Illumination Foundation

Waste of time. After months of cooperating and answering all of their questions and providing everything they asked me for, nothing. If they can't help an unemployed, single mom with a disabled son get housing after 9 months, I don't know who they can help. Disgusting waste of federal funding. 3 out of 4 employees were disrespectful & belittling. The one employee that seemed like he wanted to help ended up quitting. Understandably.

I spoke up about our rights being at IF's policies and procedures. They exited us against our will 5 days before Christmas even though they had an empty room and no one on the waiting list! Not so great of a non profit!

I recently had the opportunity to work closely with Illumination Foundation's CFO on a special project, and I became more familiar with all the programs there. They are truly making a difference in the lives of so many marginalized families and individuals in our community. I have since become a donor because I now know that most of the money I donate goes directly into the programs that help disrupt the cycle of homelessness.

I was a volunteer with IF during my high schools. Volunteering at IF events developed my character in so many ways. It was truly fulfilling to contribute to the cause. All the staff are lovely and truly care about their clients

Such a great foundation. As a donor I’m thrilled to see the funds show immediate results!

Illumination Foundation works with individuals who experience homelessness, some of which are amongst society's most vulnerable population. This non-profit as a whole works together to offer resources such as substance use counseling, behavioral health assessments, case management, and vital documentation acquirement in order to achieve the ultimate goal of permanent housing.

Illumination Foundation assesses every individual person to identify needs and provide immediate relief when necessary, followed by the care that combines housing, case management, medical care, mental health, and workforce services to decrease community dependency. Illumination Foundation offers a low-entry threshold for the most vulnerable members of our community, with a focus on keeping families together and helping those with significant and/or >chronic health conditions.

Illumination Foundation provides comprehensive services for the homeless in Orange County and other southern California counties all aimed at breaking the cycle of homelessness. They provide the full set of services that homeless families and individuals need including medical (behavioral and health services) as well as emergency, temporary and ultimately permanent housing. The staff is mission-focused, highly energetic, competent and compassionate. They are always looking to do more and the growth in services and impact has been impressive. It is an extremely well run -- effective and efficient -- non-profit with an active and contributing board on which I am proud and humbled to serve.

I am a local Pediatrician in South Orange County and I was looking for a way to connect and serve housing-insecure children in our community. Dr. Geeta Grover introduced me to the Illumination Foundation and invited me to participate in a monthly after school program teaching children about health called Mini-Medical School. After one visit to the Learning Resource Center, I was hooked! I have been working on the Mini-Medical School for the last two years and during COVID, we moved remotely holding weekly reading sessions with children in the emergency shelters. While I find my work as a Pediatrician rewarding, my reading sessions with the children at the Illumination Foundation have been the most fulfilling part of each week. I am thankful for the opportunity to mentor and build lasting relationships with the staff and children at the Illumination Foundation and I look forward to continuing my service with IF.

Gregory R. Kennedy, MD

Pros:
Connects some clients (homeless/displaced persons) to City Net
Provides clients with some food each day
Provides clients blankets and beds for an undisclosed period of time
Easy for staff to request time off (.. though I think it's approved out of carelessness)

Cons: 
No repercussions for staff who are inappropriate (to each other or clients)
No communication between shifts, positions, or management
ADA needs are actively avoided
Clients receive the wrong mediations (medications for other clients & clients have fallen/passed out in their rooms unattended, then avoided by staff)
Lots of money and personal possessions get stolen or "disappear"
Lots of laundry gets bleached
Clients can OD or consistently use drugs and still stay in the program
Many clients are incapable of cleaning (physical disabilities) and are left to sit in their filth (scolded or avoided when asking for help)
Staff enters clients rooms without prior notice or after-the-fact explanation or a few seconds after knocking (not considering that clients could be in the bathroom or are in wheelchairs)
Clients are frequently talked down to and sassed
A lot of gossip and drama between staff
Incredibly high staff turnover
Staff has no training or explanation of company goals
Company website is exceptionally vague
Third party recruiters are greatly misinformed of expected duties of positions
Rules change each day and next to no communication is passed about those rules
No response or sense of awareness from management

... Absolutely awful company.

These nurses and therapists, basically have advocated for me in such a way, Angel's would have a rough time competing for graciousness awards. Just when I thought i was facing homelessness at the hand of a slumlord my service dog and I both were reunited and put in a facility where attitudes, care, and results i thought couldn't be achieved were happening for me at this Ontario location. Thank you for all you've done. You've saved my life. And did it with immense tolerance and creativity.

I have been homeless for 10 years, my story started when I lost my job and I had to get shelter at the court yard in Santa Ana, after 10 months of staying there I was taken in by the Illumination foundation and they offered me so much hope and delivered, I now have my housing voucher, SSDI, health insurance and a temporary clean and safe place to stay,they are helping me find a permanent place to live, I just want to thank all the people at illumination foundation for helping me

I have had the opportunity to intern for Illumination Foundation for the past 3 months at their CHildren's Resource Center in Stanton. This experience has been a blessing and one of growth. I have enjoyed my time being able to work with the children and partake in providing activities for them. The staff here were welcoming and friendly and beyond helpful when I first started and I am grateful for their support they have given me to complete my internship hours. I can truly see how the services they provide for the children and families are truly beneficial to them and I am glad that I have been able to experience being a part of the team.

I have been volunteering with IF for over a year now, and it has been one of the best experiences of my life! ♡

Amazing place. I help out with their after school program and I love every bit of it. The kids are able to focus an homework and reading as well as play outdoors. It gives me joy knowing how much we are providing for these kids and for their future.

Illumination Foundation is an organization that my student organization has been collaborating with for years! We love IF and everything they do for the community.

I became familiar with Illumination Foundation only a few months ago but you can tell right away that they care greatly about helping those who are homeless in the Orange County area. IF works diligently to create a more stable environment for these families and gives them the tools they need to create a better life for themselves. After seeing them in action on site restoring a building to create temporary housing for families who don't have a home, to attending a fundraising event where you get to see families and children whose lives were changed for the better because of IF, it's truly inspiring to see an organization that cares for people in need and feel a strong urge to help in every way they can.

Our nursing students work with IF every year as they learn about the problems of homelessness in our community. It is an eye-opening experience for them as they witness the compassionate care that IF delivers. Illumination Foundation should be the model for care of the homeless across our country!

I have been involved with IF as a volunteer for a little over a year now and it's been a life changing commitment of mine. You know the events are successful when you encounter the warmth of smiles running across the the children's faces. Not to mention, all of the events I've been involved in had been extremely tasteful as well, meaning that the coordination behind it had been well thought out as well. Illumination Foundation had been an exponentially growing movement and I can see it only continuously grow. It not only changes the lives of people that are receiving aide, but also influences the ones involved in being the helping hand as well. Keep doing what you do, IF team! You guys rock

I absolutely love this foundation and the work they do in the community!

I love how Illumination Foundation uses exciting. beautiful and trendy events to help such a great cause. They are catering to the next generation as using colorful and beautiful ways to make a difference for the homeless of OC. I volunteered at their Designer Runway show and was very pleased to find out how professional, beautiful and organized the entire event was. The staff was willing to answer my questions as a non-versed volunteer despite seeming busy.

I volunteer with Illumination Foundation as an AmeriCorps fellow and have loved my experience. Everyone at the office, the Children's Resource Centers, and Recuperative Care facilities are so friendly and passionate about the work that they do! It's so much fun playing with the kids after school, they're so cute and energetic. It's heartbreaking when you realize a lot of these kids may not have so much as a toothbrush!

As an Irvine kid, native to "the bubble", it was difficult to conceptualize the staggering wealth juxtaposed against poverty in the same community. I was looking to get involved with an organization that works hard to address issues that are overlooked or ignored in Orange County. And I certainly found it in Illumination Foundation! This organization has empowered me to take action and advocate for my neighbors!

After being asked by the CEO to perform the General Contractors duties at IF's Tina-Pacific project in Stanton... they scammed me out of thousands of dollars in out of pocket expenses, hundreds of hours of labor (they rarely supplied any donated labor that they promised to have to get the job done!), contractors of mine donated and discounted valuable materials and labor, .... then his sister bounces a $10,000 check to me that was given to me as partial payment cuz she said her brother, the CEO, was ....... EVERY NAME in the book! They will not return phone calls or communicate in any manner as to how and when PAYMENT will be made to me and my subcontractors, workers, etc! My name is Ty Richey and feel free to contact me at tyrichey6@aol.com