Samaritan House

TO PROVIDE SUPPORTIVE SERVICES FOR ALL MEMBERS OF OUR COMMUNITY IN NEED.

CLIENT AND FOOD SERVICES: SINCE APRIL 2020, OUR AGENCY HAS GROWN BY 88%, DUE TO THE INCREASE IN DEMAND STEMMING FROM COVID-19. FY21 CLOSED WITH AN UNPRECEDENTED GROWTH OF 195% IN THE FOOD & NUTRITION PROGRAM AND 213% IN THE FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAM. WE SERVED 22,380 CLIENTS WITH FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE AND ESSENTIAL SERVICES, INCLUDING, FOOD, SHELTER AND HEALTHCARE. WE FILED TAX RETURNS FOR 194 INDIVIDUALS, RESULTING IN $131,804 IN REFUNDS, $20,897 EARNED INCOME TAX CREDITS (EITC), AS WELL AS $52,348 IN CHILD TAX CREDITS (CTC) AND ADDITIONAL CHILD TAX CREDITS (ACTC). THE FOOD & NUTRITION PROGRAM CONTINUED ITS CONTACTLESS FOOD DISTRIBUTIONS, MOST OF WHICH ARE DRIVE-THROUGH AND OUTDOOR, AS WELL AS PROVIDED 358,755 FRESHLY PREPARED HOT MEALS AND 151,191 BAGS OF GROCERIES, COLLECTIVELY TOTALING MORE THAN 2.75 MILLION ANNUAL MEALS. FOOD COSTS OFFSET AN AVERAGE OF $1,532 PER HOUSEHOLD, VALUED AT $11,170,913. SAMARITAN HOUSE SERVED 6,366 COMMUNITY MEMBERS, INCLUDING 4,601 CHILDREN AND YOUTH, IN 2021'S HOLIDAY PROGRAM. KIDS CLOSET OPENED A NEW BOUTIQUE IN 2021 AND DISTRIBUTED 6,136 ITEMS OF NEW AND SLIGHTLY USED CLOTHING TO KIDS AND TEENS, AS WELL AS NEARLY 169,000 DIAPERS TO BABIES AND TODDLERS IN NEED. THE BACK-TO-SCHOOL PROGRAM DISTRIBUTED 2,000 NEW BACKPACKS FILLED WITH GRADE-APPROPRIATE SUPPLIES, ENSURING THAT CHILDREN STARTED THE SCHOOL YEAR ON TRACK AND FOCUSED ON LEARNING. IN ADDITION TO EXPENDITURES LISTED HERE, SAMARITAN HOUSE ALSO SERVES AS THE FISCAL SPONSOR FOR THE CHRONICLE SEASON OF SHARING FUND, AND DISTRIBUTED $1,356,692 TO 402 LOW-INCOME FAMILIES IN EMERGENCY FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE ON BEHALF OF SEVEN NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS SERVING SAN MATEO COUNTY.

HOMELESSNESS PREVENTION SERVICES:HOMELESSNESS PREVENTION SERVICES TARGET FAMILIES IN CRISIS AND AT IMMINENT RISK OF BECOMING HOMELESS. THE PROGRAM PROVIDES RENTAL AND DEPOSIT ASSISTANCE, UTILITY ASSISTANCE, TRANSPORTATION AND OTHER CRITICAL NEEDS IN ORDER FOR FAMILIES TO STABILIZE THEIR HOUSING SITUATION. AS LEAD CORE SERVICE AGENCY FOR THE COUNTY, WE ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE PROCUREMENT AND PROCESSING OF ALL FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE FOR THE REGION'S NETWORK OF SEVEN CORE SERVICE AGENCIES. IN FY21, WE DISTRIBUTED OVER $8.7M IN COVID AND NON-COVID RELATED FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE, INCLUDING UTILITIES AND EMERGENCY RENTAL ASSISTANCE, (IN COMPARISON WITH $2M IN FY20) FROM ALL FUNDING SOURCES, INCLUDING THE EMERGENCY RENTAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAM, THE CARES FUND, COVID SMC STRONG FUND, AND THE SVCF COVID-19 REGIONAL RESPONSE FUND. SAMARITAN HOUSE IS THE COUNTY'S CONTRACTED EMERGENCY FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE ADMINISTRATIVE ENTITY, AND WE SERVED A TOTAL OF 2,139 HOUSEHOLDS (5,775 INDIVIDUALS) WHO WERE AT RISK OF HOMELESSNESS, PROVIDING AN AVERAGE OF $4,113 IN FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE PER HOUSEHOLD. AS SAN MATEO COUNTY'S LEAD SOCIAL SERVICE AGENCY, WE SERVED 881 IMMIGRANT FAMILIES WITH APPLICATION SUPPORT AND CORE SERVICES FOLLOW-UP THROUGH PARTNERSHIP WITH THE $16M SAN MATEO COUNTY IMMIGRANT RELIEF FUND. COLLECTIVELY, WE HAVE PROVIDED ALMOST 4 TIMES (370%) THE PRE-COVID AMOUNT OF FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE, SINCE THE ONSET OF THE PANDEMIC, THROUGH THE HOMELESS PREVENTION PROGRAM.

FREE MEDICAL AND DENTAL CLINICS: THE FREE HEALTHCARE CLINICS OF SAN MATEO AND REDWOOD CITY PROVIDE MEDICAL, DENTAL, VISION AND MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES AT NO COST TO MEDICALLY UNDERSERVED RESIDENTS OF SAN MATEO COUNTY. CLINIC PATIENTS ARE UNINSURED AND UNABLE TO AFFORD 'OUT-OF-POCKET' HEALTHCARE COSTS, SUCH AS PREMIUMS, COPAYS OR DEDUCTIBLES OF COVERAGE. DESPITE THE ADJUSTMENT TO THE DELIVERY OF CARE, THE FREE CLINICS HAVE REMAINED OPERATIONAL SINCE THE EARLY DAYS OF THE PANDEMIC VIA TELE-HEALTH, VIDEO CARE, AND LIMITED IN-PERSON VISITS, KEEPING EVERYONE SAFE WHILE DELIVERING NECESSARY SHORT-TERM CARE. IN FY21, THE CLINICS SERVED 7,227 PATIENT VISITS WITH OVER 60 VOLUNTEER PROFESSIONALS. A TOTAL OF SEVEN COVID-19 VACCINATION CLINICS AND NINE FLU VACCINATION CLINICS AT THE FREE CLINIC OF SAN MATEO SERVED 414 PATIENTS, HELPING THE ENTIRE COMMUNITY TO KEEP HEALTHY AND PRODUCTIVE AT WORK AND IN SCHOOL. BOTH CLINICS RELY ON A VOLUNTEER-BASED MODEL OF SERVICE, INCLUDING VOLUNTEER MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS, SUCH AS PHYSICIANS, NURSES, DENTISTS, NURSE PRACTITIONERS, INTERPRETERS, AND OTHER CLINICAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF, TO OPERATE THE CLINICS. VOLUNTEERS CONTRIBUTED 3,452 VOLUNTEER HOURS IN FY21. SINCE 2016, WE HAVE OPERATED CALIFORNIA'S FIRST TWO FOOD PHARMACIES WHERE PATIENTS WITH DIABETES FILL "PRESCRIPTIONS" FOR FREE NUTRITIOUS FOOD. SINCE THE ONSET OF COVID-19, DISTRIBUTION OF MEDICATION AND FOOD PHARMACY 'PRESCRIPTIONS' MOVED TO A CURBSIDE PICKUP MODEL. THROUGH OUR FOOD PHARMACIES, WE DISTRIBUTED 7,606 BAGS OF FOOD TO 921 PATIENTS. PROVIDING PRIMARY AND PREVENTIVE CARE TO THE MEDICALLY UNDERSERVED AND UNINSURED NOT ONLY BENEFITS THOSE RECEIVING THE CARE, BUT ALSO ACCRUES BENEFITS TO THE COMMUNITY AT LARGE. VACCINATIONS REDUCE THE SPREAD OF INFECTIOUS DISEASES IN A COMMUNITY. KEEPING RESIDENTS HEALTHY IMPROVES THE WORKFORCE AND ECONOMY. HAVING A PRIMARY SOURCE OF CARE REDUCES DEPENDENCE ON HOSPITAL EMERGENCY ROOM VISITS AT A CONSIDERABLE COST SAVINGS.