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3737 Fifth Ave
Suite 203
San Diego, California 92103
Phone 619-542-1877

Who We Are

Mission & History

Our Mission

The mission of the Alpha Project is to empower individuals, families, and communities by providing work, recovery and support services to people who are motivated to change their lives and achieve self-sufficiency. The agency’s many programs are available to all persons in need regardless of race, creed, color, ethnicity, national origin, religion, gender, or sexual orientation.

Alpha Project strives not to manage homelessness, but rather to end it for its clients by offering jobs not handouts, respect not pity and empowerment not control. We provide the homeless with the tools they need to be the very best they can be.

Each program offered by the Alpha Project focuses on assisting participants to attain their own optimal level of independence. For most of our program participants, successful completion of our programs will mean complete and permanent independence through education, employment, sobriety, and stability. For those clients with special needs, our programs maximize their own potential and supports as much independence as possible. All of our clients regardless of their history are encouraged, supported, and assisted in reaching their maximum potential with dignity and respect.

History of the Alpha Project

Founded in 1986 as a simple project offering work opportunities for homeless men, today Alpha Project operates numerous programs serving over 4,000 people daily. The agency has created over 900 units of affordable rental housing projects and has sponsored home ownership programs. Recognized nationally by President George Bush as the country’s 185th Point of Light, Alpha Project empowers its clients to take personal responsibility for solving problems.

Presidents Message

All one has to do is turn on the evening news or read the newspaper to understand that we as a nation are hurting deeply. These trying and challenging times have touched us all and it’s enough to make many people want to throw their hands up in despair. However, there are other stories that don’t make the headlines very often, and that is the good news of the enduring human spirit. The stories of men, women and children struggling to defeat homelessness, poverty, addiction, hopelessness and joblessness, and the courage and fortitude it takes to overcome. Additionally, the stories of those in our community who give their hard earned money to provide help and opportunities for others they don’t even know. For over two decades, the kindness and generosity of others has never ceased to amaze me. This is what motivates and inspires me and those we serve to continue to fight for success.

Alpha Project’s mission is to empower individuals, families, and communities by providing work, recovery, housing, and support services to people who are motivated to change their lives and achieve self-sufficiency. With a tax-deductible donation, you may choose which program you would like to contribute to. Each and every program we offer provides hope, opportunities, and new beginnings to those who are less fortunate.

Our programs include:

  •   Four Emergency Shelters for Adults provide shelter for 660 individuals as well as case management and support services to prepare clients for permanent housing using the Housing First Model.
     
  •  Family Shelter Program provides shelter for 42 families as well as case management and support services assisting families to stabilize and obtain permanent housing.

     

  •    Rapid Re-Housing/Housing Navigation and Case Management Programs offers rental assistance, security deposits, landlord advocacy, housing navigation, and case management to families and individuals experiencing homelessness,

     

  •   Tenant Peer Support Services Program assists individuals and families receiving services through County Mental Health clinics, providing assistance with housing, case management and support services.

     

  •  Alpha Square, a Permanent Supportive Housing program, provides 201 studio units for individuals experiencing chronic homelessness with a disabling condition.

     

  • Alpha Lofts, a Permanent Supportive Housing Program for Veterans experiencing chronic homelessness with a disabling condition, provides 52 units of housing and onsite case management services to support residents.

     

  • Casa Raphael, a Residential Substance Use Treatment program, provides 90 residential treatment beds for men.

     

  •  Street Outreach Programs connect with individuals experiencing unsheltered homelessness in San Diego and Vista.
     
  • Diversion and Rapid Resolution Program, provides one-time targeted financial assistance to help residents in our emergency shelters and those connected to outreach to rapidly obtain permanent housing.

     

  •  Work and Training Programs, Take Back the Streets, Alpha Project's founding program, offers employment to individuals experiencing homelessness with barriers to employment. Wheels of Change offers residents of the shelters the opportunity to give back to the community, providing trash removal throughout San Diego. Program participants are paid a stipend for their work.

     

  • Living with Dignity/Hospice for the Homeless provides one-time financial assistance for security deposits, and emergency rental assistance, as well as assistance with medical equipment. The Hospice program provides rental assistance for those experiencing homelessness in Hospice with a terminal diagnosis, providing them with a comfortable living environment while they receive their end-of-life care.

     

  •  Food Program provides over 350,000 hot meals annually for the residents of our emergency shelters. It also offers pantries and food assistance to clients in our housing programs and to the public.

     

  • 900 Units of Affordable/Low-Income Housing

Please take a moment to learn more about our programs and services and how you can help change the lives of others. We are proud to provide over 24,000 men, women, and children each year with the assistance they need to break the cycle of poverty, homelessness and dependence. I invite you to contact us any time to visit our facilities and see your donation in action. With your gift, we can make miracles happen!

Continued Blessings,

Bob McElroy
President and CEO

"Thank you, Alpha Project! You saved my life, and that led me to my dream job!"

-Jerry, Cassa Raphael graduate

Alpha Project
3737 Fifth Ave
Suite 203
San Diego, California 92103
Phone 619-542-1877
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