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Yolanda Salinas is an Enhanced Care Manager and Care Coordinator at Symba Center in Victorville, California. The organization is providing critical services for people experiencing homelessness in the area. (Courtesy image)
Editor’s note: This story was first published here. Video by GET Creative for The Pfizer Foundation and Direct Relief; article by Cemile Kavountzis for The Pfizer Foundation and DirectRelief.
Just over 80 miles from Los Angeles, Victorville embodies the stark contrasts of the High Desert, often shifting between extreme heat and extreme cold. Even on the edge of the Mojave Desert in the Victor Valley, the local city hall sits at an elevation of 2,950 feet.
Despite the seeming proximity to the state’s largest city, the geography remains remote, a reality evident on the formidable Cajon Pass. Across the arid region, resources can be spread thin, creating challenges in providing services for the most at-risk populations.
Population Growth + Workforce
Since 2000, the population of Victorville has nearly doubled due to the promise of homeownership and a vibrant community.
But there’s another story here, too.
Alongside the rapid population growth, the city has seen a sharp rise in homelessness. As a result, the local government entered a public-nonprofit partnership that is rewriting its path forward.
A Community Looking for Innovative Solutions
When William Lamas was growing up in Victorville in the 1990s, he recalls a small-town atmosphere where you could raise a family, and everyone knew their neighbors. The fast rise in population over the past 25 years, however, has brought challenges, too, explained Lamas, who now serves as the City of Victorville’s homelessness solutions manager.
The problems aren’t just local. As the most populous state in the country, California represents nearly 30% of individuals experiencing homelessness nationwide and around 50% of the country’s unsheltered population, according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (AHAR).
“
We knew that the problem wasn’t going to fix itself, so we had to take the initiative. We’d have to come up with a solution that really addressed and impacted homelessness.”
William Lamas, Homeless Solutions Manager for the City of Victorville
11.5%
Victorville population increase from 2020 to 2023
#2
City in San Bernadino County experiencing homelessness
Looking at the broader picture, more than half of Americans currently live paycheck to paycheck, making the situation in Victorville relatable. “For our city, one of the biggest barriers was the lack of resources,” said Lamas. Fortunately, innovative solutions were in sight.
Bridging the Gaps in Health Care and Housing
Co-founded by Dr. Shawn Smith and Dr. Brian Mogaka Nyamwange (also known as Dr. Bowtie), Symba is a faith-based nonprofit in Victorville that has forged a joint effort with the city to provide compassionate, community-driven care to underserved individuals.
The collaboration, which is supported by the Pfizer Foundation and Direct Relief, aims to support innovative approaches to treatment and could serve as a model for other communities.
“What makes Symba unique is we blend the housing and treatment-based approaches together to address homelessness,” Smith said, “We believe a medical, mental health, and housing model will support those in need.”
Through a separate grant funded by other partners, including the California Department of Housing and Community Development, Victorville was also able to build the Wellness Center, which opened in December 2023, on 4.5 acres of municipal land to directly address housing insecurity.
“
We would not be able to do any of the work we do without our collaborators.”
Dr. Shawn Smith, CEO and co-founder of Symba Center
Operating as a low-barrier emergency shelter, the Wellness Center provides 110 non-congregate housing units accompanied by support services, recuperative care, and access to Symba’s on-site medical clinic.
The facility also tackles real-world needs, such as allowing pet owners to stay with their four-legged companions and keeping families together so that male and female parents don’t have to separate.
The Stories Behind the Statistics
Individuals and families from all walks of life can experience homelessness. “When you have conversations with people, they think that homelessness is a very extreme outcome, when in reality it’s more common than people give it credit for,” Smith said. “We see people who have worked their whole life, who have been able to pay their bills, not making ends meet.”
“
We offer a complete wrap-around service — case management services, housing navigation, medical services and mental health services — which is the most important thing.”
Yolanda Salinas, Enhanced Care Manager and Care Coordinator at Symba Center
Homelessness can follow a financial setback or a personal crisis, such as losing a job, a partner passing away or a costly accident. It can be temporary or chronic depending on the circumstances.
Understanding Homelessness
Individuals with serious mental illnesses, substance use disorders, and certain developmental or physical disabilities are often at an increased risk for experiencing homelessness.
Chronic homelessness is defined as experiencing homelessness for at least a year or for four or more separate occasions over three years.
Working as an enhanced care manager and care coordinator at Symba, Yolanda Salinas encourages people to avoid being judgmental. “Everyone has a life. Everyone has a story,” she said.
She knows firsthand the positive impact her work can have. Once a young mother struggling with substance use, she found stability with the help of a case manager. With that help, she turned her life around – eventually putting her son through private school and buying a home in Victorville, where she now works.
Breaking the Cycle of Homelessness with the Circle of Life
Chronic homelessness and chronic illnesses can often go hand in hand, making the connection between health care and housing even more crucial in Victorville.
“Being able to stabilize in a safe space is what determines someone’s story,” said Dr. Bowtie, who grew up watching his parents host friends and relatives in need of a place to stay.
“
The people here believe in Victorville. They don’t just live here. They love here. That spirit has made it easy for us to serve because we are one community on a mission for everyone to feel at home.”
Dr. Bowie Brian, Co-Founder Symba Center
Later at university in Loma Linda, a locale famous for being the only Blue Zone in the United States, he met Smith. They envisioned a free, charitable clinic that would bring their expertise to Victorville, a community in need about 45 miles away.
“Symba is a play on the Swahili word, simba, meaning lion,” he said. “The S stands for ‘service’ and the A stands for ‘advocacy,’ so between service and advocacy, we hope to be champions of the circle of life and create a space for individuals to continue their stories.”
By enabling individuals to rebuild their lives, the city is working to roar forward with newfound strength.
