Welcome Home
Improving families lives through relocation from motels to apartments
What we do?
Long displaced as family vacation destinations, motels now house an uneasy confluence of drug addicts, registered sex offenders, and criminals. Due to the lack of affordable housing and transitional housing and stymied by high rents throughout the region-these motels have also become de-facto vouchered housing for homeless families. Many families living in the motel have full time jobs and provide for at least 2-3 children. Being able to afford and save the first and last months rent, as well as a security deposit on a family-friendly apartment is often a prohibitive upfront expense to families trying to get out of the motels.
The Welcome Home program remedies motel living by raising funds to provide families with the push they need to get out of the motel and into an apartment of condo. Caterina’s Club partners with Mercy House and Illumination Foundation to identify these families, provide necessary case managing, financial advising, and eventually the first/last months rent and deposit due at move in. In addition to covering the move in cost, Caterina’s Club collects donated furniture, appliances, and other home goods to jump start these families new lives.
To date, Caterina’s Club has successfully relocated 228 families.
50-75
Residential motels are estimated to be in Anaheim that house homeless families
97%
Of homeless children move up to 3 times a year and the constant worry that they will have no place to live, takes a significant toll on their schooling, and personal development
30,000+
Children are estimated to be homeless in Orange County
Our Impact
228
Families have been relocated to apartments
600+
Individuals housed
100%
Success rate (families still in home)
“Meraz family moved in to their apartment last week. The dad was so appreciative. He just kept saying thank you and how blessed they felt. He was looking forward to having his family safe and secure for the first time in what seemed like a long time for this family.”
Adela Cruz, LCSW, PPSC
Foster Youth District Liaison McKinney-Vento District Liaison
Our Partners
OC Homelessness
6,860
Individuals
311
Veterans
271
Transitional Age Youth
677
Seniors