Welcome to Shelter Network

First Step for Families

Established

1998

Location

325 Villa Terrace, San Mateo, CA 94401

Program Type

Short-term (up to 2 months) and mid-term transitional housing (up to 6 months)

Residents

Families

Number of Units

39 studio and one-bedroom apartments

Assistance Programs

One-on-One Counseling

Mandatory Savings Program

On-site Food Pantry

Meal Services

Children's Playground

Internet Computer Center

Life Skills Workshops

Licensed Head Start Child Care Center

Success Story

Pat believed that homelessness was something she was never going to have to face in her life. She owned a home, was a successful entrepreneur, and owned her own business in Georgia. Seemingly leading a comfortable life, Pat soon learned that one event can change everything. When her adult daughter became seriously ill, Pat moved across the country to San Mateo to be closer to her. However, the ballooning cost of her daughter's medical costs made it impossible for Pat to support herself, her daughter, and her grandson. She was then referred to Shelter Network's First Step for Families. Pat said that First Step for Families "has changed the way I think."

They were so helpful: I got a nursery for my grandson, which gave me freedom to look for work. It felt so good to have a bed and a hot meal-I felt secure there and so did my kids. It was hard to look for work when you didn't have a place to sleep or hang your clothes. They counseled us and helped me to get through what I was experiencing."

From First Step for Families, Pat moved to Maple Street Shelter. Like all of the residents in Shelter Network's program, Pat set goals for herself and her family, including learning about budgets and nutrition while saving 75% of her income. After completing the program Pat gave herself two weeks to find a home of her own. She was able to find work at the Medical Records department of Mills Peninsula Hospital. She then soon found a large apartment in San Mateo and moved there with her grandson and daughter.

Although Pat never envisioned herself becoming homeless, she has taken from the experience and her time with Shelter Network new goals and a new path in life. Pat will be starting at the College of San Mateo to get her degree to be a certified counselor, hoping one day to be a counselor at Shelter Network. "If I hadn't become homeless I never would have known this other side of life. I wouldn't be where I am now. I know that I am meant to be a counselor and help others, just as Shelter Network helped me."