Comstock's magazine 0919 - September 2019 | Page 101

CAPITAL REGION CARES
COMMUNITY SPOTLIGHT
C ity O f R efuge
S acramento
F
Returning dignity, Restoring lives,
Rebuilding community.
ounded by Loren and Rachelle
Ditmore,
City
of
Refuge
Sacramento supports people as
they transform their lives, ultimately helping their communities thrive.
This nonprofit is helping to “Return Dignity, Restore Lives, and Rebuild
Community” in Sacramento’s Oak Park neighborhood.
Previously known for crime and poverty, Oak Park is experiencing
a rebirth with recent redevelopment. “An emerging community has
many benefits, but longtime residents can be priced out and tight-knit
neighborhoods disrupted,” says Rachelle. “Community is everything
to people in impoverished areas. By offering housing, employment
development and youth-engagement services, we create inclusive
space for these residents to stay a part of Oak Park.”
City of Refuge’s housing program offers emergency and long-
term transitional housing for women and their children who have
been abused, exploited or come from broken backgrounds. The
organization’s employment arm provides job readiness training and
helps place women from their housing program and transitional-age
youth in jobs with partner businesses, including HauteBird restaurant.
Their youth engagement branch operates multiple programs in 10 area
schools from elementary through high school.
The first City of Refuge home opened 10 years ago, and it has served
nearly 300 women and children. Facilities currently consist of two area
homes that can house 16 women and
children and a community center
on Martin Luther King Boulevard.
However, fundraising is underway for a new comprehensive facility
adjacent to the community center.
City of Refuge looks to raise $5 million by 2021 for its new four-
story facility that will provide permanent supportive housing for
up to 40 families, HauteBird restaurant for job development and a
trauma-informed child-care center. “It’ll be a one-stop shop for life
transformation for those who really want to better themselves,” says
Loren. “We encourage the business community to help us build this
center to ensure opportunity for everyone in Oak Park and beyond.”
CITYOFREFUGESAC.COM
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September 2019 | comstocksmag.com
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