Interfaith Community Services

The amount of people visiting Interfaith for services has increased 8 times over since the pandemic began. Thanks to generous partners like Harrah's Resort Southern California, we have the hygiene supplies needed to keep our communities safe. Thank you Harrah’s!

Interfaith Community Services hosted a second community food distribution on Monday, April 12th in the parking lot of our neighbor and partner Escondido World M...arketplace. A group of enthusiastic volunteers, with the help of our In-kind and Volunteer Services team, loaded 402 boxes of food and 470 bags of soap & hand sanitizers into 119 cars! WOW! Thank you to everyone who made our distribution a success; North San Diego Young Marines, Diane Geuss McGee, Kimmy Aguinaga, Susannah Swingos, Debbie Keller, The Y Group, Inc., Edith Sanchez Cruz, Fred P Patterson and BLSSD.

Greg Anglea, CEO of Interfaith Community Services, and Rakesh Patel, CEO of Neighborhood Healthcare, joined the "Health Strategies Radio" Podcast to speak about our co-located healthcare partnership. Listen to the podcast from the California Improvement Network, a project of the California Health Care Foundation: www.chcf.org/program/california-improvement-network/podcast/

Due to COVID-19, Incarnation Lutheran Church had to modify their Annual Day of Service! This year they hosted a Drive Thru Donation, for some highly needed items! This included 40+ Sleeping Bags, 100 Can Openers, and hundreds of pounds of hygiene items! Thank you Incarnation Lutheran for your willingness to adjust and continued service our most vulnerable members even through a pandemic!

Thank you KPBS for sharing Interfaith's latest plan for helping our neighbors in need. Read Tania Thorne’s full article about our new "Hotel of Healing:" www.kpbs.org/news/2020/oct/15/hotel-healing-homeless

Thank you to the Hindu Karmic Seva Community, Hindu Americans of San Diego, Baha’I Faith members, Jewish Faith Members, CoHNA, and the Del Norte High School Robotics team for coming together in true Interfaith fashion to support our neighbors in need with these very important necessities!

Our partners at California State University San Marcos in association with the Lucky Duck Foundation have been awarded funds for a very important and unique project. Would you like to share your lived experience related to homelessness, mental health and substance-use services? Join us as we develop ways to improve services and help end homelessness. You will receive a $25 Walmart gift card for participation. Research will be done via zoom. View information contact below.

Great News! Say hello to Interfaith Community Services' latest and greatest development for our North County neighbors in need: A 77-room motel at 555 N. Centre City Parkway, Escondido CA! ... The motel is currently closed to the public, but will be used exclusively in support of our clients. We will be moving-in our first Graduate Lodging guests at the end of this month and begin renovations to prepare for 50+ beds of Recuperative Care shortly. We expect to complete renovations in early 2021. Thank you to the San Diego Board of Supervisors for ensuring our neighbors in need have a safe campus for healing and transformation.

A grand shout out to Sewa International USA and Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh USA for their marvelous and impressive donation this past Friday! As the large U-Haul arrived at Interfaith Community Services headquarters the door was opened to unveil an abundance of household items. Interfaith staff and volunteers stood in awe as the magnitude of what was being donated was absorbed and taken in. Some of the items donated were 100 coffee makers, 100 packs of toilet paper, 100 shower curtains, 100 bath towels, 100 packs of papertowels, 100 dish soaps, 100 FEMA masks, microwaves, toasters, and much much more! Your out-of-this-world donation helps in the transformation of making a house become a "home." Thank you!!

**Feel Good Friday Share** Say hello to Zijan, also known as "Z", a young man who has a passion for helping under-served individuals in our community. He is no stranger to hardships and even mentioned experiencing homelessness at one point in his young life. A couple weeks ago, he made and distributed hamburgers, chips and water bottles to 43 individuals at the Escondido transit center. Seeking to do that again, he quickly realized he would need a permit to do so. Z's quick-...thinking led him to create a GoFundMe account and chose Interfaith to be the recipient of his collective donation. Trusting and believing in Interfaith to support and serve the same individuals he was seeking to assist. Z stated, I don’t have much but what I do have I can give Thank you Z for your outstanding efforts in giving back and "Helping People Help Themselves." See more

Are you interested in joining the Interfaith team? We have new job openings for you! Billing Assistant (REQ#1622) The billing assistant is responsible for performing data entry and ensuring timely completion of all billing and reimbursement functions for clients in the Recovery and Wellness (RWC) Programs seeking substance use disorder (SUD) treatment within the Drug Medi-Cal Organized Delivery (DMC-ODS) System of Care. In addition, the billing assistant will be providin...g clerical support to staff and is responsible for answering phones, filing and faxing authorization documents to Optum Health for client treatment approval. The position works to compile, process and maintain medical records of RWC clients in a manner consistent with ethical, legal and regulatory requirements as set forth by the California Department of Healthcare Services (DHCS) Drug Medi-Cal requirements client system of care. Case Manager (REQ#1621) Located in San Marcos, the Case Manager will provide direct services to clients, including but not limited to, intake, assessment, case management, diversion, crisis intervention, Individual Service Plan (ISP), and client advocacy, such as resources and referrals, to homeless and low-income individuals. Case Managers help clients identify their own strengths, set achievable goals, and follow through consistently with client's self-sufficiency. Read Full Job Descriptions and Apply: https://www.interfaithservices.org/careers/ Contact Human Resources for questions: (760) 504-3156 Hear from you soon - Thanks!

This last weekend Interfaith Community Services hosted a very successful backpack-stuffing event with the Danna Foundation. In addition to the 1,800 backpacks that were donated that day, the Danna Foundation announced a $250,000 donation to support our new motel campus! Thank you to the Danna Foundation and all the wonderful volunteers who made this possible!

A HUGE shout out to Jersey Mike's Subs and all those who indulged in a tasty sub during the community fundraiser held by the Escondido Jersey Mike's stores. Your visit to Jersey Mike's assisted in the wonderful donation seen below. We here at Interfaith Community Services appreciate and thank you for your continued support!

Interfaith Community Services was awarded a 2020 grant from the San Diego County Employees' Charitable Organization which allowed us to purchase 20 new beds for individuals and families moving from homelessness into new homes. Interfaith’s Make It a Home Program helps provide the dignity of a comfortable and safe home to community members who have been experiencing homelessness by providing move-in services, fully furnished apartments, cleaning supplies, and food to these families. We are incredibly thankful to the San Diego County Employees’ Charitable Organization for partnering with us to provide hope to our neighbors in need!

A BIG thank you to The Village Church for coming out this weekend to support our Veterans in need. Not only did they collect furniture and donations for the Homeless Veterans Initiative, they also had some fun and washed some cars. Thank you to the entire Village Church community for your kindness, generosity, and creativity!