About Us

•  Ventura Homeless Prevention Board of Directors List
   Ventura Homeless Prevention is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that prevents homelessness in the City of Ventura by keeping people in their homes.
•  Every penny donated goes directly to pay rent for households who have been stably housed but are suddenly unable to meet the current month’s rent because of a one-time event like a car repair, medical bill, or loss of pay due to illness or temporary lay off.  
•  Small financial setbacks have left our clients facing eviction, usually because they are paying too much of their income in rent — 58% of their income, on average.
•  Before we help, case managers verify that the temporary situation has been resolved and that clients will be able to pay their own rent going forward; they work with clients on budgeting and other strategies that will support ongoing housing stability.  
•  Over 90% of those we help are still in their homes one year later.   
•  On average we have prevented homelessness for one household per week since we began our work in 2007 — over 1,300 people so far, 40% of them children.
•  The average cost in 2019 was $1,135 per household or $445 per person.
•  We are an all-volunteer organization operating in donated space, and the Board pays our few administrative costs, so every penny donated or granted goes directly to pay rent and keep people housed.
•  Ventura Homeless Prevention is supported by regular donations from 10 houses of worship and over 100 individuals annually, as well as occasional grants from businesses and foundations. 

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OUR BOARD

Judy Alexandre PhD, LCSW

  Judy Alexandrs is Co-Chair of the Ventura Social Services Task Force.  She recently retired from Westmont College, where she taught classes in social work skills and policy related to intimate partner violence, child welfare, contemporary marriage, family, grief and loss.  She had a private clinical practice for 35 years, and supervised interns for many years as well.  Judy volunteers at One Stop.

Sue Brinkmeyer

Sue Brinkmeyer, Board President, is a former grant writer, grant director and community college professor of English.  She has served on the Oxnard Homeless Commission, chaired the Ventura Social Services Task Force and Lift Up Your Voice, and served on the Board of the County’s Continuum of Care, all of which are organizations dedicated to ending homelessness in their respective areas. 

Adele Ferguson, MSW, Client Follow-Up Lead

Adele Fergusonman is a retired social worker who worked before retirement with County Behavioral Health Outpatient Clinic in counseling and case management, and as a coordinator for the MSW distance education program based in Ventura for California State University, Long Beach.  

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John Sanders Jones

John Sanders Jones, Webmaster, served for many years as president of the Ventura Social Services Task Force.  He has been a community activist working to end homelessness for over fifteen years.

Gayle Matthews, HMIS advisor

Gayle Matthews, HMIS advisor, is Peer Support Specialist/Recovery Coach RISE Team with Ventura County Behavioral Health.  She served as a Counselor, Case Manager, and HMIS Data Quality Manager for All Turning Point Foundation Programs from 2017-2019. She volunteers with the Faith Subcommittee of the Ventura Social Services Task Force and Family to Family

Debora Schreiber

Debora Schreiber is a retired nurse and long-time activist in Ventura County.  She, along with her partner, Neal Andrews, was among the group at the Ventura Social Services Task Force that created the Ventura Homeless Prevention Fund back in 2007, prior to our incorporation as a 501(c)(3) in 2014..

David Schmutte

Dave Schmutte,  Board Treasurer, is a retired CPA.  He has served as Treasurer of the Board of Directors of Turning Point Foundation, past president of the Channel Counties Chapter California Certified Public Accountants Society, and president of the Ventura Kiwanis club. 

Sheri Ray

Sheri Ray, Case Manager Representative, is a case manager at the Salvation Army, Ventura, where she has been employed for more than13 years, serving in a variety of roles, including, Case manager, office assistant and facility monitor.  She has worked with Ventura Homeless Prevention as one of the primary case managers for the last 11 years. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Sociology from Cal State Channel Islands.

Our Advisors

Thomas Hutchinson

Thomas Hutchson is a partner with the law firm of Norman Dowler LLP, who has also had a successful career in business, encompassing sales, marketing, finance, management and manufacturing. He is past-president of the Rotary Club of Ventura.