Southern California Hospice Foundation

Since our inception, SCHF has served more than 7,000 patients, families and community members with our main programs providing community education and direct patient assistance. Despite all that we have accomplished, there is still more that needs to be done.

While Medicare and many insurers cover most medical hospice costs, they do not pay for housing or caregivers for those at the end-of-life. Finding placement for a patient after discharge from the hospital is a tremendous problem. Most assisted living facilities only provide hospice to patients who were already residents before their terminal diagnosis, and there is usually a large copay associated with a skilled-nursing facility. Additionally, many terminally ill patients have no family who can care for them full-time or cannot afford the cost of a 24-hour caregiver.

To solve this problem, we aim to open the first social model hospice home in Orange County. We call this campaign the Heavenly Home Project, a live-in facility where terminally ill patients can end life’s journey in a comfortable home-like setting. This is will be an important option for people who do not have family or friends who can care for them. Currently, there are only three nonprofit community homes for the dying statewide, none in Orange County.

In 2017 we devised a strategic plan with our Board, called the Heavenly Home Project, to help combat what we call the hidden housing crisis. Opening in 2021, the Heavenly Home Project will be the first end-of-life-care home in Orange County to serve as a live-in facility for terminally ill patients and work in cooperation with local hospice programs to provide round-the-clock caregiving services.

In 2019, we purchased a home in Mission Viejo, with the goal of opening in 2022. Our home will offer a variety of settings to meet the physical, emotional and spiritual needs of its residents. It will include six spacious patient rooms, where family members will be able to visit anytime, and overnight stays will be accommodated. It will also include a quiet room for prayer and reflection, a family dining room, and a kitchen. A garden will invite patients and their families for a stroll outdoors or a much-needed break. The setting will be non-threatening and peaceful, with accommodations for families to be with the patient. The patient suites will be special places designed to look and feel non-institutional, with patient comfort as the primary goal.

Additionally, the home was purchased in cash, which means SCHF is not restricted by a mortgage payment, nor hindered by property taxes because the home is tax exempt. Furthermore, we have established an endowment, which will be matched dollar-for-dollar, up to one million dollars. The money generated from the endowment will help cover the costs of general operating funds, 24-hour caregiving, and make modifications to suit residents. The entire project will be funded through philanthropic giving, and every dollar raised will fund the project directly.

We have established a Hospice Advisory Council whose purpose is to increase awareness of hospice, educate the community about hospice, and provide a dignified environment to those at the end of their life through the Heavenly Home Project. This dedicated group of community leaders have been instrumental at raising the funds and awareness needed to meet our capital campaign goal. We have also developed naming opportunities and have established an endowment with a one million dollar matching grant for the Heavenly Home Project.

In addition, for the last two years, we have had an AmeriCorps volunteer in order to improve volunteer recruitment and retention before hiring a full-time Program Manager to oversee our programs and its volunteers.

Beyond that we are committed to updating our nonprofit’s technology through the revamping of our website and have partnered with Executive Coaches of Orange County to assist us with strategic planning, and improve how we measures outcomes.

Since our inception, SCHF has served more than 2,500 patients, families and community members with our main programs providing community education and direct patient assistance. Yet even with all that we do, we still receive many requests for placement in a residence where hospice can be provided. However, a loving home for life’s last stage does not currently exist in Orange County and only three nonprofit homes for the dying can be found statewide.

In 2017 we devised a strategic plan launch a capital campaign called the Heavenly Home Project, the first end-of-life-care home in Orange County to serve as a live-in facility for terminally ill patients, working in cooperation with local hospice programs to provide round-the-clock caregiving services.

We purchased the home in April in 2019 our our timeline for the Heavenly Home Project includes the following:

• May 2019 - September 2019: Design, project bid and approvals
• October 2019 – September 2020: Interior renovations and construction
• October 2020 - November 2020: Landscaping
• December 2020 - March 2020: Interior design and furnish
• April 2020 - December 2021: Licensing, promotion, community education, staff hiring, staff training
• 2022: Grand Opening