Dear Friends of Harbor House,
 
On any given night here, in America, there are more than half a million people living on the streets.  At Harbor House we meet kids who have aged out of foster care and aged directly into homelessness.  We meet lots of grown children who have experienced trauma in their childhood living on the streets.  Young adults who are struggling with mental health issues and don’t want help find freedom on the streets. 
 
Elderly men and women who are living on minimum social security because they made minimum wage in their working years struggle every day to stay afloat.  They are one broken car, or expensive medical bill away from disaster.  Widows and widowers and others whose lives have capsized are living in cars all around us.
 
Parents who used to work full time jobs in restaurants or motels have lost their jobs and are struggling to put food on the table for their children.
 
There is so much we don’t know about humanity, but at Harbor House we are certain that these people belong to us.  Father Greg Boyle of Homeboy Industries says, “We are sent to the margins not to make a difference but so the folks on the margins will make us different.”
 
The staff at Harbor House knows that without you, we could not help those who need it most.  We are thankful for everything you do and for every dollar you donate. 
 
We wish you all a very Happy Thanksgiving and many reasons to give thanks.
 
Gratefully,
 
 
Denise Cortes
Executive Director
Harbor House
dcortes@harborhouseto.org
 
 

Dear Friends of Harbor House,
 
Staff and volunteers have been working hard to help families stay afloat in the midst of this global pandemic. We continue to feed the homeless and families in need, and the number of meals served continues to rise. We currently have more than 738 children signed up for our Adopt a Family program. Many of the households we have been serving have lost one or both incomes, leaving them unable to provide groceries or pay rent.
 
In the years that I have been working with this population, I have learned so many important things. I have heard hundreds of stories from people and have been moved by more of those stories than I can count.
 
The issue that has continued to haunt me is that of young people in foster care. Today, there are more than 437,000 children in foster care in America. Of those, 55,000 are in California. An astounding 36% of California foster youth become homeless within 18 months of aging out and 46% do not graduate from high school.  Less than 3% earn a college degree. So many of the saddest stories I know have come from children who aged out of foster care into homelessness.  
 
Because of the relationship between kids aging out of foster care and homelessness, we are working more closely with young adults aging out and entering independent living. We believe that one of the best ways Harbor House can have an impact on homelessness is by improving the success rate of these young people who are at risk.
 
In the midst of so much poverty and loss we remain hopeful in the work we do. We pray that you are well and staying safe.
 
“Have courage for the great sorrows of life and patience for the small ones; and when you have laboriously accomplished your daily task, go to sleep in peace. God is awake.”
                                                                                                                          - Victor Hugo
                                                                                                          
 
Peace, 
 
Denise 
Executive Director
Harbor House
dcortes@harborhouseto.org
​

Dear Friends of Harbor House,  

It is time for our Adopt-a-Family program again. We are hopeful you will volunteer to help make the holidays joyful for children in our community who might otherwise go without.  We all know what a difficult year 2020 has been, particularly to those who struggle in poverty. So many of our families who work in the hospitality and service industries have lost their jobs and are dealing with extreme hardships every day of this difficult pandemic. We currently have 500 children signed up and we have a waiting list of many others. I believe that with your help, we will be able to provide for all of these families. Our deadline for sign ups is September 30.
I hope that you will take part in this worthwhile effort to provide gifts for those we serve. These children have been trying to cope with the fact that many of their families are living in poverty worse than anything they’ve seen. We seek to offer a small measure of hope in an otherwise dark time, to all those who need it in our community.  If you are able to participate this year, please e-mail Sheri Groenveld (sgroenveld@harborhouseto.org) and please know how grateful we are for your support. 

“Are you willing to stoop down and consider the needs and the desires of little children; to remember the weakness and loneliness of people who are growing old; to stop asking how much your friends love you, and ask yourself whether you love them enough; to bear in mind the things that other people have to bear in their hearts; to try to understand what those who live in the same house with you really want, without waiting for them to tell you; to trim your lamp so that it will give more light and less smoke, and to carry it in front so that your shadow will fall behind you; to make a grave for your ugly thoughts, and a garden for your kindly feelings, with the gate open--are you willing to do these things even for a day? Then you can keep Christmas.”
Keeping Christmas by Henry Van Dyke

- Denise Cortes 

Dear Friends of Harbor House,
Who could have predicted the year we are experiencing?
The global pandemic has affected so many people in so many different ways. Our local homeless are struggling to survive the pandemic and the now the heat. The elderly and those who are medically compromised are being housed at a local motel and the County is covering the cost. We are very grateful to the State of California for the funds to do this.
In addition, Harbor House has been housing several other homeless who do not qualify for the County program but need a bed for a night or two due to the heat, illness, surgery, or if there are children involved.
I am sure many of you read about the local homeless woman who walked onto the 23 freeway in the early morning hours on Thursday, August 20. She posted on social media her intention to take her own life and she succeeded in killing herself that morning. Her sad death highlights for all of us the need for mental health services for those who are suffering. She was a tortured soul and many in our community tried for years to support her.
Another of the current needs in our community is for rental assistance for those families that have lost their employment and income and cannot pay their bills. The very first priority in fighting homelessness is keeping people who are housed in their homes. The families who have lost their jobs and their income are our neighbors. They have served us in restaurants, bagged our groceries, cleaned our houses, and babysat our children. Some owned businesses that have shut down.
These are troubled times. We pray for peace in our community and in our country. We pray for an end to hatred and racism. We pray for those who are suffering most in our world and for mercy on the part of those in leadership. No matter what the news tells us, or the polls, or homeless counts, I have no doubt that in God’s mind man is heading somewhere.
We need your contributions now more than ever. None of the important work we do every day could be done without the amazing support and unmatched generosity of this wonderful community.
Gratefully,
Denise Cortes
Director
Harbor House
dcortes@harborhouseto.org


“We seek a compassion that stands in awe at what the poor have to carry rather than stand in judgement at how they carry it.”                                                                                                Fr. Greg Boyle