February 27, 2025 • 37 mins
Welcome to the Driven Leaders Podcast, hosted by John Patterson! In this episode, we sit down with two incredible leaders who are making a real difference in the fight against homelessness: Gina Cunningham, Executive Director of HomeAid Orange County, and Sonia Lister, President of Jackson Tidus and a HomeAid board member. Discover how HomeAid, a national non-profit, partners with the building industry to develop affordable housing for families, seniors, and individuals experiencing homelessness. Learn how you can get involved, whether you're a professional offering your skills, a company looking to give back, or an individual wanting to volunteer or donate.
Don't miss this inspiring conversation about the power of community and the fight to end homelessness.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:03):
At Homemade Orange County we build a brighter
future for those facinghomelessness, and we couldn't do
it without dedicated partnerslike Patterson Autos.
Their unwavering support helpsus provide shelter and hope to
families in need.
Thank you, patterson Autos, forbeing a driving force for good
in our community.
Speaker 2 (00:21):
Patterson Autos driving community driving change
.
Speaker 3 (00:38):
The first step is just raising your hand at your
company and just take a littlebit of time and see where you
fit in and don't worry about it,because you'll find your spot.
That's why we're here.
Speaker 1 (00:44):
Our whole mission is to go and build units of housing
to make sure people have a roofover their heads, and I think
that's part of what I love aboutthe work that I do is I don't
think about this as a job.
This is just part of who I am.
Speaker 2 (00:58):
Hi, I'm Jon Patterson , and welcome to the Driven
Leaders podcast, where we getthe opportunity to talk to
leaders both inside ourorganization and outside our
organization that are making ahuge difference, and the way we
define leaders is people ofinfluence, people that influence
one, two, a team of five, orpeople that influence thousands,
(01:19):
and I am so blessed today tohave people that are outside our
organization that I've gottento know incredibly well over the
last really, you know, five to15 years, 20 years in some cases
, and so grateful to have bothGina Cunningham and Sonia Lister
on with me today.
So and this is a first so mostof our Driven Leaders are all
done in person, and so not onlyis this a first for us to be
(01:46):
doing a Driven Leaders on avirtual scenario, but also a
first where I'm getting a chanceto do two people at once, and
for those listening, you'llreally have an appreciation as
to why I'm talking to both Ginaand Sonia at the same time.
So, ladies, welcome, it's greatto have you here today.
Speaker 1 (01:58):
Thank you, john, great to be here, john.
Speaker 2 (02:01):
Thank you Well, so grateful, so grateful for both
of you and all that you do.
So, before we get going, I justwant to let you both know and
just affirm all the hard workthat you are doing and have done
and the impact that you've madeon the community, and so super
grateful for all of that.
But let's have some funinformal conversation and, sonia
(02:22):
, I'll start with you.
Tell us a little bit aboutyourself, you, your family, what
you do for a living all thatfun stuff.
Speaker 3 (02:28):
I'm Sonia Lister.
I'm president of Jackson Titusand commercial real estate
attorney by trade.
I'm a Valley girl through andthrough.
I grew up in Burbank with myparents and my brother and
sister.
I went to Burbank High School,graduated in the 80s before
heading down to UCI.
My parents this is a big partof my story, so I always talk
about my parents.
(02:48):
My parents met at UCLA in the50s.
My dad, a 6'5 English majorplaying basketball under John
Wooden, ended up becoming anEnglish teacher at
Harvard-Westlake.
And my mom she was an absoluterock star who literally broke
barriers as one of the firstwomen in STEM.
She turned her math major intoan incredible career as a
(03:09):
mathematician at Lockheed Martin.
And as for me, I've beenincredibly lucky in life.
I met my husband, glenn in theseventh grade.
We started dating in collegeand we just celebrated our 35th
wedding anniversary.
And we have two amazing sons,henry, who's 24, and Max, who's
21.
Speaker 2 (03:29):
That is awesome and I a little side note I've known
Sonia for a long time becausetheir son Henry and our son
Connor were best buddies inelementary school and it's been
a great to watch your kids growand just you know, the
relationship that my wife Julieand I have with you and Glenn is
second to none and so gratefulto have you in our lives.
(03:51):
And the funny thing is is weget to talking to Gina.
I never would have met Gina butfor our relationship with you.
So thank you, sonia.
Gina, how about you Tell us alittle bit about yourself?
Speaker 1 (04:01):
Well, thank you again for having me, john.
I'm Gina Cunningham and I'm theexecutive director of Homemade
Orange County and that is anonprofit that helps people
experiencing homelessness,primarily through our
development of housing and a lotof community outreach that I
know John has helped with overthe years.
So let's see what's a fun factabout me.
I grew up in the city of Orange, the same city that my mom grew
(04:24):
up in.
Interestingly enough, my momlives with me and has for the
past five years, and we justrecently moved back to Old Town,
orange and we are literallyliving on the street where we
both went to elementary school.
So it's fun to be back home.
Another good fun fact about meis that I'm a deadhead through
and through, so I'm a hippiehelping the homeless and that's
(04:46):
just who I am.
Saw Jerry Garcia long before hepassed and definitely enjoy
just the people and the love andthe camaraderie that comes
around that type of music.
It's kind of the same feeling Ihave at work.
I've known Sonia now for 28years, because I just celebrated
my 28th anniversary at HomeAidjust last week.
(05:08):
So I have been grateful to haveher as a friend, a colleague
and a member of our board ofdirectors, which she's on a year
pause right now, but we alwayslike to bring her back, so great
to be here.
Speaker 2 (05:20):
Well, awesome, and I did not know that you were a gal
from Orange and near the OrangeCircle.
You've got to be able to giveme and every other listener of
some great recommendations onthose awesome restaurants that
are in that Old Town, orangearea, because there are so many
great ones.
Speaker 1 (05:35):
Absolutely, john.
I'm also a member of the OrangeChamber of Commerce Board of
Directors, so we just had agreat meeting this morning.
We've got a lot of great,vibrant community in the
downtown plaza.
Since I'm talking publicly, Icall it the plaza, but those of
us that grew up there still callit the circle, and we invite
everyone to come to Old Town andreally enjoy the old ambiance.
(05:56):
I'm a proud owner of an oldhome in the Old Town District,
and so it's great to be back.
Speaker 2 (06:02):
I love going and visiting there during,
especially during the holidayseason.
The stores and the restaurantsdo such a great job.
Every time I go by ChapmanUniversity I'm fortunate enough
to lecture there a couple timesa year and when I do I always
get that nostalgic feel drivingin through Old Town, orange.
It's just a really specialplace and there's just not too
(06:23):
many places like it.
Forget about in SouthernCalifornia, throughout the
entire state.
Just a blessing to ourcommunity for sure.
Yeah, wonderful, so fun.
Another fun fact right so Inever would have known about
HomeAid but for the fact thatSonia, once upon a time this
would have been probably gosh,this is probably pushing
(06:44):
somewhere between 15 and 20years, 15 and 20 years ago said
hey, we're doing this, thischarity event, and I'm trying to
remember where the first onewas, but it might've been, you
know, the first one that Iattended.
I don't know if it was at theBalboa Bay club or by the, maybe
even by the spectrum orsomething to that effect, but,
um, I just looked at it as achance to go out and party with
my friends and, sonia, you got alot of us involved in that, and
(07:05):
so talk to us about yourinvolvement right.
So you are a real estateattorney, you're the president
of your law firm and you somehowmade this real estate
connection to HomeAid, and so Iwant to know how that all came
to pass.
And I'm sure a lot of peoplelistening, but as well.
Speaker 3 (07:21):
Yeah, yeah.
Well, you know my journey withHomeAid actually started when I
was a young associate at myfirst law firm, morrison Forster
.
I've been at two law firms inmy career Morrison Forster and
now Jackson Titus and they werethe law firm that originally
created the corporate frameworkfor HomeAid and I just kind of
fell into it, picking up workand helping where I could doing
(07:44):
legal work for homemade, probono legal work, and I was
really lucky that my firmsupported that kind of community
involvement.
Everything changed in 1998 whenI joined the board.
That was it.
I was hooked for life.
Gina calls me a lifer and that'sfor sure.
And at first, I'll admit, itwas just a great way to connect
with my real estate clients whoshared this passion for giving
(08:05):
back of the true homemade model.
And we team up on committees,plan these amazing fundraising
events, invite our friends likeyou, and honestly it was a blast
.
But becoming a mom reallyshifted my perspective
completely.
I started seeing everythingthrough the eyes of family and
my heart just broke for theparents and families and
(08:26):
individuals who had to seekshelter in our homemade projects
.
And, as you know, life kind ofchanges and my interests lately
have really been with seniors,and I think it has a lot to do
with my in-laws passing, and myparents too.
But in any event, that's kindof my start and it's just been
great.
Speaker 2 (08:45):
It's been a wonderful , wonderful road the outside to
(09:05):
think outside the box.
It's like we all get caught upin our day to day.
We get working in business on aregular basis and oftentimes
it's not looking at where we canuse our skill sets like you
have done, and thank goodnessthat you know your law firms
have supported it, but you'reable to provide that wonderful
skill set that you have to helpa nonprofit where people are so
much in need.
So you're an attorney, youunderstand real estate and and
(09:28):
and boy.
Gina, having somebody withSonia's skill set on your board
has got to be incrediblywonderful and certainly helpful
for everybody that's out there.
So, so, so, gina, why don't youkind of fill in the blanks?
So homemade, so we kind oftouched around it, but let's
really dive into how you gotinto HomeAid and how it's making
(09:50):
a difference in the community.
Speaker 1 (09:51):
Okay, Absolutely, and Sonia has been a huge part of
this.
As she talked about, she workedfor the firm that started our
corporate documents when theidea of HomeAid was actually
born in 1988.
We did a volunteer project foranother nonprofit, through the
Building Industry Associationand its members, born because
(10:17):
they were able to come in and doa renovation by reducing the
cost of construction by donatingtheir time and materials.
And so HomeAid was formed outof that idea in 1988, and
Sonya's been involved since thebeginning and it has become a
national nonprofit that isactually working through the
building industry to go out anddevelop housing anywhere from
emergency to interim housing topermanent affordable housing,
(10:39):
because that is really what'sneeded to help people that are
experiencing homelessness.
So HomeAid that started here inOrange County started growing
in the neighboring counties inour early days throughout the
state of California and we'vegone all the way across the
country.
Throughout the state ofCalifornia and we've gone all
the way across the country.
(10:59):
We have 19 affiliates that aredoing what we started here in
Orange County to really helpother nonprofits build their
housing for a reduced cost.
It's been incredible.
Speaker 2 (11:07):
So, for example, our connection with the Ronald
McDonald House.
So give everybody a, forexample, so HomeAid and your
relationship with RonaldMcDonald House.
How does that all fit?
Speaker 1 (11:17):
Well, ronald McDonald House was actually not a
partnership project of ours,john, but I know that you have
also helped the Village of Hope,the Orange County Rescue
Mission, so that's a greatexample of how we came in when
the Navy conveyed the land overto the city of Tustin years and
years ago when bases were beingclosed, and we came in and
(11:37):
helped the rescue missionrenovate about six acres, there
was existing barracks on thatproperty.
We built a new dining hall, achapel area, and really helped
bring that project to life forover 200 people that are
experiencing homelessness thathave been utilizing that space.
Let me think now, since it's2025, and I think we dedicated
(11:59):
that in 2008, it's beenoperating now for what's the
math on that 13 years.
My boyfriend, the accountant,would be very upset that I put
you together out of my headreally quick.
But it's because we bring thepartnerships, the collaboration,
together, whether it'sgovernment, industry, private
individuals like yourself and Ilike to call it the magic that
(12:21):
happens when we see a projectget built for anywhere between
30 to 100 percent less of whatit would have cost in the retail
market to develop housing.
So our talents needing realestate lawyers like Sonia to
come in and help us withcontract negotiations.
She has taught me a lot aboutinterpretation of the law in my
(12:43):
career and, especially, as I'vebeen our executive director for
five and a half years, learned alot from her.
She is a very powerful,intelligent woman that I lean on
all the time.
Speaker 2 (12:53):
I like to call her the velvet hammer.
She's got such a smooth touch,but boy can she navigate her way
around things.
And here's to both of you andanybody listening.
(13:14):
So I just became thatcommissary.
The kitchen and the dining area.
People always think about arescue mission as being a less
than scenario.
Maybe we have an image of maybea downtown slum type scenario,
and the Orange County RescueMission couldn't be further from
that.
You walk in and it's a luxuryapartment complex.
(13:35):
The chapel is amazing, and youknow, and I didn't know, how
intimately involved HomeAid wasin creating that.
So to anybody listening, and toyou, to Gina and to Sonia, I
mean boy, the work that yourteams did in creating that space
has just been absolutelyspectacular.
Speaker 3 (13:51):
Yeah, I think anybody who's interested in the work
that HomeAid does should take atour, should call Gina and the
team and take a tour, becausethat's the work that Homemade
does should take a tour, shouldcall Gina and the team and take
a tour, because that's the thingthat gives me the most pride, I
guess, or just makes me sohappy when you take a tour of
these places and you see, likeyou said, john, I mean, everyone
is first rate and the care, thedesign, the you know
architecture, the you know justthe craftsmanship that goes into
(14:14):
these, these projects areincredible.
And then when you kind of,especially for the kids, when
you come in and you throw in allthe pillows and all the extra
stuff that really make thoseplaces their home, which it's
going to be for, depending onwhere you are it could be
temporary, but it also could befor a period of time, like at
the rest mission, it's just,it's so cool to see it really is
(14:37):
.
It just warms my heart.
Speaker 2 (14:38):
So yeah, gina.
Tony Sonia just touched onsomething that I think so many
people don't know.
Oftentimes, when we think aboutpeople that are affected by
homelessness, we have this imageof this person that is sitting
by the road looking for you knowa dollar or what have you.
But what I found is so many youknow what is it?
A third to 40% of all homelessfolks are children under the age
(15:02):
of 13.
So can you elaborate a littlebit on the whole family
experience and not just so muchit being at an individual level?
Speaker 1 (15:09):
Yeah, thank you, john , for giving me that opportunity
.
I mean, we see peopleexperiencing homelessness on the
streets and so that's what ourimage is, and I don't think
people realize that we havethousands of people here in
Orange County that are at riskor on the edge of homelessness.
Family homelessness is biggerthan we actually can imagine
(15:30):
because families hide.
So you might see thatindividual experiencing
homelessness on the street.
Families hide because they'reafraid, if they don't have a
place for their children, thatsomeone might come and take
their children, and it is amoment for me to be able to try
to educate people that we've gotseniors.
Sonia touched on this earlier.
We call it the silver tsunamiin the nonprofit world because
(15:54):
senior homelessness isincreasing every year.
I believe last year's count wasan increase of 23%, and hence
the reason my mother lives withme Now.
She doesn't love for me toshare that story, but it is very
expensive to live on your ownin any area of this world,
especially.
Speaker 2 (16:13):
Orange.
Speaker 1 (16:14):
County, yes, and seniors are struggling having a
fixed income If they can't quitemake that gap meet, or they
don't have a roommate or theydon't have family to lean on.
Homelessness is easy to landinto if you don't have a steady
stream of income that's meetingthe demanding rents that are
happening every day.
So homelessness is not what wealways imagine.
(16:36):
Homelessness affects all of usand the only way for us to help
end it is to really buildhousing to make sure that people
have a safe place to live.
Speaker 2 (16:44):
So let's talk about different projects that you both
are working on together.
I know, sonia, you're a littlebit of a hiatus right now, but
so many of the projects that youhave done you know.
First, sonia, to you a coupleof the projects that have really
been passionate for you, andthen to you, gina, of the
different myriad.
Because you know, when we talkabout homelessness and projects
kind of, I think most peoplethink about it in the esoteric
(17:06):
okay, there's some houses outthere, but when you
fundamentally see something thathas made an impact, I think
that goes a long way.
Sonia, why don't we start withyou?
Speaker 3 (17:15):
Because you were talking about a couple of
projects, and I've been on theboard for a long time, so I've
seen a lot of these projectsbuilt, but the ones that kind of
stand out to me are a few.
So one is the Family CareCenter, which is the first
homemade owned project that wehad.
Our model is typically foryears it had been until 2017, we
either build or renovateprojects, like with the Orange
(17:37):
County Rescue Mission, and lendour support, facilitate the
construction and renovation andso forth, and then actually turn
it over to the nonprofit.
It's a gift, it's a gift backto them.
So the very firsthomemade-owned project was the
Family Care Center and that'sthe first emergency shelter for
families in Orange County andit's doing incredible and it
(17:58):
opened in 2017, I think, or 2018.
July, july, 2017.
Okay, so that's just been nearand dear to my heart, because
going there is just fantasticand that's for the people that
don't now have to hide, honestly, and they can get help and then
get to their next spot.
The next is the Yale Center,which was the County of Orange
(18:20):
project which came up duringCOVID, and that was a big, big
project and that's where Ginareally learned a lot about the
law and we had this greatpartnership with the County of
Orange, and Gina can tell moreabout the center itself, but
it's an incredible place fortruly like people who need to
come off the street.
It's a great place to go andget help and resources.
(18:41):
And the other one is just sortof a fun one that's coming
online next year and it's LaVida Village in Orange and it's
a great three old historicbungalows in the County of
Orange that Homemade haspurchased the City of Orange,
that HomeAid has purchased thecity of Orange sorry, but the
HomeAid's purchased from thecity.
We're renovating them, keepingtheir historic nature and adding
(19:03):
ADUs on the back and that isgonna be for families and
seniors to meld those twopopulations, to really kind of
come together, which I think isfantastic.
But the fun story is HomeAid hasa fundraiser every year.
It's a gala and an old one wasProject Playhouse and we brought
it back last year and had thisbig event where we had five
(19:26):
playhouses I think that weauctioned off to the public and
Jackson Titus bought the BarbieDreamhouse which we it was a
cool Barbie Dreamhouse I knowwhich is amazing which we're
donating to LaVita House andit'll be installed for the kids
of LaVita House next year,hopefully sometime.
So thank you to Jackson Titusfor doing that, always a great
(19:48):
supporter of Homemade, but thatwas a fun kind of different way
of lending our support last year.
Speaker 2 (19:53):
Oh, I love that.
Sonia, Thank you for the storyon all three of those and I
imagine for you and certainlyI'll turn it to you here in a
second you know, one thing thatI imagine both of you have been
part of is, you know, whateverthat show, the extreme makeover,
that guy Ty would say, movethat bus, and the people just
start, you know, just getting soelated and cried over all the
(20:23):
wonderful things that's going on.
So I imagine both of you havehad a number of those
experiences where you're openingup a house for the first time
that the benefactors, the peoplethat are able to use it, are
just beyond thrilled and justcan't imagine the wonderful
things that have happened.
So you know, Gina, you get achance to do this all the time.
Speaker 1 (20:34):
Well, and those are my favorite days, john the day
that we have the big ribbon andwe get to dedicate the project
and you know that people aregoing to be moving in.
It is like that magic, extrememakeover moment.
Move that bus.
Because that's why we're here.
Our whole mission is to go andbuild units of housing to make
sure people have a roof overtheir heads, and there isn't
anything that I love more.
(20:57):
I do love the moment we put theshovel on the ground when we
start the project.
But when we dedicate the project, or just yesterday on La Vida
Village that Sonia wasreferencing, we did a very small
ceremony where, before westarted drywalling, the ADUs and
the actual old historic homeswere gutted as well.
The ADUs and the actual oldhistoric homes were gutted as
(21:33):
well.
We signed the walls, we signedthe beams with notes of love and
hope and it brings that senseof calmness and just gives that
moment a special moment forthose families.
As Sonia talked about, withseniors is her thing and this is
really going to help our seniorcommunity.
Orange is a very old community,as we talked about at the
beginning of this, and we'retrying to keep at least anyone
(21:57):
that will have these affordablehousing units as their home to
be orange-tied, so they're tiedto the City of Orange.
Somehow They've lived in theCity of Orange, they grew up
there, and make sure that we cankeep our residents safe and
housed.
Speaker 2 (22:11):
And that's got to be a pretty special thing.
Like Sonia was saying, you haveboth older residents and
younger residents comingtogether in the same spot, so
that's got to be a neatcommunity feel as well.
Speaker 1 (22:21):
It's going to be great because the three homes
are next, obviously next door toeach other and we've taken down
the walls, and it will have awhole community feel, from a
children's playground to aplayhouse, to an outdoor
barbecue area, to a gardeningarea.
I think we even have dreams tohave cornhole out there
somewhere.
So it'll give our seniors, whomay not have anybody else in
(22:42):
their life but themselves, thesense of community.
They'll have family again.
They might be able to babysitand share their wisdom with the
younger generation and thriveuntil their end of days.
Speaker 2 (22:56):
So that's our hope and we certainly know there'll
be plenty of kids cruisingaround the Barbie dream house
dedicated by Sonia's law firm,so that will be truly.
I've got a funny story.
We were doing that projectPlayhouse, kind of judging.
I was popping in there and somelittle girl was on the top bunk
of one of the beds in that areaand she basically gave me a
(23:20):
stern look and said, hey, thisis my Barbie moment right now,
get out of here.
So it was.
That was a lot of fun.
Speaker 3 (23:27):
That was nice.
Special thank you to CityVentures for building that.
Good job.
Keep, keep, good job, sonia.
Yes, I'm having lunch withMichelle later.
She'd be mad if I didn't say so.
Speaker 1 (23:37):
Perfect.
Thank you, city Ventures.
Michelle's also a Passportmember, who I believe is a lifer
too, so wonderful.
Speaker 2 (23:44):
That is awesome.
Well, we talked about theprevious projects.
We talked about some of theprojects that are coming up.
So what's next?
I mean, you know how far out doyou plan these things out, gina
?
Is it something that you'relooking at a project a year,
five years, 10 years down theroad?
I just don't know the answer tothat.
Speaker 1 (24:03):
Yeah, we actually have another project that is
going to start being occupiednext month and that is FX
Residences and that's a 16-unit,basically an apartment building
, John.
That is for chronicallyhomeless adults, so it's
single-bedroom units.
This is for people that areliterally coming off the street
with the highest vulnerability,with the highest vulnerability,
(24:28):
and a chronically homeless adultis actually defined to have a
diagnosed mental or physicaldisability or an addiction or
dual diagnosis and has beenexperiencing homelessness for
more than a year or multipleepisodes that make up a year of
experiencing homelessness.
So this is another homemadeowned project that will be a
first of its kind to really helpthis population and we're
(24:51):
excited to have that occupiedhere in the next probably few
weeks and then it takes years.
We've got a lot of applications.
Some projects have been adoptedalready to work here in Orange
County and then we have a lot ofapplications at our committee,
which is made up of boardmembers and other volunteers.
Our housing committee reallygoes out and vets see if we have
(25:13):
the resources to be able toadopt it as a homemade project
and we really like to startworking with that nonprofit as
early as if it's just a piece ofland, help them get through
entitlement, really help themwork on the best design that
they can on the property thatthey have to build.
That is going to be, you know,centered around the population
(25:34):
that they're serving.
So I would love fordevelopments to be quick.
They often take a really longtime but by HomeAid coming in
and really helping nonprofitsand our team bringing the
expertise to the table, we helpthose nonprofits really be able
to do that in a much fasterprocess and obviously at a
reduced cost.
So we have a lot coming in thehorizon, a lot of units to be
(25:55):
built.
Speaker 2 (25:56):
Well, and that's where somebody like Sonia, with
her expertise and the otherboard members that, whether it's
law or building or what haveyou, they have that vision from
their day-to-day operation to beable to help you with stuff
that's going to be coming downthe pipe.
You know six months, 12 months,you know 18 months and what
have you, Sonia, have you foundthat to be the?
Speaker 3 (26:17):
case?
Yeah, absolutely.
And when Gina talks about thehousing committee, I mean these
are.
This is a group ofprofessionals made up of
architects, engineers,contractors from the best
companies in Orange County.
These are mostly board members,but also volunteers outside of
our board who just come togetherand these are top people in
(26:39):
companies.
You know my clients.
It's really great to have thatsupport and you know that's what
makes HomeMade so great is allthese different industries
coming together, practicescoming together, whether it be
law, construction, you know,architecture, engineering,
environmental, whatever the needis, homemade has that support
(26:59):
and just leveraging all thosedifferent expertise together was
basically, how you know, thefoundation of HomeMade and how
it was created, but it'scontinued all these years and
it's just fantastic to see thatmodel work.
Speaker 2 (27:13):
And Sonia, I'm going to tee up a question to you
based off of what you just said,and that is getting involved,
right?
So, whether you're an attorneyor an engineer or a building
construction guy or gal, howdoes somebody get onto the board
and how did it happen for you?
I mean, obviously it startedwith the law firm that you're in
, but you see people coming onall the time.
Speaker 3 (27:32):
Yeah, I think there's so many ways to get involved
with homemade and I love thisquestion because it reminds me
of where I started.
And if you're a professional, ifyou're in law, real estate, in
the construction industry orreally any field I mean any
field the first step is justraising your hand at your
company and, you know, gettingyour company involved, getting
(27:54):
yourself involved.
I've been fortunate enough tohave the support of Jackson
Titus, and not only in, you know, supporting me in providing pro
bono services for the firm, butalso, you know, volunteering
and providing financialresources and just getting
involved.
You know, I think, startingwith your company and I think
that's great the real magichappens when you join a
(28:15):
committee and that's where youreally get to learn what HomeAid
does.
There's a lot that goes on andthere's a lot of good that it
does, but that's where you'llmeet other professionals and who
might share your passion forgiving back.
I found my closest connectionswithin HomeAid, both personal
and professional, just throughmy committee work and it's one
of those things I always tellnew board members coming in like
(28:37):
just take a little bit of timeand see where you fit in and
don't worry about it, becauseyou'll find your spot.
Speaker 2 (28:43):
That's great and, Gina, not just the professionals
like Sonia that have joinedyour board, but there's other
volunteer opportunities forpeople beyond board members that
could be helping HomeAid in somany different ways, whether
through work or donation.
Help listeners understand howmore people can get involved.
Speaker 1 (29:02):
Great.
Thank you, john.
So I believe that you've beeninvolved in some of our
Essential Drive collections.
We do a big diaper drive aroundMother's Day to really collect
essentials that moms and fathersneed to make sure that their
babies are safe and dry.
So we've collected.
I think last year, includingall the wipes, we collected over
3 million items to be able togive back into the community to
(29:26):
those nonprofits that areserving families with children.
We've also done sock drives.
We've done toiletry hygieneitem drives.
We have volunteer opportunitiesat our emergency shelter in
Orange where you could come andmaybe tutor or mentor a child,
put together a fun event forthem, bring a different meal
than what they're used to eatingevery night and maybe plan a
(29:47):
little cookie decorating party.
We will have more opportunitiesat our permanent supportive
housing project that's going toopen for chronically homeless
adults next month and then, whenLa Vida Village opens, we have
a vision to be able to do maybecommunity events every quarter
and really just help support thefamilies on their journey to
self-sufficiency.
So we have lots of ways thatpeople can get involved.
(30:10):
We always need help with ourfundraising gala.
We also have a 24-hour givingday on April 23rd where we try
to raise $175,000 in 24 hoursand we need peer-to-peer
fundraisers.
If you have a wide network, ifyou're an influencer, please
connect with me.
Gina G-I-N-A at HomeAidOCorgH-O-M-E-A-I-D-O-CO-R-G, please
(30:37):
connect with me and I willconnect you to the right place.
Find your passion to reallyhelp people that are unhoused.
Speaker 2 (30:42):
That is so awesome and you know, we touched on a
myriad of different people thatcould be involved, whether it's
somebody like Sonia or anengineer, or a real estate
attorney or somebody inconstruction, right down to
providing diapers and helpingout financially and being part
of that community and providingsupport for those that are so
much in need.
(31:03):
What I hope is from ourconversation, not only are we
bringing attention to awonderful charity, but
challenging those people thatare listening to say, hey look,
I'm looking for something.
This could be that somethingfor me in a number of different
ways, starting small and growingit big from there.
So I hope that our listenersare able to take away gosh.
You know I've been looking forjust this and just this could be
(31:26):
a perfect home aid contributorthat isn't there right now.
So that is so great.
As we, as we bring this to aclose, just I'd like to.
I'd like to ask one lastquestion to both of you, and
that would be any last minutethoughts for for just anybody
listening, and Sonia, I'll leadwith you, and Gina Gina is the
head of the program I'll haveyou close it.
Speaker 3 (31:52):
So, sonia, any any last minute thoughts for anybody
that might be listening.
Yeah, you know, after all theseyears with Homemade, I keep
coming back to something my momshowed me, which is everyone has
a story worth hearing, and Istarted as a young attorney just
trying to help out where Icould.
And here I am still learningand growing from every person I
meet through my involvement withHomeAid and through people and
through my interactions withpeople like Gina, who is just an
(32:14):
amazing person.
If there's one thing I wantlisteners to take away is don't
wait for the perfect moment tostart making a difference.
Just do it.
Whether it's HomeAid or anyother organization that speaks
to you, just do it and show up,be present and have some fun
doing it.
Speaker 2 (32:31):
Amen to that Gina close me out?
Did Sonya just tee that up foryou.
Speaker 1 (32:36):
Perfectly, I love her to death, and I think that's
part of what I love about thework that I do is I don't think
about this as a job.
This is just part of who I am,and my mother shares a story,
since we've been talking aboutour parents, that she'll say out
loud is most children wouldbring home stray animals.
(32:58):
Gina always brought home straypeople, and she's right.
I have brought many people home, even for just one night, that
were experiencing homelessness,or a friend that I learned had
nowhere else to go but living ina motel, and at the time I had
no idea that that's actually adefinition of someone
experiencing homelessness if youdon't have a permanent
nighttime address.
(33:19):
And so I would leave yourlisteners with this, john.
Inherently, even myself, when wesee someone on the streets
that's struggling, want towonder what did they do to get
themselves here, and I want yourlisteners to always remember
that anyone you see experiencinghomelessness has experienced
(33:42):
some form of trauma in theirlife that has brought them there
, and it was not necessarilytheir fault that all of us, or
many of us, could be onepaycheck away from losing
everything.
We experienced that in theGreat Recession, families that
had degrees, great jobs, losttheir jobs, lost their housing,
(34:03):
and so, instead of maybewondering or judging what
brought that person there,wonder how you might be able to
help them, even if you look themin the eye and smile.
Speaker 2 (34:13):
I hope that everyone that is listening and watching
this gets out of it what I did,and that is the hearts that both
of you have for those in needand those people that we often
make judgments on that are astereotypical homeless person
just aren't that that the driveand the support and the going
above and beyond that both ofyou and your teammates have done
(34:36):
to to help the homelessthroughout Southern California
and beyond is is so admirableand I'm so grateful.
And the reason you know why weand I'm so grateful and the
reason why we do this is tohopefully give somebody a
thought that they could be morefor somebody else than just
(34:57):
themselves, because sooftentimes in our world we're so
worried about what's happeningon the day-to-day with each and
every one of us that we don'tconsider how we could be helping
others and oftentimes we havethat void that could be filled
just by getting involved.
So, so grateful for each of youand you are so wonderful Driven
Leaders and I'm just sograteful to have both of you in
(35:19):
my life and I'm grateful for allthe wonderful things you do and
so grateful for John and uh.
so we're grateful for john, hopeyou all.
Truly.
I am, I'm honored to know bothof you and I am so excited about
what you do and what you havedone, what you are doing.
So, to each of you, uh, thankyou so much for, for taking the
(35:41):
time out, um, and being part ofour first virtual and and two
person podcast at the same time,and and kind of working through
the nuances of that.
So, thank you and just thankyou to each of you for what you
have done, what you are doingand what you will be doing,
because that is truly a person.
You are both, each individually, a person of influence, not
(36:02):
just one person at a time in theprocess, impacting hundreds, if
not thousands, along the way.
So, thanks to both of you,thanks for taking time out of
your busy schedules to join metoday.
Thank you, john.
Thank you, john.
Thank you so much for listeningto today's Driven Leader podcast
with Gina Cunningham and SoniaLister and wow, two ladies that
(36:24):
are true Driven leaders, peopleof influence, and it was great
hearing the story of how Soniagot involved as a board member
into HomeAid as a youngassociate.
Now she's the president of herlaw firm and they're having such
massive impact as otherprofessionals engineers,
construction people, what haveyou are able to help as board
(36:46):
members along the way.
And to Gina Cunningham you know, in that not-for-profit
business, her heart for thehomeless and making an impact
and understanding that homelesspeople aren't necessarily that
person that you're sitting bythe side of the road.
They're people that have had atrauma that put them in that
place and you, me, everyonelistening can have a big impact,
(37:06):
whether it's using yourprofessional services, donating
diapers or anything in between.
So if you're looking for someplace to drive and use some of
your talents, this is awonderful place to consider.
And if you like what you heardtoday, don't forget to like,
share or subscribe so that youcan pass it on to somebody that
you know and we can make moreDriven Leaders out of the people
(37:27):
that we know.
Make it a great day.
At Homemade Orange County we build a brighter
future for those facinghomelessness, and we couldn't do
it without dedicated partnerslike Patterson Autos.
Their unwavering support helpsus provide shelter and hope to
families in need.
Thank you, patterson Autos, forbeing a driving force for good
in our community.
Speaker 2 (00:21):
Patterson Autos driving community driving change
.
Speaker 3 (00:38):
The first step is just raising your hand at your
company and just take a littlebit of time and see where you
fit in and don't worry about it,because you'll find your spot.
That's why we're here.
Speaker 1 (00:44):
Our whole mission is to go and build units of housing
to make sure people have a roofover their heads, and I think
that's part of what I love aboutthe work that I do is I don't
think about this as a job.
This is just part of who I am.
Speaker 2 (00:58):
Hi, I'm Jon Patterson , and welcome to the Driven
Leaders podcast, where we getthe opportunity to talk to
leaders both inside ourorganization and outside our
organization that are making ahuge difference, and the way we
define leaders is people ofinfluence, people that influence
one, two, a team of five, orpeople that influence thousands,
(01:19):
and I am so blessed today tohave people that are outside our
organization that I've gottento know incredibly well over the
last really, you know, five to15 years, 20 years in some cases
, and so grateful to have bothGina Cunningham and Sonia Lister
on with me today.
So and this is a first so mostof our Driven Leaders are all
done in person, and so not onlyis this a first for us to be
(01:46):
doing a Driven Leaders on avirtual scenario, but also a
first where I'm getting a chanceto do two people at once, and
for those listening, you'llreally have an appreciation as
to why I'm talking to both Ginaand Sonia at the same time.
So, ladies, welcome, it's greatto have you here today.
Speaker 1 (01:58):
Thank you, john, great to be here, john.
Speaker 2 (02:01):
Thank you Well, so grateful, so grateful for both
of you and all that you do.
So, before we get going, I justwant to let you both know and
just affirm all the hard workthat you are doing and have done
and the impact that you've madeon the community, and so super
grateful for all of that.
But let's have some funinformal conversation and, sonia
(02:22):
, I'll start with you.
Tell us a little bit aboutyourself, you, your family, what
you do for a living all thatfun stuff.
Speaker 3 (02:28):
I'm Sonia Lister.
I'm president of Jackson Titusand commercial real estate
attorney by trade.
I'm a Valley girl through andthrough.
I grew up in Burbank with myparents and my brother and
sister.
I went to Burbank High School,graduated in the 80s before
heading down to UCI.
My parents this is a big partof my story, so I always talk
about my parents.
(02:48):
My parents met at UCLA in the50s.
My dad, a 6'5 English majorplaying basketball under John
Wooden, ended up becoming anEnglish teacher at
Harvard-Westlake.
And my mom she was an absoluterock star who literally broke
barriers as one of the firstwomen in STEM.
She turned her math major intoan incredible career as a
(03:09):
mathematician at Lockheed Martin.
And as for me, I've beenincredibly lucky in life.
I met my husband, glenn in theseventh grade.
We started dating in collegeand we just celebrated our 35th
wedding anniversary.
And we have two amazing sons,henry, who's 24, and Max, who's
21.
Speaker 2 (03:29):
That is awesome and I a little side note I've known
Sonia for a long time becausetheir son Henry and our son
Connor were best buddies inelementary school and it's been
a great to watch your kids growand just you know, the
relationship that my wife Julieand I have with you and Glenn is
second to none and so gratefulto have you in our lives.
(03:51):
And the funny thing is is weget to talking to Gina.
I never would have met Gina butfor our relationship with you.
So thank you, sonia.
Gina, how about you Tell us alittle bit about yourself?
Speaker 1 (04:01):
Well, thank you again for having me, john.
I'm Gina Cunningham and I'm theexecutive director of Homemade
Orange County and that is anonprofit that helps people
experiencing homelessness,primarily through our
development of housing and a lotof community outreach that I
know John has helped with overthe years.
So let's see what's a fun factabout me.
I grew up in the city of Orange, the same city that my mom grew
(04:24):
up in.
Interestingly enough, my momlives with me and has for the
past five years, and we justrecently moved back to Old Town,
orange and we are literallyliving on the street where we
both went to elementary school.
So it's fun to be back home.
Another good fun fact about meis that I'm a deadhead through
and through, so I'm a hippiehelping the homeless and that's
(04:46):
just who I am.
Saw Jerry Garcia long before hepassed and definitely enjoy
just the people and the love andthe camaraderie that comes
around that type of music.
It's kind of the same feeling Ihave at work.
I've known Sonia now for 28years, because I just celebrated
my 28th anniversary at HomeAidjust last week.
(05:08):
So I have been grateful to haveher as a friend, a colleague
and a member of our board ofdirectors, which she's on a year
pause right now, but we alwayslike to bring her back, so great
to be here.
Speaker 2 (05:20):
Well, awesome, and I did not know that you were a gal
from Orange and near the OrangeCircle.
You've got to be able to giveme and every other listener of
some great recommendations onthose awesome restaurants that
are in that Old Town, orangearea, because there are so many
great ones.
Speaker 1 (05:35):
Absolutely, john.
I'm also a member of the OrangeChamber of Commerce Board of
Directors, so we just had agreat meeting this morning.
We've got a lot of great,vibrant community in the
downtown plaza.
Since I'm talking publicly, Icall it the plaza, but those of
us that grew up there still callit the circle, and we invite
everyone to come to Old Town andreally enjoy the old ambiance.
(05:56):
I'm a proud owner of an oldhome in the Old Town District,
and so it's great to be back.
Speaker 2 (06:02):
I love going and visiting there during,
especially during the holidayseason.
The stores and the restaurantsdo such a great job.
Every time I go by ChapmanUniversity I'm fortunate enough
to lecture there a couple timesa year and when I do I always
get that nostalgic feel drivingin through Old Town, orange.
It's just a really specialplace and there's just not too
(06:23):
many places like it.
Forget about in SouthernCalifornia, throughout the
entire state.
Just a blessing to ourcommunity for sure.
Yeah, wonderful, so fun.
Another fun fact right so Inever would have known about
HomeAid but for the fact thatSonia, once upon a time this
would have been probably gosh,this is probably pushing
(06:44):
somewhere between 15 and 20years, 15 and 20 years ago said
hey, we're doing this, thischarity event, and I'm trying to
remember where the first onewas, but it might've been, you
know, the first one that Iattended.
I don't know if it was at theBalboa Bay club or by the, maybe
even by the spectrum orsomething to that effect, but,
um, I just looked at it as achance to go out and party with
my friends and, sonia, you got alot of us involved in that, and
(07:05):
so talk to us about yourinvolvement right.
So you are a real estateattorney, you're the president
of your law firm and you somehowmade this real estate
connection to HomeAid, and so Iwant to know how that all came
to pass.
And I'm sure a lot of peoplelistening, but as well.
Speaker 3 (07:21):
Yeah, yeah.
Well, you know my journey withHomeAid actually started when I
was a young associate at myfirst law firm, morrison Forster
.
I've been at two law firms inmy career Morrison Forster and
now Jackson Titus and they werethe law firm that originally
created the corporate frameworkfor HomeAid and I just kind of
fell into it, picking up workand helping where I could doing
(07:44):
legal work for homemade, probono legal work, and I was
really lucky that my firmsupported that kind of community
involvement.
Everything changed in 1998 whenI joined the board.
That was it.
I was hooked for life.
Gina calls me a lifer and that'sfor sure.
And at first, I'll admit, itwas just a great way to connect
with my real estate clients whoshared this passion for giving
(08:05):
back of the true homemade model.
And we team up on committees,plan these amazing fundraising
events, invite our friends likeyou, and honestly it was a blast
.
But becoming a mom reallyshifted my perspective
completely.
I started seeing everythingthrough the eyes of family and
my heart just broke for theparents and families and
(08:26):
individuals who had to seekshelter in our homemade projects
.
And, as you know, life kind ofchanges and my interests lately
have really been with seniors,and I think it has a lot to do
with my in-laws passing, and myparents too.
But in any event, that's kindof my start and it's just been
great.
Speaker 2 (08:45):
It's been a wonderful , wonderful road the outside to
(09:05):
think outside the box.
It's like we all get caught upin our day to day.
We get working in business on aregular basis and oftentimes
it's not looking at where we canuse our skill sets like you
have done, and thank goodnessthat you know your law firms
have supported it, but you'reable to provide that wonderful
skill set that you have to helpa nonprofit where people are so
much in need.
So you're an attorney, youunderstand real estate and and
(09:28):
and boy.
Gina, having somebody withSonia's skill set on your board
has got to be incrediblywonderful and certainly helpful
for everybody that's out there.
So, so, so, gina, why don't youkind of fill in the blanks?
So homemade, so we kind oftouched around it, but let's
really dive into how you gotinto HomeAid and how it's making
(09:50):
a difference in the community.
Speaker 1 (09:51):
Okay, Absolutely, and Sonia has been a huge part of
this.
As she talked about, she workedfor the firm that started our
corporate documents when theidea of HomeAid was actually
born in 1988.
We did a volunteer project foranother nonprofit, through the
Building Industry Associationand its members, born because
(10:17):
they were able to come in and doa renovation by reducing the
cost of construction by donatingtheir time and materials.
And so HomeAid was formed outof that idea in 1988, and
Sonya's been involved since thebeginning and it has become a
national nonprofit that isactually working through the
building industry to go out anddevelop housing anywhere from
emergency to interim housing topermanent affordable housing,
(10:39):
because that is really what'sneeded to help people that are
experiencing homelessness.
So HomeAid that started here inOrange County started growing
in the neighboring counties inour early days throughout the
state of California and we'vegone all the way across the
country.
Throughout the state ofCalifornia and we've gone all
the way across the country.
(10:59):
We have 19 affiliates that aredoing what we started here in
Orange County to really helpother nonprofits build their
housing for a reduced cost.
It's been incredible.
Speaker 2 (11:07):
So, for example, our connection with the Ronald
McDonald House.
So give everybody a, forexample, so HomeAid and your
relationship with RonaldMcDonald House.
How does that all fit?
Speaker 1 (11:17):
Well, ronald McDonald House was actually not a
partnership project of ours,john, but I know that you have
also helped the Village of Hope,the Orange County Rescue
Mission, so that's a greatexample of how we came in when
the Navy conveyed the land overto the city of Tustin years and
years ago when bases were beingclosed, and we came in and
(11:37):
helped the rescue missionrenovate about six acres, there
was existing barracks on thatproperty.
We built a new dining hall, achapel area, and really helped
bring that project to life forover 200 people that are
experiencing homelessness thathave been utilizing that space.
Let me think now, since it's2025, and I think we dedicated
(11:59):
that in 2008, it's beenoperating now for what's the
math on that 13 years.
My boyfriend, the accountant,would be very upset that I put
you together out of my headreally quick.
But it's because we bring thepartnerships, the collaboration,
together, whether it'sgovernment, industry, private
individuals like yourself and Ilike to call it the magic that
(12:21):
happens when we see a projectget built for anywhere between
30 to 100 percent less of whatit would have cost in the retail
market to develop housing.
So our talents needing realestate lawyers like Sonia to
come in and help us withcontract negotiations.
She has taught me a lot aboutinterpretation of the law in my
(12:43):
career and, especially, as I'vebeen our executive director for
five and a half years, learned alot from her.
She is a very powerful,intelligent woman that I lean on
all the time.
Speaker 2 (12:53):
I like to call her the velvet hammer.
She's got such a smooth touch,but boy can she navigate her way
around things.
And here's to both of you andanybody listening.
(13:14):
So I just became thatcommissary.
The kitchen and the dining area.
People always think about arescue mission as being a less
than scenario.
Maybe we have an image of maybea downtown slum type scenario,
and the Orange County RescueMission couldn't be further from
that.
You walk in and it's a luxuryapartment complex.
(13:35):
The chapel is amazing, and youknow, and I didn't know, how
intimately involved HomeAid wasin creating that.
So to anybody listening, and toyou, to Gina and to Sonia, I
mean boy, the work that yourteams did in creating that space
has just been absolutelyspectacular.
Speaker 3 (13:51):
Yeah, I think anybody who's interested in the work
that HomeAid does should take atour, should call Gina and the
team and take a tour, becausethat's the work that Homemade
does should take a tour, shouldcall Gina and the team and take
a tour, because that's the thingthat gives me the most pride, I
guess, or just makes me sohappy when you take a tour of
these places and you see, likeyou said, john, I mean, everyone
is first rate and the care, thedesign, the you know
architecture, the you know justthe craftsmanship that goes into
(14:14):
these, these projects areincredible.
And then when you kind of,especially for the kids, when
you come in and you throw in allthe pillows and all the extra
stuff that really make thoseplaces their home, which it's
going to be for, depending onwhere you are it could be
temporary, but it also could befor a period of time, like at
the rest mission, it's just,it's so cool to see it really is
(14:37):
.
It just warms my heart.
Speaker 2 (14:38):
So yeah, gina.
Tony Sonia just touched onsomething that I think so many
people don't know.
Oftentimes, when we think aboutpeople that are affected by
homelessness, we have this imageof this person that is sitting
by the road looking for you knowa dollar or what have you.
But what I found is so many youknow what is it?
A third to 40% of all homelessfolks are children under the age
(15:02):
of 13.
So can you elaborate a littlebit on the whole family
experience and not just so muchit being at an individual level?
Speaker 1 (15:09):
Yeah, thank you, john , for giving me that opportunity
.
I mean, we see peopleexperiencing homelessness on the
streets and so that's what ourimage is, and I don't think
people realize that we havethousands of people here in
Orange County that are at riskor on the edge of homelessness.
Family homelessness is biggerthan we actually can imagine
(15:30):
because families hide.
So you might see thatindividual experiencing
homelessness on the street.
Families hide because they'reafraid, if they don't have a
place for their children, thatsomeone might come and take
their children, and it is amoment for me to be able to try
to educate people that we've gotseniors.
Sonia touched on this earlier.
We call it the silver tsunamiin the nonprofit world because
(15:54):
senior homelessness isincreasing every year.
I believe last year's count wasan increase of 23%, and hence
the reason my mother lives withme Now.
She doesn't love for me toshare that story, but it is very
expensive to live on your ownin any area of this world,
especially.
Speaker 2 (16:13):
Orange.
Speaker 1 (16:14):
County, yes, and seniors are struggling having a
fixed income If they can't quitemake that gap meet, or they
don't have a roommate or theydon't have family to lean on.
Homelessness is easy to landinto if you don't have a steady
stream of income that's meetingthe demanding rents that are
happening every day.
So homelessness is not what wealways imagine.
(16:36):
Homelessness affects all of usand the only way for us to help
end it is to really buildhousing to make sure that people
have a safe place to live.
Speaker 2 (16:44):
So let's talk about different projects that you both
are working on together.
I know, sonia, you're a littlebit of a hiatus right now, but
so many of the projects that youhave done you know.
First, sonia, to you a coupleof the projects that have really
been passionate for you, andthen to you, gina, of the
different myriad.
Because you know, when we talkabout homelessness and projects
kind of, I think most peoplethink about it in the esoteric
(17:06):
okay, there's some houses outthere, but when you
fundamentally see something thathas made an impact, I think
that goes a long way.
Sonia, why don't we start withyou?
Speaker 3 (17:15):
Because you were talking about a couple of
projects, and I've been on theboard for a long time, so I've
seen a lot of these projectsbuilt, but the ones that kind of
stand out to me are a few.
So one is the Family CareCenter, which is the first
homemade owned project that wehad.
Our model is typically foryears it had been until 2017, we
either build or renovateprojects, like with the Orange
(17:37):
County Rescue Mission, and lendour support, facilitate the
construction and renovation andso forth, and then actually turn
it over to the nonprofit.
It's a gift, it's a gift backto them.
So the very firsthomemade-owned project was the
Family Care Center and that'sthe first emergency shelter for
families in Orange County andit's doing incredible and it
(17:58):
opened in 2017, I think, or 2018.
July, july, 2017.
Okay, so that's just been nearand dear to my heart, because
going there is just fantasticand that's for the people that
don't now have to hide, honestly, and they can get help and then
get to their next spot.
The next is the Yale Center,which was the County of Orange
(18:20):
project which came up duringCOVID, and that was a big, big
project and that's where Ginareally learned a lot about the
law and we had this greatpartnership with the County of
Orange, and Gina can tell moreabout the center itself, but
it's an incredible place fortruly like people who need to
come off the street.
It's a great place to go andget help and resources.
(18:41):
And the other one is just sortof a fun one that's coming
online next year and it's LaVida Village in Orange and it's
a great three old historicbungalows in the County of
Orange that Homemade haspurchased the City of Orange,
that HomeAid has purchased thecity of Orange sorry, but the
HomeAid's purchased from thecity.
We're renovating them, keepingtheir historic nature and adding
(19:03):
ADUs on the back and that isgonna be for families and
seniors to meld those twopopulations, to really kind of
come together, which I think isfantastic.
But the fun story is HomeAid hasa fundraiser every year.
It's a gala and an old one wasProject Playhouse and we brought
it back last year and had thisbig event where we had five
(19:26):
playhouses I think that weauctioned off to the public and
Jackson Titus bought the BarbieDreamhouse which we it was a
cool Barbie Dreamhouse I knowwhich is amazing which we're
donating to LaVita House andit'll be installed for the kids
of LaVita House next year,hopefully sometime.
So thank you to Jackson Titusfor doing that, always a great
(19:48):
supporter of Homemade, but thatwas a fun kind of different way
of lending our support last year.
Speaker 2 (19:53):
Oh, I love that.
Sonia, Thank you for the storyon all three of those and I
imagine for you and certainlyI'll turn it to you here in a
second you know, one thing thatI imagine both of you have been
part of is, you know, whateverthat show, the extreme makeover,
that guy Ty would say, movethat bus, and the people just
start, you know, just getting soelated and cried over all the
(20:23):
wonderful things that's going on.
So I imagine both of you havehad a number of those
experiences where you're openingup a house for the first time
that the benefactors, the peoplethat are able to use it, are
just beyond thrilled and justcan't imagine the wonderful
things that have happened.
So you know, Gina, you get achance to do this all the time.
Speaker 1 (20:34):
Well, and those are my favorite days, john the day
that we have the big ribbon andwe get to dedicate the project
and you know that people aregoing to be moving in.
It is like that magic, extrememakeover moment.
Move that bus.
Because that's why we're here.
Our whole mission is to go andbuild units of housing to make
sure people have a roof overtheir heads, and there isn't
anything that I love more.
(20:57):
I do love the moment we put theshovel on the ground when we
start the project.
But when we dedicate the project, or just yesterday on La Vida
Village that Sonia wasreferencing, we did a very small
ceremony where, before westarted drywalling, the ADUs and
the actual old historic homeswere gutted as well.
The ADUs and the actual oldhistoric homes were gutted as
(21:33):
well.
We signed the walls, we signedthe beams with notes of love and
hope and it brings that senseof calmness and just gives that
moment a special moment forthose families.
As Sonia talked about, withseniors is her thing and this is
really going to help our seniorcommunity.
Orange is a very old community,as we talked about at the
beginning of this, and we'retrying to keep at least anyone
(21:57):
that will have these affordablehousing units as their home to
be orange-tied, so they're tiedto the City of Orange.
Somehow They've lived in theCity of Orange, they grew up
there, and make sure that we cankeep our residents safe and
housed.
Speaker 2 (22:11):
And that's got to be a pretty special thing.
Like Sonia was saying, you haveboth older residents and
younger residents comingtogether in the same spot, so
that's got to be a neatcommunity feel as well.
Speaker 1 (22:21):
It's going to be great because the three homes
are next, obviously next door toeach other and we've taken down
the walls, and it will have awhole community feel, from a
children's playground to aplayhouse, to an outdoor
barbecue area, to a gardeningarea.
I think we even have dreams tohave cornhole out there
somewhere.
So it'll give our seniors, whomay not have anybody else in
(22:42):
their life but themselves, thesense of community.
They'll have family again.
They might be able to babysitand share their wisdom with the
younger generation and thriveuntil their end of days.
Speaker 2 (22:56):
So that's our hope and we certainly know there'll
be plenty of kids cruisingaround the Barbie dream house
dedicated by Sonia's law firm,so that will be truly.
I've got a funny story.
We were doing that projectPlayhouse, kind of judging.
I was popping in there and somelittle girl was on the top bunk
of one of the beds in that areaand she basically gave me a
(23:20):
stern look and said, hey, thisis my Barbie moment right now,
get out of here.
So it was.
That was a lot of fun.
Speaker 3 (23:27):
That was nice.
Special thank you to CityVentures for building that.
Good job.
Keep, keep, good job, sonia.
Yes, I'm having lunch withMichelle later.
She'd be mad if I didn't say so.
Speaker 1 (23:37):
Perfect.
Thank you, city Ventures.
Michelle's also a Passportmember, who I believe is a lifer
too, so wonderful.
Speaker 2 (23:44):
That is awesome.
Well, we talked about theprevious projects.
We talked about some of theprojects that are coming up.
So what's next?
I mean, you know how far out doyou plan these things out, gina
?
Is it something that you'relooking at a project a year,
five years, 10 years down theroad?
I just don't know the answer tothat.
Speaker 1 (24:03):
Yeah, we actually have another project that is
going to start being occupiednext month and that is FX
Residences and that's a 16-unit,basically an apartment building
, John.
That is for chronicallyhomeless adults, so it's
single-bedroom units.
This is for people that areliterally coming off the street
with the highest vulnerability,with the highest vulnerability,
(24:28):
and a chronically homeless adultis actually defined to have a
diagnosed mental or physicaldisability or an addiction or
dual diagnosis and has beenexperiencing homelessness for
more than a year or multipleepisodes that make up a year of
experiencing homelessness.
So this is another homemadeowned project that will be a
first of its kind to really helpthis population and we're
(24:51):
excited to have that occupiedhere in the next probably few
weeks and then it takes years.
We've got a lot of applications.
Some projects have been adoptedalready to work here in Orange
County and then we have a lot ofapplications at our committee,
which is made up of boardmembers and other volunteers.
Our housing committee reallygoes out and vets see if we have
(25:13):
the resources to be able toadopt it as a homemade project
and we really like to startworking with that nonprofit as
early as if it's just a piece ofland, help them get through
entitlement, really help themwork on the best design that
they can on the property thatthey have to build.
That is going to be, you know,centered around the population
(25:34):
that they're serving.
So I would love fordevelopments to be quick.
They often take a really longtime but by HomeAid coming in
and really helping nonprofitsand our team bringing the
expertise to the table, we helpthose nonprofits really be able
to do that in a much fasterprocess and obviously at a
reduced cost.
So we have a lot coming in thehorizon, a lot of units to be
(25:55):
built.
Speaker 2 (25:56):
Well, and that's where somebody like Sonia, with
her expertise and the otherboard members that, whether it's
law or building or what haveyou, they have that vision from
their day-to-day operation to beable to help you with stuff
that's going to be coming downthe pipe.
You know six months, 12 months,you know 18 months and what
have you, Sonia, have you foundthat to be the?
Speaker 3 (26:17):
case?
Yeah, absolutely.
And when Gina talks about thehousing committee, I mean these
are.
This is a group ofprofessionals made up of
architects, engineers,contractors from the best
companies in Orange County.
These are mostly board members,but also volunteers outside of
our board who just come togetherand these are top people in
(26:39):
companies.
You know my clients.
It's really great to have thatsupport and you know that's what
makes HomeMade so great is allthese different industries
coming together, practicescoming together, whether it be
law, construction, you know,architecture, engineering,
environmental, whatever the needis, homemade has that support
(26:59):
and just leveraging all thosedifferent expertise together was
basically, how you know, thefoundation of HomeMade and how
it was created, but it'scontinued all these years and
it's just fantastic to see thatmodel work.
Speaker 2 (27:13):
And Sonia, I'm going to tee up a question to you
based off of what you just said,and that is getting involved,
right?
So, whether you're an attorneyor an engineer or a building
construction guy or gal, howdoes somebody get onto the board
and how did it happen for you?
I mean, obviously it startedwith the law firm that you're in
, but you see people coming onall the time.
Speaker 3 (27:32):
Yeah, I think there's so many ways to get involved
with homemade and I love thisquestion because it reminds me
of where I started.
And if you're a professional, ifyou're in law, real estate, in
the construction industry orreally any field I mean any
field the first step is justraising your hand at your
company and, you know, gettingyour company involved, getting
(27:54):
yourself involved.
I've been fortunate enough tohave the support of Jackson
Titus, and not only in, you know, supporting me in providing pro
bono services for the firm, butalso, you know, volunteering
and providing financialresources and just getting
involved.
You know, I think, startingwith your company and I think
that's great the real magichappens when you join a
(28:15):
committee and that's where youreally get to learn what HomeAid
does.
There's a lot that goes on andthere's a lot of good that it
does, but that's where you'llmeet other professionals and who
might share your passion forgiving back.
I found my closest connectionswithin HomeAid, both personal
and professional, just throughmy committee work and it's one
of those things I always tellnew board members coming in like
(28:37):
just take a little bit of timeand see where you fit in and
don't worry about it, becauseyou'll find your spot.
Speaker 2 (28:43):
That's great and, Gina, not just the professionals
like Sonia that have joinedyour board, but there's other
volunteer opportunities forpeople beyond board members that
could be helping HomeAid in somany different ways, whether
through work or donation.
Help listeners understand howmore people can get involved.
Speaker 1 (29:02):
Great.
Thank you, john.
So I believe that you've beeninvolved in some of our
Essential Drive collections.
We do a big diaper drive aroundMother's Day to really collect
essentials that moms and fathersneed to make sure that their
babies are safe and dry.
So we've collected.
I think last year, includingall the wipes, we collected over
3 million items to be able togive back into the community to
(29:26):
those nonprofits that areserving families with children.
We've also done sock drives.
We've done toiletry hygieneitem drives.
We have volunteer opportunitiesat our emergency shelter in
Orange where you could come andmaybe tutor or mentor a child,
put together a fun event forthem, bring a different meal
than what they're used to eatingevery night and maybe plan a
(29:47):
little cookie decorating party.
We will have more opportunitiesat our permanent supportive
housing project that's going toopen for chronically homeless
adults next month and then, whenLa Vida Village opens, we have
a vision to be able to do maybecommunity events every quarter
and really just help support thefamilies on their journey to
self-sufficiency.
So we have lots of ways thatpeople can get involved.
(30:10):
We always need help with ourfundraising gala.
We also have a 24-hour givingday on April 23rd where we try
to raise $175,000 in 24 hoursand we need peer-to-peer
fundraisers.
If you have a wide network, ifyou're an influencer, please
connect with me.
Gina G-I-N-A at HomeAidOCorgH-O-M-E-A-I-D-O-CO-R-G, please
(30:37):
connect with me and I willconnect you to the right place.
Find your passion to reallyhelp people that are unhoused.
Speaker 2 (30:42):
That is so awesome and you know, we touched on a
myriad of different people thatcould be involved, whether it's
somebody like Sonia or anengineer, or a real estate
attorney or somebody inconstruction, right down to
providing diapers and helpingout financially and being part
of that community and providingsupport for those that are so
much in need.
(31:03):
What I hope is from ourconversation, not only are we
bringing attention to awonderful charity, but
challenging those people thatare listening to say, hey look,
I'm looking for something.
This could be that somethingfor me in a number of different
ways, starting small and growingit big from there.
So I hope that our listenersare able to take away gosh.
You know I've been looking forjust this and just this could be
(31:26):
a perfect home aid contributorthat isn't there right now.
So that is so great.
As we, as we bring this to aclose, just I'd like to.
I'd like to ask one lastquestion to both of you, and
that would be any last minutethoughts for for just anybody
listening, and Sonia, I'll leadwith you, and Gina Gina is the
head of the program I'll haveyou close it.
Speaker 3 (31:52):
So, sonia, any any last minute thoughts for anybody
that might be listening.
Yeah, you know, after all theseyears with Homemade, I keep
coming back to something my momshowed me, which is everyone has
a story worth hearing, and Istarted as a young attorney just
trying to help out where Icould.
And here I am still learningand growing from every person I
meet through my involvement withHomeAid and through people and
through my interactions withpeople like Gina, who is just an
(32:14):
amazing person.
If there's one thing I wantlisteners to take away is don't
wait for the perfect moment tostart making a difference.
Just do it.
Whether it's HomeAid or anyother organization that speaks
to you, just do it and show up,be present and have some fun
doing it.
Speaker 2 (32:31):
Amen to that Gina close me out?
Did Sonya just tee that up foryou.
Speaker 1 (32:36):
Perfectly, I love her to death, and I think that's
part of what I love about thework that I do is I don't think
about this as a job.
This is just part of who I am,and my mother shares a story,
since we've been talking aboutour parents, that she'll say out
loud is most children wouldbring home stray animals.
(32:58):
Gina always brought home straypeople, and she's right.
I have brought many people home, even for just one night, that
were experiencing homelessness,or a friend that I learned had
nowhere else to go but living ina motel, and at the time I had
no idea that that's actually adefinition of someone
experiencing homelessness if youdon't have a permanent
nighttime address.
(33:19):
And so I would leave yourlisteners with this, john.
Inherently, even myself, when wesee someone on the streets
that's struggling, want towonder what did they do to get
themselves here, and I want yourlisteners to always remember
that anyone you see experiencinghomelessness has experienced
(33:42):
some form of trauma in theirlife that has brought them there
, and it was not necessarilytheir fault that all of us, or
many of us, could be onepaycheck away from losing
everything.
We experienced that in theGreat Recession, families that
had degrees, great jobs, losttheir jobs, lost their housing,
(34:03):
and so, instead of maybewondering or judging what
brought that person there,wonder how you might be able to
help them, even if you look themin the eye and smile.
Speaker 2 (34:13):
I hope that everyone that is listening and watching
this gets out of it what I did,and that is the hearts that both
of you have for those in needand those people that we often
make judgments on that are astereotypical homeless person
just aren't that that the driveand the support and the going
above and beyond that both ofyou and your teammates have done
(34:36):
to to help the homelessthroughout Southern California
and beyond is is so admirableand I'm so grateful.
And the reason you know why weand I'm so grateful and the
reason why we do this is tohopefully give somebody a
thought that they could be morefor somebody else than just
(34:57):
themselves, because sooftentimes in our world we're so
worried about what's happeningon the day-to-day with each and
every one of us that we don'tconsider how we could be helping
others and oftentimes we havethat void that could be filled
just by getting involved.
So, so grateful for each of youand you are so wonderful Driven
Leaders and I'm just sograteful to have both of you in
(35:19):
my life and I'm grateful for allthe wonderful things you do and
so grateful for John and uh.
so we're grateful for john, hopeyou all.
Truly.
I am, I'm honored to know bothof you and I am so excited about
what you do and what you havedone, what you are doing.
So, to each of you, uh, thankyou so much for, for taking the
(35:41):
time out, um, and being part ofour first virtual and and two
person podcast at the same time,and and kind of working through
the nuances of that.
So, thank you and just thankyou to each of you for what you
have done, what you are doingand what you will be doing,
because that is truly a person.
You are both, each individually, a person of influence, not
(36:02):
just one person at a time in theprocess, impacting hundreds, if
not thousands, along the way.
So, thanks to both of you,thanks for taking time out of
your busy schedules to join metoday.
Thank you, john.
Thank you, john.
Thank you so much for listeningto today's Driven Leader podcast
with Gina Cunningham and SoniaLister and wow, two ladies that
(36:24):
are true Driven leaders, peopleof influence, and it was great
hearing the story of how Soniagot involved as a board member
into HomeAid as a youngassociate.
Now she's the president of herlaw firm and they're having such
massive impact as otherprofessionals engineers,
construction people, what haveyou are able to help as board
(36:46):
members along the way.
And to Gina Cunningham you know, in that not-for-profit
business, her heart for thehomeless and making an impact
and understanding that homelesspeople aren't necessarily that
person that you're sitting bythe side of the road.
They're people that have had atrauma that put them in that
place and you, me, everyonelistening can have a big impact,
(37:06):
whether it's using yourprofessional services, donating
diapers or anything in between.
So if you're looking for someplace to drive and use some of
your talents, this is awonderful place to consider.
And if you like what you heardtoday, don't forget to like,
share or subscribe so that youcan pass it on to somebody that
you know and we can make moreDriven Leaders out of the people
(37:27):
that we know.
Make it a great day.
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