Peoples' Self-Help Housing

The Mission of Peoples' Self-Help Housing is to provide affordable housing and programs leading to
self-sufficiency for low-income families, seniors, and other special needs groups on California's Central Coast.

SUPPORTIVE HOUSING PROGRAM

Supportive Housing Program Staff
From left to right: Alejandra Mahoney BA, Jim Healy MS, Deepa Mallareddy MA,
Rick Gulino LCSW, Esme Nunez MFT, Kristen Tippelt MSW, Brittany Carraway MSW

Seniors exercising at Cawelti Court, Arroyo Grande

The Supportive Housing Program (SHP) is a clinical case management and social services program, which assists residents with gaining access to community services or provides direct "hands-on" assistance. The program's goal is to ensure that all residents, including those who are transitioning from homelessness to permanent housing, live stable, independent lives.

Peoples' Self-Help Housing (PSHH) recognized a long time ago that our work is more than just building quality affordable rental housing; it is also about providing our residents with the opportunity to access needed health and social services in order to stabilize and improve the quality of their lives.

All Peoples' Self-Help Housing rental Housing residents are eligible for SHP services. Access to supportive housing services is free, confidential and voluntary. Tenants are encouraged to utilize SHP whenever needed.

 What PSHH residents have said about SHP services:

"I never imagined a program like this existed!"
"You are the first counselor who has ever really listened to me, helped me."
"With your help I finally have a doctor I can go to" 

Some of the things our Supportive Housing Program can do:

• Arrange for services to be provided at a tenant's apartment to keep him/her living independently
• Help tenants access medical care and obtain medical insurance as applicable
• Assist tenants in locating and utilizing community services
• Arrange for health education and related programs or workshops for tenant groups
• Assist with referrals for counseling sessions by community based providers
• Arrange for housekeeping services for seniors
• Locate community child care resources
• Facilitate conflict resolution between tenants or family members, as well as between tenants and property management
• Provide assistance with children's behavioral challenges
• Assist with budgeting/dealing with financial hardship
• Provide individual couples and family counseling
• Help obtain Section 8 Vouchers and other rental assistance when available 

Health Clinic programs are offered at several of our developments

• Since, January, 2004 the Parish Nurse Program has been providing a registered nurse practitioner at the Camper Park in Carpinteria. The nurse works 4 hours per week seeing 8-10 patients weekly. Medical problems include residents needing basic first aid, diabetes blood sugar screening, blood pressure testing, issues with back problems and muscle spasms, and people with medication questions and problems.
• The Diabetes Resource Center is currently offering classes on diabetes at several PSHH sites in Santa Barbara.
• Direct Relief International is working within Santa Barbara County to provide dental treatment for children of PSHH residents.
• Community Health Centers of the Central Coast has started offering free primary health care and specialty clinics, including immunization clinics, women's and men's health and dental care at the health clinics at River View in Guadalupe and Los Adobes de Maria II in Santa Maria.

Social Workers are assigned to each property and work with onsite managers to help residents in need. Their tasks are wide ranging—from helping someone fill out forms necessary to obtain public assistance, helping with parenting issues, to helping solve disputes between neighbors. One of the bilingual social workers has started offering a financial literacy program for residents and another has initiated a computer program placing donated computers with seniors and families.

Volunteer health screening at Dahlia Court clinic, Carpinteria

Additional Programs and Services. PSHH collaborates with many local agencies to bring programs and services to families at our developments throughout the Central Coast. Community Rooms and Learning Centers provide activities for residents including early childhood education programs, education classes, classes in art, sewing, music, exercise, computer training and other activities requested by our clients. Programs include ESL (English as a Second Language), GED, Financial Literacy and Citizenship Classes onsite in the Community Rooms and Learning Centers. Several sites have started exercise classes in the Community Rooms for seniors and stay-at-home moms. A number of developments have preschool and early education programs including Head Start, SPARK and Mommy/Daddy and Me classes for parents and young children onsite. A HIPPY program meets at the River View complex monthly in Guadalupe. HIPPY is a program for children who do not attend preschool and offers in-home instruction for children and biweekly meetings for parents.

English class at Los Adobes de Maria II, Santa Maria

Educational Services

Instructional programs devoted to language skills, computer training, cultural adjustment, financial literacy, and home maintenance skills help to facilitate the transition to economic independence.

For more information about the Supportive Housing Program

call: 962-5152 x222 in Santa Barbara County
or 781-3088 x440 in San Luis Obispo County 

STAFF BIOS

Brittany Carraway MSW, is a Peoples' Housing and Urban Development service coordinator. She holds a Master's degree in Social Welfare with a specialization in gerontology from UCLA. She also graduated from UCSB with majors in psychology and sociology. Brittany completed internships at the Department of Veterans Affairs in Los Angeles and at Shields for Families in Lynwood. At Shields she provided individual therapy in a dual diagnosis treatment program for women in families impacted by child abuse.

Rick Gulino, LCSW, is the Manager of the Supportive Housing Program at PSHH. Rick holds a B.S. degree in Social/Psychology from the University of Massachusetts and Masters of Social Work from California State University, Long Beach. He has managed a System of Care / FSP program in the city of Compton that provided treatment for emotionally disturbed youth, through an on site day treatment program and an outpatient program. Mr. Gulino has also worked as an outreach worker for those who are homeless and suffer from mental illness.

Jim Healy is Peoples’ Housing and Urban Development service coordinator. Jim received a bachelor’s degree in psychology and gerontology from Cal Poly University, San Luis Obispo. He later earned a Master’s degree in psychology from Cal Poly. He worked in various positions at Hospice of San Luis Obispo County for nine years. Jim has a large knowledge of community resources available to seniors and enjoys working with this population.

Alejandra Mahoney is a native of Costa Rica and received her Bachelor’s in Liberal Studies from the University of New York. She has developed programs for limited English speakers and their children through the Santa Maria Adult Education Office. She has also worked with juvenile offenders and court schools teaching subjects needed for a high school diploma. She has extensive volunteer experience in the community. She is bilingual in English and Spanish and has worked in Costa Rica and Japan tutoring students. She worked as an educator for Peoples’ Self-Help Housing’s Youth Education Enhancement Program for several years. Alejandra’s primary educational focus in college was studying psychology.

Deepa M. Mallareddy, case manager, provides social work and case management services for low income residents and in Santa Maria and San Luis Obispo areas. She also assists individuals transitioning from homelessness to permanent housing. She is bilingual English Spanish. Mallareddy holds a degree in interdisciplinary studies from UCSB and a Master’s in Communication Studies from San Jose State University. She also worked for a pilot program to improve the health of Salinas farm workers for The California Endowment. She served as a migrant house coordinator in Tijuana and for the California Rural Assistance League, La Clinica de Tolosa in Paso Robles.

Esme Nunez is a bilingual/bicultural MFT Intern. She holds a B.A. degree in Chicano Studies and Sociology and a Master’s in Clinical Psychology from Antioch University, Santa Barbara. Ms. Nunez has worked in a residential setting with clients who have serious brain disorders such as schizoaffective disorder, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and severe depression. She has considerable experience working with families and youth dealing with domestic violence, gang involvement and substance abuse.

Kristen Tippelt MSW is a Peoples’ Social Worker. Tippelt provides social work and case management services in greater Santa Barbara. She assists in helping individuals transition from homelessness to permanent affordable housing. Tippelt graduated from Columbia University with a Master’s degree in Social Work. She provided case management and counseling services to the chronically homeless and to foster children in New York City, while attending Columbia. She earned a bachelor’s degree in sociology from Texas Christian University in Fort Worth. She also studied abroad at the University of Auckland, New Zealand.