I would recommend:
<a href="http://www.ifhomeless.org/Default.aspx?mod=home">Illumination Foundation</a>
They deal with helping families get off the street, get children enrolled in school and medical care. Check it out...
www.ifhomeless.org
From their site:
<blockquote><em><strong>70% of the homeless are families with children </strong>
<strong>50% of the homeless are children under 10 </strong>
Orange County has the 2nd highest incidence of homelessness per capita in the United States
Who are the homeless? Are they stereotypical shabby, foul-smelling, mumbling beggars, or heroin addicts passed out in the alleys? Yes. But they are also young veterans with new brides who can barely get by on their earnings. They are mothers struggling to keep their jobs so that one day they can get their young children out of the parks and cold weather shelters and into adequate housing.
Where are the 16,000 homeless children, you ask? They are embedded within our community, forced to compete in life against overwhelming odds. The average Orange County resident leading his busy daily life may never realize that the family with children standing and playing next to him is homeless.
Experts on homelessness within Orange County agree that it has reached crisis proportions in our county, and that there are not enough resources designated for chronic and emergency programs. Unfortunately, the few resources that are available to these vulnerable and misunderstood people are far too difficult for most of them to access, with confusing eligibility requirements, impenetrable bureaucratic obstacles and other impediments standing between the homeless and the help they so desperately need.
It is the mission of the Illumination Foundation to effectively direct resources and services to Orange County?s homeless population. While making these resources more easily available, we will be researching and publishing our findings to help improve the services we deliver. The most basic items can improve the everyday lives of so many. Simple things like bus passes and hotel vouchers can be given to individuals in extreme crisis situations to help them find shelter for one or two nights while they convalesce from illness or injury. Books for preschoolers, book bags for school age children, rain gear and shoes are just a few of the staples needed by homeless families.
Your donations will go toward providing essentials to our homeless families. You can earmark and follow your donations. Your personal time as a volunteer will help ensure that homeless families and individuals get the help they need, when they need it. Our commitment to you is to keep you informed and updated on the homeless crisis as we partner together to improve the lives of thousands of homeless within Orange County.
The Illumination Foundation was created out of a passion for doing the right thing; born out of the desire to give a hand up to those who have found themselves without hope or means to create a conduit to a better life for themselves and their children.
Please join us as we strive to make a difference in the lives of our neighbors and revitalize the heart and overall health of our community.</em></blockquote>
<em><blockquote>
The Illumination Foundation (IF) is a grassroots organization created to help those who have lost hope a means to create a better life for themselves and their children. IF has begun to place homeless families in stabilized housing and is coordinating a wraparound program with a variety of community partners to help them begin working toward a life of independence. <for more info>
In the two months that IF?s wraparound program has been in operation, <strong>25 families, consisting of 39 adults (including 2 expectant mothers) and 51 children, have been taken off the streets and now have a place to call home</strong>. Our recent successes include:
<strong>30 children newly enrolled in public schools</strong>; many are participating in sports and other school activities.
<strong>5 children are newly enrolled in the Head Start Program</strong>
7 adults who have found new jobs
4 families are earmarked to transition into permanent housing
1 mother is expected to graduate from nursing school in a few weeks and already has secured a position with a local hospital
1 father has recently been accepted to DeVry University and will be starting school next week
Most of our families now have a medical home. Homeless families often resort to emergency rooms for medical care; establishment of a medical home decreases the financial burden on our community hospitals
We desperately need your help. Donations are critical for the continued success of our program. Every gift helps! Click for more info on IF services </blockquote></em>
