Ending Homelessness in South Lake Tahoe and the Western Slope Through Housing, Healing, and Human Connection.
We provide housing and supportive services to individuals and families experiencing or at risk of homelessness across El Dorado County.
Our team meets people where they are, helping them access essential resources, find stable housing, and build a path forward.
Our team can provide support with documentation, benefits, referrals, and housing placement. Please complete this brief form so we can contact you for more information on programs that are available to help you.
Our clients have come from diverse backgrounds and found themselves facing a housing crisis. Homelessness can happen to anyone in our community. Our clients have not only regained their independence but now that they have a safe place to live, they can focus on building a better future.
With Your Support, We’re Ending Homelessness in Our Community Through Housing, Healing, and Human Connection.
We are grateful for our community partners. With their support, we are able to provide vital services to our unhoused neighbors.
The success of Tahoe Coalition for the Homeless is directly attributed to the amazing support we receive from our volunteer community.
To find out about how to get involved complete this form.
Tahoe’s not perfect, but it’s pretty damn close,” says long-time resident Christy. Her life has been very challenging, marked with abuse, violence, and trauma. These things built up and contributed to mental health struggles, addiction, and overall loss of control. She spent years in short-term housing situations with friends and family and in and out of shelters. She said, “I’ve slept on the river, I’ve slept on basketball courts on cardboard boxes. It was dangerous. It wasn’t good.” She continues, “Addiction is a vortex; it takes away your friends, your dignity, it takes everything.”
Christy now has her own space, a door that locks, and blackout curtains that give her a baseline sense of security that she never had when she was unhoused. “I have privacy, a hot shower.” She says this kind of safety has helped her work on herself in a way she never could before. “I have self-esteem again, and I don’t take disrespect from people,” she says with conviction. “I’m getting so good at boundaries because I have the energy to think about those skills now.” Most notably, she has been sober for one full year. She doesn’t think she would’ve ever been able to achieve sobriety without stable housing. She says, “There’s just something about being able to relax, be safe, and accept assistance from people on my own terms instead of being forced into getting help.” She notes that sobriety didn’t happen overnight after getting housing, but it really helped give her a launching pad for success. Christy says, “The word ‘deserve’ never made sense to me. I don’t think anyone deserves homelessness. It’s a culmination of so many things, just like being affluent is. The only word I can say is grateful, I’m just grateful.”
Rick, a long-time legal permanent resident, struggled with Schizophrenia and had long experienced the challenges of homelessness. Unfortunately, his mental health condition and lack of access to care have been a barrier for him to maintain a stable income. Rick faced the common challenges of many homeless community members: lost paperwork and identity documents, legal issues, and several other things that create a barrier to obtaining employment and or housing. Our dedicated Case Managers assisted Rick in resolving all of these issues so that he could begin to rebuild his life with purpose and independence. His trade skills in general construction and handyman services made him an ideal candidate for the job of renovating some of our client housing units. He is so fulfilled now that he’s achieved employment and is able to give back to the community who have helped him at the same time. His Case Manager said, “I am so proud of Rick; he is working towards full-time employment, which will fund his contractor’s license and ultimately allow him to build a sustainable business offering employment to other people in our community.
Steven is 73 years old and has dementia. In the 70’s and 80’s, this man experienced incarceration due to financial misrepresentation and drug dealing. After he was released from federal prison, he started working in the used car business. He described this industry as a feast or famine. He would maybe make a few thousand one month, and then the next month he would make 10k. The business was variable. However, as he got older, he developed dementia, which was impacted by his alcohol consumption. This led to many trips to the hospital with confusion and memory loss. Since becoming housed with the coalition, he pays his rent on time, he has stopped drinking, and he has created methods to remember where he is and what he needs to do. He still suffers from progressive dementia but realizes he likes where he lives, and wants to remain independent as long as he can. The client stated, “The best part about the Tahoe Coalition is having a roof over my head and food.” These were things that he previously did not have when he was camping outside in the woods. He is grateful for the safety and security he has now and the ability to gain independent living skills. He would like to go back to work, but he realizes that his disability may be a barrier.
