Volunteers of America is a national, nonprofit, faith-based organization providing local human service programs, as well as opportunities for individual and community involvement.

Established locally in 1911, Volunteers of America Greater Sacramento & Northern Nevada's ongoing mission to reach and uplift all people has expanded to include families with children, seniors, the homeless, former foster youth, and people with substance abuse issues.

Our professional staff currently operates more than 40 locally managed and delivered programs. Services provided include food and shelter, counseling, independent living and parenting skills, substance abuse treatment and rehabilitation, job training and housing.

Learn more about us.

'It's not just a bed': County cuts mean a loss of essential services

Katrina Johnson, a resident of Volunteers of America's Bannon Street Shelter, spoke to
KCRA reporter Lynsey Paulo June 18 on the
impact of cuts to essential Sacramento
County Department of Human Assistance-
funded programs and services. To view the
KCRA piece, click here.

In a KCRA news report June 18, Volunteers of America chief development and communications officer Christie Holderegger explained that recent cuts to Sacramento County Department of Human Assistance-funded programs will mean more than the loss of food and shelter for the homeless.

Other casualties of the drastically reduced county budget?

"The counseling, the mental health outreach, the substance-abuse counseling – all the services that really help people become independent again once they leave the shelter system," Holderegger told reporter Lynsey Paulo.

Paulo also interviewed Kristina Johnson, a resident of Volunteers of America's Bannon Street Shelter. Johnson, one the shelter's many success stories, said she and her fellow residents aren't just getting a place to lay their heads.

"It's more than a bed," Johnson said. "It's a support system."

The day before KCRA interviewed Johnson, Volunteers of America sat down with her and heard her story. See that video here.

“We want to give these people the skills and resources they need to become independent – we don’t want to perpetuate homelessness,” says Holderegger. In an effort to restore the comprehensive services within its continuum of care, Volunteers of America has started a community campaign that stresses the importance and power of every supporter. If each one of us contributes $50 to $500 (any amount is impactful), we'll be well on the way to a fully operational system that once again supports essential services that range from support for women and children, to mental health outreach, to substance-abuse counseling, to job training.

For more information on how to help support this campaign, please contact the Volunteers of America administration office at 916.442.3691 or e-mail Shauna Ross at shauna@voa-sac.org. You may also donate online, by clicking here.

Click on headlines or corresponding photos below for more of the latest about Volunteers of America Greater Sacramento & Northern Nevada 

1  Volunteers of America gears up for Operation Backpack 2009

3  Sacramento Senior Safe House receives donated art, quilts to further augment 'homey' atmosphere of haven for abused and neglected seniors

4  Macy's Galleria at Roseville helps prep Sacramento Senior Safe House for summer opening

5  Delta Sigma Theta Sorority volunteers at Winter Shelter

6  Mather Community Campus students protest proposed county budget cuts – Grapevine Independent reports