Martha's Village and Kitchen

To support these children in need, Martha's proposes to continue its successful tutoring program for homeless children residing at Martha's. The program will continue to have the option to be offered both in-person and remotely as necessitated by social distancing. In 2021, Martha's had 205 school age children reside in its homeless housing. Martha's is uniquely positioned to provide these school age children that reside at Martha's homeless housing with grade and subject appropriate tutoring support services. Martha's will continue to employ a part-time tutor, with extensive experience educating students, to provide 20 hours of tutoring services every week. The tutor will be available to provide both individual and group tutoring sessions as needed. The tutor has the expertise to provide tutoring services in all K-12 subjects. The tutoring program utilizes five laptops to access Martha's WIFI and provide the students' previously unobtainable opportunities to complete school assignments in Google classroom with the support of the tutor. The laptops allow the tutor to connect the students with access to additional lessons, learning modules, and quizzes in the subject areas that they are currently working in.

The majority of the children have parents that did not graduate high school and are either not available to assist the children with school-work or unable to. Martha's tutoring has become a consistent source of support in these children's lives over the past two years and will continue to increase their confidence in school.

Today, Martha's Village and Kitchen is one of the Coachella Valley's largest provider of housing and supportive services for homeless and impoverished community members. Our mission is to help our neighbors in need break the cycle of homelessness and poverty by promoting self-sufficiency through an innovative continuum of care, multi-disciplinary programs, and partnerships that come together in the spirit of our CREED (Compassion, Respect, Empathy, Empowerment, Dignity) to teach, learn from, and challenge our neighbors and one another. Today, in addition to providing our neighbors in need with basic necessities such as food and housing, our services address and counteract the underlying causes of our clients' homelessness: residential instability, inadequate health care, mental illness, drug addiction and the difficulty of finding work that pays a livable wage. A significant part of our support services is our ability to provide free childcare and education to impoverished families.

In response to the growing need for childcare services in the area, Martha's proposes to update all of its Children's Services Program Area’s flooring. The updated flooring will allow Martha’s to continue to provide a comfortable & safe environment where young children can grow. Currently, the Children’s Services Area’s flooring is beyond its recommended age & is extremely close to becoming unsafe to the children. The improvement will allow Martha's Children Services Program to be provided in a fully equipped, comfortable environment conducive to effective learning for homeless & impoverished students. Specifically, Martha's is in need of 3,010 square feet of flooring for the Children’s Services Program Area comprised of 1,320 sq ft of carpet and 1,690 sq ft of tile. This will support the community's need of access to quality, affordable child care services and make it possible for impoverished children ages zero through five years to receive licensed, innovative childcare that would otherwise not be available to them at no cost. Martha's has no other funding source that will provide funding for this crucial renovation to the Children's Services Program facility. Together, the Anderson Children's Foundation & Martha's can positively impact impoverished children in the Coachella Valley.

Martha's Village and Kitchen has been serving homeless and impoverished families and children in the Coachella Valley for 25 years. Our mission is to help our neighbors in need, break the cycles of homelessness and poverty. Our Children's Services Program and Transitional Housing Program provide critically needed services to the children we serve. We provide curriculum and activities specifically designed for homeless children and their parents. Our programs offer professional and specialized childcare as well as educational services that help prepare children for school and improve their social and emotional well-being.

Additionally, we provide parents with the tools they need to promote healthy child development and take an active role in improving their children's lives. By uniting otherwise fragmented social supports under one umbrella, we are able to empower homeless children and their families to achieve success. We work tirelessly to ensure to address the children's unique needs and provide them with the necessary support to reach their full potential. This is true for children of every race, creed, and culture.

Our 120-bed Transitional Residential Facility provides housing for homeless adults and children. For over 25 years Martha's has been committed to keeping families together. The Transitional Housing staff assists clients with information, support, and referrals to resources helping them return to permanent housing and self-sufficiency.