Key Points
Here are some key points about our work at COTS:
We believe that homeless people are worth helping, and actually can be helped.
Not everyone believes that homeless people are worth helping. We do. Moreover, we know how to help them. This seven minute video gives a few examples.
Our work is rooted in principles and values that have been carefully identified and articulated, and that we intentionally use to develop COTS' culture.
Through the support of a generous donor, we've had the opportunity to carefully examine the principles and values that are essential, in our view, to success in helping homeless people. These include The Four Pillars of COTS.
Our annual budget is about $2.7 million. We have numerous sources of funding, including about 60 grants and more than 5,000 individuals who have given gifts ranging from a pair of socks to hundreds of thousands of dollars. Children sometimes give their Christmas gifts to the homeless kids. Volunteers give about 50,000 hours per year, the equivalent of about 22 full-time employees. We work hard to make sure that we use these resources well.
We are committed to excellence in our work.
We are passionate about helping homeless people, and our programs are demonstrably effective. For example, in a recent very competitive evaluation, our housing and family programs were ranked third in the state of California, out of 103 applicants. In this same evaluation, our programs for adults without children ranked seventh in the process. We also have received numerous awards recognizing the excellence of our programs. Other agencies frequently consult us to learn more about our programs.
Our programs are innovative.
Innovation helps our programs to be effective. For instance, Rent Right helps homeless adults and their families optimize their chances of getting back under a roof of their own. Work Right helps with income, that leads to housing. Kids First applies state of the art research about Adverse Childhood Experiences to help homeless parents build a strong foundation for their children. At Home Within helps homeless adults find stability and calmness by teaching them meditation and restorative practices (click here for 12 minute video).
For more information, see our website.