“It Takes A Village To Help One Person At A Time” – Halley Crumb, Founder and CEO of Retraining The Village Nonprofit.

Retraining the Village has been providing transitional housing and innovative retraining services for six years now, and it’s working. They have had multiple men graduate from the village with an 85% reentry success rate. The men are doing well on their own, staying in their homes and staying employed.

Donations and volunteer support from the San Mateo County community and it’s leaders, can help more men get off the streets.

The non-profit recently celebrated the acquisition of it’s third home, called the A&J house. The new home is already filled to capacity, and is equipped with an onsite classroom, bridging the gap between technology and stability, and a COVID room, in case any of the residents test positive for the virus.

“Retraining the Village Is the Bridge Between Homelessness and Permanent Housing,” says Halley.

During their three-to-six-month transition, the village becomes more like family to the men and they feel safe and supported in a home environment.

The men receive turnkey solutions in the following areas:

• Personal Growth and Development
• Mental Health and Addiction Recovery
• Family Reunification
• Virtual career opportunities in employment and education services

“Retraining the Village acts as a Bridge of Hope from Homelessness to HOME; HOME meaning: Helping Our Men Excel,” explains Halley.

As a laboratory assistant for the Department of Veterans Affairs, and lifelong resident of East Palo Alto, Halley Crumb had the opportunity to work closely with homeless Veterans for over 10 years. She recognized that quite a few of the Veterans whom she was serving were homeless. She noticed that their will to live and desire for a better lifestyle had gone by the wayside.

Although she understood that change had to happen within one’s own self, she believed that a person would be more willing to improve their lifestyle and outlook about life, with the promise of stability and a compassionate nudge in the right direction.

She became conscientious about encouraging Veterans and their families to find housing and jobs. She congratulated individuals on their sobriety. Through similar actions of caring and support, she saw the seed of hope start to emerge. Lives were changing!

Halley started the nonprofit, Retraining the Village, in 2012, and honors her promise to provide supportive services to homeless veterans, as well as previously incarcerated men, and those who need assistance with mental health.

Our motto is, “A hand up is better than a hand out,” says Halley Crumb.

The Retraining the Village program transforms homeless men into stable, self-sufficient men that are ready to reenter society as a contributing member.

Please consider supporting the Village and creating a positive change in the homeless situation. There are 3 ways to help out:

1. Make a one-time, or monthly monetary donation

2. Sponsor by donating goods and services

3. Volunteer to serve – Anyone with skills in medicine, mental health, addiction recovery, or human compassion is welcome! 

Please help impact more lives and strengthen our communities – the need is too great to ignore.