New Beginnings

A month ago, New Beginnings’ innovative annual benefit event filled Center Stage Theater four times with two different theatrical pieces – Every Brilliant Thing and Jonny & The Baptists – each performed twice by creators Jonny Donahoe and Paddy Gervers, the British comedian-musicians with a passion for addressing issues of mental health. 

“They have a wonderful message full of compassion that’s always a lovely opportunity every year to get together with community members, some of whom know about us, some of whom are hearing about New Beginnings for the first time, or are just coming with friends to see a show,” said Jacqueline Kurta, the LMFT and PsyD who has been president of the nonprofit’s board of directors since 2020. Jacqueline introduced the shows and Executive Director Kristine Schwarz before each performance. 

Donahoe and Gervers shared stories and songs that illustrate the challenges of struggling with mental health through humor and a great deal of emotion. But the success stories of New Beginnings’ clients have even more meaning these days, as the organization continues to scale up and integrate services beyond its original founding as a counseling center for low-income individuals and families. 

There are now three additional foundational programs beyond the Community Counseling Center. These include Safe Parking, which offers secure overnight parking for the local population living in their vehicles – and currently boasts 200 spaces in 31 parking lots. Their Rapid Rehousing component involves case management to transition program participants into permanent housing and employment. The Supportive Services for Veteran Families program aims to end veteran homelessness within Santa Barbara County via direct assistance and more, while its Life Skills Parenting & Education Program teaches critical hands-on skills, mindfulness strategies, and overall life skills to those who need practical tools to establish and maintain stability in their home environments. 

Among those stories are former Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Deputy and Air Force veteran Ricky Middleton, who never imagined he’d lose his home before rising rents forced him to live in his van. Then New Beginnings’ Housing Navigator Matt Chapa helped him to enter its veterans’ program and the nonprofit’s Christian Morgan reviewed his finances and found a way to cut his health costs by 80 percent, freeing up the money he needed to stay housed.

“I finally have a place to call home again,” Ricky says in a video when he finally moved into permanent senior housing in August. 

A similar story comes from Jeffrey Alan, a Navy vet who faced homelessness due to his own unfortunate circumstances. Thanks to New Beginnings’ case management services, Jeffrey and his animal companion Lucy are now settled in a permanent home with essential supplies for the first time in two years. 

“It’s a new beginning,” he says, as members of the organization’s staff can be seen on a video moving in Alan’s furniture and essentials. “Thank Jesus.” 

Ed, one of the organization’s first clients, serves as living proof that patience pays off, as he recently moved into his new home. “Oh, my goodness gracious,” Ed exclaims as he opens the door to his new apartment and looks in wonder at the spacious living room. “It’s like being in the Grand Canyon.”

The stories have all been shared on videos on New Beginnings’ Facebook page, which Kurta explained are evidence that client gratitude outweighs the typical reluctance to make private issues public. 

“So many of our clients are of course hesitant to disclose their personal circumstances, or they want us to continue to keep their information confidential, which we always honor,” she said. “But there are quite a few who agreed to do these posts, those for whom this New Beginning for their lives is so powerful and impactful that they are open to having photographs or videos taken and providing a quote here or there about how meaningful it’s been for them.”

It’s all part of a goal for the nonprofit to get the word out to help the community understand that the organization has the four separate programs under the single banner of New Beginnings. And even more importantly, that the services are all integrated under one roof ever since the recent move to new headquarters, where staff can collaborate on providing services and solving issues, and clients can get the help they need without having to traipse around town. 

“What we deal with – homelessness, mental health – are uncomfortable topics at times for people, which can make it hard for us to reach the individual donor community,” Kurta said. “We have to work a little harder to find ways to engage the community and help to see what it is we’re doing and what that means to them, how they can relate to those experiences.”

It’s also an issue of informing folks just how much New Beginnings has grown over recent years, and the successful outcomes for ever-increasing numbers of clients. The staff has grown from less than 30 to more than 80 just since Kurta joined the board in 2012. 

This includes the counseling center itself, which now sports 35 registered intern-associates who provide most of the direct one-on-one sessions with clients under the supervision of staff. 

“It’s more than ever, around 35, which has helped cut down the length of the waiting list,” Kurta said of the center’s intern-associates. “The reason that they come to us is because of the supervision and the training from our team of 10 to 12 longtime volunteer supervisors – therapists, psychologists, and social workers – who offer their time.”

In other words, both clients and staff get a new beginning, whether in life
or career.  

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