Interfaith Community Services (formerly: North County Interfaith Council, Inc.)

AWFUL EXPERIENCE! I had just become homeless for under a week and learned that Interfaith provides paperwork for free IDs- so I took them up on the offer. ‘They’ filled out the paperwork for me to give the DMV (address, etc) then told me it could take up to 2 and a half weeks to receive the ID (no problem!). A month later and my ID still hasn’t arrived so I was told to call the DMV, to which I did. The DMV had verification that they had sent my ID to Interfaith on the 9th and that Interfaith SENT IT BACK (this wasn’t found out until the 26th of that same month by the way). Now my car was towed a day or two after becoming homeless, and because of them sending my ID back to the DMV and never telling me I was never able to get my car OR my things out of it (my mothers ashes, my grandfathers ashes, my grandfathers military flag). Because of Interfaith I lost all of those forever. Now I’m forced to wait ANOTHER 2 and a half weeks to get my ID sent BACK to interfaith. I had a job orientation on the 9th of last month but wasn’t able to start because Interfaith said my ID wasn’t there- come to find out it was there the day of my orientation. I’m trying to work and Interfaith has directly made that next to impossible. But hey, at least they said “sorry.” That’s ALL they said. I should go to every News station, news outlet, and sue over this. There is only one person at Interfaith that I trust- and he knows who he is. To him: thank you for all you’ve done. Genuinely

**Review of Escondido Inner Faith Inpatient Rehab Program:**

I recently had an unfortunate experience with the management of Escondido Inner Faith Inpatient Rehab Program, particularly with a woman named Shentelyn. While I must commend the program itself for its effectiveness in helping individuals recover from substance abuse, my encounter with Shentelyn left a bitter taste in my mouth.

Shentelyn, who holds the position of program manager, seemed utterly out of touch with the realities of addiction and the needs of those seeking help. She made arbitrary decisions without bothering to gather all the facts, resulting in unjust bans on individuals without any valid justification. It felt as though she had already made up her mind before even listening to my concerns, displaying a shocking lack of empathy and understanding.

It's clear to me that Shentelyn lacks the necessary qualifications and experience to handle the delicate task of managing a rehabilitation program. Her demeanor was more suited to a corporate office environment than one dedicated to helping individuals overcome addiction. It's puzzling why someone with her apparent lack of empathy and understanding of addiction is in a position of such authority within the program.

The real heroes of the program are individuals like Valerie Morgan and Vanessa, the intake coordinators, who genuinely care about the well-being of the patients and diligently perform their duties. Unfortunately, their efforts are overshadowed by Shentelyn's incompetence and indifference.

It's disheartening to see such a wonderful program tainted by the mismanagement of someone like Shentelyn. As long as she remains in her current position, I fear that the program will continue to suffer from poor treatment availability and lack of proper oversight. I urge anyone considering this program to think twice before enrolling themselves or their loved ones, as Shentelyn's presence at the helm of the management undermines the program's effectiveness and compassion.

In conclusion, while Escondido Inner Faith Inpatient Rehab Program has the potential to be an excellent resource for those seeking recovery, it is hindered by Shentelyn's unfit leadership. Until changes are made at the management level, I cannot recommend this program to anyone in good conscience.

I have been involved with as a volunteer for Interfaith Community Services in Escondido for about 10 years. I help to prepare and serve a morning meal once a week. I have been so overwhelmed with the organization's caring, effective and loving attitude in the community. When I am serving breakfast I realize that Interfaith not only provides food for their clients, but also a safe place for them to gather, form a community among themselves, and discover all the services North County Interfaith Council can provide for them. I am impressed with the staff and the many services they offer. It is truly a wonderful organization and an asset to our community.

My wife and I have volunteered at Interfaith Community Services, in Escondido, five years. We spent our professional careers working closely with and serving people, so upon retirement, we began looking into how we could continue to both stay connected, and serve our community at the same time. Interfaith seemed like the perfect opportunity! We soon found out that volunteers were needed, and welcomed, in several areas. As we began to volunteer, we could see that we were always treated with so much respect and appreciation as members of the team! We've formed some great and rewarding friendships with the staff. We started out helping to prepare and serve lunches, one day per week, for the veteran's at Merle's Place. We've also had the opportunity to help with picking up donations from local retail stores and individuals in the community. Our current assignment involves organizing and distributing food for clients in the Interfaith pantry. As we've worked in our volunteer capacity, we've been able to see just how much the staff at Interfaith continually care for, and work hard for the clients who come through their doors. It's a great place to go if you want to see people caring for people! We're thankful and blessed to have the opportunity to help others in need. The experience has certainly given to us as much as we hope we've given to others!

Our church held a Day of Service wherein over 150 people participated in various projects including: landscaping, making hygiene kits, stocking the pantry, painting, and decorating a shelter for Christmas.

The staff at Interfaith were amazing with the organization and coordination of such a large event which helped the homeless.

Members of the church look forward to participating in this meaningful event every year.

Where do I begin to sing the praises of Interfaith. I have been a volunteer for only about 5 months and get to work directly with the single people and families who come in for help with everyday needs. This can be for food, clothing, shelter, legal assistance and help finding work. They are handled professionally and with dignity. Many people have told me they do not know what they would do with out the help that Interfaith has given them.

My husband volunteers doing small home repairs for seniors which gives them the ability to be able to stay in their homes. He always has stories of appreciation of the people.

Interfaith is a light for some people when their lives seem dim.

Interfaith Community Services is a group of dedicated folks working to help the homeless, the hungry, those who need assistance with legal matters, counseling, and a myriad of other details that so many of us take for granted. Some need identification papers, some need food from the pantry. Maybe they have legal issues arising from living on the streets, so homeless court is there for them. Even something as basic as receiving mail when they have no home address. Full time employees, professional clinicians and volunteers all work toward helping wherever, whenever needed. I didn't know what to expect when I first started just by donating surplus food, but now thoroughly enjoy the interactions as seen from the behind the front desk. We are all part of the "village" trying to keep our fellow humans as human as possible.

I want to ask the question that laying people off would be the first step before considering the pay reduction of management that got a pay raise because of a merger that eventually failed. Who are the management that got those raises? Cut those pay first before laying off people.

Have the CEO and executive staff informed the board of directors the lives changed by these lay offs?

This is the first ever mass lay off that ICS has ever done. Susan P, would never allow this. Bring her back and replace all the C-employees and most of the directors.

Interfaith in Escondido, Ca. provides food and necessities to the needy and houses and feeds veterans. I have volunteered several hours in the kitchens there with the veterans and the needy meals at the holidays and I has always been an awesome experience for me. They are very organized and very caring and are a tremendous asset to our community.

There are few organizations like Interfaith. Their employees are strong, intelligent, and caring. They go far and beyond their everyday jobs in order to aid those in need. I began volunteering at Interfaith, and because of the cooperation, time, and information that the staff was able to provide, I was able to complete my graduate research through this organization. After volunteering for a year at Interfaith, I was offered a job as program manager for one of the programs. I worked there for another year and saw first hand how Interfaith affects the lives of families and individuals who are in desperate need. Interfaith opens its arms to all kinds of people and provides a wide range of serices. Some clients who are helped by Interfaith have just fallen a little behind and need some extra support, while others face more serious conditions. Interfaith is always there, collaborating with other organizations and institutions, and listening to what the community needs.

I spent four and a half years homeless in North San Diego County. Thanks to the miracles performed by the volunteers at NCIC and in particular the counseling services, I was empowered to get control and start making better decisions for myself. I'm no great writer, but there's a strong chance that I wouldn't have survived those bad old days had it not been for all of the giving people that have and continue to make North County Interfaith Council a place where miracles happen everyday in our community.

I've donated to Interfaith in the past, and my church works very closely with Interfaith on community programs. I've found their organization to be very people-focused, professional, and very efficient in using their available resources.

If you're a donor, a person in need, or an organization looking to have a positive impact on the community, Interfaith is a great organization to work with.

As a former employee and current volunteer, I've been involved with Interfaith for over ten years. While wrapping up my schooling, I knew I wanted to be part of this vibrant and life-changing organization. It's reassuring to know that the time and resources I give to Interfaith go directly to where they are needed.

While I worked at Interfaith many years ago- I can and still to attest to the fact that Interfaith helps so many people with food, shelter, job services and mental health issues that it is arguable the most necessary social services agency in the North County. The homeless, hungry and needy (which can happen to anyone!) need Interfaith.

Until I recently "retired" I volunteered at Interfaith for almost 24 years. I would not have given that much time and energy to a group that didn't actually solve problems.

Interfaith is without a doubt the most effective social service agency in northern San Diego County if not in the whole region.

I had the privilege of working with Interfaith in the context of a redevelopment project in North San Diego County. I was able to experience first-hand their commitment and dedication to their clients (in this case, their residents). I was very impressed with the care they took to ensure the best outcome for their clients.

I've experienced Interfaith from a variety of perspectives - as a member of the community, as a professional seeking help for others, as a program monitor, donor, former employee, and more.

No matter how you look at it, ICS is a quality, compassionate, effective organization that creates dynamic programs that both respond to critical needs in the community and use experience and expertise to prevent problems in the future.

I recently discovered Interfaith when I found a homeless man on the street. Since then I have been involved with many of the staff, who are kind and professional. Two weeks ago I found my best man from my wedding living homeless and intoxicated. With the help of the staff I got him into Sobering Services and that is changing his life. Any operation is the shadow of the leader, Suzanne is the Mother Theresa of North County, and her staff is a reflection of her spirit and vision.

This organization was started over 25 years ago when a Rabbi, a Priest and a minister gathered for coffee only to find that they had each donated to a homeless person who had come knocking the night before. Then and there they decided to pool their resources and refer all of their requests to one organization that being Interfaith. Now with over 425 Faith Centers as members we truly help lift up our needy and give them to tools to fish not just to take a handout. With almost 90% of our funds going to help clients we are also one of the most efficient organizations out there. Helping Interfaith is helping your neighbor in need!
Don Zech, VP Membership, Interfaith Community Services

Our PASS program has parterend many times for food drives in benefit to Interfaith. They are a wonderfull organization.

As part of The Salvation Army in North County, I have worked alongside Interfaith staff, volunteers and clients over the past two decades and am still impressed and inspired by the dedication, expertise and practical assistance that Interfaith Community Services continues to provide to the impoverished, homeless and disabled in our community. It is hard, demanding and costly work but the staff and their army of volunteers and supporters are there for the long-haul. Theirs is a demonstrated commitment to social justice.

I have lived for most of my life in Escondido, and countless times have encountered people in need on the streets. I have referred dozens of these people to Interfaith because it is a stand-up organization that cares about who they are serving and will do what it takes to stretch every dollar donated to serve every person who seeks assistance. Throughout the years, several people have also contacted me asking to what nonprofit organization in North County they should donate their time, money and resources. My response: Interfaith Community Services! Where’s the easy button?
I have such confidence in Interfaith as an organization and those who operate it because of my experiences with them as an employee, intern, consultant, and as a community member and supporter. From each of these perspectives my awareness of the need for their services and how the organization meets those needs has increased, and my confidence and belief in Interfaith only grows stronger. In their profile they listed their top 3-5 accomplishments for the past year; it would have been easy for them to legitimately list at least 5 more—that’s the impact they are having on our community.

I am a joyful supporter of Interfaith for 11 years now. This organization makes a direct impact on not only its local community but San Diego County at large. It does so by directly helping people from all walks of life, from housing to food to recovery, the list goes on and on. Being involved with several Charitable organizations myself, I am always impressed with the level of dedication to helping those in need that comes from every helper involved at NC Interfaith. The strength of conviction that comes from this organization is directly linked to the people that serve and the people we are there to serve. Often those helped find themselves inspired to return the gift by getting involved and making a difference for another. This to me is the greatest demonstration of the success of the organization and it's programs. North County Interfaith is up to some remarkable life changing things including benefiting me as not only a donor but volunteer. Please consider support this most worthy group.

Blessings to all,

Rev. J.R. Westen, D.D.

If you want the best of help-North County Interfaith is the place to go in North County. Keep up the great work!

Almost ten years ago, I moved to North County San Diego and became Executive Director of a small non-profit, North Coastal Service Center. In my short years there, we struggled to provide services to those who were most in need for food, shelter and other financial assistance. I attended several inter-agency meetings where I met the director of North County Interfaith Council. I was very impressed with the overall organization, its scope of services and the magnificent way it involved the community in its service provision. When my small organization struggled financially I worked with my board of directors to merge with Interfaith. This was a strategic move that incorporated our location, services and 75 member volunteer group with this dynamic organization. Seamlessly, Interfaith helped us to serve those in need with dignity, efficiency and effectiveness. Instead of a void, Interfaith helped to bolster a continuum of services to the disadvantaged in North County, improving our capabilities, honoring our volunteers and enabling the Oceanside community to benefit from Veterans services, housing, counseling and providing assistance with basic needs. I worked for Interfaith for two more years and still continue to volunteer, donate and support this "jewel by the sea."

I got involved with Interfaith through the church I attend regularly. A group of friends and I made 100 sack lunches. When i went to deliver them in the morning, i could see that this organization is incredibly important to the community. Therewere many people lined up for a healthy breakfast and woudl then be receiving our sack lunches. I think that this is an organization worth supporting and a great place to volunteer.

I have supported and been aligned with Interfatih Community Services in diverse ways ever since its inception. As a professional who also reaches out to the community at large, I know of no other organization in North San Diego County that is meeting the needs of so many people, and in so many ways. The staff and volunteers working at Interfaith are second to none. Suzanne Stewart Pohlman, Executive Director of Interfaith for 28 years, is one of the most dedicated, hardworking, caring, and constructively creative persons I have ever known. Words fail me in properly describing her undying commitment to Interfaith and its' mission. Having this organization to refer people to for assistance has made my work in the community so much easier. I give my whole-hearted praise and thanks to everyone who makes Interfaith happen!

A high quality organization that consistently responds to the needs of the community in effective ways.

Interfaith is one of the most important organizations in San Diego and a vital resource for many people. The employees deserve any and all recognition possible for their good work and their endless dedication to serving the community.

I met with them regarding a business transaction, and felt compelled to share with them my sister's dilhemna with regard to a recent accident suffered by her baby, who was in intensive care in the hospital near death. It looked really bad and the doctors were sure the baby was going to die. The North County Interfaith Council or Interfaith Community Services not only had a prayer chain going right away, they visited the baby in the hospital and prayed with the family By the Grace of God, and I feel largely due to the efforts they made, the baby recovered completely! There was not even any brain damage, which almost always occurs in this type of head injury. The doctors in complete disbelief declared it to be a MIRACLE! I have never forgotten what they did for me, and they never asked for any thanks or anything either, they are the most wonderful people, and I pray that they are blessed 10 times over!!!

ICS is a great organization. Committed and professional staff, impeccable reputation, and sustained track record of success serving thousands of people in need in San Diego County.
Peter Callstrom, Executive Director
Regional Task Force on the Homeless (RTFH)

Interfaith Community Services is the only non-profit willing to take on serving those with brain disorders with a supported housing and employment model-Fairweather Lodge. They returned self-worth to our son who had lost just about everything to schizophrenia. He enjoys a nice beautiful place to live and a job. They truly care about him and have been there when he falls. We will be forever in their debt!