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History
MSH HISTORY
In 2000, a number of single women came to the
attention of the Family Life ministry at Anaheim First Christian
Church (AFCC) through their Prison Fellowship and Celebrate Recovery
ministries and in an on-going relationship with Casa Elena, a local
county run facility designed to serve Hispanic women recovering
from substance abuse. By 2006, it was apparent that the difficulties
for these women were deeper than substance abuse. All of them were
presenting signs of significant life skill dysfunction and substance
abuse was their coping mechanism. The U-Turn program was developed
to begin to address these significant issues: low self esteem, domestic
violence, lack of positive role models, unhealthy and unsafe living
environments, little or no education and little or no support system.
Though the program was making a significant impact,
Casa Elena was closed in the spring of 2007. Rather than just giving
up, the leadership at AFCC determined that more needed to be done
to investigate both the need and the opportunities in the immediate
community.
INVESTIGATION
July 11, 2007 brought together the first of several
focus groups that included leadership from the community: officials
from Anaheim’s Community Services Department, school principals
and district staff, representatives from a variety of community
agencies and other community leaders met to begin a needs assessment.
Over the next several months, subsequent meetings with city staff,
principals and school officials, police and an assistant district
attorney, and members of the community lead to an official Feasibility
Study undertaken by an AFCC Community Task Force that was launched
in January of 2008. Throughout that year effort was given to collecting
data, building collaborative partners, studying models, and researching
best practices in long term support care.
Collaborations were established with:
Anaheim City School District, especially the Office of Pupil Services
and the Oasis Family Center and four elementary schools in central
Anaheim: Franklin, Jefferson, Olives Street and Orange Grove.
Anaheim Police Department, particularly GRIP
Anaheim Religious Community Council
Anaheim Community Services – Human Resources
On November 2, 2008, the Task Force presented a Final Feasibility
Study Report with the following recommendations:
- AFCC Community involvement should re-focus on single
mothers suffering from a variety of life skill dysfunction problems,
substance abuse being just one manifestation.
- The nature of the program should be long term support,
not crisis intervention.
- The needs of this project are more than AFCC can
sustain as part of the ministry development of the church and
while the church is committed to long term support of this work,
a separate 501(c)(3) entity should be implemented.
- The name is My Safe Harbor, (MSH) and was chosen
through focus group participation.
- Legal services have secured incorporation in the
State of California (granted July 8, 2008) and the IRS 1023 application
process has begun.
- Investigation into the renovation and use of the
Harbor House should begin immediately. (a facility adjacent to
and owned by AFCC).
- Continued investigation with the city, school district,
community agencies and law enforcement would be required to fine
tune the mission and begin the search for funds.
- The Feasibility Study Task Force should be replaced
with an Implementation Phase Task Force commissioned to secure
total independence for MSH by the end of 2009.
IMPLEMENTATION
In January of 2009, implementation began with
the assignment of Director’s responsibilities, recruitment
of a Board of Directors, research into facilities and continued
search for collaborative partners. In March, 2009, a collaborative
connection was made with the Orange County Children’s Bureau
(CB). They were looking for a new location for one of their Family
Resource Centers and inquired about the possibility of using the
Harbor House, a vacant facility owned by AFCC. Subsequent negotiations
brought about an update of the Conditional Use Permit for the Harbor
House, a Memorandum of Understanding between AFCC and CB, a significant
cleanup/upgrade of the Harbor House by volunteers (including a large
group from Deloitte Services). On July 1, 2009 both My Safe Harbor
and the Anaheim Harbor Family Resource Center opened for business.
At that same time, all the documentation was completed
and the IRS 1023 application submitted July 9, 2009, with approval
granted on September 15, 2009 retroactive to the date of Incorporation,
July 8, 2008. On January 1, 2010 MSH became fully operational with
a full Board of Directors and an independent financial structure. |
