Hope of the Valley Rescue Mission, a Sun Valley non-profit, has opened a 3,752-square-foot home in Pacoima for homeless mothers and their children. The 12-bedroom, six-bathroom Genesis House was purchased last March for $308,000 and opened July 18 after a $245,000 renovation, said Hope of the Valley Rescue Mission General Manager David Faustina. Funding included major assistance from HomeAid, a national organization based in Irvine that supports building and renovating transitional homes for the temporarily homeless. The group also acts as a liaison between residential builders and homeless organizations in the local community. “The house was in disarray, then Hope of the Valley got onboard, and HomeAid was one of the major backers in the project,” Faustina said. Jennie Meredith-Cowart, executive director of the Los Angeles/Ventura chapter of HomeAid, said the mission of the organization aligned with that of Hope of the Valley Rescue Mission. “We were eager to participate in this program to help women and children, in particular in the San Fernando Valley, because there aren’t a lot of resources for women and children there,” she said. Meredith-Cowart said about 50 percent of renovation costs for projects nationwide are made through donations in the form of trades. Builder captains – contractors who provide oversight and supervision to the project – determine how much can be given to a project. California Home Builders, a Canoga Park company that specializes in residential communities, served as the builder captain on the project. Currently, six families are residing in the home, which has 30 beds. Faustina said besides providing single mothers and their families with temporary housing for a period of up to four months, the center trains and equips mothers to find permanent housing through a variety of resources. The project also was backed by grants from the Weingart and Annenberg foundations, both based in Los Angeles, as well as the Ahmanson foundation in Beverly Hills. Other benefactors included Garden Christian Fellowship, Southland Regional Association of Realtors, and the Valley division of Panera Bread, which donated dishes, cups silverware, food and cash to fill up the house’s food pantry. The Burbank Ikea also donated furniture through its partnership with HomeAid, while General Electric Co. gave three ranges and three refrigerators. Hope of the Valley opened in August 2009 to serve the homeless, hungry and helpless with hot meals, housing, and health services. New Club House The Boys & Girls Club of the West Valley recently bought a building across from its main clubhouse in Canoga Park. The 2,500-square-foot building at 7240-44 Remmet Ave. was formerly a law office, and was purchased in July for $450,000 with undisclosed financial assistance from California United Bank in Encino. Jan Sobel, chief executive of the West Valley non-profit, said the Club will start fundraising to renovate the space for a planned teen center. “We envision a digital art space, a college bound space, a performing arts space and perhaps a dark room for our photography program,” she said. The agency does owe a mortgage on the property that it plans to pay through a dedicated capital campaign. Separately, the club organized its annual Club de Cuba fundraiser on June 28, raising $78,000 for the its general funds. “It’s our largest fundraiser of the year and the funds we raise are used to continue our programs throughout the year at our numerous locations,” Sobel said. The event took place outside for the first time in the Warner Center Marriott’s Urban Oasis lounge. The event drew 250 people for live and silent auctions, mock gambling, a Texas Hold ‘Em poker tournament, dinner and entertainment. Major sponsors included the Warner Center Marriott, Voit Real Estate Services, Wells Fargo Bank and California United Bank. Kaiser Backpacks Eight Kaiser Permanente offices partnered with Mission Hills non-profit El Nido to provide more than 600 backpacks for K-12 students in the Pacoima area. Employees from Kaiser’s finance and human relations departments donated supplies and backpacks, which were distributed Aug. 8 at Pacoima City Hall. Councilman Felipe Fuentas and volunteers from Kaiser and El Nido were on hand to present the backpacks to the children who also enjoyed martial arts, Zumba dancing and face painting. Liz Herrera, executive director of El Nido, was thankful for the assistance from Kaiser. “We’ve been fortunate to be selected as a non-profit that they were going to help,” she said. She said Kaiser’s employees had previously worked with El Nido in donating backpacks and school supplies, as well as various internal resources. Also, the Panorama City office provided funding for the visiting nurse’s program. Herrera added although Kaiser’s employees had provided their resources before, they wanted to do something in which they could really get involved with the local community. That is when the backpack program took off. “They’ve done an amazing job to give quality supplies,” Herrera said. Staff Reporter Jacquelinne Mejia can be reached at (818)316-3121 or [email protected].
Donor Saves Critical Sun Valley Homeless Project
