Helping families, kids, women with skills and resources to end homelessness

April 14-- Apr. 14--There are multiple programs at Operation HOPE-North County (formerly Operation HOPE-Vista), a nonprofit that provides emergency shelter to women and families with children who are experiencing homelessness. These programs and classes are designed to address the needs of the people who arrive at the shelter, who are working toward getting the resources necessary to secure housing and independence, and Lizeth Ma is directing those programs.

"I love a challenge and doing something new," she says. "I have always been passionate about working with families that are at their most vulnerable moments in their lives."

Ma, 32, lives with her husband and 7-year-old daughter, is a licensed marriage and family therapist with a private practice. She joined Operation HOPE-North County as the director of programs in 2018, and took some time to talk about her work with the organization, some of the programs she's responsible for, and her passion for working in the mental health field.

Q: Tell us about Operation HOPE-North County.

A: We're an emergency housing program that offers families with children and single women who are experiencing homelessness the opportunity to work toward independence through safe shelter, case management, and equipping them with tools and resources. We evolved out of a need identified in 2003 by the City of Vista for faith organizations to share their resources to address homelessness among families with children. This led to the formation of our organization, originally created to provide emergency shelter during four months of the winter season. In 2004, we had a rented warehouse in the city with 46 beds occupied by hopeful families with a case manager helping to find stable employment and affordable housing. In 2016, with the help of local philanthropists and the community, we opened our doors for year-round services.

Q: What are your goals as director of programs?

A: My goals are to expand our programs and classes. I would like to have more available beds here; I would like to start a program to provide job training and to help place some of our clients in jobs that they love and have a passion for; and, if I had a magic wand, I would expand to transitional housing with free childcare.

Q: What is your process for planning programs and activities for Operation HOPE? When you sit down to begin planning, what are you thinking about?

A: Planning programs is probably one of the most stressful and rewarding parts of my job. I never have enough days in the month to have everything I want to have, but it's an interesting process from beginning to end. I have to think about who we have in-house, their needs, their strengths and their challenges, and then I create a list of must-haves, such as finance, parenting, self-care and communication classes. I try to balance the ones I know they love and the ones that I know they are not excited to have but that we need. I try to put myself in their shoes and think, "would I be getting something out of it?" And if the answer is "yes," it makes it to the calendar.

What I love about Vista ...

The people. It really seems that everyone knows each other. I admire this small city and their sense of community and willingness to help.

Q: In evaluating the programs over the past year, what have been areas for improvement that you've noticed?

A: Finding affordable housing for families with children and single women is challenging. We strive to help residents find affordable apartment rentals that are sustainable for their independence. Additionally, we continue to empower families to pursue vocational and educational pathways to attain higher wage jobs. We're also working to build a strong alumni program that would give everyone who has successfully exited the program, the opportunity to continue to receive supportive services beyond what is currently provided.

With the discovery that college students (both families and single women) are part of the population that we already serve, we hope to partner with local colleges to provide a separate program that would give students experiencing housing insecurity, the opportunity to secure safe and affordable housing while they are pursuing their education. Our decision to create a program to serve college/vocational training clients was affirmed by a recent March 2019 survey of 40,000 community college students (the #RealCollege survey). Sixty percent of them said they had been housing insecure in the last year, and 19 percent indicated they'd experienced homelessness within the last year. This realization led us to apply for funding to specifically serve individuals enrolled at MiraCosta College and who are experiencing homelessness. Our vision is to create a model program for other colleges.

Q: What kinds of tools have you found helpful to getting and maintaining self-sufficiency for the people you serve at Operation HOPE?

A: It's really about teaching them about skills that we sometimes take for granted, such as budgeting, saving, prioritizing, moderation and teaching about needs and wants. It's also helpful to create a routine and structure, so we assist clients in creating a routine and a structure that works for them and their families.

What makes our program unique are our skill-building classes. We have classes on parenting, communication, healthy eating, self-esteem, coping skills, budgeting and finance, credit repair, women's health, GED, dental hygiene, homeless court advocates, and others. If people have these skills -- knowing how to save, or knowing how to keep a good credit score -- they will allow them to have a better opportunity of securing and sustaining housing.

Q: You also have a private practice as a therapist, along with years of work in therapy and social services. Why is this kind of work important to you?

A: I always knew I wanted to work with people. Specifically, I wanted to be a medical doctor for a few years. I got the opportunity to volunteer and work at VA San Diego Healthcare System in La Jolla alongside some of the most admirable individuals I have ever encountered. During this time, a very important person in my life was going through a mental health crisis and I witnessed the unfortunate implications that mental illness can have on even the strongest people. In those vulnerable moments, I knew that I wanted to dedicate my life to helping mitigate the impact of mental health issues and to prevent others from experiencing the pain and struggles she endured. These experiences not only affect the person with the diagnosis, but also those close to them. Since that day, I knew that if I could help at least one person ease that pain and stigma, I would be doing something good; not just for that one person, but their family, too.

Q: What has your work at Operation HOPE taught you about yourself?

A: To be compassionate and honest, not only toward others, but to myself. It has taught me that as long as you are true to yourself, there is no need for acceptance because if you accept who you are and you love yourself, others will see that.

Q: What is the best advice you've ever received?

A: To stay motivated and keep moving forward with what makes you happy.

Q: What is one thing people would be surprised to find out about you?

A: Even after years of training, teaching and presenting, I still get extremely anxious and forget to breathe sometimes when I have to present to large groups of people. Using my stress ball or fidget toys helps, though, and I'm typically OK after the first 10 minutes.

Q: Describe your ideal San Diego weekend.

A: An ideal weekend for me would be a morning hike at Torrey Pines with my family and then a sit-down lunch by the beach.

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