OCshelter.org

We are a community-based organization focused on helping make the world around us a better, happier place. With the help of our tireless staff, we organize fundraisers, exciting community-building events, and in-depth training sessions for our volunteers. Who We Help? There are many forms of homelessness. And it’s not just the homeless you see on the street. There are also the “hidden homeless” who are in shelters, hotels, their vehicles, and others who are couch hopping from house to house wi...

We are a community-based organization focused on helping make the world around us a better, happier place. With the help of our tireless staff, we organize fundraisers, exciting community-building events, and in-depth training sessions for our volunteers. Who We Help? There are many forms of homelessness. And it’s not just the homeless you see on the street. There are also the “hidden homeless” who are in shelters, hotels, their vehicles, and others who are couch hopping from house to house with friends and relatives just to stay sheltered. Some are homeless due to mental illness or addictions, and these individuals require many services and an entire community of providers to get off the street – it is a very complex problem with no simple solutions. Others are actually homeless by choice because they enjoy the lifestyle and they have no desire to get off the streets or they simply don’t have the recurring income to afford monthly rent. However, there is another category of homeless that Off The Streets focuses on. These are the “Economically Homeless” who have suffered some sort of crisis (medical, financial, abuse, unforeseen evictions, etc.) and these are the individuals that we strive to help. We gather all community resources to put people in need with the right help to get them out of their homeless situation. They are very motivated to get off the streets but they need a one-time hand up to do so. That’s where we come in. First we build a budget with them to determine a monthly rent they can afford over the long term. After they find a rental that fits this budget, we help them get housed with the Security Deposit which we pay directly to the Landlord. Lastly, because many in this category have lost all their possessions, we give them a new start by providing essential household goods and furniture free of charge, most often delivered right to their new rental by our volunteers.