Parents tell Mendocino supervisors home visiting program helped them with parenting, education and stability

At the Mendocino County Board of Supervisors meeting on May 7, 2025, several residents used the public comment period to describe how the county's home visiting program supported them as new parents, citing free services, persistent outreach from assigned home visitors and assistance with educational and personal goals.

The speakers — identified in the meeting record only as public commenters — described a range of benefits. One said, "Well, I was a new mom, and I had no experience taking care of a newborn" (Resident, speaker 8), and credited the program with teaching practical skills and easing isolation. Another said the program "put me in touch with my child or closer to my child and her development" (Resident, speaker 2).

Commenters repeatedly named home visitors by first name, saying the relationship extended over years. One resident quoted a home visitor as saying she would "be with you guys for 5 years," a comment the speaker said helped build trust. Several called the visitors "like a second mom," and one described a home visitor helping her pursue a driver's license and college coursework.

The testimonials emphasized that the program is free and available to parents. "You got nothing to lose. It's free," said one speaker (Resident, speaker 3). Multiple speakers also said the program helped with nonparenting needs: one said a home visitor helped her get into school after a period of homelessness and that she has "enough credits to graduate with a business degree" (Resident, speaker 10).

Why it matters: the comments portray the program as providing both child-development support and a point of connection to other services for families facing housing instability, past substance-use or other challenges. Residents repeatedly urged others not to avoid the program because a stranger will visit the home, saying the visitors listen and provide concrete, ongoing support.

All remarks occurred during the meeting's public-comment segments; no legislative action or board vote on the home visiting program was recorded in the transcript during the May 7 meeting. The county's Office of Emergency Services and other public speakers also used the meeting to promote county resources, but commenters about home visiting focused on personal experiences and referrals to named home visitors such as Jeanette, Gabby and Annette.

The public comment record indicates broad, positive testimonials from multiple residents but does not include program enrollment numbers, a staff report or a board response in the transcript provided.