Redding Restart: Addressing the Sheltering of Seniors

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Redding Restart: Addressing the Sheltering of Seniors

Friday, March 28, 8:30 – 11 a.m.

Mercy Oaks – 100 Mercy Oaks Drive, 96003

Housing Insecurity: Sheltering Seniors, Homeless, and Low-Income Individuals

The growing homeless population, particularly among seniors, is a significant concern. With 2 out of 5 seniors being disabled, the rising cost of housing, fixed incomes, and increasing caregiving needs create additional challenges. Many seniors face a difficult decision: pay bills or buy food and prescriptions.

The Joint Center for Housing Studies highlights four major points of crisis for seniors:

  1. Unmet Need for Affordable Housing: There is a severe shortage of affordable housing options for seniors.
  2. Lack of Accessibility: Available housing often fails to meet the basic accessibility needs of seniors, leaving them vulnerable.
  3. Escalating Need for Assistance: There is an increasing demand for support with daily living tasks and home care.
  4. Isolation and Unsafe Living Conditions: Many seniors live in areas lacking essential services, including transportation, and are surrounded by unsafe streets, which fosters isolation and further vulnerability.

Addressing these issues is crucial to ensuring a safer, more secure future for our senior population. Our purpose is to restart the conversation regarding the sheltering of seniors to our Redding community.

Get your tickets at: https://ReddingRestart_AddressingShelteringofSeniors.eventbrite.com

Panelists:

Carolyn Nava

Carolyn serves as Community Relations Director for the Disability Action Center (DAC), a nonprofit Center for Independent Living (CIL) founded in 1980 to meet specific needs of people with disabilities living in Butte, Glenn, Lassen, Modoc, Plumas, Siskiyou, Shasta, Tehama Counties, and an eastern portion of the Trinity County community. Ms. Nava assists DAC with local, and statewide public relations, and publicity, and helps ensure DAC team quality service delivery, information, and resources to people with disabilities, their care providers, and the public. In her capacity as a 20+ year multi-state licensed financial professional, she helps the CIL with resource development, grant relations, and grant report preparations. Ms. Nava also chairs the Center’s nine-county flagship Systems Change Activity, the Diversability Advocacy Network (DAN) which is currently promoting the region’s designated Aging and Disability Resource Connection and supporting the far north state Local Master Plan for Aging Advisory Committee.

Patti Divine

Patti is a Senior Social Worker for Shasta County Adult Protective Services (APS), where she works in collaboration with agencies in the community to provide resources and referrals. Patti regularly attends meetings, trainings, and conferences on how to best assist those in the aging population.

Patti holds a degree from the University of Utah in Psychology and a master’s degree in special education from Utah State University. Patti is married with three sons. Outside of work Patti enjoys being outside, running, cycling, hiking, snowboarding, and walking her goldendoodle Rocky.

Brandon Thornock

Brandon Thornock advanced to Chief Executive Officer in 2024. He joined Shasta Community Health Center in 2013 as Director of Clinical Operations and became the Chief Operations Officer in 2017. Brandon graduated from Brigham Young University with a BS Degree in Business Management and Entrepreneurship, holds an MBA from the University of Utah, and a MHA from Weber State University. Prior to joining SCHC, Brandon was a Clinic Manager with Intermountain Healthcare located in Salt Lake City, where he supervised 40 director reports, including RNs, LVNs, MAs, front office, other support staff, and physicians. Brandon is an experienced leader with a proven track record. He is fluent in Spanish.

James Stark

James was born and raised in Redding and worked as a Shasta County Marshal Deputy from 2012-2015. He was hired by the Redding Police Department in 2015 and was assigned to the Traffic Division and worked as a Motor Officer for seven years. In August of 2024, James was assigned to the Detective Division of the Redding Police Department, assigned to elder abuse.

Some of my other duties at the Redding Police Department have been: Patrol, Field Training Officer, School Resource Officer, Defensive Tactics Instructor, Police Explorer Advisor, UAV(Drone) Operator, All Terrain Motorcycle Instructor, Motor instructor, EVOC (Emergency Vehicle Operation Control) Instructor and I am also on the Redding Police Department’s bicycle team.

I am married with three boys who play a wide variety of sports. I like to go camping, ride motorcycles, fish, hunt, enjoy Shasta Lake on my boat and I have a small farm in the county.  I recently went on vacation with my family. We went on a cruise to Mexico for 7 days and didn’t even get sick (I didn’t drink the tap water).

Joe Ayer

Joe Ayer has served in nonprofit leadership roles for more than 25 years.  As the current Executive Director of Dignity Health Connected Living (DHCL), Joe is able to serve the community through a multitude of programs and services making people’s lives better.  With more than 60 employees and hundreds of volunteers, DHCL is able to make a positive impact on thousands of lives every year. Joe graduated from Chapman University with a BA in organizational leadership and earned an MBA from Brandman University (now University of Massachusetts Global).  Joe also has graduate certificates from USC, Marshall School of Business, and California State University at Long Beach.  Before coming to DHCL, Joe served as the Regional Director with Vitalant, the largest independent community blood bank in the United States.  Previous to blood banking, Joe served at the American Red Cross in various roles, the last, being Chief Operating Officer of the Sacramento area chapter.  When not working Joe is also an Adjunct Professor for two University graduate programs and serves on multiple non-profit and government organization boards. 

Originally, from Southern California Joe and Kara, who have been married for 25 years, call rural Northern California their home.  They continue raising 3 of their 4 kids, (the 4th is married), along with 3 sheep, 1 goat, 3 cats, 2 dogs, and 4 acres of land.

Joanne McCarley

Joanne McCarley is the Founder and Executive Director of ShiningCare, which is a non-profit agency established in 2009.  She is a Certified Care Manager and has a degree in Social Work, as well as over 30 years of experience working with seniors and functionally impaired adults in both medical and community settings. As a health and human services specialist, she acts as a guide and advocate for clients and their loved ones. 

As Executive Director, Joanne has utilized her education and experience to develop programs offering necessary resources and services to older adults, as well as the families and professionals who are responsible for them. 

In addition to program development and directing, she remains highly involved as Programs Director and Lead Care Manager.

Joanne views her work as more than a career and business. Having elderly loved ones herself, she understands the level of need for our kind of services and is passionate and dedicated to creating and providing superior, innovative, affordable services for families.