Interim’s OMNI Resource Center needs volunteers, donations for its annual Thanksgiving feast in Salinas

For many the holiday season brings bountiful joy, but for others it can create loneliness, anxiety and depression.

Salinas, CA, October 04, 2019 - For many the holiday season brings bountiful joy, but for others it can create loneliness, anxiety and depression.

Each year the OMNI Resource Center in Salinas hosts a lunch on Thanksgiving Day, serving about 150 people hungry for more than food.

A program run through Interim Inc., which provides services and affordable housing for those with mental illness, OMNI needs volunteers and donations to help with this year’s meal on Nov. 28.

Guests at this special holiday lunch represent not only members of Interim’s housing program, but also the homeless, those with limited income, and/or those with no family.

The lunch gives attendees more than just a meal; they also make new friends, gain a sense of community, and get a meal to take home for later in the evening.

There are many volunteer opportunities to not only help brighten their day but also give hope for their future.

Donations can be dropped off at the Pajaro Street Wellness Center in Salinas (339 Pajaro St., Suite A). Deadline is Nov. 12 for non-perishables, and Nov. 15 for fresh food. OMNI needs everything from oval roasting pans to food items such as turkeys, spiral-sliced hams, boxes of stuffing mix, chicken broth, jars of cranberry sauce, cans of whipped cream and much more.

Volunteers are needed to cook food, but also to help register and usher guests, to serve food and clean up.

Volunteers (aside from cooks) will be asked to arrive at 11:30 a.m. on Nov. 28 for a quick training followed by lunch. Cooks will be asked to bring prepared food by noon on Nov. 27.

Anyone interested in donating to the Thanksgiving lunch or volunteering their time, should contact Lisa Corpuz at (831) 800-7530 x431 or email lcorpuz@interiminc.org.

ABOUT INTERIM INC.
Interim’s mission is to provide services and affordable housing supporting members of our community with mental illness in building productive and satisfying lives. Interim is a private nonprofit organization that provides a unique combination of support services, housing and treatment for adults with mental illness in Monterey County. Services provided include affordable supportive housing, residential treatment, mental health and dual-recovery services, case coordination, therapeutic services, outreach and intensive support for homeless adults, supported education and employment, day treatment and peer support.

ABOUT THE OMNI RESOURCE CENTER
The OMNI Resource Center offers peer-led programs promoting wellness and recovery, as well as recreational and social opportunities. Wellness programs are free and open to anyone with mental health challenges. Programs are also offered off-site at other community locations. No referral is necessary. The OMNI Resource Center is located at the Pajaro Street Wellness Center, 339 Pajaro St., Salinas, CA, 93901. The center is open Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Contact:
Marci Bracco Cain
Chatterbox PR
Salinas, CA 93901
(831) 747-7455
https://www.interiminc.org/omni/

Interim Inc will be hosting an Open House at Shelter Cove on December 6, 2019 from 3:00 – 4:30 PM

Interim Inc will be hosting an Open House at Shelter Cove on December 6, 2019 from 3:00 – 4:30 PM and will offer Holiday Treats and Tours of the remodeled facility. 613 Bayonet Circle, Marina, CA.

Monterey, CA, October 03, 2019 - The need transitional housing has been identified by Monterey County’s Coalition of Homeless Services Providers Local Continuum of Care. According to the 2017 Monterey County Homeless Census, approximately 28% of the homeless have serious mental illnesses and approximately 34% have substance use disorders.

Those who are homeless and in need of transitional housing often have a wide variety of needs to address before they are ready to move on to a permanent, independent living arrangement. Examples of common barriers to stability include lack of an income source (employment and/or access to benefits), history of untreated or undiagnosed mental illness, physical illnesses, substance use issues, a lack of basic life skills and deep emotional traumas. Interim staff at Shelter Cove offer case management, individual and group counseling, collaborative treatment planning focused on symptom management, social/family functioning and activities of daily living, coordination with psychiatric and other healthcare providers, including transportation if needed, medication education and support, linkage to community resources, recreational and social activities and peer counseling and support.

Residents of the Shelter Cove Program have private bedrooms and share the common living areas. The Bridge House Academy, a successful dual-diagnosis (mental illness and substance addiction) rehabilitation program located nearby, is available to all residents of Shelter Cove as well as, individual and group counseling and peer support groups for people for whom a day rehab program is not indicated. For example, clients in Shelter Cove are strongly encouraged to work, go to school, or do volunteer work. There is a resident manager available at night for emergencies. Residents pay 30 percent of income or the General Assistance set amount for rent. The maximum length of stay is one year.

· Interim originally acquired the Shelter Cove property under the McKinney Act from the US government as part of the decommissioning of Ft. Ord and has successfully operated transitional housing at this site for adults with mental illness since 1996.

· The Shelter Cove site formerly had 32 bedrooms. We have added seven bedrooms to the project by converting ground-floor community spaces into bedrooms. The ground-floors of these units are large enough to accommodate these renovations easily (approximately 1,000 square feet in shared space). These additional bedrooms were added without changing the exterior footprint of the buildings and were completed at a fraction of the cost of new construction. Adding these seven beds to Shelter Cove (now 39 beds) allows Interim to increase the number of homeless/at-risk individuals it serves from 45 to 65 individuals per year, an approximate increase of 22%.

· We have converted ground floor powder rooms in these units into full baths by adding showers. This conversion, in addition to the new ground floor bedrooms will better accommodate mobility-impaired residents. Although these units are not fully ADA compliant due to floor plan constraints, they are more accommodating for residents unable to climb stairs.

· Additionally, the kitchens of these seven units have been completely remodeled with new cabinets, flooring, countertops and appliances. Kitchen storage has been optimized as well. All Shelter Cove residents cook for themselves in the shared kitchens. The remodeled kitchens better accommodate multiple cooks.

We will be hosting an Open House at Shelter Cove on December 6, 2019 from 3:00 – 4:30 PM and will offer Holiday Treats and Tours of the remodeled facility. 613 Bayonet Circle, Marina, CA.

Contact:
Marci Bracco Cain
Chatterbox PR
Salinas, CA 93901
(831) 747-7455
https://www.interiminc.org/