Please Save the Date!!

Home Start is excited to announce the 2011 “Blue Ribbon Gala” celebrating 39 years of service to the San Diego community and in honor of National Child Abuse Prevention Month. This signature event raises funds for Home Start’s programs which provide critical assistance to San Diego County’s most vulnerable children and families.  Held at the beautiful Estancia La Jolla Hotel and Spa on April 29, 2011 (6pm - 11pm), this is a fun, festive and heartwarming dinner with live dance music and special presentations. For more information, please contact Nicole Graichen (619) 692-0727 ext.113 or ngraichen@home-start.org.

Thanksgiving a Time to be Thankful…

Posted by Nicole Graichen

Thanksgiving is a time when you gather around the table with your loved ones and friends and share a special holiday meal. You play games, you laugh, you watch football, and you eat way too much! J  Remember to be grateful for your friends and family, and the opportunity to celebrate Thanksgiving like you always have…and if you can, give back a little this year because it’s not that way for all of our neighbors.

San Diego County’s official poverty rate rose in 2008 from 11.1% to 12.6%, the highest level on record during the past 50 years.

·        367,000 county residents are living below the federal poverty level (46,000 more than in 2007), with household incomes of less than $10,991 for an individual or $21,834 for a family of two adults with two children.

·        The number people in poverty in San Diego grew at a much faster rate than in the state or the nation. US poverty grew .2 percentage points and California poverty grew .9 percentage points, while San Diego County poverty grew 1.5 percentage points.

·        The data show that 850,000 county residents -- 29% of the population -- were living in economic hardship in 2008. Economic hardship is CPI’s term describing households with incomes below 200% of FPL, e.g. $21,982 for an individual, $43,668 for a family of 4.

The Data:
The following data comes from the 2008 American Community Survey (ACS) which was released on September 29, 2009 by the US Census Bureau. ACS provides demographic, economic and social data for individuals and households. The data is made available for geographic areas with populations of 65,000 or more.

Time is flying by!

Posted by Home Start Intern-Nicole

We’ve been at Home Start for 11 weeks now, and the to-do list continues to grow. Sometimes I wonder if I’ll ever reach a point where this all seems second nature to me. I have had some real trouble with establishing clients this semester, but I’m not giving up hope! I have two open cases – both with adolescent clients. I’ve seen the caregivers, but have yet to meet the clients themselves. I’m determined to meet one of them this week! I’m opening a Parent Child Interactive Therapy (PCIT) case this week, and I’m really excited to have Veronica shadowing me. Her calm demeanor might help me relax a little! I continue to co-facilitate the Adult Survivors of Child Abuse (ASCA) group for women. We are in our sixth week! It is a little hard to believe that group is half over.

My fellow interns and I have formed a pretty cohesive group, and I’m really very happy with my placement at Home Start this year. The supervision I receive here is always excellent, and I’m sure I’m on the path to being a competent, confident, mental health professional.

An Ounce of Prevention

Posted by Home Start Intern-Jen

With two months into my internship and a caseload half full, I can already say that I am being challenged.  I made it through the initial flood of new information, trainings, and accompanying insecurities feeling lucky to have found my sea legs.  I have learned to not stay too late, make my mental and physical health a priority, and have “good boundaries” in psychology talk.  There is one case, however, that I struggle to keep in perspective.  The case is not the over-parentified child from an abusive home or the number of childhood neglect cases I have witnessed and reported, but instead a group of women I see on a weekly basis.  There is nothing else that has sold me more on the benefits of Home Start programs than the experience of facilitating their recovery. 

These are women with whom we encounter every day, in the workplace, around town, possibly our neighbors.  They do not stand out from the crowd and their lives reflect a strong work ethic and compassion for others.  What they do share is a childhood of fear, horror, and repeated victimization that still haunts them today.  All of these women were chronically abused by immediate family members with the majority being victims of incest.  When talking with these courageous women, I was shocked to find out that most had never seen a therapist before and one woman had never disclosed her abuse.  Being in the mental health field it is easy to forget that not everyone goes to therapy, as we are surrounded by it every day!  Their abuse was never recognized or treated, and as a result has struggled in silence with issues of shame, guilt, and betrayal.  As adults some numbed their pain with substances, others found themselves in emotionally abusive relationships. 

I remember driving home one night feeling deeply affected by one woman’s story.  I kept picturing her as a child, possibly as my client, and wondered what her life would be like if her abuse was prevented or treated early on.  The fact is I will never know.  I can only focus my efforts on the present.  With sexual abuse prevalence rates ranging from 15% to 30% for female children, the value of preventing lifelong suffering like hers is immeasurable.

Adopt-A-Family

Posted by Home Start's Development Coordinator, Nicole Graichen

San Diego County is home to families who struggle daily to meet their children's most basic needs. Too many families live only one event away from irrevocable loss through child abuse or violence, a preventable childhood illness, poor access to health care, or the devastating absence of a parent. Many struggle to escape the relentless, punishing stresses of poverty and their subsequent inability to provide a stable, secure home for their children.

For these families, Home Start provides a continuum of care. The professional help provided by our dedicated staff through home visits or our neighborhood resource centers is often the critical human contact these struggling families need to prevent tragedy and move toward a healthy, more promising future.

The holiday season is quickly approaching and, through our annual Adopt-A-Family Campaign and Holiday Drive, Home Start invites you to join us in giving our most disadvantaged families a wonderful reason to celebrate during this difficult time. 

For many struggling families, serving a special holiday meal or providing gifts to their children is well beyond their reach. However, with the support from charitable people like you throughout our region, Home Start has been able to bring a smile to the faces of many children and their parents. You can create a meaningful holiday for a family in need by joining us in this effort.

This is an immediate opportunity to offer support and compassion to deserving families when they need it most -- and when it could provide an uplifting "boost" to help them accomplish their goal for a healthier, happier life. 

We hope you will participate as a 2010 sponsor!

Click here for the participation form!! You can also call Nicole at 619-692-0727 ext. 113 or send her an email at ngraichen@home-start.org.

Joanha's Success Story

Posted by Home Start Marketing Committee Member, Lisa DeMarco

Joanha is a 17 year old single mother living in a small apartment in San Diego with her parents and two elementary aged brothers. She was just your ordinary teenage girl working hard in school, hanging out with friends and trying to prepare herself for college when she got life altering news; she was pregnant at the age of 16. She was terrified, sad and afraid of disappointing her parents. Another major concern was telling her brothers who were only 7 and 9 because she is their role model and they look up to her for guidance.

Joanha did not tell her parents she was expecting until she was 8 months pregnant. Additionally, because she was scared and felt she had no where to turn, she did not receive any pre-natal care during her pregnancy. Just one week after giving birth to a beautiful and healthy baby boy, a nurse referred Joanha to Home Start where she was introduced to her case manager. Immediately,

Joanha was successfully enrolled in health insurance, was provided critical infant care instruction and much needed emotional support. Her case manager helped Joanha get past the overwhelming feeling of failure and helped her to understand that she can still have a future. She also shared with Joanha many essential community resources and parenting tools that she would benefit from as a young teen mother.

Currently Joanha is caring for her child while finishing her senior year of high school and will graduate in June. After graduation she plans on going to college at San Diego State University and continuing parenting classes through Home Start. She is now a confident mother who is enjoying her child and focusing on creating a stable and bright future for herself and her son.

Profile of Marketing Committee Member, Erich Foeckler

Erich Foeckler, CFR

Director of Development and Marketing

Hometown: Born in Omaha, Nebraska

Fun Facts: I was a former barber and power plant operator and lived in Oklahoma for 10 years. My most interesting job was at Disneyland where I was the Director of Photography for characters and the guests.

How long have you lived in San Diego?: I’ve lived in San Diego for the past 23 years with the exception of a 2 year move to Long Beach.

Why do you support Home Start?: Home Start’s mission helping children and families is very dear to my heart. I grew up in a poor neighborhood where there was lots of poverty and abuse all around. It’s very satisfying to be giving back in this way.

Community Involvement: I currently serve on the Board of Directors for the San Diego Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals.

3rd Annual Happy Hallo-Wine Event, Huge Success!!

3^rd Annual Happy Hallo-Wine, HUGE Success!!

Posted by Spencer Dettman, Home Start Board Member

Home Start hosted its 3rd Annual Hallo-Wine event this Tuesday the 12th @ The Dana on Mission Bay - what a huge success in the fight against child abuse here in San Diego!

Click this link to watch our Hallo-Wine video recorded LIVE that evening:

2010 Hallo-Wine Video

For those of you that were there (thanks so much), see if you can find yourself in the video.  Those of you that weren't there - hopefully this video will get you excited to join us next year!

A special THANK YOU to our 130 attendees, vendors and sponsors - without their generous contribution of both time and money, this event would not be possible.

Vendors Included:

Barefoot Wines & Bubbly, Rock Canyon Vineyards, PRP Wine International, Breakwater Brewing Co., Wiens Family Cellars, Hans & Harry’s Bakery Corp., La Serenissima Vineyard & Winery, Edible Arrangements, Stone Brewing, St. Petersburg Vodka, and Flowers by Coley.

Sponsors Included:

US Bank (Title Sponsor), Union Bank (Gold Sponsor), San Diego County Credit Union (Silver Sponsor), AutoAnything.com, San Diego Union-Tribune, John S. Baker & Associates, and Ron Oster & Jeff Discher/Ascent Realty.

Thanks again to all for attending this event - you mean the world to all of us here at Home Start and to the children of San Diego!  Tonight you all truly made a difference!

Intern Diaries-Just Getting Started

Posted by Home Start Intern-Nicole K.

Well, I’m just over a month into my internship here at Home Start, and I’m still looking forward to seeing my first client!  It’s not for anyone’s lack of trying, I simply keep getting referrals that require a great deal of leg work in terms of getting consent to treat, and sometimes I have an intake scheduled and I just get stood up!

Before I applied here, I had heard that the people here at Home Start were really nice, but I didn’t realize how true that was until I got here. Everyone is supportive and helpful, and I have to say that in all of my 32 years I’ve never had the pleasure of working in such a positive environment. I know the pace of my work here will pick up shortly, but it sure is nice to come to work knowing that I can talk to folks, and that if I have a question there will be somebody around willing to help me find an answer.

I am still finding it difficult to remember the names of the many programs offered by and through Home Start, not to mention all the acronyms. I’m hoping that this gets easier with time. I will be co-facilitating an Adult Survivors of Child Abuse (ASCA) group starting this week. I am preparing myself for an intense but rewarding experience, and I can’t wait to put some of this knowledge I’ve acquired in the classroom to good use.

Meet Anthony Bollotta, Home Start Board of Directors President

Posted by Nicole Graichen- Board Member Profile

Anthony Bollotta

President of Bollotta Entertainment

Home Start Board President

Board Member Since October 2007

Hometown: I was born in Miami Beach, and as it seems to go down in those parts, the hospital in which I was delivered was torn down to make room for a smashing new condo development.
Favorite Food: Pizza! There isn’t anything better... Except milk chocolate.

Fun Facts: There are so many. Let’s see.... To start, I was, as my parents say affectionately, “a mistake.” So much so that my mother wouldn’t speak to my father for three months upon finding out she was pregnant with me. Here’s another... When I was in college, I got to perform as a supernumerary with the American Ballet Theatre, starring Mikhail Baryshnikov. And yet another... In the late 1990’s I sang a duet with the late, great Nell Carter at a show for the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club.. And one more... When I was a toddler, my older sister and brother would hang over my playpen, calling me stupid. One night, when my mom and so mentioned siblings were out, I asked my father for a bottle using the vocabulary they had taught me. “Hey stupid,” I said, “Get me a bottle.” Suffice it to say, that was the first and last time I called my father stupid.
How long have you lived in San Diego?: On November 12, 2010 it will be 19 years!

*************************************

Why do you support Home Start?: Home Start’s focus is on protecting children from abuse by strengthening families through cutting-edge therapies, counseling, education, and other services, and I cannot think of a more compelling reason than the children.

How did you get involved with the Board of Directors?: I had served on the YMCA Youth & Family Services board of management. When Laura Mustari, who was the Executive Director of the YMCA YFS left to come to Home Start, I followed her. She’s an effective, passionate leader, and I wanted to continue supporting her efforts.

Community Involvement: In addition to Home Start, I am a Big Brother with BBBS of San Diego County. I joined the program in 2003. That’s when I met my “little,” Najja, who today is a freshman in college. He also stands taller than me, which makes calling him “my little” a bit awkward. Through my business, I also support local organizations that promote the wellbeing of individuals regardless of ethnicity, gender, religion or sexual orientation.

3rd Annual Happy Hallo-Wine - Two Weeks Away!!

Posted by Home Start Development Coordinator, Nicole Graichen

Home Start is pleased to announce that plans are well underway for Home Start’s “3rd Annual Happy Hallo-Wine” Tuesday, October 12, 2010 (5:30pm – 8pm) at the Dana on Mission Bay.  This event is in recognition of National Domestic Violence Awareness Month and will raise funds for Home Start’s programs which provide critical assistance to San Diego County’s most vulnerable children and families. 

Guests will enjoy gourmet hors d’oeuvres, fantastic boutique wines, and hand crafted beers from: Rock Canyon Vineyards, Barefoot Winery, Wiens Family Cellars, PRP International, Breakwater Brewery, Stone Brewing Co., Edible Arrangements, and Hans and Harry’s Bakery.

The Hallo-Wine event is presented by US Bank and the following sponsors: Union Bank, San Diego Union Tribune, and San Diego County Credit Union, John S. Baker and Associates.

Reservations are $50 before October 6, or $60 after. For information on being a vendor, sponsor or to join us, please contact Nicole Graichen at ngraichen@home-start.org or visit us online at www.home-start.org.

"I am motivated by the clients that we serve"

Posted by Laura Mustari (Home Start CEO)-Interview with Paul Davis (Home Start Board Member)

1. Paul, you remain a passionate and committed board member to Home Start…..what motivates you?

I am motivated by the clients that we serve- over 20,000 children and roughly 8,500 families. We as a full service child abuse prevention and health and human services agency- been here in San Diego for 38 years- are dedicated to the safety, protection, and nurturance of San Diego’s most needy, abused, neglected children. I am very passionate about our clients, Home Start staff and committed 15 board members!

2. If you could describe what Home Start provides to the community in one sentence, what would you say?

Home Start is a dynamic, living and thriving “Safety Net” that provides direct social services, including effective parenting, earned income tax credit, optimal health and mental health services, temporary food, shelter and housing to San Diego’s most needy.

3. What do you think would surprise San Diegans about child abuse prevention issues in San Diego?

Child abuse does not discriminate and spans socio-economical, political, gender, and ethnic strata. We have child abuse in the lovely enclaves of La Jolla, the foothills of Escondido, the bastion of El Cajon, and the flatlands of South County. Child abuse is evident in Caucasian, African American, Latino, as well other diverse ethnicities.

4. If a donor stepped up with $1million today, how do you think it could best be used to make a difference?

Gladly and graciously accept the 1-mllion dollar donation (this is not too far off) and apply it to the Maternity Shelter home- a safe haven for homeless pregnant and parenting young mothers (ages 18-24) who need direct services. This includes permanent housing, food, clothing and all the amenities to raise their young children in a safe, protected and secure environment. Other areas needing monetary and volunteer support include Home Start’s Parent Child Interactive therapy, Family Self Sufficiency in East County, and Central regions, Earned Income Tax Credit and Parenting education classes to name a few.

Intern Diaries-It’s Showtime

Posted by Home Start Intern-Jen

I’ve spent years studying, researching, and networking to forge a career in trauma psychology. All my classmates and professors know my preferred specialty and I frequently receive accolades touting my nobility, “I could never do what you do” and “It’s amazing you can listen to those stories every day.” But there is one catch – I’ve never seen a trauma case before.

Home Start is my first experience counseling trauma victims and as this year progresses I will find out if I am truly cut out for this line of work. Will I be able to handle it? Can I emotionally detach myself from the stories of molest and abuse coming from a 6 year old? Will the stories haunt me in my dreams?

My first referral came in last week. An adult survivor of long-term child abuse that was never recognized or treated. With my initial training complete, voicemails and schedules set, now it was show time. My feelings soon shifted from ambitious excitement to performance anxiety. Knowing how to diagnose and approach treatment in a theoretical way is one thing, but knowing what to say to a person in pain is another. Would I really be able to help this person? Would all my preparation be futile if I couldn’t facilitate her healing? Stay tuned . . .

Direct correlation between Poverty and Child Abuse

Posted by: Paul Davis, Member Services Director at Vistage International and Home Start board member since 1997

The U.S. poverty rate rose to 14.3 percent in 2009 from 13.2 percent the year before, bringing the percentage of the population living in poverty to the highest level since 1994.The Census Bureau said 43.6 million people, or one in seven Americans, lived in poverty last year, up from 39.8 million in 2008.

"The poverty threshold for a family of four in 2009 was $21,954, the report said. While  poverty levels rose, the number of people without health insurance jumped to 50.7 million in 2009 from 46.3 million a year earlier, leaving 16.7 percent of the population without health coverage, the Census Bureau said in its annual report on income, poverty and health coverage. These startling numbers indicate that poverty in the US is all time high- nearly 1 in four blacks and Hispanics is living at or below the poverty level.

Home Start, San Diego premiere child abuse prevention agency, is needed more than ever.

Data suggests that poverty, social, economic and environmental conditions affect the increased level of child abuse. In 2009, child abuse cases in San Diego rose  more than 20 percent. Home Start serves more than 15,000 child in need of critical human and health services.  There is direct correlation between poverty and child abuse. Now is the time to offer ones time, treasure or talents to end child abuse.

Visit www.home-start.org for more details to donate and/or volunteer.

US Bank Gives Home Start $10,000

By: Jennifer Personette

We are so excited about US Bank's generosity. The funding will go toward Home Start's "Maternity Shelter Program."

The Maternity Shelter Program prevents homelessness among under-served young women and their children by offering supervised housing in an urban region that suffers from an extreme lack of affordable housing for low-income renters. These young women and children, without Home Start’s support, are at increased risk of developing physical or emotional health and safety problems including those related to substance abuse, child maltreatment, domestic violence, and becoming chronically dependent on the social service system. Home Start’s educational programs help to give these young women the tools they need to rise above these risks.

For ways you can help contribute to Home Start: http://home-start.org/ways_to_give.html

Alicia's Journey to Success!

Post by Lisa DeMarco

Alicia is a single mother with two teenage daughters.  After 10 years of physical and financial abuse from her husband she found the courage to leave. She knew it would be difficult supporting herself and her two children on her own — but she had a stable job and the determination to make it work.  She could have never expected what happened next — after working at the same Retirement Home for 13 years, the company was sold and she was let go without warning. She was an exemplary employee and had even recently been named “Employee of the Year” — but it wasn’t enough.

Without a vehicle, Alicia walked several miles each day looking for work.  It seemed nearly impossible to find another job within walking distance of her apartment. Four days before she was to be evicted, she begged a man at a nearby hotel for a job doing laundry.

“After everything I have been through, the hardest day of my life was when I had to sit my two girls down and tell them we may need to move back to Mexico,” says Alicia. “Everything I do is for my girls, their education, their happiness — I was heartbroken.”

Alicia is a very proud person, she had never received any government assistance or food assistance and it was extremely hard for her to ask for help. But for the sake of her daughters, she knew she had no choice. She found a Home Start office just around the corner from her apartment, taking a deep breath she went in. And that is when she learned she wasn’t alone — there were people who cared and could help her family make a fresh start.  Since becoming a Home Start client she has received housing, food and transportation assistance to help her get back on her feet. Currently, Alicia has a new job, is caught up with rent, and her children are doing well in school.

Stopping the Cycle of Abuse: Welcome to the Home Start Blog

By: Jennifer Personette

There are many types of child abuse. And not all of them are violent.
Neglect, sexual, physical, psychological. 

There are many factors that can lead to abuse:

• Parents were abused as children
• Lack of parenting skills
• Stress: financial, relationship, work, child has difficult behavior
• Parent suffers from mental illness
• Parent to a child with a disability
• Abusive intimate partners

Home Start treats the entire family. Preventing the factors that lead to abuse through in-home care, teaching, and many other services.

Together, we will break the cycle of abuse. Keep in touch with us. Join our effort to make San Diego safe for children.