Roseville Home Start, Inc.

I moved there in March of 2015 with My 3 month old daughter. They leave you there with No phone in case of emergency. Go trough your room while you are away. Tell you what to eat, How to dress. You cannot have any money. I washed clothes in the tub and hung up in my room to dry. Rules!? BS! They're nazies and Prison guards who judge you and treat you like a low life criminal. They left me and 3 month old daughter in a HOT room because the air conditioning didn't work and REFUSED to put is in anothet room it was 110 outside for 4 days. When I complained about how hot we we're, I was called Overly dramatic. I went to the library and was told I was on Blackout and was NOT allowed to leave. You had to communicate by leaving notes on a board you were spoken to with disrespect Do yourself a favor and DONT GO!! I left, Moved out of state and now own my own home. Have an amazing Job make good money and My daughter is 3.5 happy and healthy. You CAN do it without them. Trust me

Roseville Home Start has a long history, over 23 years, of transforming lives by helping families successfully move from homelessness to housing, and families facing homelessness, avoid becoming homeless. The combination of life skills, education and support provided ensures lasting success. As a result the community is stronger, stable and thriving and more than 200 families are now thriving independently.

Unfortunately, there are those who choose not to follow the program for which they have signed up. Our policy is not to comment on their postings, but rather to focus on the success of those who are doing an incredible job of turning around their lives.

This is one of the worst places that you could ever have to go to. There have rules setup that are so vague that you may not ever be able to even stay. The staff are rude and cruel. There are no locks on your door. Staff can walk in at anytime and find a violation like a sticky floor after being moped as a reason to kick you and your children on the street. They kept our blankets as well when they made us leave. They put me on lockdown for being positive for my prescription and refused to let me leave. They put me on lockdown and would not allow me to leave to go to domestic violence Court or get groceries. The worst part about this place is that they take families that have almost nothing in and for no rational reason put them on the street with even less. There aren’t many reviews because by the time they kicked me and my children out, placed my food including my babies milk out in the sun, I had no where to go and no way to get internet or For even most people to ever get into a position again where they can write a review. Most of the residents that I saw leave had to go back to their abusers.

My sister voluntarily became a resident of  Roseville Homestart on  8/10/16, seeking help for herself and her daughter as they were homeless. She officially relocated from Sacramento county to Placer county and transferred her daughter (involuntarily) to a different school in order to gain admittance to this program. She voluntarily left the program nine months later,  5/17/17. The situations she shared with me that she experienced along with researching previous residents experiences ignited a fire of disgust for this program. Homestart claims their mission is to successfully transition homeless families into affordable, sustainable permanent housing and self- sufficiency, through a system of housing and support services that is comprehensive, flexible, accessible and accountable.
They are far from flexible, accessible or accountable. My sister voluntarily left Homestart because of the many situations she saw of families getting kicked out, cps being called if they kick them out, staff degrading the participants, and not returning money to participants upon exit. She also left because she was approved to go to a family friends' memorial but then the day before denied. Even though staff is in the office during office hours they lock the door and are not accessible. Communication is done on paper left on a bulletin board. My sister has worked for the same company for 5 years. She paid her program fees and only got $70 a week for gas, groceries and incidentals. Keep in mind that she works in South Sacramento and gas is not cheap. So she had money saved during the last 8 months to help her transition supposedly to the second phase. Then she filed her taxes and they took that as well. Now she is out $6000 because once you leave they lock you put and dont ever answer their phone. 
Id like to make it my mission to expose this organization for what it really is. Through my research i discovered the reasons why it has been able to continue preying on the weak. One is that if participants leave they are back to square one and have basic needs that take priority especially if they have to deal with cps, find shelter, food, etc. And the other reason is the Board of Directors are composed of top notch Roseville lawyer, CPA, insurance ceo's, Roseville police officer, and consultants in psychology & communications. So its going to be an up hill journey but I'm determined and confident that i can help advocate for those already wronged so that this abuse Stops. 

I want to thank all of the poor victims of (this so called) homestart program.i was also in need of urgent housing for my family.i have 3 children and my wife was due to have our 4th child in couple weeks.we got referred to this (so called family help) program and so i looked it up on google.i read the first couple reveiws.they were bad.i figured well theres always at least 1 bad reveiw about everything (u know theres always a bad apple trying to stir things up even if its really good).so i continue reading more reveiws,looking for where the positive ones begin..but that wasnt the case..every single reveiw that followed had the same or similar story/experience(i read every reveiw there was.at least 10).every family experience/story was identical to one another.all stating the same exact problems..all talking about the same person who directs the (so called family help) program.they all say the same name (amy) who took their money and dogged them in the end.they all say same thing how every family either quits or gets kicked out.they all say how they had to give the (so called) ppl all their money and lost it in the end.they all say the same about having cps called on families.all say same thing about being forced out with their children with nowhere to go.etc. etc...oh, and i almost forgot.out of about 10-12 reveiws,there were 2-3 reveiws that were (so called) positive.however,each one came from an annonymous profiles with no profile pics (hmm.i wonder why)and each of those 2-3 reveiws were nothing but critisism toward the victims who shared their experiences.saying stuff implying that every single one of those families were not there to better themselves.that the families didnt last in the (so called family help) program because they continue bad habits that put them in the situation theyre in.these annoymous profiles are actually downgrading these poor families.claiming that these less fortunate families refuse to do whats in their childrens best intrest.they are claiming that each family who doesnt complete the (so called family help) program its because that parent(s)didnt want to do any good for their children.these annonymous reveiws say these poor victims are more concerned about partying and being irresponsible rather than wanting to better their own families n do whats best for their children(added so much insult to injury)..so what does that sound like?ill tell u what i think..those 2-3 annonymous reveiws are actually the staff members from the scammed program they call themselves trying to run.they are posing as previous clients of the (scammed program) trying to defend the criminal operations they got going.if this place really helps families as a legit organization, then why does every family (who are all in the same boat with situations) tell about the same experiences,mishaps/misfortunes and all treated the same way and most of these negative reviews match one another word-for-word.and to top it all,why is this b!#ch "Amy" in everybodys story treating each family with disrespect and misfortune.taking these families money then kicking them and children to the curb wit nowhere to go and no refunds.now i dont know about u, but coincidences dont come in this size.my gut has always been my best freind. Homestart in roseville needs to be reported. Amy, along with her staff, need to be prosecuted..beleive..it IS in motion

I was able to see first hand the experiences this Non-Profit did to 4 little boys. They took their Xmas presents away from them and new school clothes and didn't help them to get to Doctor and dentist. They are evil people who suck the life out of you then toss you to the streets. I am not a client, but a person who cares. There is nothing but evil here. I would love to join in a group to have Call Kurtis look in to this. Just remember this "you reap what you sow" and I will be watching these people. Can t wait to see these people pay for what they have done to the children because they are going to grow up and see the Truth. SHAME on you. This is NOT a group of caring people, STAY AWAY!

Hard program but worth it in the end! I owe most of my success to the homestart program. WHen i first came in, i didnt think i could handle all the rules. I wanted to quit several times. I decided to stick it out because i began to see my life change with homestarts guidance. Being at homestart allowed CPS to close their case with my family. While i was at homestart i was able to get my GED which i have been wanting for years. They have retired professors tutor you as often as you need to be prepared to pass ur test. A lot of people don't like being in a budget program but it really helped me. People say they steal ur money but in the program you choose to participate in the budget program and let the experts worry about your bills. With homestarts help I have paid all my past debts i have been worrying about for years. I also saved enough money to buy a car for the first time in 10 years and have money to move into an apartment. With the help of the staff my resume looks fantastic and they teach you how to get and keep a job. For the first time in my whole life i have a full time job with benefits. I have never been able to support myself until comin here. I loved being able to have free therapy it has been somethng i have wanted to afford for many many years. The therapist is great and has helped me through so many tramas from my past. My children also have had great improvements from therapy and the classes. My kids used to feel like too much to handle and homestart taught me how to be a better parent and how to properly handle ur kids. The case management part is tough. They really push you to be the best person possible. I felt really supported by the whole staff. My kids benefited from homestart in many ways such as almost being held back in school to being the top of thier class with the case manager as an advocate for my kids. Homestart helped me get out of my abusive relationship, stay clean and sober, turn my kids lives around, and help me become a successful member of society.

On approx. 7-19-2014 myself and my 2 children was homeless and needed shelter and went to Home Start in Roseville, CA. The only money I had was $25 and on 7-21-14 I gave it to them, out of that they gave me a $5.00 check so I could wash clothes.then on 8-4-14 I gave them my Welfare money of $310.00. Then on 8-5-14 I left there because of the treatment we were receiving. Today I just received the statement from Home Start and they kept ALL my money. I am 33 weeks pregnant, they wouldn't let me go to the doctor and when I left they would not give me any of my money back, plus called CPS on me. All is ok thankfully because my Aunt took me in. I have called TELL 10 . I urge everyone that has had any problems with this place to PLEASE do the same. This is a non-profit place and I have never felt so abused. PLEASE, PLEASE FLOOD NEWS 10 WITH CALLS, NO MATTER HOW LONG AGO THIS HAPPENED TO YOU.

Terrible place!! Horrible people! Don't waste your time and money. They will lie and deceive and put you and your family at danger leaving you broke and in an even worse position than you had been in.

why do all the reviews with more than one star all sound the same and in fact are not reviews at all? they all tell of following rules etc...most people write reviews speaking of their own experiences and letting their feelings be known. The reviews with one star seems to have very similar experiences.

the shared experiences of most of the reviewers is what caught my attention. sounds like illegal activity is occurring here on a large scale and it needs to stop asap!
This place is life-changing alright, changing lives for the worse and putting the disadvantaged at a BIGGER DISADVANTAGE!!

Homestart is a joke we were there 36 hours gave them $300 when we got there they mailed us a check 2 weeks later with $102. They are corrupt I think we should all get in contact with "Call Curtis"

Well without homestarts help, me and my family are back on our feet. It was hard because they never gave us a dime back. They are crooks and thiefs. How do you take from the less fortunate and have a clear conscience? How does anybody supports evilness like this? We live in a society that justifies people like MICHELLE and the rest of the staff of inconsiderate, lying, manipulative and power control people who think they are better then you. I emailed everyone on the board and got no response but a call from the cops saying my money was a lost cause. I will continue posting on this site and others letting all the less fortunate families know of what this god forsaken company has done not only to us but to all the other families as well. You can also go to linkedin to find some of the other board members and get email addresses. I have also contacted every news station, including call Curtis, to let them know of the corruption that is happening at Homestart. It is not about the money now, the cops said that it was a lost cause, so now that I have a job and my wife has a job and money, we are taking this to the fullest. Beware all unfortunate families of the trap this company is setting you up for. My opinion would be to contact SAEHC, who are a staff of people who took care of me and my family, and homestart, you can rot in hell!!! Sincerely, one of your victims

I was told about homestart from a friend when my boyfriend and I were struggling. We were getting evicted from our apartment and turned to homestart for help. They sounded like a good program so we applied and moved in a week later. Needles to say it was horrible. The lady who worked with us was rude abd treated us like crap. The rooms are dirty and gross they give u nasty blankets abd expected me to put my 4 month old baby in a dirty play pin. They r extremley dishonest and do not care about ur well being. My family and I were only there for 3 hours before deciding this place is worse then jail. They took the money we gave them when we checked in with them and they refuse to give it back. The only reason they are still arounfbis because they rip everyone off. I wish I would have read the reviews on this hell hole before giving them my money. I don't recomend this place to anyone. I'm so disappointed and I hope they get shut down because they are not the great place they make themselves out to be.

My 8 year old son, wife and myself were put out on the sidewalk after 2 days of being in the program. Our worker Michellr gave us 30 minutes yo be off the property and left us there without a dimr. We just gave them over $400 less thrn 48 hours ago but said," To Baf" as she walked away with a smile on her face. She was rude, mean, direspectful and treated us like we were scum. I have worked all my life and have been successful, so this is very new to me. I cannot imagine her ever treating any of those famalies like human .beings. We still have no cash and no place. They should be ashamed for whothey are.

Home Start is a program that helps transition homeless families back into homelessness after psychologically tormenting them and making them jump through hoops, all the while telling them that "when they graduate, they will receive help sustaining a home".. the key word here is "when" and "graduate" hmmm....?? I wonder how many families actually have graduated from this program?
Most families can't handle the communistic way that the director of the program treats them, and end up quiting...and those that don't quit end up getting kicked out! . why? Thats a good question???

Homeless shelters that kick homeless people out after months of following ridiculous rules, for no apparent reason, IS IN NO WAY ,SHAPE ,OR FORM HELPING THAT COMMUNITY !! in fact its insuring the re-occurrence of homelessness !

DO NOT DONATE TO THIS NON-PROFIT!!...they kicked my son(1 1/2 yrs. old) and his mother to the streets with 1/2 hour notice, and with no money! Even though she had saved $2700 during her "participation" in this "non-profit" homeless shelter,not to mention my son was sick and crying, buckled into his stroller downstairs alone,the whole time while she was upstairs being forced to remove her belongings from the "donated" room she had been living in for 8 1/2 months, otherwise her stuff would be thrown away and or the police would be called and she would be charged with trespassing!...............yea thats helping the homeless alright. NOT !

This program does not help the people it claims to help. Families enter the program hoping to get help, when in reality they get scrutinize disrespected and be little by the director, Ann. I was a resident and did exactly what I was supposed to and got kicked out for no reason. Ann made my son sit out in the freezing cold weather, while he was sick, and told me I had a half an hour to clean up and move all of my stuff. They took my phone so I was unable to find anybody to help me move my things. I had nowhere to go thankfully a friend allowed me to stay with her for a couple of days. They "managed" my money the entire time I was there. I I had approximately $2700, I received my money 17 days after I was kicked out, and it was over $2000 short. The director, Ann,charge me $50 for kicking me out and proceeded to unjustly (and without permission) spend $2000 of money that took me over 8 months to save. I was approximately 3 and a half months away from graduating the program. In my 8 and a half months at home start I saw several families torn apart and kicked out. These positive comments that are written on this site were obviously conjured up by, Ann or one of her employees that she constantly makes do her dirty work, like Michelle/Kayla. I feel sorry for employees that have to work beneath her, but mostly I pray for the future families that will fall victim to her. I really think this place to do good, if someone else was running it.

I wish people could see this program for what it really is. In no way does this program help those it intends to. They have room for 30 families there are currently two that reside there. My wife, daughter and I were residents there for seven months. We were close to graduating until one day staff knocked on the door and told my wife that they would like me to leave. They did not give her any reason what so ever, just that they wanted her to stay and me to leave. They intentionally try to break up families, in the eight months we have been there I have witnessed this six seperate times. The final reason they gave me for exiting me was that my job did not meet their requirements. I have been employed since my first week upon moving in to home start. I am on commission sales and make more than any other resident did. How could my job not meet their standards. I had over 8000 dollars saved up when exited. I followed every rule they had and even some they made up just for me. It a completly arbitrary and inconsistent program. It would be a great program if they were consistent and did not go back on their own rules. The comments about clients not wanting to help themselves could not be farther from the truth. After exiting my family it took three weeks to send us our savings. They took it upon themselves to pay 3000 out of it on meanlingless things. They did pay some bills however a month later the creditors have yet to recieve them. I have done follow up on these bills and Home Start will not call me back. I have several thousand dollars in limbeau that I can not account for. People are worse off when leaving than they are when they get there. In some cases the clients are the problems some people can not be helped. However, the majority of the problems start with Home Start Staff.

Home Start is an extremely comprehensive program with many rules and expectations for their residents. Adults are expected to put their family first and to become contributing members of the community.

Lea3 below put it beautifully, “clients who don’t like to follow rules love to complain.” Individuals who do not follow the rules that have been laid out are not successful in the program. If an individual complies with the program that they agreed to upon arrival to the facility, they will graduate successfully, making a better life for themselves and their children.

It is unfortunate that our society makes it easy for capable people to live on handouts and do no real work for themselves and their family. Home Start is constantly bashed by ex-clients that do not want to put in the work. This is a unique facility that actually hold’s their residents to high standards and keeps them accountable for their decisions and actions.

Home Start is a program that prioritizes the needs of children in homeless families. Adults of the family are expected to abide by strict program rules and are taught essential skills. The goal is for adults to become strong parents and leaders of their family. Adults who put their children’s needs above their own thrive at Home Start. Success at Home Start requires residents to be honest with themselves and others, to take responsibility for life choices, and to begin making decisions that benefit the welfare of their children. Adults receive a detailed explanation of program requirements and expectation prior to entrance. When adults choose to deceive the program, they jeopardize the safety and wellness of their children. Adults must make a commitment to change their unhealthy lifestyle to benefit their children’s futures.

Home Start is designed for families who are ready to get their life back together. Those who are not ready to take control of their situation create frivolous complaints because they are required to obtain employment, pay bills, and take care of their family. Every rule has a purpose to better the lives of the families and Placer County community. Each rule is set to ensure success after graduation: to set up family values and responsibility.

To receive services such as Section 8 housing and rental assistance graduated clients must have abided by the budget program. The budget program is designed to help clients save money and payoff any outstanding bills. Disgruntled clients complain because money is going toward current and past bills rather than frivolous items. Home Start is about setting priorities straight – family, bills, and employment – to become a contributing member of society.

Home Start is a program that works for families in the community who are willing to focus on becoming successful members of our community. Families enter Home Start having come from a myriad of backgrounds and life experiences. Often there have been long periods of unemployment coupled with substance abuse and poor choices. Home Start focuses on the needs of the children because the adults are often the generation that chooses not to do what it is going to take to move forward, become self sufficient and provide the stability and home-life their children deserve.

When the parents of the children served at Home Start choose not to comply with the policies, create an unsafe environment for staff, volunteers and other families, they are required to find alternate housing. The facility is not locked, so folks are able to leave when they choose.

Unfortunately disgruntled ex clients posing as others are using this venue to post their opinions, rather than making use of the grievance policy and procedures that are in place at Home Start.

Home Start is a non profit audited annually and the financial reports are available to the public.

Home Start is not a "flop house". Strict rules apply and are enforced, for the benefit of the Home Start community and our community regionally.

My husband, son, and I needed a place to live so we contacted Homestart. It was good at the beginning then after being there 7 months they started treating me like a criminal. My husband couldn't find a job, so one day he went to the program director, Ann, and he told her that he had wanted to go to truck driving school. Ann suggested that he get all the information for the school and bring it to her. After fulfilling her request she told him to go for it. My husband went to the school for 3 weeks and was told that he had to go to Fontana to finish his training. He explained to Ann that he was going to be gone for 4-5 weeks, she approved it, however did not give him any money to live on, so he went. Given the fact that he had no money to live on he used his checks and had to ask family for money. While he was gone Ann would constantly ask me questions about where he got the money to live off of. When he finished his training and was heading “home” Ann said that he can't come back and that he was exited.

Finally, after being told that I had moved onto the second stage in the program, I went out looking for an apartment. As a graduate I was supposed to receive section 8, and help with rent for 6 months after leaving. I received NOTHING. In fact, I had to stay with family while waiting for the approval on my apartment. Its been only 3 months since I left (as a so called graduate) and I still have received no help, no follow up, NOTHING from Roseville Homestart.

That place is terrible, they need to have another person in charge. Ann breaks up families and ensures the reoccurrence homelessness in Placer County. I have seen so many kids and families get kicked out with nowhere to go. The majority of their money is taken and spent frivolously and is sent 2-3 weeks AFTER leaving. Ann uses the money as she pleases on paying the clients bills even after they are kicked out.

Please for anyone who is donating to this program, STOP!!! It’s hurting people rather than helping.

Home Start offers people the chance to become self-sufficient by assiting them in the path to employment and off government aid. They help clients with resources when they lack the means to obtain them such as a place to stay, food, clothing, and baby items. Sadly, many are not ready to end their drug, partying, violent and criminal pasts for a more family-oriented one. This is a great program for peope who are truly ready to change their ways.

Please do not give your money to this non profit. They claim their success rate is 90%, but this is untrue. Most families do not make it through this program. The director pays herself a hefty salary and treats the families that live there terribly. She has no humanity. They charge monthly rent of $300 to people who have practically nothing, while she draws a six figure salary. They control all of the government aid money the residents recieve and dole it out as they deem needed. When families leave they have to go to small claims court to get their money back. Most families drop out or are kicked out by the director Ann Engelbrecht. She is a terrible woman. The people there live in constant fear of getting kicked out by this woman. She is not there to help the children as she states on the Home Start website. She is there to pay herself a six figure salary so she can drive a Mercedes. It is really sad because a program such as this could really help people if they had the right person in charge. Please give your money to a different shelter.

Home Start helps families who want to put in the effort themselves. If you dont want to work hard this is not for you. The classes are great and helped me more than words can say. Clients who dont like to follow rules love to complain.

There are better homeless centers to donate to or assist. Roseville Home Start states it's purpose is to "transition homeless children and families into affordable, sustainable, permanent housing and self-sufficiency", but the program is little more than a shelter, and operates well below their capacity. Can accommodate 30 families with 99 beds, but many times the center will only have a few families living there, while other female/child shelters are at capacity and expanding. Most families drop out of the program before the one year contract, so housing placement and job assistance is not a priority of the center and is non-existent. All money earned/saved by families are administered by the staff and if a family drops out of the program, families see their saving mysteriously disappear or made-up fees for services materialize. Families are not giving printed statements/balance so their is no means for a family to accurately balance their own accounts.