"The quicker you move people into housing the better the outcomes. Chico is severely housing challenged with less than a 2% vacancy rate. We need more housing." -- Robert Trausch, CHAT - Chico Housing Action Team
"Locally, and throughout the state, communities are dis-incentivized to provide housing. Your talking #Proposition13 and other municipal funding processes, the way we fund private development. These are just a few which accounts for why our vacancy rate is so low. " -- Chico Councilmember Randall Stone
"We both have jobs, it's almost impossible to save up money and to secure a home on your own when your #homeless. Spending money on hotel rooms and stuff like that. We were sleeping on the sidewalk when Chico Housing Action Team reached out to us, bird bathing and pulling our suitcases everywhere. The Jesus Center helped out a lot. -- Pony and his wife Terrie
"The thing is we used the resources of The Jesus Center, we used their computers, we put our resumes online, we weren't just walking around homeless all day. We were being productive and doing something and it did pay off. Until we found a home is was hard, it was stressful; but we made it" -- Pony
"We want people to have a permanent home and know that they are not going to be chases out, or lose it." -- Bob Trausch, on the Master Lease, #housingfirst Program at CHAT.
"It's not like CHAT does everything for us, we take responsibility for the electric bills, cable, the utilities. Everything is in our name except the lease." -- Pony
"It's shared accountability until they are ready to go and flying on their own." -- Randall Stone
"Two things concern me to address this problem; political will and the funding sources for gap financing, which is now coming primarily from the private sector" -- Randall Stone
"For me it's political will. We have to know that elected officials are behind us and that support isn't going to be pulled... sorry we have a different policy now." -- Bob Trausch
"Grateful and blesses... we were given an opportunity after such a long time thinking nobody cared, then finally someone comes along. It's amazing." -- Pony and Terrie
