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The Living Room Today
Special Anniversary Series
January 30, 2023 | Volume 3 | Issue 1
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Dear Friends,
This year The Living Room is celebrating 30 years of journeying to where we are today. In 2016 we left our original home at Church of the Incarnation to move to our own campus on Cleveland Avenue. Then in 2020, during COVID, we converted our offices to housing and began a search to find a walk-in center. We found that site on Dutton Avenue and entered into a lease purchase for the site. We remodeled and then opened on March 28, 2022. Since then we’ve met and began working daily with new partners, along with the partners that we’ve had for years. This site has become a safe place for us to offer “road side assistance," to be a compass point that gives women new direction and a support so women don’t have to travel this life alone.
Both the Cleveland campus and the new Dutton Life Center are functional “base camps." We provide supplies, food, shelter, communications, critical guidance, and a place to be safe for women who are recharging or beginning life activities that will move their lives forward. The fact that we specialize in serving women and children with the vital services we alone have, sets us apart from every other organization. Our work is highly respected in the community and our success is documented. This model works.
That is why we need your help to purchase this Life Center site on Dutton Avenue. You will read more details in this newsletter and there are contact names and number to call if you have additional questions.
To those who have supported us through all the roadblocks (fires and floods), and detours (COVID), we are sending THANK YOU’S AND BIG HUGS!
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Cindy Pasko, Executive Director |
Hop in our camper and explore our journey of the last 30 years to now. |
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The Living Room was started in 1993 by the Church of the Incarnation in Santa Rosa for women living on the streets, at a friend’s house, in a shelter, or in their cars. It was a warm, safe and welcoming space for housing insecure women and their children to come in, rest and have a cup of coffee.
In 2015, the founders located property at Cleveland Avenue and Carrillo Street, and in 2016, officially started a day program which provided two hot meals a day along with therapy, parenting classes and connections to local resources. Over the years, The Living Room expanded its services offering classes and workshops such as group therapy for addiction, art therapy, yoga, mommy and me music hour, pet assistance and a child’s playground area.
When the pandemic hit in March of 2020, The Living Room had to close the walk-in day program and reconfigure its operations to ensure safety and meet community need. Over the course of a year administrative offices were moved to South E Street freeing up space at the Cleveland campus to house more women and children.
The meal program expanded to include anyone facing food insecurity. The street outreach program expanded to include partners distributing meals, snack packs and hygiene items to the unsheltered as well as warm nutritious meals to seniors, transition age youth, adults in recovery and reentry populations. Exactly two years later in March of 2022 The Living Room opened up its new day center on North Dutton Avenue.
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Since March 2022, our Life Center has been a warm and friendly place for the women and children of Sonoma County to find support on their life journey. |
SERVICES PROVIDED AT OUR LIFE CENTER:
- Resources for housing, food, medical care, employment and transportation
- Peer support and mentoring (women with similar life experiences)
- Computer classes and free computer lab with phone charging
- CalFresh, Medical, WIC, EBT (Nutrition supplementary programs) assistance
- SSDI, SSI, SDI assistance
- Legal Aid
- Art and Journaling Therapy
- Continental breakfast and heat-to-order lunch
- Classes and support groups
- Translating Services (Spanish/English)
- Respite Room
- Voter Registration
- Pet services
- and much more!
Future Programs: Music, Dental and Self-Defense
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We aren't just a place to find resources for housing and other services, but also the only walk-in center for unsheltered or at-risk women to call home during the day. |
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It is a challenge to find those willing to rent a location to an organization that helps those who are unsheltered. We are so fortunate and grateful that we now have a place that we can serve our ladies properly!
The reason for launching our capital campaign is to be able to call our Life Center our permanent home. We are asking for your help to raise money through our Capital Campaign to buy this building and call it ours and ensuring a permanent home for our services and programs.
Our "Dream Big" goal is to raise $1,000,000 to purchase our Life Center.
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Liz Uribe - Expedition Leader (Capital Campaign Chair)
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As a board member of The Living Room (TLR), I have had the privilege to see our nonprofit grow into a mature organization that truly makes a difference in homeless women and children’s lives. We are nearly 30 years old! Our new walk-in center at 1335 North Dutton provides a myriad of services on a daily basis with a commitment to help with whatever is needed. Now working with both government agencies and our many local nonprofit partners, TLR is able to provide assistance with housing, mental health, food, legal, respite care and more. We also are able to provide transitional housing for over 21 residents.
My commitment to The Living Room Center as chair of the Capital Campaign Committee is to raise funds to purchase the building by the end of 2023 as well as provide for ongoing maintenance. Our goal is $1,000,000. We currently have funds and commitments for over $400,000. We of course need more, and welcome anyone to take a tour of our new Life Center and the 1207 Cleveland Campus where our vertical vegetable grow towers and commercial kitchen are located and produce over 1000 meals a week. You will be amazed!
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Scott Bartley – AIA, former City Council member and Mayor, active in the community
Jane Bender – former City Council member and Mayor, active in the community
Judy Coffey – RN, MBA Ret. VP of Kaiser Permanente, Senior Consultant at Leap Solutions
Jackie Elward – City Council member and former Mayor of Rohnert Park, businesswoman
Susan Gorin – Supervisor, County of Sonoma, former City Council member and Mayor
Lynda Hopkins – Supervisor, County of Sonoma, farm owner
Ernesto Olivares – former City Council member and Mayor, manager at Providence Health
Mike Thompson – U.S. Congressman representing the 4th Congressional District
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Challenge grants are a great way to double the impact of your giving! |
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Marion Weinreb's Challenge |
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Give a challenge grant to our Capital Campaign
Volunteer your time and talents
Plan a fundraiser through your club or workplace
Join us for one of our 2023 events
Celebrating (the Diversity of) Women
Human Race 2023
Loving The Living Room
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Rebecca Rogoway - Donor Relations Officer
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Rebecca’s career in the nonprofit sector has spanned over 25 years - 14 of those years were with the American Heart Associate where she served as Development Director and Executive Director.
As The Living Room’s Donor Relations Officer, she is responsible for assembling our events including Celebrating (the diversity of) Women, Loving the Living Room and the Human Race, along with our Capital Campaign.
If you would like to find ways to help women and children experiencing homelessness, please give her a call and she can find just the right way for you to become a part of our community.
Phone: 707-978-4804
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The Living Room Life Center Hours
Monday – Wednesday 9:00 – 3:00 PM
Thursday - 9:00 - 1:30 PM
Friday - 9:00 - 3:00 PM
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Follow us on social media! |
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