East County Transitional Living Center

09/02/2026

Recovery is about more than overcoming addiction. It can also include healing from homelessness, trauma, domestic violence, broken relationships, and years of instability.

ECTLC’s one-year program provides time, structure, stable housing, recovery support, education, life-skills development, accountability, and Christ-centered care so participants can address the roots of crisis and build a healthier future.

During National Recovery Month, Dr. Julie Hayden shares why witnessing people rebuild their lives, reconnect with family and community, and give back gives us every reason to believe that recovery is possible.

Learn more about ECTLC’s one-year program: https://ectlc.org/programs/

09/02/2026

Erika, we are so proud of you! There's no place like home. 🏡 👠👠🌈

08/31/2026

We cannot say thank you loudly enough. 🙏

ECTLC is deeply grateful for the sponsors, speakers, and partners who helped make this Homelessness Solutions Collaborative gathering possible. When organizations, public leaders, service providers, and people with lived experience come together around real solutions, San Diego moves closer to the kind of coordinated care our community urgently needs.

To our incredible sponsors, Grossmont College, Cuyamaca College, Serene Health, Feeding San Diego, Inner-Tribal Treatment, and CabiNZ Affordable Shelter Solutions: THANK YOU. Your support did more than help make an event possible. It helped create space for serious collaboration, honest dialogue, practical solutions, and renewed hope for people across our region.

We are also deeply grateful to every speaker who brought wisdom, leadership, experience, and heart to the room: Dr. Julie Hayden of Rhombus and ECTLC, San Diego District Attorney Summer Stephan, Lieutenant Matt Boktin and Sergeant Kayla Evans of the San Diego Police Department Intervention Services Team, Drew Moser of Lucky Duck Foundation, Mathew Mahdian of Serene Health, and Keith Cofield, a lived experience speaker from We See You San Diego.

These are the voices and partnerships ECTLC believes are needed to help people move from crisis toward recovery, stability, and lasting change.

Thank you for helping lead the way toward solutions that are compassionate, coordinated, and built to last. 🧡

Join us for the next Homelessness Solutions Collaborative discussion on February 10, 2027. Sign up or learn more at https://ushsc.org/

08/28/2026

🎉 Recovery Happens is back!

Join us Saturday, October 17 for ECTLC’s 3rd Annual Recovery Happens BBQ Fundraiser, one of our most inspiring events of the year.

Come spend the evening with us as we celebrate what’s possible when people are given the opportunity to recover, rebuild, and begin again. 🏡

🍽️ Delicious BBQ
🎤 Live entertainment
🎁 Opportunity drawings
🧡 Powerful stories of hope, recovery, and restored lives

And the best part? Tickets are just $30, and kids 12 & under are FREE!

📅 Saturday, October 17 | 5:00 PM
📍 ECTLC Main Campus | 1527 E. Main Street, El Cajon

Recovery happens. Families are restored. Lives are changed. Come celebrate with us!

🎟️ Get your tickets: https://ectlc.org/events/recovery-happens-fundraiser/

🤝 Local businesses and community partners: Sponsorship opportunities are also available! Put your business in front of the East County community while helping more men, women, and families overcome homelessness.

Learn more about tickets and sponsorships at the link above.

08/26/2026

🫶 From the streets to serving others.

After nearly 30 years of addiction that eventually led to homelessness, Edward came to ECTLC needing someone to show up for him.

People did.

They welcomed him, encouraged him, pointed him toward Christ, and helped him rebuild his life.

At his graduation, Edward challenged others to remember the people just beginning their journey:

“So be that person to the ones that are coming in. Don't ever forget where you came from.”

Today, Edward is living those words as ECTLC's Outreach Coordinator, bringing practical care, prayer, encouragement, and pathways to support to people still living on the streets.

The 2026 Point-in-Time Count found 5,108 people still living unsheltered in San Diego County.

Behind that number are people with names and stories. People who need someone to show up.

🧡 Show a Little TLC today and help someone take the first step toward safety, recovery, and a new future.

Give today: ectlc.org/tlc

08/24/2026

We’re celebrating a big accomplishment from our teen culinary class! 👏

Jon Roberdes, our Kitchen Manager and Program Coordinator, recently led a six-week Food Handlers Card and culinary class for teens on campus. Each student completed the program, received their Food Handlers Card, and then put their new skills to work by cooking and serving “Chipotle Night” for the entire campus.

One mom shared, “Jon, you are amazing. My kids loved working with you. You gave them an opportunity to shine. You work so good with the food handlers program, you are giving people a sense of accomplishment. The kids were so excited!”

This is what transformation can look like: practical skills, encouragement, confidence, and the opportunity to shine.

You can help more teens discover their God-given potential and build skills for a brighter future. Invest in programs like this through giving at https://ectlc.org/tlc/

08/22/2026

San Diego showed up again. 🙏

On Wednesday, August 19, community advocates, healthcare providers, law enforcement, elected officials, service organizations, and people with lived experience gathered at Marina Village in San Diego for the second Homelessness Solutions Collaborative.

Interest in this conversation keeps growing. The room filled to capacity, so virtual seats were opened to keep more people in the discussion.

The timing mattered. One week earlier, federal leaders announced the first-ever Best Practices Toolkit: Addressing Homelessness and Addiction through “Treatment First” at a press conference in San Diego, and the work happening at ECTLC and Rhombus is reflected in that national resource.

The conversation kept returning to one truth: housing is essential, but housing alone does not hold. With nearly 10,000 people currently experiencing homelessness in San Diego County, the need for coordinated, long-term solutions is urgent. Lasting change requires treatment, structure, recovery support, safety, employment readiness, faith, community, and enough time for progress to become permanent. The media coverage echoed that same theme, describing the summit as a move beyond crisis management toward a whole-person approach that integrates mental health and addiction care into long-term homelessness solutions.

As Dr. Julie Hayden shared, “I have watched more people than you could ever imagine go from the worst-off spot, where everybody else gave up on them and thought there was no hope. They changed their whole life. They’re great dads. They’re CEOs of companies.”

Thank you to Dr. Hayden of Rhombus and ECTLC, San Diego District Attorney Summer Stephan, Stephen Shebloski with the San Diego Police Department’s Homeless Outreach Team, Drew Moser of Lucky Duck Foundation, the team from Serene Health, and Trevor Frost, Sarah Roberdes, and Jon Roberdes, who shared firsthand stories of addiction, homelessness, loss, and recovery.

The clearest takeaway was the need for programs to work side by side, so that no one is lost in the gaps between detox, treatment, housing, and employment. San Diego can lead the way when we align systems, protect transitions, and stay accountable to long-term outcomes.

Join us for the next Homelessness Solutions Collaborative discussion on February 10, 2027. Sign up or learn more at https://ushsc.org/

08/21/2026

We love it when the community steps up! Underwear and socks are our most needed items, always.

08/21/2026

🎉 Get ready, East County! ECTLC and HOG MOB are throwing Pray 4 My Hood, a FREE community Block Party, and you’re invited! 🎶

📅 Saturday, August 29, 2026
🕛 12:00 PM to 5:00 PM
📍 ECTLC, 1527 East Main Street, El Cajon, CA 92021
🎟️ Free admission, all ages welcome

We’re talking live music and performances, low riders and motorcycles, free food, giveaways, jumpers, face painting, and a family-friendly afternoon packed with connection, encouragement, and fun.

Pray 4 My Hood is more than a celebration. It is a chance for families, participants, supporters, and local organizations to gather in an environment of hope, recovery, faith, and community.

East County Transitional Living Center is home to many families and children, and we want everyone to feel invited, included, and part of what God is doing here.

There will also be a resource fair with booths and support from ECTLC, Rhombus, Genesis Recovery San Diego, New Vision Counseling Center, and other community partners offering substance use disorder resources and encouragement for those building a better future.

Bring the family, invite your friends, and come enjoy a powerful day of music, resources, and hope. Admission is free!

08/20/2026

Grateful for everyone who showed up yesterday. Together we will help people end their homelessness and addiction. 💙

Yesterday, members of the SNAP team attended the San Diego Homelessness Solutions Collaborative, bringing together community leaders and organizations to talk about better ways to address homelessness across our region.

One message really stood out: a referral is not a connection. Helping someone means more than giving them a phone number or sending them somewhere else. It means creating a coordinated path to services and making sure people actually reach the help they need.

This really connects with SNAP’s work. We build trust by showing up consistently at several outreach events every month. Over time, people get to know our team and feel more comfortable asking for help for their pets. That trust can open the door to spay and neuter services, vaccines, microchips, and other resources that help keep people and their pets together.

The event focused on collaboration between nonprofits, behavioral health providers, law enforcement, government agencies, and private partners. Speakers shared how consistent follow-up, trust-building, treatment, housing support, and public-private partnerships can create stronger paths toward long-term stability.

A special thank you to Dr. Julie Hayden for bringing together so many organizations, leaders, and perspectives for this important conversation. Creating real change takes collaboration, and we appreciate the opportunity for SNAP to have a seat at the table.

SNAP is grateful to be part of conversations like these. When organizations work together and recognize the whole person, including the animals they love, we can build stronger solutions for our entire community.