Peer Voices Of Orange County

PEER VOICES OF ORANGE COUNTY (PVOC) HAS OPERATED UNDER A FISCAL SPONSORSHIP ARRANGEMENT SINCE ITS INCEPTION ON DECEMBER 1, 2020. INITIALLY, IN 2020, PVOC BEGAN AS A PROGRAM GENEROUSLY SUPPORTED BY MINDOC/BEWELL, LOCATED AT 265 S. ANITA DRIVE IN ORANGE. FROM JUNE 2020 THROUGH DECEMBER 2020, PVOC ENTERED INTO A FORMAL CONTRACT WITH MECCA TO SERVE AS A FISCAL SPONSOR WHILE CONCURRENTLY WORKING AS CRISIS COUNSELORS. DURING THE CHALLENGING TIMES OF THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC, WE ACQUIRED THE SKILLS TO REACH UNDERSERVED AND UNDERREPRESENTED COMMUNITIES. WITH THE SUPPORT OF THE CAL HOPE CRISIS SUPPORT GRANT, WE USED VARIOUS METHODS LIKE ONLINE CHAT, COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT, AND DOOR-TO-DOOR OUTREACH TO CONNECT WITH OUR COMMUNITY. DURING THIS PERIOD, PVOC EFFECTIVELY MANAGED A TEAM OF 5 PEER STAFF AND TOOK FULL RESPONSIBILITY FOR ALL ASSOCIATED PROGRAM COSTS. NOTABLY, WE SECURED SEVERAL GRANTS, INCLUDING THE CAL HOPE GRANT TOTALING $265,000, THE EPOC GRANT OF $200,000 AND $170,000, SIERRA FOUNDATION GRANT AMOUNTING TO $100,000, BHRR GRANTS FOR $300,000, AND VARIOUS CITY FUNDING SOURCES TOTALING $60,000. IN TOTAL, PEER VOICES OF ORANGE COUNTY HAS SUCCESSFULLY SECURED APPROXIMATELY $900,000 IN GRANT FUNDING THROUGH OCTOBER OF 2023. WHILE PVOC IS OFFICIALLY RECOGNIZED AS A 501(C)(3) ORGANIZATION, IT CHOSE TO USE THE FISCAL SPONSOR ARRANGEMENT AS IT DEVELOPED THE NECESSARY SKILLS TO OPERATE INDEPENDENTLY AND FOCUS ON REFINING ITS SERVICES AND ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE TO CREATE SUSTAINABLE PROGRAMS. WE HAVE BUILT A STRONG RELATIONSHIP WITH OUR FISCAL SPONSOR, PPF, AND HAVE WORKED COLLABORATIVELY ON SPECIFIC PROGRAMS. OVER TIME, PVOC HAS GROWN AND ACQUIRED THE SKILLS REQUIRED TO FUNCTION AUTONOMOUSLY. FURTHERMORE, PVOC NOW OFFERS FISCAL SPONSORSHIP TO OTHER ORGANIZATIONS AND PROGRAMS THAT ALIGN WITH OUR MISSION OF EXPANDING PEER INVOLVEMENT IN THE BEHAVIORAL HEALTH SYSTEM. CURRENTLY, PVOC ACTIVELY MANAGES ITS GRANTS AND PROVIDES FISCAL SPONSORSHIP TO PEER VOICES OF LOS ANGELES AND PEER VOICES OF SAN DIEGO, WITH FUNDS EXCEEDING $400,000. THESE SIGNIFICANT RESPONSIBILITIES ARE OVERSEEN BY A DEDICATED TEAM OF 7 INDIVIDUALS, WHICH INCLUDES EXTERNAL CONSULTANTS AND A GRANT MANAGEMENT TEAM. PVOC'S ASPIRATIONS EXTEND FURTHER, WITH PLANS TO EXTEND ITS FISCAL SPONSORSHIP SUPPORT TO A TOTAL OF 10 ORGANIZATIONS BY THE SPRING OF 2024. PVOC IS COMMITTED TO CONTINUING ITS MISSION OF ADVOCACY AND SUPPORT WITHIN THE BEHAVIORAL HEALTH COMMUNITY. WE ARE EXCITED ABOUT THE OPPORTUNITIES THAT LIE AHEAD FOR PEER VOICES OF ORANGE COUNTY AND ITS EXPANDING NETWORK OF PARTNERS.