About the Nonprofit
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Ritter Center's mission is to prevent and resolve homelessness and improve the health, dignity and well-being of people living in poverty in Marin County by providing high-quality, culturally sensitive, easily accessible medical care and social services.
Its Integrated Medical and Behavioral Healthcare Services includes primary care, therapy, psychopharmacological medicine management, and substance use disorder counseling. 100% of its patients are below the Federal Poverty Guideline and 100% are uninsured or on Medicare, Medicaid, and Medi-Cal. Among the crucial services provided are COVID-19 testing and vaccines for a hard-to-reach population.
Case Management uses a Whole Person Care approach to connect clients to all services offered by Ritter Center and other local agencies that help provide a continuum of care specific to each individual's unique needs.
The Permanent Supportive Housing Program collaboratively operates 12 units of permanent supportive housing in Novato and additionally manages up to 25 formerly chronic homeless clients through a Housing First program model.
Ritter Center's Food Pantry helps 350 families per week access nutritious food. In 2020, it distributed 22,000 bags of groceries to thousands, a value of $440,000. Most of the pantry’s food comes from the SF Marin Food Bank.
The Day Service Center and Seasonal Programs provide essential amenities: laundry facilities, clothing, restrooms, hygiene supplies, and P.O. Boxes at the San Rafael post office. It runs holiday programs that provide toys or gift certificates, holiday meals, and Back-to-School supplies to students.
Ritter Center: helps formerly homeless individuals learn how to maintain their housing with Permanent Supportive Housing services; enhances their wellness by removing barriers to medical and behavioral healthcare; provides access to food, clothing, and essentials; ensures people have supportive, enabling services like laundry facilities, assistance managing their finances, or PO Boxes; provides community and compassion for some of the most isolated, alienated persons in our community. For those who are housed and dangerously close to losing their housing, Ritter Center provides positive interventions to ensure they remain housed, including rental assistance, nutritious food, healthcare and connection to other community supports.
At least 45% of Ritter Center’s clients are from historically represented communities and nearly 10% are best served in a language other than English. Of the 2,570 served in 2020, 427 are seniors, 113 are veterans, 70 are immigrants, and 100% are at or below the federal poverty level. Ritter Center acknowledges that poverty and COVID significantly impact systemically underrepresented groups more than white residents and strives to provide the highest quality of care, removing barriers to housing, healthcare, food, and other enabling services. The desired impact of its services is to house its homeless clients, build positive health outcomes and treat chronic conditions (in managed care), and help those in its programs rebuild their lives. Housed clients retain their housing, access nutritious food, and tap into enabling services that support their health and wellness.