(1) David Snow, Executive Director  of Upward Bound House  (left) gives California State Senator Mark Ridley-Thomas  (26th District) a private tour of UBH on Thursday, March 20, 2008. (2) Program Director of Upward Bound House  Tracey Woodburry (left) shows  the Senator a  one-bedroom apartment unit during  his  tour.  Senator Ridley-Thomas’s district covers Culver City where UBH will be opening a new emergency shelter for families with minor children. Upward Bound House recently completed a $3.5M capital campaign to purchase and convert the SunBay Motel into an emergency shelter. The Culver City Council voted on January 14th, 2008 to approve the project. The new facility – the only on the Westside of Los Angeles for families with children – will be a vital resource to the growing number of families in crisis in the region. Scheduled to open in the fall of 2008, the UBH Family Shelter will serve 240 individuals each year, including over 125 children, and will be the only program of its kind on the Westside of Los Angeles. This facility will complement the agency’s 21-unit transitional facility located in Santa Monica By offering both emergency and transitional housing, UBH will operate a distinctive ‘continuum of care’ that guides families from crisis into stability. In addition to providing housing, the program will feature intensive case management. "Families will meet with their case managers on a daily basis," said Tracy Woodburry, the agency’s Program Director. "Our goal is to get families stabilized and into permanent housing as quickly as possible."  "We are pleased that Senator Ridley-Thomas supports our work and recognizes how difficult an issue homelessness is in Los Angeles. Every night in Los Angeles County, there are more than 10,000 homeless children, many living in conditions unfit for human habitation. His tireless advocacy on behalf of homelessness is critical to our ability to provide services. Homelessness is everyone’s challenge," said David Snow, the Executive Director of Upward Bound House.  About Upward Bound House: UBH is a community-based 501 (c) (3) nonprofit social service agency located in Santa Monica California that provides affordable housing for homeless families with children and very low-income seniors. Founded in 1990, the non-denominational agency fulfills its mission through three programs. Family Place, a transitional housing facility for homeless families with minor children has graduated over 850 individuals, including over 525 children from the program into permanent, independent housing since opening in 1997. Senior Villa, an affordable housing facility for the very low-income elderly houses 90 individuals every night. And the S. Mark Taper Intergenerational Center, which brings together the three generations housed at Upward Bound House, where they interact and receive services that enable each resident to lead an enriched, empowered, and independent life.

A window washer from Fish Window Cleaning brightens GOOGLE'S window in Santa Monica on Wednesday, March 12, 2008.