Help us help COTS

You may not know that the Petaluma Downtown Craft Mart is a charitable event. We are trying to raise funds for COTS - also know as the Committee on the Shelterless. Every dollar donated at the door and all raffle ticket proceeds are going directly to COTS. So what does COTS do?

COTS offers help and hope to homeless persons in Sonoma County by providing safe shelter and housing, helping people develop steady incomes and helping them get back under a roof of their own. They help homeless families become stable and break the cycle of homelessness by teaching homeless parents to make their children's needs a high priority and to provide a safe, loving and secure home for their children.

You can help us by donating more than $1 at the door and by purchasing tons of raffle tickets!

Some quick facts from their website:

Kids

Each year we shelter and feed approximately 260 children. Our Center For Homeless Children and Their Families provides safe care, tutoring and assessment for children while their parents acheive goals related to housing, income and sobriety. At the core of our family programs is our Residential Parenting Education which underscores our emphasis on putting children’s welfare first. This is done through Kids First, counseling and case management.

Families

COTS serves families through our emergency shelter program at the Center for Homeless Children and Their Families and our Shared and Transitional Housing. We teach budgeting, life skills and parenting classes as well as provide case management and counseling to prepare families for a home of their own.

Adults

COTS serves approximately 800 single adults each year through the Mary Isaak Center. Rent Right™ and Work Right™ teach people budgeting, work and life skills. These, together with our internship programs, case management and counseling, prepare people for a home of their own.

Statistics
258	Homeless children served each year
250	Beds offered each night
1,700	Homeless people served each year
50,000	Volunteer hours annually
100,000	Meals served each year
500,000	Lbs of food boxes distributed a year

Facilities
	Emergency Shelters Mary Isaak Center (100 beds/adults only) Center for Homeless Children and Their Families (35 beds/children and adults)
	Transitional Housing Mary Isaak Center (30 units/adults only) Shared Housing (9 houses for families) Education Houses (2 houses for families)
	Permanent Housing Integrity House (6 beds/adults only) Vida Nueva (75 beds for families)
	Emergency Food Distribution Center The Petaluma Kitchen – hot lunch daily Food Box Program – weekly food boxes
Skill Building Programs
	Rent Right (getting into housing) Work Right (securing income) Kids First (strengthening the family)
Specialized Support Services
	Children’s Programs The Family Connection - family support teams Case management, counseling, medical care