CJCJ’s Cameo House is a gender responsive residential alternative sentencing program for justice-involved, single, homeless, pregnant, and/or parenting women and children in San Francisco. The program provides on-site case management, a safe and stable living environment, and an array of supportive services.
We uplift women and their children through the promotion of safe housing and self-sufficiency
Why are we called Cameo House?
A cameo is a seemingly plain stone that, when carefully carved, produces an exquisite silhouette of a woman and becomes a priceless gem. The symbolism of this transformation applies to our participants who, through the help of the program, come to realize that they too are exquisite and priceless members of both the Cameo House family and our community.
Eligibility & referrals
Cameo House works directly with justice and community partners to offer justice-involved women a place to live with their children as an alternative to incarceration, to serve out their jail sentences while in program, to come as part of a pre-trial agreement, and/or to transition back to the community without risk of homelessness or re-criminalization.
Participants must be 18 years or older, women identified, be justice involved, and be certifiably homeless. Participants may also have a child/children in custody or be in either formal or informal reunification processes. Participation is based upon a mutual agreement between the individual and the Cameo House program guidelines Please also view our Cameo House participant expectations here.
Referrals for Cameo House may come through any justice partner, legal representative, community agency or advocate, or by self-referral. The completed referral documents may be emailed directly to Cameo House Program Manger Charity Harris at harris@cjcj.org. Self-referrals may also be done over the phone by calling Cameo House directly at 415−621−5661 x 100.
How it works
Cameo remains one of the only long-term residential options for justice-involved women with children over the age of 3yrs in San Francisco. The program is designed for 12-months, however participants can remain up to 24 months depending on individual circumstances with the average stay around 18 months.
The Cameo House staff serve as a diverse, multi-disciplinary team supporting each woman and family in building skills in areas such as:
Keeping Families Together
“The system is set up to separate families and Cameo House is not that at all. They will fight 100% to keep families together and to help you be with your children. That’s different from the other programs out there.”
History
The Cameo House Program has been serving women with children experiencing homelessness in SF since 1998 . Since 2006 they have prioritized justice-involved women with children as their focus population. In 2014, in partnership with the San Francisco Adult Probation Department (SFAPD), Cameo House established San Francisco’s first alternative sentencing program for women with children.
A January 2021 external program evaluation found that of the 22 women and 18 children served from September 2019 to September 2020:
“I feel like I wouldn’t be where I am right now if it weren’t for Cameo House. A lot has to do with myself, but they gave me a place to do that…I feel like they gave me a space to find myself…and a chance to get it together.”
The program was designed and is run by persons with experience in the criminal justice system and residential treatment and staff. Twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. Program employees are diverse, culturally competent, have lived experience, are trained in-house constantly, and can respond appropriately to both facility and participant needs with the goal of supporting families in achieving individualized plan goals.
Contact:
Rebecca Jackson, Director of Cameo House
Tel: (415) 621‑5661 ext. 106
Fax: (415) 621‑5466
rjackson@cjcj.org
Charity Harris, Program Manager, Cameo House
Tel: (415) 621‑5661 ext. 100
Fax: (415) 621‑5466
harris@cjcj.org
Volunteer at Cameo House
Interested in volunteering with Cameo House? We’d love to have you!
Check out our Cameo House Volunteer Opportunities and apply today!
Contact: Rebecca Jackson, Director of Cameo House
rjackson@cjcj.org.
Find out more about CJCJ job, internship, and volunteer opportunities and applications here.