Through its award winning Solutions University, Solutions for Change provides 60 homeless families with the skills, knowledge and resources needed to solve homelessness for kids and communities, permanently.

End family homelessness in North San Diego County California.

Founded in 1999 by Chris and Tammy Megison, North County Solutions for Change (Solutions) began in earnest after seeing a sudden increase of families seeking refuge at emergency winter shelters in San Diego County. Now ten years later, Solutions for Change has lead two communitywide initiatives that have resulted in the building and acquisition of over 50,000 sq.ft. of real estate creating over 60 decent and affordable homes for homeless families. The effort has also lead to the development of new innovative model, called the Solutions University.

The Solutions University is comprised of:

1) the Solutions Intake and Access Center - where families come directly out of homelessness and live for a short time while awaiting access to their new home;

2) living in one of our "on-campus" apartments at our award winning Solutions University, families are enrolled in a series of educational, work training and healthy family programs designed to defeat homelessness, permanently;

3) now that parents are paying rent, saving their income and taking care of their families they move “off-campus” into their own rental housing called New Solutions and continue in our post graduate Stepping Higher programs as alumnus helping others and contributing to our society and economy in purposeful and significant ways.

Using the Solutions for Change model, the community of North San Diego County has defeated homelessness for 542 families, helping to rebuild the future of over 1200 once homeless children.

As of late 2009 Solutions for Change has completed a leadership consensus building effort around a new community initiative to combat the effects of an unrelenting recession. The updated strategic planning goals that will guide the organization through 2010 are:

1) Engage every sector of the community (business, church, civic and government) in the North County Community Initiative to Solve Family Homelessness.

2) At a cost of $20 per day per child, or $60 per day per family the Solutions University not only provides decent and stable housing but involves parents and children in the educational, work related training and healthy family programs needed to solve homelessness, permanently. With 2/3rd of the cost covered by long term public and private sector community investors, Solutions for Change will fill the gap of $7 per day per child, or $20 per day per family by offering Family and Child Sponsorships.

3) In order to solve family homelessness families completing the on campus portion of the Solutions University MUST be able to access permanent affordable housing. Waiting lists range from 3-8 years at every affordable housing option in San Diego. Solutions for Change will acquire 70-100 new units of decent affordable housing using an innovative region wide real estate development plan using their proven New Solutions strategy.

Chris Megison and his wife Tammy founded Solutions for Change around a set of core values based on biblical principles. Over 18 years and literally thousands of interactions with the homeless, the Megison's learned that true mercy must include the attitude, the action and the accountability of compassion. The Megison's saw that giving people food, shelter and services oftentimes equated to nothing more than a compassion transaction. Wanting more than a transaction, the Megison’s developed a model called the Solutions University. The Solutions University acts as the common ground where partnerships are forged with both homeless families and with concerned community members around one goal: solve the causative factors and defeat homelessness for kids and communities, permanently. These relationships with the families and with folks in the community seeking long term solutions is what has lead to solving family homelessness for 542 families.

Chairman Gene Ford
Director Jerry Watson
Director Cynthia Fenimore
Director Desiree Garner
Director Mark Henschen
Director Dal Williams (Emeritus)

United States

California

722 W CALIFORNIA AVENUE

VISTA, CA 92083-3565

Phone: (760) 941-6545

www.solutionsforchange.org

EIN: 33-0902617