May 25,2018
San Diego Asian Americans for Equality (SDAAFE) announces the partnership with Solutions for Change to investigate the positive solutions to help the homeless community, which has been a glaring issue all through the San Diego County for a long time. Based on the latest report, 8,576 homeless individuals were counted on January 26, 2018 countywide. (https://www.rtfhsd.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/2018-WPoint-in-Time-Count-Annual-Report.pdf )
Solutions for Change (SFC) (http://solutionsforchange.org/) is a 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to helping the homeless community. The admission policy is to help the homeless families who are willing to accept help and to remain sober. Providing these families with the professional training that could help them find a sustainable job, SFC turns the homeless people into who create values for the entire society.
“We have visited Solutions for Change multiple times. We both agree on personal responsibilities which SFC emphasizes while helping the homeless families. SFC provides a social ladder for those homeless families who are willing to get out of the homeless status. The Asian culture also encourages us to help those people in need”, says Shawn He, the president of SDAAFE.
Amber Gann, a graduated homeless helped by SFC, states, “The homeless shelters do not work for us because there is no criteria about who can get in. Drug dealers, gang members and all sorts of chaos make that place not safe for my kids at all. Solutions For Change not only provides my family the safe environment, but also provides me the hope to get a job. I am now a proud tax payer.”
Chris Megison, the CEO and President of Solutions for Change, says, “Solutions for Change is committed to empowering homeless families, moving them from a life of dependency on government programs, to a life of self-sufficiency and purpose.”
Because the strict admission policy was considered “discrimination” to those addicted to alcohol or drugs, SFC lost its funding from the government. Hence, SFC relies on donations to help the homeless community. SDAAFE encourages the Asian American community to investigate more about SFC and donate to SFC directly if moved. So far, at least 2 voting members from SDAAFE started their monthly support to SFC.
There will be a graduation ceremony hosted by Solutions for Change on 06/04/2018, from 630pm to 8pm. You are cordially invited to join the ceremony for free. You will have an opportunity to witness how SFC and your donations would change the lives of homeless families. The venue to host the ceremony event is at North Coast Church. The address is 2405 N. Santa Fe Ave, Vista, CA 92084. We look forward to seeing you there.
Founded in 2014 and based in San Diego, SDAAFE believes in “engage to empower” and encourages Asian Americans to be more involved in the local and public affairs.
