Los Angeles, April 24, 2012- Homeless Health Care Los Angeles is among 24 organizations recently awarded grants from Cedars-Sinai Medical Center to support programs providing direct, community-based mental health services.
The $75,000 grant from Cedars-Sinai, part of a new $1.6 million contribution from the medical center to help existing community organizations expand the number of people they serve in their mental health programs, will support Homeless Health Care Los Angeles’ mission and extend our mental health services to the community.
Homeless Health Care Los Angeles’ Executive Director, Mark Casanova said, “it gives us hope to find organizations like Cedars-Sinai that help us restore the health, mental health and emotional wellbeing ofthe homeless in our community.”
The $1.6 million Community Mental Health Grant Program is part of Cedars-Sinai’s overall community benefit contribution, which last year provided more than $600 million toward free and part-pay hospital care to the uninsured and those with limited means; the unpaid costs of caring for Medi-Cal and Medicare patients; research and education; and hundreds of community programs in local schools, homeless shelters, and community centers.
Homeless Health Care Los Angeles is a non-profit community based organization founded in 1985. For more than 25 years, HHCLA has provided comprehensive health care, integrated treatment for co-occurring disorders, case management, mental health, harm reduction, needle exchange and supportive services to homeless individuals residing in L.A. County. More than 120,000 individuals have received services from Homeless Health Care Los Angeles. For more information about Homeless Health Care Los Angeles’ programs and services: www.hhcla.org.
HHCLA received a $1,000 donation today from neighborhood market: Fresh & Easy. The charity donation presentation took place at the new Jefferson and Figueroa market location. Mark Casanova, HHCLA's Executive Director, stated: "Fresh & Easy inspires, motivates and encourages all of us at Homeless Health Care Los Angeles to continue to do the work that positively changes the lives of thousands of homeless individuals and families."
In Photo with Mark Casanova, from left Angelica Skouras, Shammi Narayan, Negiat Turner, Naomi Levi, Stephanie Lind and Fresh & Easy employees
Vickie Sue Casanova was born on July 17, 1955 in Wayne, Michigan and was the 3rd of 5 children of her parents, Lois Harris and James C. Mace. Her siblings were Debbie Smith, Karen, Leslie, and Pattie Mace.
The Mace family moved to Southern California in the 60’s. Vickie spent most of her life in the San Fernando Valley. She attended local elementary and middle schools before attending and graduating from Polytechnic High in Sun Valley with high honors. Vickie continued her education at California State University Northridge, later enrolling at the University of California, Santa Barbara, where she graduated Magna Cum Laude in 1978 earning a BA degree in Psychology.
Vickie’s first marriage in 1979 to Gary Berg took the couple to San Francisco where her first son Alec was born in 1985. Following her passion to help the less fortunate and underserved Vickie moved back to Los Angeles as her first marriage came to a close. Vickie’s unique intellect and compassion allowed her to make an undeniable impression with clients and coworkers alike. She was a perfectionist in her work and took great pride in the details. Because of her gifts of organization and innovation, Vickie excelled in developing health care management, administration, policies and procedures in addition to quality assurance and human resources for the local free clinics and Planned Parenthood where she worked. She believed in serving the less fortunate with dignity and treated her subordinates with respect, all the while inspiring them to excel with their own special gifts.
In 1991 Vickie came to a small non-profit organization by the name of Homeless Health Care Los Angeles. Initially, Vickie oversaw several programs and eventually became Director of Operations, a position she held until her passing. Vickie had a way about her, which made people see the best in them. She led by example with a strong work ethic and showed how to get the job done quickly and efficiently without compromising quality. Vickie lived out her dreams of developing and directing specialized substance abuse programs concentrating on poor, disenfranchised and homeless individuals. Her work, both directly and indirectly, touched thousands of lives.
A trip to Vegas in 1994 led to a walk down the aisle with her Casanova-- Mark. The blended joint custody family of Vickie, Mark, and children Daniel Casanova, Alec Berg, and Nicole Casanova settled in Encino. In 1997 a beautiful present was given to the eclectic family with the addition of a gorgeous baby boy, James Casanova.
Vickie proved her love, compassion and commitment with consistency to those in need. She mentored, motivated and challenged many without partiality. Vickie was clearly deliberate in choosing to be her best and her best did not cease when she was challenged in life. Moreover, she made quality decisions with much discipline, tenacity and fight to maintain her integrity and strong character. She was the Ultimate Professor beyond the walls of any institution who taught us all with her amazing example.
Vickie was a radiant source of goodness, decency, kindness and a joy to know. She was a rare and fine human being who devoted their life bringing relief to the unfortunate and comfort to friends and family. Her memory will never be extinguished for anyone that was lucky enough to encounter this wonderful woman. Vickie is now enjoying infinite tomorrows, a richly deserved reward. Her life was an inspiration to friends, family and workmates and most of all to her husband, Mark.
Vickie was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2010. After a 19-month battle, Vickie died peacefully in her family home in Woodland Hills on August 10, 2011. Vickie is survived by Mark Casanova, her husband of 16 years, Daniel Casanova, Alec Berg, Nicole Casanova, James Casanova, grandson Dante Casanova, loving and caring siblings, aunts, uncles, cousins, and innumerable friends.
The family has asked that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to Homeless Health Care Los Angeles in her honor.
With over 40,000 homeless living on its streets, Los Angeles is the homeless capital of the country. Over the past decade, cities like Denver, New York and San Francisco have all dramatically reduced their homeless populations by building permanent housing. But here, homelessness has grown faster than the national rate and not enough housing has been built, in part because of discordant county and city governments. Why is it so difficult for disparate systems to work together in Los Angeles County and how can that stalemate be overcome? Patt asks those questions and more to city and county officials, service providers, residents and homeless in the Skid Row community. Together, they a look at new proposals such as the Home for Good plan, which combines the social service knowledge of nonprofit sector with the private business and aims to end homelessness with permanent housing by 2016. With so many plans proposed and failed, what if anything sets this ambitious model apart from the rest? And why has homelessness proven to be such a singularly intractable issue for Los Angeles while it has motivated so many other regions to act?
To listen to the interview, click here (then scroll to the bottom of the play list).
In July, HHCLA’s Access to Housing for Health (AHH) program was honored with an achievement award from the National Association of Counties. On August 17, 2010 the award was recognized and presented to HHCLA by the Honorable Supervisor Don Knabe of the Los Angeles County Fourth District. The AHH program is a unique collaboration with the Department of Health Services, the Housing Authority of the City and County of Los Angeles, and the Community Development Commission of the County of Los Angeles. The program was awarded this recognition for assisting the homeless into permanent housing with an effective and innovative program that contributes to and enhances county government in the United States.
Since the program’s inception in 2007, more than 100 clients have been placed in permanent housing, and 62 of those have been in housing for over a year. The program focuses on providing the tools necessary for clients to remain successful in permanent housing and to prevent them from future homelessness. Master’s level case managers assist participants by linking them to medical, mental health, substance use, and other treatment services while also helping them to securing income, health insurance benefits, support and advocacy. The in-house housing locator assists clients in the application process in order to secure Section 8 and to find housing in their desired area. This unique and intense case management focused program has aided those in need and has helped individuals and families gain permanent housing. HHCLA is thankful for the recognition and anticipates assisting future clients with acquiring secured permanent housing in order to help eradicate homelessness. We are proud of our AHH staff: Elda Lazaro, MSW/Director of AHH, Leda Grembowski, MSW/Case Manager, Elizabeth Molina Gutierrez, MSW/Case Manager, and Sherie Cigar-James, MAED/Housing Locator.
PHOTO (from left to right): Mark Casanova, Executive Director; Honorable Don Knabe, Los Angeles County Supervisor, Fourth District; Elda Lazaro, MSW, Director of AHH.
Los Angeles, April 24, 2012- Homeless Health Care Los Angeles is among 24 organizations recently awarded grants from Cedars-Sinai Medical Center to support programs providing direct, community-based mental health services.
Vickie Sue Casanova was born on July 17, 1955 in Wayne, Michigan and was the 3rd of 5 children of her parents, Lois Harris and James C. Mace. Her siblings were Debbie Smith, Karen, Leslie, and Pattie Mace.