Dear friends,
I am so excited to introduce you to Monument Impact’s next Executive Director, Judith Ortiz, formerly with University of California, San Diego, and Wahupa Educational Services. Judith will begin to onboard on June 13, 2022, and I’m looking forward to working closely with her until I retire on July 29, when she will take the reins. Judith joins Monument Impact at a pivotal time for our immigrant and refugee community, as we move toward a just recovery from the economic setbacks of the pandemic and advocate for safe, stable and affordable housing.
Please read our announcement below and share the news with your networks. Our Facebook post can be found here. Our Twitter post can be found here.
We look forward to this new chapter of Monument Impact.
Thank you for all your support!
Debra Ballinger, Executive Director
|
|
|
Judith Ortiz to Serve as New Executive Director of Contra Costa Nonprofit Monument Impact
|
|
Concord, CA — Monument Impact, the nonprofit which recently celebrated its 20th anniversary of service to immigrant, refugee and undocumented Contra Costa residents, will welcome Judith Ortiz as its newest executive director starting June 13, 2022.
Ortiz has ten years of experience as an executive director with Wahupa Educational Services, a nonprofit helping low-income, first-generation, and/or disabled high school students attend college - growing their budget from $1 million to $2 million throughout her tenure. She has worked extensively with immigrant and Latinx communities, and most recently, served as a program consultant with the University of California, San Diego, supporting the organization with TRIO program evaluation.
“As a daughter of parents native to Mexico, I could not be more honored to serve the people of Monument Impact as their executive director,” said Judith Ortiz. “My purpose and values come from the personal experiences that allow me to serve with compassion and understanding, so that others can find a path that would allow them to be successful and thrive in their community. My goal is to build on the success of Monument Impact, create new opportunities and lead the organization forward.“
Debra Ballinger, who has led Monument Impact since January 2017, announced earlier this year her retirement, effective July 31, 2022. The two will partner closely together throughout this transition.
“Judith’s exemplary servant leadership and strategic vision will be key to the success of Monument Impact, as she is inheriting the organization at a time in which the need for housing stability and economic and social inclusion across Contra Costa County has never been more critical,” said Debra Ballinger. “I am honored to pass the baton to Judith and excited for the new and creative ways she and our staff will continue to support our local immigrant and refugee community.”
“The entire board is proud of Monument Impact’s accomplishments under Debra, and look forward to working with Judith to build on that legacy,” added Monument Impact Board Co-Chair Pablo Benavente and Chair of the Search Committee. “We are committed to a smooth transition, so residents counting on Monument Impact can continue to rely on our essential services–followed by new horizons for our organization.”
|
|
Our Work to Support Renters |
|
Earlier this month, the “point-in-time” homelessness count was released for six of nine Bay Area counties, measuring the rate of homelessness for the first time since 2019. We’re saddened but not shocked that the rate in Contra Costa County jumped 35% during the pandemic–the largest of any county that released data–from 2,295 to 3,093 individuals. We’re not shocked because the pandemic exacerbated unaffordable rent burdens for many who lost their ability to earn a living as layoffs mounted. This was compounded by harassment by landlords to push out tenants, particularly targeting immigrant and refugee communities with limited English proficiency. Rental assistance from the state has been slow and hasn’t gone far enough to help tenants in need to stay housed.
Monument Impact and its partners have responded by pushing for an ordinance in Concord and Antioch to combat landlord harassment–work that remains ongoing as city council members consider the need for deeper tenant protections. We are also pushing for the Contra Costa Board of Supervisors to dedicate $1.8 million annually over the next two years towards legal services so that tenants in need can stay in their homes. Unfortunately, the Board rejected this request, but we aren’t giving up.
Lastly, we’re pushing for officials to dedicate increased resources toward rental assistance. The tipping point for many tenants is being short on rent when a COVID-19 diagnosis keeps you from doing your job or a car repair is urgently needed to get to work. Being short in one month can tip families into homelessness, which makes rental assistance so critical to families paying rent and staying in their home. Our leaders must work to stop homelessness before it starts by moving forward with these proposals. Doing so will help our immigrant, refugee and low-income neighbors thrive here in Contra Costa County.
Contact your Contra Costa County Supervisor and ask them to support rental assistance and legal services.
-
John N. Gioia (District 1: Richmond, San Pablo, El Cerrito, Pinole)
-
Candace Andersen (District 2: Alamo, Blackhawk, Canyon, Danville, Diablo, Lafayette, Moraga, Orinda, Rossmoor, San Ramon, Tassajara Valley)
-
Diane Burgis (District 3: Antioch, Brentwood, Oakley, Bethel Island, Blackhawk, Byron, Diablo, Discovery Bay, Knightsen)
-
Karen Mitchoff (District 4: Clayton, Concord, Pleasant Hill, Walnut Creek)
-
Federal D. Glover (District 5: Hercules, Martinez, Pittsburg)
|
|
Emergency Rental Assistance Program |
|
More than 178,000 applicants have been assisted by the Local Partner Network, a coordinated group of hundreds of community-based organizations, including Monument Impact, working in traditionally under-served communities. We’ve helped applicants complete their applications either over the phone or in-person and helped them overcome language, literacy and technology barriers.
The program is striving to complete all payments by June 30, when eviction protections expire for rent relief applicants. If you applied for the CA COVID-19 Rent Relief program, you can log into your account at any time to check your status, review assigned tasks, or get more information. If you received a denial notice for the program, you have 30 days to submit an appeal.
Energy Assistance Programs for Low-Income PG&E Customers
If you are a PG&E customer and need assistance with paying your bill, join an upcoming presentation about its energy assistance program for low-income households!
See below for the remaining dates, and click here to join.
Every Wednesday in May and June at 4 p.m.
- May 25, 2022
- June 1, 2022
- June 8, 2022
- June 15, 2022
- June 22, 2022
|
|
Emerging Business of the Month |
|
We are proud to share that Rafael Orellana, one of our emerging business support clients, has just launched Flores Handyman Services.
Rafael considered the idea for over a year, but did not know where to start. His wife, Soraya Martinez, was one of our former emerging business clients and launched Ayaro’s Cleaning Service in 2019. After noticing how well Soraya’s business was flourishing, he decided to give us a call, where we then guided him every step of the way.
If you are a Concord resident and would like to start your own business, please contact Edith Guillen at edith@monumentimpact.org or at 925-682-8248 for more information.
“It is never too late to be able to fulfill our dreams and take advantage of the opportunities that God gives us.” - Rafael Orellana.
|
|
Leadership Development Is Back! |
|
Monument Impact’s Community Engagement Program includes a range of training and services to build power and leadership from within the community. When community members come together to take action, we can better build long-term solutions to pressing issues like immigration policies; unaffordable rents and insufficient affordable housing; and low-wages, and improve the lives of our families and neighbors.
Leadership development classes are free, and they start on June 14, 2022! Click here to register, and check out our flyer for more information.
Trainings will include:
- Intro to Community Organizing
- How to Tell Our Stories to Build Power
- Building Relationships with Ourselves and Each Other
- How To Strategize to Build Collective Power
|
|
Our Healthy Community Promotores |
|
Our COVID-19 vaccine campaign continues to share information with parents on the importance of having their children vaccinated through workshops, vaccination events, visiting neighborhoods, knocking on doors and supporting families.
Alejandra Pardo is part of our promotores program and is currently working on our COVID-19 Vaccine Equity Project. She first came to Monument Impact in search of resources for emotional well-being and learned about our Mentes Positivas en Acción program.
She shares that it not only made a positive impact in her life, but completely changed her perspective on life. She decided to get more involved with our other Healthy Community projects, such as our vaccination campaign, where she has been able to connect and share information and resources with people across Contra Costa.
“I am very passionate about being able to serve my community especially those in need and at the same time give back,” said Alejandra.
If you or your child need a COVID-19 vaccine, join us on Friday, May 27 from 2 - 4 p.m. at the free mobile vaccine clinic event at Pentecostals of the Bay Area in Pittsburg.
|
|
Enter our raffle for a chance to win a Samsung Galaxy tablet!
Text our Healthy Community team at (925) 222-5671 a photo of your or your child’s “I got vaccinated” sticker or pin or a photo of you/your child wearing their mask and holding a vaccine card. (You can block your/your child’s name on the card with your fingers.) The winners will be announced on our Facebook Live event on June 8 at 2 p.m.
|
|
Meet Our Newest Board Member |
|
We welcome Manolo to our Board of Directors. Manolo Morales joined Visa’s U.S. Government Engagement team in 2021 as Senior Director of State Government Relations, where he manages and directs Visa’s state government outreach in California and the Western half of the United States.
Manolo has had a long career in California, as well as having done significant, multi-state lobbying work, in both legal and government relations. Most recently he represented the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians, and before that, a tech start-up, Avail Car Sharing. Prior to that, he represented major insurance companies in California, including directing the government affairs program for the insurer Chubb Ltd in the western U.S. Manolo began his career as a Capital Fellow in the Office of Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, and left as Acting Director of the Governor’s Office of the Insurance Advisor.
Manolo holds a B.A. from Humboldt State University and a J.D. from the University of the Pacific’s McGeorge School of Law and is a licensed attorney and real estate broker. In his free time, Manolo enjoys traveling, spending time outside, and dabbling in real estate.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
