San Diego is famous for its scenic beaches and beautiful weather, but it also has one of the largest homeless populations in the U.S. Even though numbers have gone down in the past year, more than 9,000 people in the city still experience homelessness according to San Diego’s Regional Task Force on Homelessness.
At Renewal by Andersen, we’ve helped with many community projects in San Diego. One of our most meaningful projects was when we partnered with East County Transitional Living Center (ECTLC), a non-profit that provides housing, life coaching, and job training for people working to rebuild their lives for the better.
Supporting a Mission of Hope
Dr. Julie Hayden is a licensed psychologist by trade and the Chief Executive Officer of ECTLC. Julie and her husband have worked with many people who struggle with mental illness, addiction, trauma, and homelessness.
“…you can never look and even come to help the homeless situation from one perspective,” says Hayden. “You have to recognize the complexity – but you will find trauma as a key component. It’s a key component to addiction and mental health, and you’re going to typically find it in every person that has a homeless difficulty that they’re dealing with.”
ECTLC’s main goal is to tackle these issues head-on. They offer drug treatment, mental health support, and training programs that teach both job and relationships skills. But with limited funding, many residents live in buildings with windows that are patched together with whatever materials they have available. These windows tend to have poor lighting, weak air flow, and almost no protection against the elements.
This sounded like a job for Renewal by Andersen…
Bringing Light & Comfort
At ECTLC’s facilities in Dulzura, residents lived in bunk beds where summer temperatures could reach up to 115° degrees – and that’s all without much natural light. Our goal was to make their space feel safer, brighter, and more comfortable.
And this was no small project… we ended up installing 76 windows! Therefore, we had to make sure we were doing things the right way. This meant cutting in openings to add natural light and improve ventilation, repairing the water system with upgraded weatherproofing, and replacing the dry rot with fresh exterior siding. All this work was done to make indoor temperatures easier to control year-round!
Making Strides Toward a Brighter Future
The impact of transitional housing is clear. In fact, many residents go on to become clean, sober, and self-sufficient within a year.
“When I came here and started going out on jobs, I was reminded that I had value – I had worth to myself beyond the sobriety again,” says Thomas Dickinson, ELTLC Graduate and Ranch Director. “I was able to see that I was capable of so much more than what I was, they helped me not only stand up again but helped me walk.”
The east county of San Diego can get extremely hot, which is why we wanted to give residents a safe space where they could focus on healing and rebuilding their lives in comfort. At the end of the day, we’re proud to support ECTLC’s mission and honored to play a part in bringing hope and meaningful change to our community.
“So it’s not just help the homeless, we need these people to be a part of our community,” says Dr. Julie Hayden. “Their amazing [but] stuck and trapped in a cycle of addiction, mental illness, and homelessness. If they get out, they are amazing people to be a part of our society.”