Transitions - Mental Health Association - San Luis Obispo, California

Nicole Vahai

I have had several contacts with tmha over the last ten years. I first received assistance finding my way to the Maxine Lewis homeless shelter when released from the puff, and then a homeless outreach worker tried to provide outreach to me after a crisis, but I was difficult to track. And then I finally got matched with their housing program and sign a lease in a few days for congregate housing ( roommate, case management, supportive) through echo and the coordinated entry system which you need to have an echo, five cities or other service provider enter you into in order to be matched with your housing needs. Thank you to Maria and Chanda or echo and tmha respective. Ten long years ( almost), I’ve been without a home. And now I can finally have a small space of my own. Don’t delay. Link with a homeless service provider if you want to get it together. And keep in contact with them because housing opportunities are not frequent and are easy to miss with less than a week ( and better if you submit first). Also thanks to haslo, the silent partner who is working to get me a housing voucher. Which of echo ( Maria Silva) had not informed me about and I had. It gotten all the needed documents together ahead of time, I would not have been the fourth person on the waitlist! Know people who didn’t jump and they are down to the four hundreds- will they ever get a voucher to pay 30 percent of their income for housing- up to a 1800 unit? I don’t know but I’m grateful t all three agencies and the countless politicians and administrators and law makers and volunteers, and donations that made all of it possible. It really does take a village. Greatest mad present besides my first born ever.

Tracey Johnson

I went to the library to research housing and was told about the library outreach team. Turns out it is a TMHA program and they were very helpful in getting me connected to all the resources I needed. Later on I was sent to TMHA from the Department of Rehabilitation and went through their Supported Employment Program. The longer I am around this organization the more I am blown away by their amount of programs and all they do for the community. The employees made me feel like I was surrounded by friends and so supported. If I could, I would give them 10 stars.

Julie Oh

I have yet to meet one TMHA employee that has any authentic care, empathy, compassion, mindfulness or understanding of any kind since Joe Madsen left us.
TMHA hires abusive, inept, lying, boundary breaking, bullying & gaslighting staff. They've had to fire all previous Case/Resident Managers here for abuse, insubordination, and/or lawlessness and have hired yet another one, Lorraine.
-TMHA staff is highly manipulative & retaliatory & unlearnt in mindfulnes, compassionate or empathic communication;
-TMHA never takes accountability for their lying, gaslighting, constant non follow-through of their promises, they turn blame (for their own behavior/hurtful actions) around on the tenant (Trump mentality);
-Diversion is their way of communicating. Two previous Resident Managers have told me personally that this is how Jill has told them to communicate here;
-Lorraine is inept, immature, hypocritical, boundary breaker, a liar, lazy, psychologically abusive and spends most of her day smoking with tenants outside and talking about her personal family problems with tenants, and also gossips about tenants with other tenants in a very sarcastic way. Cody told me he didn't believe Lorraine would say or do the things that she actually DID without ANY investigation or even hearing my whole story. Jill actually accused me of being mean to Lorraine! This alone has triggered daily flashbacks to highly traumatic horrors from my life. I suffer from complex trauma so what they have done to me has made my life a daily nightmare. For them to have the AUDACITY to twist this so that somehow I am deserving of their punitive behavior/actions towards me merely because I am angry with their punitive behavior and I stand up for myself is sick. These 3 have all personally and intentionally inflicted severe emotional distress upon my life by intentionally and maliciously triggering past traumas.
-They collude with each other to get their lying stories straight. They bullied me relentlessly the entire month that my beloved lifeline cat was dying. Sadistic!
-Lorraine is extremely immature and a huge boundary breaker, talks to tenants about other tenants (they've told me), is highly unethical. She taunted me by purposely triggering things I asked her not to bring up and laughed in my face while doing it. I was horrified each time. I had to demand a cease and desist from all communication with this one. I am still traumatized daily by her actions. They are very quick to judge and punish anyone that doesn't agree with them. What kind of sadistic person laughs sarcastically at another human being while they're hurting?! Their actions are based on their own assumptions, not on truth.
-They keep removing my reviews so the public can't see them which is a violation of my First Amendment right to freedom of truthful expression. Shame!
-I have never felt safety or belonging here.
-If you stand up for your humanitarian rights here, TMHA WILL punish you and do everything to make you doubt yourself.
-The public has the right to know what goes on up here! I am not the only one who has experienced mental and emotional abuse by TMHA staff here but am just speaking for myself and from my experiences since moving here in 2019.
-Give me a lie detector test, then give one also to Lorraine, Cody and Jill. I have NO problem with doing this because truth is truth.
-They have made it very clear that I, and my life do not matter.
- NOTE: I have never had a criminal record, don't do drugs or drink, I follow all the rules here, always pay my rent early, I've done a lot of volunteer work in my life. I was an Executive in the financial district of L.A. for 24 years. For these people choosing to repeatedly break a good person down is seriously sadistic and abusive.
-I'll tell anyone who wants to know the many unethical and criminal things that have happened here. It is NOT a safe place to live! I am sadly financially stuck for now.
-Fairness and seeking justice is who I've always been since I was a kid and I will NEVER stay quiet when I see cruelty and unfairness.
GOOD TROUBLE!

Chad Lamb

My first two times thru TMHA were not good .
This time around I can say it is a positive experience. With my mental health issues and my disability income, I live extremely much lower than the mean for the national poverty line. My section 8 voucher and TMHA housing are all I can afford. After 15 years on the streets and active addiction I'm now housed and one year and seven months clean .
They really do help .

Lauren Johnson

What can I say other than this organization saved my life Margaret from the Library outreach team really goes above and beyond to help people and is SO SO knowledgeable, my case manager Laurie is amazing , my therapist Lori is amazing as well and I've had nothing but great experiences with the whole Tmha staff. They really do care about their clients ?

M 0

Seen two branches from them: full service partnership and the bheet program pronounced “beat”. Both exhibited tactics of psychological manipulation, mental abuse, gaslighting, ableism, ageism, classism, pink washing intimidation, etc. I take these things very seriously especially when you claim to be working to stabilize vulnerable communities and individuals when instead you threaten the stability, health, and safety of people. It is beyond negligent to practice harm as a policy in places where people go to heal, get help, and get support. It is honestly sickening, disturbing, and sadistic, although not surprising. I am very concerned for the people and families who deal with these programs/services (more like disservice) because they wield these tactics against the very individuals who they claim to care about but would rather have people fill out their time sheets and be a number on their clocks for them to further their careers and nothing else. They don’t want to help your needs get met they don’t even blink an eye if their services are the only thing standing between you and death. They will only waste your time, energy, and trauma. They will attempt to cause as much distress as possible and will use classism, intimidation, ableism etc to put you “in line”. I’ve seen people be offended when politely asked even begged to not violate human rights, like I said DISTURBING! Please stay safe and find services that won’t try to give you ptsd or be another classist pink washing scam of programs trying to make more people homeless, manipulate and harm already vulnerable individuals and families. This association is psychologically disturbed and that is the only thing they are interested in being, no titles or empty words can compensate for the truth of their actions. I’ve seen these tactics all from people in the highest bracket you can contact to the most untrained employees they have. Please take care!

Matthew Munoz

I do not know how I could of made it without Transitions. They saved me from a life on the streets and now i live in a beautiful home and will always remember where i came from to become more and more grateful for what i have been blessed with. Sure, TMHA has a few kinks but as long as you obey the rules and want to succeed then so many doors open up and success is in the palm of your hand!

jeanette kinney

T-MHA rescued me from a horrific event in my life. I had lived in a beautiful home for 8 and a half years when my neighbor, who I had no previous contact with had caused multiple "issues" and among other things I ended up being incarcerated for 104 days on FELONY false charges. In this time my rent was unpaid for more than 3 months and my apartment was determined to be abandonded. I lost everything I had.

T-MHA came to my jail cell and asked if I would like to have help when I get out. It was part of the "Forensic Re-entry Program". I did not know what I was agreeing to, or how to reach them when I was suddenly released. They found me the next morning at Prado homeless shelter with nothing but the clothes on my back. This is what happened to my beautiful, successful life.

'Cyle' was able to negotiate the impound fees for my very good Jeep from $ 9,000.oo to only $3,000.oo, which I had. The impound lot was familiar with me on a friendly and personal level for many years before this, too. Cyle had to walk me through every step of getting my vehicle back and drove me there himself.

Later a program came to give Welcome Home Vouchers (Section 8) to 400 people in the area. T-MHA represented me, this was within the 90 days that Cyle had my case. I was not represented by the homeless shelter where I had been staying. The Vouchers closed when only 156 were honored.

At later point T-MHA invited me to be represented by them in a very hands on program. It has extensive involvement in all aspects of your well-being. The name of this program is being withheld. All though it is strict and intrusive I have no problem with that at all. This program will set me up with transitional housing until my name is called for another, outside housing opportunity. I can not thank them enough. They have never asked for a penny from me, but when I am "housed" I will have a small share of my income to pay for rent.

How can people say bad things about T-MHA ? It works with some very disfunctional people that are unable to care for themselves and they have difficult heartbreaking cases to manage.

Thank-you T-MHA !