ANTIOCH — Every Wednesday, Nichole Latrese Gardner drives her green minibus to the Amtrak station at around 5:30 p.m. where she is greeted by a group of people she proudly calls family.
A line forms on the sidewalk as she pulls up. A team of volunteers starts to bring a bundle of clothes, blankets, toiletries, and other essentials from the minibus and spread it by the sidewalk before those in need start rummaging through the pile.
Gardner is the founder of Facing Homelessness in Antioch, a nonprofit group she started in 2017 to help the city’s unhoused. Together with her team of volunteers, they help distribute essentials and hot meals.
This week, Gardner prepared her famous spaghetti alongside some salad and cake for her friends.
“They love my spaghetti,” Gardner chuckled.
Gardner said, in addition to small grants, the support of Antioch residents helps her continue her outreach programs, as people often drop off donation items in front of her porch.
But the group’s work goes beyond food and essentials – it’s about human connection. Gardner and her team know the regulars who have been coming to the outreach initiatives for years, where they exchange their daily stories and a few laughs.
“We love our friends out here on the streets,” said Gardner. “They are like family.”
Although Gardner has always actively volunteered through church activities, social media videos compelled her to start her advocacy work to help the homeless.
When she first started, Gardner had a different perspective about the unhoused community. She believed that people refused shelter and preferred living on the streets. But once Gardner got more involved, she discovered this was far from the truth.
Facing Homelessness in Antioch, along with other groups, advocated for transitional housing at the former Executive Inn. Now called Opportunity Village, the initiative aims to help unsheltered individuals get off the streets. Although Gardner’s team isn’t directly involved in running it, they provide referrals.
Tasha Johnson, Antioch’s Public Safety and Community Resources director, said that since its opening in 2023, Opportunity Village has helped 145 individuals, with 115 who have moved out. Of those who left, 92 moved into stable housing, 17 returned to the streets, one went to the hospital, two never returned, and three chose to live with friends temporarily.
“Currently, 407 couples or individuals are on the waitlist for services,” said Johnson.
Johnson said Opportunity Village, which is on East 18th Street, has 32 rooms to accommodate unhoused individuals. Together with Bay Area Community Services, a nonprofit that helps residents with jobs and down payments for their new homes, the turnover rates have been high.
Johnson said Opportunity Village and Bay Area Community Services try to reduce the wait time, but sometimes, it takes longer for individuals to find permanent housing and more hand holding or services may be required.
“The idea is for them to have stability as much as possible. Some can take six months, some within weeks,” she said.
Johnson said there isn’t a standard timeframe set to help individuals as their needs differ.
“What we do not want to perpetuate …read more
Source:: The Mercury News – Entertainment
