In April of 2010, we set a lofty goal—Finding Our Way Home would help 200 families, with approximately 400 children, find a permanent solution to their homelessness in the next three years by doubling the capacity of our Solutions University, thus permitting us to deliver more, better, and faster access to permanent solutions.

The support and response from the community has been nothing short of remarkable. With your help, the first year of FOWH has been a record of one achievement, one goal met, one family helped after another.

Some of the highlights:

• We are more than halfway to our goal of 200 family sponsors, each of whom helps provide the funding for one-third of the annual cost of having a family in the program
• We have 9 of a projected 20 sponsors of our off-campus housing strategy, at $10,000 each
• We have already obtained 22 of the 77 needed units of off-campus housing, with other possibilities in various stages of development

“This is the program that will show what is possible” said Finding Our Way Home chairman Mark King, in pointing out how the program can be a model that is reproduced in many places. “This is the seed money investment that will multiply itself time and time again, while delivering a permanent solution to thousands of families.

“That’s what Solutions for Change, and your investment, is really doing.”

“FOWH had a remarkable first year,” said Solutions founder and president Chris Megison, “not only in terms of numeric goals, but in terms of the way the community responded. We now know, without a doubt, that people want to help solve family homelessness. They are engaged, committed, and enthusiastic. With everyone’s help, Finding Our Way home will have an even more remarkable second year.”

Mark King, CEO and President of the TaylorMade Golf Company ( and the Chairman of the Finding Our Way Home initiative) shares his enthusiasm for the FOWH initiative with the Leadership Team and champions of change—our investors.

(l to r) April Flores, 2010 graduate of Solutions University visits with our Community Champions from Genentech, Inc. in Oceanside—Jennifer Guzman, Senior Project Support Coordinator, and Lisa Bartkowski, Human Resources.

Pete Sanchez, VP and General Manager of The Kingdom, shares how TaylorMade Golf Company’s involvement with Solutions for Change has impacted their company and employee culture.

Solutions for Change welcomes three new members of the Finding Our Way Home Leadership Team—(l to r) Sam Abed, Mayor of Escondido, Gloria Foote, & Partner, Financial Focus, April Flores (graduate of Solutions University) and Bobbi DePorter, President of Quantum Learning Center.

Having a vision of solving family homelessness is only the first step—making it work means linking it to a model how to get the job done. The model is Solutions University.

Solutions University is a 1000-day commitment to permanent change. The first 500 days are on campus. Here, from a base where they are securely sheltered in their own apartment, each family learns or re-learns the skills and strategies they need to succeed. Each adult follows a highly individualized program crafted to address his or her specific issues and needs. Our highly skilled corps of coaches provides constant mentoring. The children are enrolled full time in school and given tutoring and other assistance they need to make up for any lost time—something they do readily once provided the stability of a home and a nurturing environment.

The admissions requirements for Solutions University are that a person be homeless, drug-free, have one or more children, and be committed to permanently ending their homelessness. The graduation requirements after the first 500 days are that the person have a job, $2000 in savings, and a demonstrated readiness to move on to New Solutions, the second 500-day program segment. New Solutions is literally a move, to independent, off-campus housing where graduates still have the benefit of the Solutions program mentoring and support while gaining the skills, knowledge, and confidence that can come only from being more on their own.

Solutions University is a model for change, a model for success, and a model that is working to help families permanently solve their homelessness.

What’s green and white and red all over? A playground area and two new gazebos at the Solutions for Change Intake and Access Center, compliments of Keller Williams Realty’s RED Day, aided and abetted by more than 15 local businesses.

RED (renew, energize, and donate) Day is an annual participation project involving 25,000 associates of the nationwide realty firm. Each office selects a nonprofit and puts their collective effort into helping on a designated project.

Solutions for Change was fortunate enough to be selected this year by the Carlsbad office of Keller Williams Realty, and in one day their 50 associates did a truly amazing job of transforming what had been a barren patch of land into a recreation area complete with two gazebos.

“Our goal was to make this a haven for the families,” said Kim Addy Jones, who was the lead organizer of the event for Keller Williams. “We are all parents and it hit home how lucky we and our children are. I personally felt so touched and blessed to meet the families that reside at the center and to see how happy and proud it made them.”

The Intake and Access Center is the first stop on the path to success for families seeking a solution to their homelessness, and having a place for the parents to relax and the children to play will make a big difference. It was a red letter day for Solutions, and a RED Day for Keller Williams. We thank each of the Keller Williams associates who gave of their time and efforts, and we thank each of the many companies who provided materials, equipment, labor, and other donations that helped make this important project a reality.

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