FREE GUIDE

The Free Guide was founded in 2015, and became a 501(c)3 organization in 2017, with the goal to connect people experiencing homelessness to services. Evan Morrison is the third and current Executive Director of The Free Guide. At the end of 2020, the organization pivoted its objectives, with the goal to expand to services beyond that of distributing The Free Guide and hosting information about resources available to homeless people in Santa Cruz county. The Mission, Vision and Values of the organization are still under review, however the ultimate goal of the organization is to reduce and end homelessness in Santa Cruz County. The Free Guide has applied for fourteen grants from Santa Cruz County to help assist in the development and implementation of its potential programs.

The organizational structure of The Free Guide includes: The Executive Director, a Board - which consists of volunteers and contractors. The board’s role is three fold - to create policies for the organization, providing oversight, and providing advice and mentorship for the Executive Director and the organization as a whole. There is also a “problem-solving team” that has an influence over the organization’s programs. The goal is to recruit some industry experts onto the problem solving team such as clinical social workers who have experience working with veterans.