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Su Casa has remained a fixture in the Long Beach community for over 40 years, providing trauma-informed support and shelter to those experiencing domestic violence and abuse.

The nonprofit was initially formed as a grassroots organization by Petra Medelez in 1979, a domestic violence survivor frustrated by the lack of resources available. Today’s space is “a total community effort,” said director of development and community outreach, Dean Lockwood.

Not only has Su Casa’s staff expanded to 25 people, but its budget has reached over $1.2 million, allowing the nonprofit to offer both emergency shelter and transitional housing to its clients.

While its emergency shelter provides the first level of trauma support, including legal advice, counseling, and medical assistance, its second shelter, which opened in 1996, is designed for more long-term stays, said Lockwood. Clients are able to receive support with life skills such as financial literacy, education, and employment, with the ultimate goal of securing permanent housing back in the community.

While the emergency shelter has a 26-person capacity and the transitional shelter has 24 beds, it has been difficult responding to the increased need since the pandemic, said Lockwood.

Last year, Su Casa’s hotline received about 2,400 calls, which was a 20% increase compared to previous years, mirroring a national trend, he said.

Not every call that Su Casa receives is a person needing immediate shelter; sometimes, it is a connection to other resources, such as Su Casa’s Domestic Violence Housing First program, that helps clients maintain permanent housing, whether that is by providing moving costs or helping them stay in their current location. The program assisted around 50 people last year.

Lack of affordable and accessible housing remains an issue facing many Su Casa clients, and many have stayed in the shelters longer than the usual time frame since the pandemic, said Lockwood.

“There was not a lot of movement, so there were not a lot of openings for apartments and it was difficult to find housing,” said Lockwood. “The normal transition of housing in the community wasn’t happening.”

While capacity restrictions due to the pandemic also limited the amount of beds available in Su Casa’s shelters, the organization pivoted to coordinating hotel space for clients, thanks to Project Safe Haven, a Los Angeles Mayor’s Fund initiative that allotted $4 million to assist with providing shelter to those experiencing domestic violence.

While grant funding can sometimes create a challenge for nonprofits because it can only go towards specific uses, “We’ve really done well during the pandemic in fundraising,” said Lockwood.

Director of Programs Lilly Lopez and Counselor Advocate Josephine Palacios participate in a community outreach event. Photo courtesy of Su Casa.

Apart from securing a number of emergency and regular grants, Su Casa also received two donations of $10,000 from anonymous sources.

Additionally, at the end of 2020, the organization received the Jeff Bezos Day One Family Fund Award of $1.25 million, which the organization is still determining how to best utilize.

“We’re looking really to expand our capacity,” said Lockwood. “Normally, we’ll shelter 230 people a year, so if we can make that 300 people, we’re making a bigger impact.”

In the next year, Su Casa is also looking to expand its outreach program, bringing even more services out to the community.

Outreach is central to Su Casa’s mission, but the pandemic and the switch to virtual programming has limited the nonprofit’s efforts. Lockwood hopes to expand the organization’s youth outreach in particular, and move beyond the four walls of Su Casa to meet more clients where they’re at, whether that’s through Telehealth or providing services where they’re living.

“We’re really focused on making sure that our services are at work,” he said.

Su Casa’s 24-hour hotline is 562-402-4888.