Our vision includes a future where women and children in the Greater Bakersfield Area are free from homelessness and empowered to build lives of dignity, stability, and lasting independence.

We envision a community where every woman recognizes her inherent worth, discovers her strengths, and has the opportunity to achieve meaningful employment, sustainable housing, and a brighter future for her children. Through dignity-centered, holistic support and a nurturing environment, Casa Esperanza seeks to break the cycle of generational homelessness and poverty, replacing instability with hope, resilience, and opportunity for generations to come.

Our Mission is to provide women and children experiencing homelessness in the Greater Bakersfield Area with holistic, innovative, educational support that empowers them to achieve stable employment, secure permanent housing, and build sustainable futures.

• We are out to make inter-generational change; the children will have different futures available to them
• We are first and foremost a “home”, not a shelter, not a substance abuse recovery facility.
• We have no religious affiliation.
• We are a place where women and their children can pick up the pieces, heal, and begin anew
• We help women get the toolkit they need to reintegrate into the job market and to live sustainably in permanent housing
• We are modeled after Alexandria House in L.A., which has a 22-year track record of successfully transitioning women from homelessness to independence
• We couple rights with responsibilities; and true hand-up versus a hand-out
• The women will receive counseling, integrated case management, job training, personal financial coaching, childcare when at work, and take their turn cooking and cleaning
• The women will contribute a small portion of their income to the household budget, and save between 30% and 60% for when they transition into permanent housing
• We are a sustainable alternative to the government sponsored housing-first model
• With the permanent endowment in place, we will be sustainable over decades; the endowment is a one-and-forever investment
• Over a 20-year period, one home will avoid over $60 Million in social cost, or over $25 Million in today’s dollars, a compounded return of over 14% per year
• We are seeking to partner with social investors who want to create a legacy of empowerment and responsibility in Bakersfield
• We will collaborate with and be complementary to other, existing programs
• We will take referrals from agencies and other homeless service providers, the courts and clergy.
• We will select candidates based upon both commitment and need.