Full Vision – Peer Support & Community Engagement Program

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1. Organizational Background

Kinara is a community-based organization serving people experiencing homelessness and housing instability in Alameda County. Kinara operates under the fiscal sponsorship of First Presbyterian Church of Hayward (First Pres. Hayward), ensuring full compliance with financial management, human resources, insurance, and employment regulations.

Kinara’s work is grounded in lived experience, cultural humility, and trust-based engagement. The organization focuses on community presence, outreach, stabilization, and connection to housing and supportive services for individuals who are often disengaged from traditional systems.

2. Statement of Need

Alameda County continues to experience a significant homelessness crisis, disproportionately impacting Black, Indigenous, and other people of color, older adults, and individuals with disabilities. Many unhoused individuals remain disconnected from services due to trauma, distrust of institutions, and systemic barriers.

At the same time, individuals with lived experience of homelessness face limited access to stable employment opportunities that value their expertise rather than exploit it. Without pathways to dignified employment, cycles of instability persist.

Research and local system data demonstrate that peer-led engagement improves trust, service uptake, and housing retention. However, peer workers are often underpaid, unsupported, or misclassified. Kinara seeks to address this gap by creating fair-wage, trauma-informed employment pathways that simultaneously strengthen outreach and community engagement outcomes.

3. Program Description

The Kinara Peer Support & Community Engagement Program will employ individuals with lived experience of homelessness as Peer Support Specialists, providing stable employment while enhancing outreach, engagement, and navigation services for unhoused community members.

The program will employ:

  • 6 Peer Support Specialists
  • Supported by 3 key staff members

Peers will be hired as W-2 employees through Kinara’s fiscal sponsor and compensated at wages above minimum wage to reflect professional responsibilities and lived expertise.

4. Program Goals and Objectives

Goal 1: Increase meaningful engagement with unsheltered and precariously housed individuals.

  • Conduct consistent street-based and community outreach.
  • Build trust and sustained relationships.
  • Provide warm handoffs to housing and supportive services.

Goal 2: Create equitable employment pathways for people with lived experience of homelessness.

  • Employ peers in stable, paid positions.
  • Provide paid training, supervision, and career development.
  • Reduce reliance on informal or exploitative labor models.

Goal 3: Improve system navigation and service connection outcomes.

  • Increase attendance at housing, medical, and benefits appointments.
  • Reduce service disengagement due to logistical or emotional barriers.
  • Support housing stabilization through ongoing peer mentorship.

5. Target Population

  • Individuals currently experiencing homelessness
  • Individuals recently housed but at risk of returning to homelessness
  • Individuals with high barriers to traditional service engagement
  • Peer employees with lived experience of homelessness or housing instability

6. Key Program Activities

Peer Support Specialist Roles

Peer Support Specialists will provide:

Community Engagement

  • Relationship-based presence in encampments, shelters, and community spaces
  • Trust-building and consistent follow-up

Outreach and Navigation

  • Street outreach and needs assessment
  • Referrals to housing, health care, behavioral health, and benefits
  • Assistance completing applications and documentation

Chaperoning and Accompaniment

  • Escorting participants to medical, housing, court, and benefits appointments
  • Emotional support and de-escalation
  • Transportation coordination

Peer Mentorship

  • One-on-one and small group support
  • Modeling self-advocacy and coping strategies
  • Encouragement through housing and recovery processes

Program Feedback and Leadership

  • Input into service design
  • Participation in peer advisory discussions
  • Community voice representation

7. Staffing and Management

The program will be staffed by:

  • Program Director (1.0 FTE) – Oversight, compliance, funder reporting
  • Peer Support Program Manager (1.0 FTE) – Daily supervision, coaching, scheduling
  • Community Partnerships & Data Coordinator (0.75 FTE) – Data tracking, referrals, coordination
  • 6 Peer Support Specialists (0.75 FTE each)

Peers will receive:

  • Weekly supervision
  • Ongoing training
  • Wellness and retention supports
  • Clear pathways for advancement

8. Equity and Lived Experience Leadership

Kinara centers lived experience as professional expertise. Peer staff are not required to disclose trauma and are supported through trauma-informed supervision. The program prioritizes:

  • Fair compensation
  • Flexible scheduling
  • Emotional safety
  • Clear boundaries between service recipient and employee roles

9. Expected Outcomes

  • Increased engagement with unsheltered individuals
  • Increased successful connections to housing and services
  • Improved appointment attendance rates
  • Reduced service disengagement
  • Increased employment stability for peer staff
  • Improved staff retention and morale

10. Sustainability

Funding will support staffing, training, and operations. Kinara will pursue:

  • County funding (Home Together)
  • Foundation grants
  • Public-private partnerships
  • Program data to support renewal and expansion

ADAPTATION FOR ALAMEDA COUNTY HOME TOGETHER FUNDING

The Kinara Peer Support & Community Engagement Program is directly aligned with Alameda County’s Home Together Framework, advancing its core strategies and equity commitments.

Alignment with Home Together Core Strategies

1. Housing-Focused, Low-Barrier Engagement

Peers conduct street-based, relationship-centered outreach designed to engage individuals who are disconnected from traditional systems, consistent with Home Together’s low-barrier approach.

2. Lived Experience Leadership

Home Together emphasizes elevating lived experience. Kinara operationalizes this principle by:

  • Employing peers as paid staff
  • Including peers in program design and feedback loops
  • Valuing lived experience as a credential

3. Equity and Racial Justice

The program prioritizes employment and services for individuals disproportionately impacted by homelessness, particularly Black and Brown community members, aligning with Home Together’s equity commitments.

4. System Coordination

Peers support:

  • Warm handoffs to Coordinated Entry and partner agencies
  • Appointment accompaniment
  • Follow-up to reduce system drop-off

5. Prevention of Returns to Homelessness

Peer mentorship continues post-housing placement to:

  • Support stabilization
  • Reduce isolation
  • Increase service retention

Home Together-Specific Outcomes

Data and Accountability

Kinara will:

  • Track outreach contacts, referrals, and outcomes
  • Coordinate with County data requirements
  • Provide regular performance and narrative reports
  • Participate in learning and improvement efforts aligned with Home Together

Fiscal and Administrative Compliance

Through fiscal sponsorship with First Pres. Hayward:

  • All staff are W-2 employees
  • Payroll, workers’ compensation, and insurance are fully compliant
  • Financial reporting meets County standards
  • HR policies reflect California labor law

Conclusion

The Kinara Peer Support & Community Engagement Program advances Alameda County Home Together goals by combining housing-focused outreach, lived-experience leadership, and equitable workforce development. This program strengthens the homelessness response system while creating dignified employment pathways for those most impacted by homelessness.