Affordable housing and supportive services to position homeless families and single adults for successful independent living.

Overview of Transitional Housing:

• COTS manages twelve shared, transitional homes in Petaluma and Rohnert Park, where families can live for up to two years while paying program fees that are significantly lower than market rate rents.

• Transitional housing for single adults is on the second floor of the Mary Isaak Center. Dorm-type rooms with shared kitchen, bath and family room house up to 32 people for up to two years. Residents participate in the most intensive level of Work Right™, including part-time employment at COTS or placement in a focused employment internship with a local business.

• Children receive focused support from a children's outreach specialist who assesses children during home visits and provides ongoing practical support to ensure children's educational, social and other needs are met while parents focus on increasing family stability and preparing to move to independent housing.

• Each client or family develops and implements an action plan with a case manager who meets regularly with them to track progress and to problem-solve when obstacles arise.

• Clients receive mental health and chemical dependency assessment/treatment, help obtaining employment or public benefits, financial literacy training and housing search assistance.

• Two of the family homes are designated Educaton Houses, where homeless parents enroll in accredited vocational or professional programs and receive specialized support.

• Families must participate in Residential Parenting Education that emphasizes well-being of the children as the compass for family decision-making.  This approach integrates the services of COTS' Children's Haven with COTS' parenting education program, Kids First.