Targeted Solutions For Homelessness
Self-Sustained, a non-profit organization in the San Francisco Bay Area, is committed to addressing homelessness, a complex issue that California faces today. We believe that providing shelter to those in need is an essential first step in helping address homelessness but we also firmly believe that more targeted solutions are needed to address homelessness at its root. At Self-Sustained, we firmly believe that empowering homeless with knowledge & skills and helping them get back into the workforce is one such targeted solution and this is where we come in. Our programs focus on providing training & skills enhancement classes, job search & interview preparation support – all at no cost to those in need – with the end goal of helping them get back on their feet. As more homeless people find jobs & become self-sustained, they will need much less support & use of public/private funds which can be then deployed in addressing homelessness for the remaining population that may not be able to currently work. We believe that this is a more effective way in addressing this complex issue and our team, partners and volunteers here at Self-Sustained are committed to doing so
The Problem
High cost of living & declining affordability - leading contributors to homelessness.
California has a disproportionate number of homeless population. 30% of the total homelessness population in the US (~172,000) is in California while the total population of California is only about 12% of the US population.
~1.3m California renters are extremely low income.
~34% of homeless on streets are due to direct economic reasons.
California has spent over $17 billion within the last 4 years on homelessness issues & plans to spend many more billions in the coming years.
Most of the money spent in providing housing to homeless with no expectation of sobriety, work or participation in rehab programs - this is not sustainable
“Housing first” strategy that California uses is not oriented towards recovery, rehabilitation and renewal. It is only a harm reduction strategy.
Providing food and shelter to those in need is the main goal of most homeless support programs - empowering homeless with training and job support is not.
The solution
Self-Sustained attempts to address the homelessness issue at its core by providing counseling & skills training services to those in need at no cost.
Upon completion of training, Self-Sustained supports with resume writing, interview preparation & job search support
Routine check ins after start of job to ensure continuity
All hands-on the deck approach needed such that private sector, non-profit organizations and governmental agencies can work together to address the issues
As individuals become self-sustained this should help gradually reduce government budget spending on this issue.” with this: As individuals become self-sustained this will reduce government spending on homelessness issues.
Founder
Kisha Arora, the founder of Self-Sustained, has been helping the under-privileged community since she was in middle school. Her interest in doing this started while taking an AVID class at middle school. As part of this class Kisha took on a project to prepare care packages for distribution to the underprivileged in the Bay Area. Kisha and a few other students created a school-wide drive to collect essentials for those in need. Doing this really piqued her interest in helping out the underprivileged community and this interest further grew during COVID. Kisha would often see people looking for money and help at parking lots and overtime school fields became a place many homeless people stayed. All this made her wonder what if these individuals could be trained such that they could find jobs, earn a living and sustain themselves. This is how Self-Sustained was born.
Helping the underprivileged community is a cause very close to her heart, and Kisha and the team at Self-Sustained are deeply committed to making a meaningful impact in finding a solution to the homelessness issue in the Bay Area.
Latest News & Video
“Picture of founder, Kisha Arora with Nique from Love a Child Missions posing for a picture after a sucessful holiday Toy Drive!
“Join Self-Sustained for our upcoming webinar to learn more about no cost-training & employment support!”
“Join Self-Sustained toy drive donate lightly used or new toys, books & help kids celebrate Christmas