven solutions to the growing homeless epidemic.

Project Intent: Our intent is to provide supportive services to homeless people by meeting essential and life-preserving needs as they shelter in place. Once immediate needs are met, we will implement relationship-based case management to connect people to services.

Purpose: Our Winter Shelter-in-Place Project’s purpose is to save lives and provide a bridge to services while collecting data to support an accurate count of Del Norte County’s homeless population. 

Project Plan:

Winter Shelter In Place is an example of an innovative, pilot project that grew to meet many various needs of the community.  Our Winter Shelter in Place Outreach began to meet the life-sustaining needs of the unhoused during COVID, while meeting them close to camps.  Humboldt Area Foundation believed in this project and allowed us to begin with a dream, purpose, detailed budget, and a small trailer for supplies.  We learned from other counties and then developed something that was unique to our community.  What evolved is a new way for our community to reach the most vulnerable, reclusive, and unhoused population in Del Norte County.  This pilot program was so successful, it became an opportunity for other social service agencies to connect.  It is now a meeting spot for Del Norte County Health and Human Services, St. Vincent DePaul, Open Door,  Aegis and Public Health to visit and connect with our unhoused neighbors.  The model of meeting people where they are even extended to one of the most substantial services to our population as Open Door has created a medical outreach that provides services meeting folks where they are at!  We would like to thank everyone who has an integral part in saving lives.

Our current Outreach has expanded to include a bus to carry more supplies and a dry place for case management.  Outreach is foundational in building relationships that change lives.  We would like to thank St. Vincent DePaul,  private donors, Pacific Pantry, Community Assistance Network, and the Continuum of Care for supporting these efforts and helping us to reach over 800 individuals a year.   

Together, we are making a difference!