When someone is facing housing instability, the path to a solution isn’t always straightforward. In this case, a client came to TCCC with $5,000 in past-due rent and few options, but instead of simply closing the door when she did not qualify for standard rental assistance, Case Manager Teresa Hopson looked for another way to help.
A client reached out to TCCC facing severe housing instability, burdened by $5,000 in past-due rent. During the initial assessment, the Case Manager thoroughly reviewed the case details and determined that the client did not meet the criteria for standard rental assistance at that time. Facing potential displacement and lacking the financial means to pivot, the client shared that she had been hoping to relocate to Texas to be near her support system of friends and family but felt stuck due to her financial constraints.
Rather than closing the case, the Case Manager actively looked for alternative pathways to help the client achieve long-term stability. Recognizing the client’s openness to relocation, the CM identified that she was eligible for security deposit assistance through her insurance program.
The client quickly gathered and provided her new lease and all necessary verification documents. The CM then took swift action, contacting the new landlord in Texas to secure the required lease agreements and W-9 forms. With all pieces in place, the CM expedited the request through the insurance framework. The application was successfully approved, and the security deposit check was promptly mailed out to the landlord.
Thanks to this coordinated effort, the client expressed immense gratitude for the lifeline. She has successfully secured safe housing and is now able to transition to Texas, giving her the opportunity to rebuild her life surrounded by a strong circle of family and friends.
This story is a reminder that helping someone overcome homelessness or housing instability sometimes means looking beyond the first available solution. By listening to the client’s goals, identifying an alternative source of assistance, and coordinating the details with her new landlord and insurance program, Teresa helped her secure housing in Texas and reconnect with the support system she wanted to be near. For the client, that assistance provided not just a security deposit, but it provided a path forward.
For families facing a housing crisis, getting help before an eviction happens can make all the difference. TCCC case manager Lissete Frausto recently helped one Tracy mother avoid losing her home after an unexpected change in her family left her struggling to keep up with rent while caring for her nine children. To protect the mother’s identity, we will simply refer to her as “T”.
When T, a devoted single mother of nine children, found herself facing an unexpected separation from her children’s father, she was suddenly left with the responsibility of supporting her family on her own. As she worked to rebuild her life, she began searching for employment while doing everything she could to provide stability for her children.
During this difficult transition, T fell behind on her rent and faced the very real possibility of eviction. Determined to keep a roof over her children’s heads, she reached out to our agency for help.
Through a rental assistance program available to Cash Aid recipients, including rental assistance through HousingWORKs, our office was able to provide the financial support Tianna needed to bring her past-due rent current. This assistance allowed her family to remain safely in their home and prevented the trauma and uncertainty of eviction.
With the immediate housing crisis resolved, T was able to focus on securing employment and continuing to provide for her children without the added burden of losing their home.
T’s story is a powerful reminder of how timely assistance can make a lasting difference. By helping families remain stably housed during times of crisis, we provide more than financial support—we offer hope, stability, and the opportunity for parents and children to move forward with confidence.
T’s story shows why timely rental assistance and compassionate case management are so important. By helping her bring her rent current and remain safely housed, TCCC was able to give this family the stability they needed to focus on what came next: finding employment, caring for her children, and rebuilding their future. Through HousingWORKs and other available resources, TCCC works to connect families with assistance that can prevent a temporary financial crisis from becoming homelessness.
We are proud to have team members who bring not only professional experience to their work, but also deep compassion and lived understanding of the challenges many families face. Case Manager Lissete Frausto is one of those people.
Lissete is a caring and compassionate advocate dedicated to helping clients connect with essential resources and support systems. Whether assisting families with navigating services or helping individuals access critical community programs, she approaches every interaction with empathy, patience, and a genuine desire to help others succeed.
Before joining TCCC, Lissete built a strong reputation as a parent organizer and early childhood education advocate. Her leadership and commitment to empowering families earned her community recognition, including being named the 2024 recipient of the Phyllis K. Friedman – Retha Smith Robinson Community Leadership Award by the San Francisco Foundation. The award honors emerging women-of-color leaders making a meaningful impact in their communities.
In the Foundation’s feature article, “Community Parenting: How One Mom Turned Trauma into Action,” Lissete shared the deeply personal experience that inspired her advocacy journey. After her infant son suffered injuries at an unsafe daycare facility, she became determined to help create safer, more supportive systems for children and families. Through her work with Kidango, she trained and empowered parents to advocate for policies improving access to childcare and early learning opportunities throughout California.
That same passion for advocacy continues to shape her work at TCCC today. Lissete understands how overwhelming it can feel to ask for help, and she works hard to ensure every client feels heard, respected, and supported.
Outside of work, Lissete is a proud mother who enjoys spending her days off making memories with her family. Her dedication to both her community and her loved ones reflects the heart she brings into everything she does.
We are grateful to have Lissete as part of the TCCC team and proud to celebrate the positive impact she continues to make every day.
We’re excited to share that Tracy Community Connections Center is launching a new Transitional Rent Program in Stanislaus County. While TCCC has long served individuals and families in Tracy and San Joaquin County, this specific program will be offered exclusively in Stanislaus County using the partnerships we have fostered in the area. The program will support unhoused individuals in Modesto and everywhere else it’s needed in the county.
The Transitional Rent Program is being launched as a contracted provider through Health Plan of San Joaquin and Health Net, in partnership with the Stanislaus County Behavioral Health Department. This program is part of the CalAIM initiative, which established Community Supports as a required Medi-Cal benefit to address social drivers of health, like homelessness, that directly impact long-term wellbeing. We will also be collaborating closely with Turning Point, a local organization with deep experience serving individuals with complex needs in Stanislaus County.
At its core, the Transitional Rent Program is designed to offer a time-limited bridge out of homelessness. For individuals who qualify, TCCC will provide up to six months of rental assistance, paired with intensive case management. While this program is not intended to serve as a permanent housing subsidy, it creates critical stability and gives participants the time and support they need to secure income, address health or behavioral health needs, and move toward permanent housing solutions.
The program will be led by John Mello, TCCC’s new Case Manager, who will oversee client enrollment, landlord coordination, and individualized support plans. Through this work, we aim to help participants exit homelessness with dignity and a realistic path forward.
We’re proud to bring this new service to Stanislaus County and to partner with organizations that share our commitment to housing stability and community health. As this program gets underway, we look forward to sharing more updates and impact stories from the field.
At Tracy Community Connections Center (TCCC), we focus on long-term solutions, and one of the most effective tools we have is case management.
Case management is at the heart of how people experiencing homelessness or housing insecurity get from surviving to rebuilding. Without it, even the best intentions fall flat. You can hand someone a meal or a blanket, but if they don’t know where they’re sleeping tomorrow, or how to get ID, or access medical care, they’re stuck in survival mode. Our case managers help people move forward.
More Than a Referral
A case manager isn’t just someone who gives out a list of phone numbers. At TCCC, our case managers get to know each client, including what they’ve been through, what they need, and what obstacles are in the way. Then we create a real plan with goals, support, and follow-through.
We don’t expect someone in crisis to navigate ten agencies, five forms of ID, and hours of red tape. That’s how we help. We help clients make it to appointments, fill out applications, advocate for them when systems are hard to navigate, and check in regularly. Progress is tracked. Barriers are addressed. No one has to do it alone.
Stability Beyond Handouts
Giving someone a tent or a hygiene kit feels good and helps in the short-term, but if you want to see lasting change, we need to address the root causes of housing insecurity: trauma, unemployment, eviction, illness, addiction. These don’t get solved with quick fixes. Case management provides someone in your corner that you can trust, with the time and experience to help.
Our case managers connect people to housing programs, job resources, health services, legal aid, or whatever it takes. And because TCCC has long-standing relationships with our clients, we can spot changes early and pivot when needed.
We sit down with every client and hear their story. Our case managers work with them to identify their barriers to housing – whether that be employment, mental health, or addiction. Then, the case managers will work side by side with the client to create a housing plan by addressing these barriers. They meet with the client regularly and identify what programs or funding we have that could address the barriers, and refer out to other agencies for needs we cannot meet. Our case managers work with our street outreach team to coordinate services in real time like transportation, getting prescriptions, or getting into the city shelter. TCCC also offers bilingual Spanish-speaking case management for those who need it.
Funding Case Management
We have seen the positive impact of case management for unhoused individuals and we know that it works. The way to make it even more effective is with funding, staff, and more community awareness. Case management is slow, gritty, behind-the-scenes work but it’s what moves people from the streets to stability.
If you want to make a real difference in Tracy, support organizations like ours offering long-term case management by donating or volunteering. And if you or someone you know is stuck, please reach out.
