We help families in crisis in many ways:
Supplemental Food (Sonoma and Lake)
Emergency Shelter and after shelter transitional housing (Sonoma)
Transitional housing for young single mothers in Napa
Housing Counseling (Sonoma)
Helping seniors live safely in their own homes (Sonoma)
Family Reunification through Immigration Services and Refugee Resettlement (see story below)

Information and referral: call 2-1-1 (Napa or Sonoma) or our offices:
Lake County office, Middletown: call Sonoma County office
Napa County office, Napa: 224-4403
Sonoma County office, Santa Rosa: 528-8712

From Surviving to Thriving
Kidane is from Eritrea in Eastern Africa. Eritrea used to be part of Ethiopia until it became independent in the early 1990’s, following 30 years of civil war. Since its independence, the one-party state has not held elections and, according to Amnesty International, commits grave human rights violations.

Because Kidane faced persecution in Eritrea, he fled the country in January of 2006, leaving behind his wife and two children, ages two and seven. Can you imagine being so fearful that you had to leave everything familiar to you? Kidane fled on foot from Eritrea to Sudan, and then from Sudan to Libya with 47 people in a pickup truck (each person paid a $1000 fare). That journey lasted 16 days through the Sahara Desert. From Libya, Kidane took a four-day journey to Malta in a small, overcrowded boat with 25 men and one pregnant woman. When he arrived in Malta, Kidane registered with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, and was eventually resettled to the United States (after undergoing extensive interviews, security clearances, and medical checks). He arrived to Santa Rosa in August of 2009 to reunite with his brother. Upon arriving, he filed petitions for his wife and children to join him in the United States. After much painful waiting, Kidane’s wife, Nazriet, and their children, Henok and Binyam, all arrived safely to Santa Rosa in September of 2011.

Now, almost a year after being reunited in their new country, the family is excelling. They have moved from Catholic Charities Family Support Center into their own apartment. After having worked as an on-call custodian, Kidane is now applying for a full-time position. Nazriet has been studying English and just passed the written test for her driver’s license. The boys, now ages eight and thirteen, have excelled in school both academically and socially. The family’s next objective is to find a car for Nazriet so that she can begin to work. Binyam reports, between his giggles, that he would like a special car that does not break down.

To offer help to this family, contact Ashley Patel (seen in photo at far right), 528-8712 ext. 130.