Illumination Foundation Continues to Shine After 15 Years

By Erika L. Silver, Ph.D.

Founded in 2008, Illumination Foundation is unique as a nonprofit working to alleviate homelessness; it doesn’t focus on just healthcare or housing, but integrates both, providing an innovative model of care that supports clients from street to home. Over the past 15 years, Illumination Foundation has become a nationally-recognized and leading provider of housing and healthcare services, taking an innovative and collaborative approach to meeting the needs of the most vulnerable individuals, families, and children experiencing homelessness. 

By integrating physical and behavioral health services, emphasizing intensive case management and housing navigation, expanding children's programming, increasing housing resources, and emphasizing data collection and analysis, Illumination Foundation has built an impactful housing and healthcare program. Guided by the vision that every person has an intrinsic right to home, health, and dignity, Illumination Foundation ensures that their clients are provided with the support and resources necessary to succeed and attain the highest quality of life possible. Throughout all their programming, they serve clients who come from diverse ethnic, cultural, and linguistic backgrounds. They also work to provide their clients with the tools they need to overcome historic, systemic barriers to healthcare and housing. 

Illumination Foundation hosted their 10th Annual Chef’s Table gala on March 12, 2023 at the Disneyland Hotel in Anaheim. Top tier chefs prepared and served a multiple-course gourmet meal tableside to help raise funds to provide housing and healthcare services to those experiencing homelessness in the community. Andrew Sutton, Executive Chef Disneyland Resort; 40 acclaimed chefs; and 400 philanthropic individuals, businesses, and community leaders all gathered to support Illumination Foundation as they celebrated 15 years of disrupting the cycle of homelessness.

Mr. Jack Toan, Co-CEO of Illumination Foundation, explains: “Chef’s Table is a wonderful opportunity for the community to come together and get a better understanding of our mission. Last year, Illumination Foundation served nearly 6,500 clients through our shelters, family emergency homes, recuperative care centers, multi-service centers, micro-communities, housing programs, and other community support services.”

Chef’s Table 2023 raised $1.5M for Illumination Foundation’s services and programs. Dr. Pooja Bhalla, Co-CEO of Illumination Foundation, adds, “We are grateful to our partners, sponsors, and supporters for making Chef’s Table such a successful event. All the funds we raised support individuals and families experiencing homelessness on a journey to recovery. We have earned a reputation as one of the most impactful organizations addressing the crisis of homelessness, and the community support of our programming is very important and gratifying.”

Illumination Foundation’s service model is based on the critical melding of housing and healthcare. Illumination Foundation provides comprehensive wraparound services to people experiencing homelessness, including housing navigation, case management, primary medical care, dental care, behavioral health and substance use counseling, and connections to other services. Illumination Foundation’s goal is to increase clients’ health, wellness, income, and self-determination to ensure long-term housing stabilization. 

Throughout the four counties it operates in, Illumination Foundation currently has five recuperative care centers; four family emergency shelters, including one for children with disabilities; one navigation center; two multi-service centers; one Project Homekey motel site; one LifeArk modular housing community; 21 micro-communities; and 197 scattered housing sites. Micro-communities are shared living that serve five or six individuals. 

Illumination Foundation also partners with IFMG, an independent medical group, to provide primary care and behavioral health services. They have also forged several new partnerships and collaborations to help provide families with needed services. These include the University of California, Irvine Eye Mobile; Healthy Smiles dental mobile clinic; CHOC Health Alliance; and parenting classes provided by Olive Crest. 

The best way to demonstrate the impact that Illumination Foundation has on its clients is to tell some of their stories:

Sheila

Prior to being with Illumination Foundation, Sheila was a talk show host and a red carpet interviewer. Sheila had a double stroke in the cerebellum part of her brain which completely turned her life upside down. She lost her job and was unable to keep up with the medical bills. While in physical therapy, she was introduced to Illumination Foundation’s Recuperative Care program. The program helps the unstably-housed recuperate after being discharged from the hospital. Through Illumination Foundation’s services, Sheila is now housed and medically stable.

Regina

Regina is a single mother with two teenage daughters. Tragically, she lost her young son in June 2021 when he was killed in a car accident because her husband was driving under the influence. This led to her being the sole supporter of her broken family. Regina and her two daughters were unstably housed after this tragedy. When Regina and her family were introduced to Illumination Foundation and their wrap-around services, Regina started working, and they were able to remain housed. Regina works at My Day Counts, a nonprofit in Anaheim that assists individuals with developmental disabilities, and has recently obtained her AA degree.

Simone

Simone, a hard-working single mom, entered Illumination Foundation’s Bob Murphy Family Emergency Shelter with her four children after fleeing domestic violence. Simone and her children were living out of their car. During her stay, which began in July 2021, Simone utilized many of the services and resources Illumination Foundation offers, such as attending her case management appointments, and getting her school-aged children connected to School on Wheels tutoring services. She also attended our on-site parenting classes. With staff support, Simone was able to qualify for a housing voucher and obtain permanent housing. In addition, she was able to secure a stable part-time job.

In 2022, Illumination Foundation served 6,423 clients, providing 392,391 safe bednights; recuperative care for 1,192 individuals; permanent supportive housing for 476 individuals and 321 family members; and services for 258 children and parents in their family emergency shelters. For more information, to donate, or volunteer, please visit www.ifhomeless.org or e-mail us at info@ifhomeless.org.