As a housing builder for people with mental illnesses, community reluctance initially favored a lowprofile. Since those early years we have learned how to work with communities and have gained acceptance for our 19 locations in Monterey, Marina and Salinas.
We have come a long way from our first building project in 1984, quietly adding those 19 housing locations plus additional services programs that now serve over 1700 people a year. Our operating budget has grown from $300,000 to over $13,500,000.
Our growth was partially fueled by California’s move to fund the expansion of services through the passage of Prop 63 in 2004. Subsequently, the Affordable Care Act has also made many more people eligible for mental health services. Most of the funds for financing the projects have come from various government sources. Over time, federal funds have been drastically reduced. We need new funding sources if we are to continue to build housing.
Therefore, the time has come for us to raise our profile in the community. Our mission is still relevant, and more needed than ever.
To that end, we have decided to invest in the development of a strategic marketing plan. Simply put, people cannot rally around a great mission they have never heard of. In December, we will be unveiling a new, streamlined website. You may have noticed that the newsletter looks a little different too. In the spring we will also be dedicating resources to overhauling our various social media accounts, creating an Interim blog, and improving our communications presence online.
Over the next five years, we will invest incrementally in additional key areas like public relations and community marketing. This will allow us to expand our ability to communicate our mission to the public, and hopefully reach many new potential donors and supporters.
In the near-term, we encourage you to stay tuned! Make sure to like us on Facebook at facebook.com/InterimInc, or Twitter twitter.com/interiminc!
Interim, Inc. recently announced a website makeover focused on improving access to information about programs, services, and community updates. There’s a saying at Interim. “We’re the best non-profit no one has ever heard of in Monterey County.” In the past, this was partially by design.