news & events
Receives Four-Star Rating with Charity Navigator 🌟🌟🌟🌟
We are proud to announce that SHARE! has been awarded a 🌟🌟🌟🌟 (4-star) rating from Charity Navigator for our strong financial health, ongoing accountability and transparency.
SHARE! CELEBRATES 30 YEARS OF EXCELLENCE
Recovery Nonprofit Receives Four-Star Rating with Charity Navigator for meeting or exceeding industry standards
LOS ANGELES (September 13, 2023) – Recovery Month, which began on September 1, is more important than ever for SHARE! the Self-Help And Recovery Exchange— the first-of-its-kind self-help support group agency — as it celebrates 30 years of excellence in fostering recovery and community.
SHARE! was founded by a group of self-help meeting attendees that had gathered in the living room of founder and CEO Ruth Hollman. They brainstormed about how to create the ideal place for people work on their recovery. Three members came up with the name “SHARE!” because people heal by sharing their stories, strength and hope. Another community member donated an existing nonprofit, the Emotional Health Association, of which SHARE! became the sole project. The attendees formed a board to bring this vision to life. SHARE! initially opened its doors in 1993 in Marina Del Rey, California, but relocated to Mar Vista the following year.
Throughout its tenure, SHARE! has expanded but has never wavered from its mission: to help individuals pursue personal growth and change, empowering them to transform their lives. SHARE! provides a loving, safe, non-judgmental place where individuals can find community, information, and support. The nonprofit has achieved numerous milestones, including hosting the first SHARE! Recovery Awards in 1995 – an awards program highlight contributions to self-help support groups which continues to this day. In the same year, it became the first peer-run organization in Los Angeles County to be awarded a contract with the Department of Mental Health.
In 2005, a homeless volunteer asked SHARE! to help her find housing. SHARE! drew inspiration from Apollo 13, the spacecraft which got damaged in space. Mission Control came up with a brilliant solution, saving the astronauts using only the materials existing on the spacecraft. SHARE! brought together an informed group of individuals affected by homelessness and mental health issues. They designed a program using existing resources with the capacity to house 20,000 mental health consumers over the next five years, and thus, SHARE! Collaborative Housing was launched.
Today, SHARE! Collaborative Housing is the premier non-abstinence based, housing first recovery housing for people experiencing homelessness and mental health issues. In the past year alone, SHARE! Collaborative Housing housed 537 people. By removing barriers, SHARE! houses people quickly–41% are housed within 24 hours. Ninety-six percent of people in SHARE! Collaborative Housing maintain housing over four years.
In 2009, SHARE! opened a self-help center in downtown Los Angeles, and in 2010, SHARE! Mar Vista relocated and became SHARE! Culver City.
Over the years, SHARE! has received numerous honors for its programs, including the Outstanding Program Award for Improving Mental Health in Los Angeles County by the Los Angeles County Mental Health Commission in 2013. In 2016, it received the Distinguished Contributions to Practice in Community Award from the American Psychological Association.
In 2017, Loyola Marymount University recognized SHARE! for its Advanced Peer Specialist training and honored SHARE! for its Peer Training Program. The success of this program is attributed to the innovative approach under the direction of Hollman, using funding from various government sources to make its internal training available outside of SHARE! This initiative helps participants learn evidence-based practices to improve outcomes for others, including better mental health, employment, education and housing.
Additional milestones include:
- SHARE! Culver City and SHARE! Downtown in Los Angeles currently host 129 self-help support group meetings (including 12-step groups) each week online and in-person.
- The SHARE! Recovery Retreat began serving mental health consumers and their families in 2013. This two-week peer respite program helps people discover what they can and want to do with their lives.
- Since 2019, SHARE! Collaborative Housing has housed more than 2,700 mental health consumers in Los Angeles with annual budgets that have just hit $2 million.
- SHARE! Advanced Peer Specialist Training has prepared 867 people for behavioral health jobs since 2016. In 2022, SHARE! was approved to train people for Medi-Cal Peer Support Specialist Certification.
- SHARE! Collaborative Housing serves vulnerable populations. 49% of residents are seniors (55+). Its residents had high levels of community participation including:
- 57% employed
- 75% attend self-help support groups
- 20% pursue education
- 68% volunteer
“I’m proud of SHARE!’s evolution and our ability to create innovative programs to meet the expanding needs of our community,” stated founder and CEO Ruth Hollman. “We remain committed to fulfilling additional requirements for those in recovery, all while remaining true to the foundational principles upon which this organization was built, principles that continue to guide us today.”
In addition to this milestone event, SHARE! is proud to announce that its strong financial health and ongoing accountability and transparency has earned a Four-Star Rating from
Charity Navigator. This rating designates SHARE! as an official “Give with Confidence” charity, demonstrating that SHARE! is using its donations effectively based on Charity Navigator’s criteria. Charity Navigator is America’s largest and most-utilized independent charity evaluator. Since 2001, Charity Navigator has been an unbiased and trusted source of information for more than 11 million donors annually.
Charity Navigator analyzes nonprofit performance based on four key indicators, referred to as beacons. Currently, nonprofits can earn scores for the Impact & Results, Accountability & Finance, Culture & Community, and Leadership & Adaptability beacons.
“We are delighted to provide SHARE! with third-party accreditation that validates their operational excellence,” said Michael Thatcher, President, and CEO of Charity Navigator. “The Four-Star Rating is the highest possible rating an organization can achieve. We are eager to see the good work that SHARE! can accomplish in the years ahead.”
Click here for the full Press Release.
Press:
About SHARE!:
Since 1993, SHARE! the Self-Help And Recovery Exchange has served Los Angeles through self-help support groups and building communities which provide recovery and social support. Participants develop skills to cope with substance use, trauma, mental health issues and dysfunctional relationships. SHARE! contributes to ending homelessness in Los Angeles by housing those in need within the first couple of days of contact and finding them jobs so they no longer need government subsidies. Residents’ participation in self-help support groups ensures that they do not return to homelessness. This proven formula gives homeless people a pathway out of poverty and a way back to becoming full participants in society. For more information, please see https://shareselfhelp.org.
About CHARITY NAVIGATOR:
Founded in 2002, Charity Navigator is a 501(c)(3) organization that guides intelligent giving with the nation’s largest, most comprehensive charity evaluation tool. The organization helps donors easily identify U.S.-registered charities making a difference on the issues they care about most while helping charities better understand their donors, deliver on impact, and increase awareness and funding. Learn more at www.charitynavigator.org.
