ABOUT

Carrying the homeless forward in life!

HISTORY | CARRY FORWARD PROGRAM | TEAM

HISTORY

Carrie and Anita Nowocin founded Carry Me Productions (CMP) in Los Angeles, California, in November 2014. With the mission of assisting people in overcoming personal barriers, helping them improve their physical and mental health, and achieving housing stability and financial independence.

In 2018, CMP created Carry Forward. When individuals enroll in the Carry Forward program, they are assigned a case manager — who is also a resource master — to guide them towards independence with the innovative ten steps to Carry Forward. The steps have been proven to help individuals build confidence while tackling complex issues.

In 2019, CMP moved its headquarters to Maricopa County, Arizona. In addition, Carrie gathered local volunteer business professionals to form a new board of directors to continue the legacy of an effective nonprofit that focused on a whole-person approach to solving homelessness and decreasing poverty in Maricopa County.

In 2022, Carry Forward added a mobile street outreach team. During 2022-23, the Carry Forward street outreach team engaged in over 500 hours of outreach, resulting in more than 100 participants in the Carry Forward program – which housed 35 individuals, connected 70 individuals to health care services, and 35 currently homeless waiting for housing availability.

CARRY FORWARD PROGRAM

The mission of the Carry Forward program is to meet people where they are and, through intensive case management, help them tackle health, financial, and housing barriers. All Carry Forward staff members work consistently for each individual’s case, offering support towards self-sufficiency and housing intervention services when applicable.

What differentiates us from other service providers is that we don’t stop helping someone once they are housed or connected to services; we go the extra mile to let participants know they have a personal support team. We advocate for everyone to receive the highest quality of care and service.

Carry Forward case managers assist them in completing the following tasks:

  1. Order a State Identification Card through the partner organization.
  2. Go to DES to enroll in health care and SNAP benefits.
  3. Obtain a free cell phone to communicate with their case manager weekly.
  4. Obtain a social security card.
  5. Complete a vulnerability assessment per HUD requirements for housing. In addition, per HUD requirements, obtain a disability verification letter from a partner organization and a chronically homeless verification letter from a third-party service provider.
  6. Order a birth certificate through the partner organization.
  7. Tackle personal barriers such as justice involvement (probation officers, warrants, and court appearances).
  8. Connect with healthcare providers to determine their physical and mental health needs and substance abuse counseling for those living with a substance use disorder.
  9. Workforce development or obtaining income benefits.
  10. Secure housing and financial stability.

Individuals are encouraged to keep in contact with the team and our partners so that they don’t fall through the cracks and that we can be proactive if their housing/financial situation changes.

After being housed for six months, the individual can volunteer with the outreach efforts or, if funding allows, join the staff as an outreach specialist.

If you’re a veteran looking for assistance in receiving help, you can start here:

TEAM

  • Carrie Nowocin – CEO, President, Co-founder
  • Anita Nowocin – Co-chair, Co-founder
  • Bobby Zavala – Co-chair
  • Ashley Sophia – Secretary
  • Ally Lowe – Treasurer
  • Benjamin Jeffrey – Street Outreach Specialist