Wesley House Student Residence, Inc.
Living, Learning, Life-changing
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Programs and results
What we aim to solve
The critical and growing needs we wish to meet are the alarming rates of housing insecurity and homelessness across college campuses. According to the 2018 CSU Basic Needs Study, there are approximately 3,000 (10%) unsheltered students at SDSU alone. Statewide, recent statistics show that 70% of California community college students experience some type of food and/or housing insecurity during their college career. 14% of California community college students experience homelessness. College students who are former foster youth are at a greatly increased risk of experiencing food insecurity, housing insecurity, homelessness, and dropping out of school. Recent statistics indicate that only 8% of former foster youth graduate from college.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Equipped for Success
The Equipped for Success program provides essential support for low-income
& system-impacted post-secondary students, especially those who
identify as homeless/formerly homeless, formerly incarcerated, former
foster youth, &/or first-generation college students. The goal of this program
is to ensure students persist & thrive in higher education. We remove
personal, circumstantial, and systemic barriers so that non-traditional students
have access to equitable college experiences.
We provide basic needs, emotional, educational, and professional
support through community partnerships, an on-site social worker, and
community-informed programming. Program services include:
- A full-service food pantry.
- In-house social worker providing case management services.
- Life skills workshops & seminars.
- Application assistance for public & financial aid.
- Mentoring and tutoring
- Job preparedness & financial education.
- Referrals to additional resources through community partners.
Welcome Home
The Welcome Home initiative provides access to affordable housing and wraparound support services. Wesley House can directly house up to 34 post-secondary students each year in our affordable student supportive housing complex. These individuals have access to multi-layered support, often tailored to their specific needs, to equip them to achieve self-defined success and transition out of our housing program with minimal disruption.
Our affordable housing units are well below the current market rate and follow the guidelines and requirements set by the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development (HUD). All students must identify as low-income as defined by the most recent HUD income limits for San Diego County, and show proof that they are attending a college or university in San Diego County with full-time status.
Student residents are required to participate in our mentoring program, check in regularly with our social worker, and attend workshops/seminars.
Where we work
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Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Evaluation documents
Download evaluation reportsNumbered of staff who are satisfied to be an employee of the institution
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Ethnic and racial groups, Economically disadvantaged people, Students
Related Program
Equipped for Success
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Wesley House currently employs 4 paid staff. 3 staff are full time and 1 staff is part-time. In 2023, we also employed 2 interns from San Diego State University's school of social work.
Number of first-entry undergraduate program students who identify themselves as 'visible minorities'or 'non-white'
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Adults, Ethnic and racial groups, Economically disadvantaged people
Related Program
Equipped for Success
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Context Notes
68% of students served at Wesley House in 2023 identified as BIPOC. This information is gathered through program intake forms and is self-reported.
Number of donations made by board members
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Ethnic and racial groups, Economically disadvantaged people, Students
Related Program
Equipped for Success
Type of Metric
Input - describing resources we use
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Context Notes
Wesley House is proud to have dedicated and engaged Board members who support us not only with a 100% giving rate, but through their time, expertise, and connections.
Number of low-income units in market-rate neighborhood
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Ethnic and racial groups, Economically disadvantaged people, Students
Related Program
Equipped for Success
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Context Notes
We are proud to operate the only naturally occurring affordable housing complex exclusively for low-income college and university students in San Diego. We can serve up to 34 students in our complex.
Total pounds of food rescued
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Adults, Children and youth, Foster and adoptive children, At-risk youth, Economically disadvantaged people
Related Program
Equipped for Success
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
In 2023, we expanded the physical footprint of our food pantry by a factor of 4 with commercial equipment. This dramatically increased our food rescue abilities.
Number of food donation partners
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Foster and adoptive children, At-risk youth, Economically disadvantaged people, Ex-offenders
Related Program
Equipped for Success
Type of Metric
Input - describing resources we use
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
We partner with Feeding San Diego (America) to conduct retail rescue with vendors such as Ralphs, Target, El Super, and Sprouts. Independently, we also receive food from Frito-Lays.
Our Sustainable Development Goals
Learn more about Sustainable Development Goals.
Goals & Strategy
Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
The primary goals of our organization are improved overall health, positive impact on social determinants of health and, ultimately, successfully graduating with a four-year degree and a reduced student loan burden. It is additionally hoped, and we are just beginning to track, that an additional outcome is a permanent improvement in social determinants including:
• Housing and food security
• Stable employment
• A sense of success as defined by each program participant.
We measure these outcomes in the following ways:
Pre-program and exit surveys are conducted by Wesley House Student Residence for all individuals residing in our affordable supportive housing. Qualitative and self-reported results/impacts are determined based on students’ answers.
All residents are required to make regular check-ins with Wesley House staff to report their GPA, course grades, employment status, and progress towards graduation. These are monitored for progress and additional support services are made available as needed to encourage positive results.
Individuals not residing at Wesley House are asked to complete a formal survey and participate in informal interviews/check-ins.
Qualitative metrics include self-reported levels of self-esteem, confidence, community-belonging, stability, and feeling safe and secure.
Quantitative metrics include:
• GPA trends
• Course grade
• Expected years to graduate
• Employment status before and after graduation
• Housing stability before and after graduation
• Food security.
Academic success for low-come students can hinge on positively addressing social determinants of health. Ensuring that students have enough to eat, get access to mental and physical health services, have access to stable housing, have a place to go for a sense of community, and generally feel supported plays an essential role in achieving academic success. Studies show that education itself is a social determinant and that those with a college degree generally have better health outcomes later in life. By providing supportive services for low-income students now, we increase the likelihood of positive outcomes for the rest of their lives.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
The strategies we implement to accomplish our goals include substantive development activities, procurement of in-kind donations to support students through college, and partnering with local community organizations to maximize funds. We are fortunate to have wonderful community partners and are currently working to build a stronger relationship with our new partners. We actively engage our student residents in this strategic planning through surveys on needs, program preferences, and support services so we ensure we are best meeting the unique needs of our student residents.
Wesley House Student Residence (WHSR) provides wraparound supportive services and access to affordable housing to college and university students in San Diego County who qualify as individuals with low income. WHSR removes many of the barriers to higher education faced by these students by providing wraparound supportive services:
- A food pantry
- Financial literacy programs
- Student health and mental wellness programs
- Mentoring, tutoring, and coaching
- Emergency funds
- Application assistance for public programs (medi-Cal, CalFresh, etc.)
- Community-building activities and events (as permitted by COVID safety guidelines)
By providing access to resources with the ultimate goal of equitable access and parity of the college experience, we position students with low income to succeed in their higher education goals and beyond. We continuously fine-tune our programming to meet the shifting and unique needs of college and university students through continuous feedback from the people we serve and ongoing implementation of program changes and new programs based on that feedback.
Identified organizational strategies for the next 5 years include:
1) Create Value: Wesley House will work internally and with our partners to identify the needs of the students we serve and tailor our services to support their success. This includes formalizing all of our programming and conducting focused research for additional service opportunities. Also included is the formalization of partnerships and relationships with other agencies.
2) Show Value: Wesley House will objectively demonstrate both to our students and our investors how we create value that leads to positive outcomes. This includes demonstrating sound policies for outcomes and outputs tracking. Also included is demonstratively sound governance.
3)Build Capacity: Wesley House will provide for students by seeking reliable long-term funding that supports our mission. This includes improving and expanding the organization's development capabilities.
4)Build for the Future: Wesley House takes objective successes and expands the parts of the organization that most benefit our student clientele.
This includes the long-term goal of expanding our social housing model to accommodate more students, exploring how to embed our services deeper into the community, and improving awareness of our mission.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
Wesley House Student Residence has been and continues to grow in both service provision and organizational size. Our staff has doubled the number of professionals since 2021 with plans to add additional positions. We regularly host social work interns for one-year periods to enhance their higher education while expanding our service capacity.
Financial health is always a determining factor in successfully meeting organizational goals. In two years, Wesley House has increased its donor base by 400%, increased contributed revenue by 230%, and expanded our volunteer base by 550%. This growth has been approached in a sustainable way and supports increased demand for services. Since 2021, we have increased our client base by 560%.
The professionalization of our staff has culminated in 2 staff members with masters degrees and one that is a current masters candidate. The executive director was previously a director of the Escondido branch of the YMCA with extensive experience in community programming and organizational growth. The Director of Development has a masters in nonprofit leadership and management with extensive experience developing community programs for local arts organizations. The Student Services Coordinator, our in-house social worker, has a masters in social work with lived expertise related to that of our clients. Our Student Services Assistant is a candidate for a masters in social work and also has lived expertise related to that of our clients.
WHSR can house up to 34 student residents in our affordable housing complex. Our support services reach an additional 800 students each year through our food pantry, case management, life skills trainings, mentor and tutor programs, and counseling. Our capacity to serve students through our support programming is only limited by funding. As our funding continues to grow, so too does our programming.
Long-term goals include launching a capital campaign to purchase additional buildings near other colleges and universities in San Diego to replicate our service model and serve a greater number of this growing marginalized population. Through our continued participation in national convenings, such the annual Real College conference, we also aim to increase awareness of the rampant housing and food insecurity facing up to 1 in 5 college students today.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
Since becoming an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit in 2016 Wesley House has helped to increase awareness of the staggering statistics surrounding food and housing insecurity on college campuses. We have worked diligently to roll out support services for our student residents to bolster their success, such as financial planning, enrollment assistance in programs such as Cal-Fresh and Medi-Cal, capital improvements to the affordable housing complex and its units to create more parity on campus, and connecting our student residents with public assistance to increase their access to resources.
In late 2021, we opened our supportive services to every low-income student in San Diego County. We piloted this expansion with our food pantry program. In the first four months, participation increased by 400% with ample room to grow. We have since expanded our food pantry's physical footprint, started rescuing more food, and employing volunteers to meet the ever-increasing demand. We now serve over 850 students, distribute over 86,000 pounds of food each year, and provide 500+ hours of one-on-one case management each year. As our team grows, case management and counseling services will also grow. To date, all of our growth has been organic, word of mouth. Minimal funding and time have been spent on advertising through social media.
As we grow it is our objective to create more awareness about these issues, and Wesley House, within the San Diego, California, and national college and university community. As opportunities arise, we are prepared to network with other organizations, colleges, and universities nationally to share ideas, resources, and services. Homelessness and the housing crisis throughout the nation are perennial hot topics and community awareness of these issues is growing. Wesley House is positioned, as San Diego's local expert on student poverty, to steward the conversation and continue to raise awareness of the student poverty epidemic. As we have grown as an organization, we have continued to elevate our level of professionalism and the efficacy of our development efforts. We have the team in place to not only successfully fundraise, but to steward contributed revenue and ensure that our funds are being applied in the most efficient way possible and true to the intent of our donors and funders.
How we listen
Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.
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How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?
To identify and remedy poor client service experiences, To identify bright spots and enhance positive service experiences, To make fundamental changes to our programs and/or operations, To inform the development of new programs/projects, To identify where we are less inclusive or equitable across demographic groups, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve, To understand people's needs and how we can help them achieve their goals
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Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?
We collect feedback from the people we serve at least annually, We take steps to get feedback from marginalized or under-represented people, We aim to collect feedback from as many people we serve as possible, We take steps to ensure people feel comfortable being honest with us, We look for patterns in feedback based on people’s interactions with us (e.g., site, frequency of service, etc.), We engage the people who provide feedback in looking for ways we can improve in response, We act on the feedback we receive, We share the feedback we received with the people we serve, We tell the people who gave us feedback how we acted on their feedback
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What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?
It is difficult to get the people we serve to respond to requests for feedback
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
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- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
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Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
Wesley House Student Residence, Inc.
Board of directorsas of 03/12/2024
Dani McMillin
Wakeland Housing & Development Corporation
Term: 2022 - 2025
Dani McMillin
Wakeland Housing
Bruce Shiah
Cymer
Frank Hanna-Bernabe
San Diego Housing Commission
Jennifer Cook
EisnerAmper
Amelita Ebuna
Cepheid
Parish Jefferson
Fullstack Academy
Spencer Dok
Lee & Associates
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
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Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Yes -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? Yes
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
Gender identity
Transgender Identity
Sexual orientation
Disability
We do not display disability information for organizations with fewer than 15 staff.
Equity strategies
Last updated: 03/12/2024GuideStar partnered with Equity in the Center - an organization that works to shift mindsets, practices, and systems to increase racial equity - to create this section. Learn more
- We ask team members to identify racial disparities in their programs and / or portfolios.
- We analyze disaggregated data and root causes of race disparities that impact the organization's programs, portfolios, and the populations served.
- We disaggregate data to adjust programming goals to keep pace with changing needs of the communities we support.
- We employ non-traditional ways of gathering feedback on programs and trainings, which may include interviews, roundtables, and external reviews with/by community stakeholders.
- We disaggregate data by demographics, including race, in every policy and program measured.
- We have long-term strategic plans and measurable goals for creating a culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.
- We seek individuals from various race backgrounds for board and executive director/CEO positions within our organization.
- We help senior leadership understand how to be inclusive leaders with learning approaches that emphasize reflection, iteration, and adaptability.
- We engage everyone, from the board to staff levels of the organization, in race equity work and ensure that individuals understand their roles in creating culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.