Our Initiatives

Women’s Initiative – All Women Expansion (AWE) Project

Women are the fastest growing segment of the drug epidemic, yet they receive disproportionately less treatment. When women do enter treatment, they typically have more intense medical, behavioral, psychological and social problems. There are a host of societal and structural reasons why the needs facing women are so severe.

AWE aims to transform our programming by providing a wider scope of tailored therapies, such as trauma informed care for women as well as access to lengthier treatment periods for improved long-term recovery for women and their families – setting a new standard in the field of women’s treatment. This is particularly crucial because studies have shown that longer treatment periods can lead to improved long-term recovery, management and ability to heal.

Through AWE, we will establish high impact services focused on allowing women in our programs to lead happy, productive lives. AWE is a five-year initiative that has three overarching goals:

  • Prevention and Increase Access to Treatment
  • Expansion of Integrated Treatment Services for Women and Families
  • Ensuring a Continuum of Care After Treatment

Together, we can break the cycle of overlooking women by providing them with the services they desperately need. To support AWE, please contact Terry Morello, our Chief Development Officer, at dmelendez@clarematrix.org.

Bridges to Recovery - Grants for the Benefits of Homeless Individuals

For the past 50 years, CLARE|MATRIX has been a beacon of hope for thousands of people. We’ve redefined what it means to recover and grown into an organization firmly rooted in the belief that every person should get the care they need. This belief does not stop with those that walk through our doors—it goes beyond, into the streets, beaches, and alleyways. Meeting people where they are is our hallmark. From our origins passing out food and supplies to homeless individuals almost half a century ago to the current work we do through Grants for the Benefit of Homeless Individuals (GBHI), we remain committed to saving every life we can.

Homelessness is heartbreaking. It’s an issue so easily overlooked and blamed on rising costs and drug use, but rarely ever discussed on an individual level. To be homeless means much more than not having a home. It means interacting with people that refuse to make eye contact with you or returning to your encampment only to find that everything you own has been discarded. It means sore feet, burned skin, hunger, thirst, and fear. This experience leaves people feeling trapped and unable to ask for the help they need. That’s where we come in.

“Most of the people that we find experiencing homelessness won’t come to us for services, so we go where they are” shared Jolan Dawson, the GBHI Director at CLARE|MATRIX. Jolan works with a team of five solely dedicated to our work on the frontlines of recovery. Any one of Jolan’s team can be found as early as sunrise combing the streets of Santa Monica and West Los Angeles searching for people that may not otherwise seek help.

Once someone is ready to work with us for the betterment of their lives, follow-through is everything. “With most treatment programs, once you’re discharged, you’re on your own,” Jolan added, “our program is designed to work with people for an extended period of time – for up to a year – so they can one day lead self-sufficient lives.” Recovery for people experiencing homelessness is unique because many times they have nothing left but hope. CLARE|MATRIX uses that spark of hope to guide people closer to finding their purpose.

Outreach and retention for GBHI at CLARE|MATRIX means compassion and consistency go hand in hand. Our persistence to help someone may be just the push they need to begin loving themselves again.

Richard, one of many success stories, started his journey with us while sleeping in local parks. For him, the hardest part about being homeless was the shame. Being afraid to walk into stores or restaurants and going weeks without showering can tear at the core of person’s sanity. This shame and dehumanization is what keeps many people experiencing homelessness from reaching out for help. This is why, at CLARE|MATRIX, help reaches out for them. Richard was admitted into our residential treatment program and transitioned into recovery housing with us by his side every step of the way. He’s now employed and is beginning to mend relationships and build a new life upon a foundation of hope and support.

Thanks to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration and the Grants for the Benefits of Homeless Individuals, we can continue to do our life-saving work on the frontlines of recovery. We can carry on our tradition of always being the helping hand for anyone, especially for those that don’t feel worthy of our help. This is who we are.

For more information on the Bridges to Recovery Initiative reach out to our GBHI Project Director, Jolan Dawson, at jdawson@clarematrix.org.