Housing that Heals Follow up

Agenda

The General Meeting begins at 7 PM.

7 PM: NAMI CC Announcements
7:15 PM: Presentation Begins

Speakers

• John Gallagher
• Teresa Pasquini
• Lauren Rettagliata

Meeting Description

Following up on our discussion on Housing that Heals on November 18, 2021, we are pleased to introduce John Gallagher as our new NAMI CC Board member and Housing Advisory Committee Chair. John Gallagher is a Clinical Services Manager at Hope Solutions working with residents in permanent supportive housing at Garden Park Apartments in Pleasant Hill and at Hacienda Heights in Richmond. He has a Master’s in Social Work from Arizona State University and in Business Administration from Saint Louis University.

John will provide an overview of our county’s homelessness-related Continuum of Care and share how a range of Hope Solutions’ programs focused on providing housing and critical support services fit into that continuum. He will also discuss recently funded expansions that will provide more housing opportunities for individuals affected by SMI. John will lead NAMI CC’s efforts to launch a Housing that Heals Advisory Committee.

John will also be joined by loving moms Teresa Pasquini and Lauren Rettagliata. They will provide updates on the progress made in Contra Costa County to move toward Housing that Heals.

The purpose of the Housing That Heals mission is to change the narrative and shatter the status quo by:

1. Defining the problem and forgotten population
2. Sharing solutions and strategies to reform systems
3. Educating and advocating for a shared action plan that will start building more housing that heals in order to stop the suffering. We are not analysts, clinicians, or administrators.

We do not know all the rules, regulations and fiscal/risk analyses that policymakers must navigate. But, we are two moms who do know what it is like to beg for help, hope, and housing for our adult sons living with SMI. We do know what it is like to be forced to drop private insurance in order to save our son’s life. We do know what it is like to call 911 in a mental health crisis. We do know that we have been forced to make our sons homeless in order for them to receive the medically necessary care needed for their stability, safety, and sobriety. We do know the pain of blame and shame. We do know the fatigue of fighting and the fear of dying and leaving our sons without a forever home. This is why we cannot wait any longer.

Join us for this important discussion that includes updates and actions that we must take now.

Included is the link to the Housing that Heals white paper: https://hth.ttinet.com/Housing_That_Heals_2020.pdf

Questions or Comments?

If you have Questions or Comments for our speakers during the presentation, you may contact Cri Campbell-Schine at cri@namicontracosta.org.

Closed Caption Translation

Closed Caption Translation is available in VARIOUS languages for any of NAMI CC’s General Meetings on ZOOM. Attendees can select the CC language of their choosing. RSVP to cri@namicontracosta.org by June 20, 2024 if you require audio language translation.