A Conversation About The Impact of Our Applied Training Cohort in Merced County.

The initiative included  Merced, Eureka, Lake County, Los Angeles, and Santa Barbara communities. The Applied Training Cohort trained appointed Ambassadors to learn the methodology and implement 100-Day Challenges to make an immediate difference in their communities.    

     Day 100 of the community-led 100-Day Challenges was on October 13, 2022. Program Manager Christy McCammond of the Merced County Human Services Agency was one of three Ambassadors in Merced. Merced's team exceeded their goal of housing 100 youth and children under 24 by permanently housing 116 young people. RE!NSTITUTE Catalyst Leah Worrell worked with Merced throughout this program, and she interviewed Christy to learn more about the program's impact.

Leah: What are some things during the 100-Day Challenge that your community did differently than you had in the past? 

Christy: I think the biggest thing is that as we started building our 100-Day Challenge Team, we started connecting with other agencies or organizations we had no idea were even performing the same type of work. We thought our agency was the only program in town responding to families needing housing. And what we found is that wasn't true at all; we were just doing the work in silos. The ah-ha moment for us was when we understood that we had brothers, sisters, and siblings out there that we didn't even know about. And they were right there, ready to help.

Leah: The Merced team really focused on landlord engagement during this 100-Day Challenge. Can you tell us more about how you partnered with landlords and acquired so many new units?  

Christy: In terms of finding housing units for clients to move into, our Team Leader and his staff did a lot of networking to find available housing units. They also drove around the area looking for "for-rent" signs and privately owned off-grid buildings. We found this far more successful than the standard online housing searches. 

We also identified funding that would help us with landlord engagement because you can cold-call all day, but landlord engagement costs money, not just staff time. It costs money to recognize landlords. During the challenge, we honored a landlord with a plaque for going above and beyond to help our clients.  

Also, we don't just move clients in and say to landlords, "see you later!" We give you our card and say, "Hey, if you're having trouble, call me. I'll bring over some coffee, we can sit down and talk about it, and I'll tell you how I'm going to help." 

Also, our media releases piqued a lot of interest. We actually have landlords calling us now. The new narrative we are building is starting to pay off. 

Leah: What surprised you the most about the 100-Day Challenge? 

Christy: Holy moly, it was, like, a pop! It creates a gravity of its own. It was so surprising to me how much people thought it was a big deal because the 100-Day Challenge carries a lot of weight here as a brand. So that was helpful to me; I didn't have to convince anybody. Leaders, and elected officials, got it right away. 

Leah: What elements of the RE!NSTITUTE 100-Day challenge do you think is most effective for those looking to improve their systems? 

Christy: Well, first of all, the coaching support. You were ever-present. My inbox is full of messages from you, and I love that because I never felt like I was on a tightrope without a net. I said to myself, "The GOVERNOR's 100-Day challenge? This is scary! Oh, dear goodness, please don't let me screw this up." So, it was nice to know that you were going to have a meeting with us every week. You were right there."

Also, I think all the tools and materials were helpful. We were like, "We have plans!" We didn't have to make slides from scratch. RE!NSTITUTE has a proven methodology, so there was a sense of value and confidence. RE!NSTITUTE came to us via the state; it was a reputable company. So we could rest upon that. 

Leah: Thanks so much, Christy! Congratulations again to your community, and I look forward to staying in touch with Merced to see how these changes support your homeless services system and your clients in the long term. 

Christy: Thank you! 

Contact us through the link below to learn more about how to bring a RE!NSTITUTE 100-Day Challenge to your community in 2023.