Why California Selected Mysti’s — and What This Expansion Means for Me
- Giovanne Schachere
- Nov 20
- 2 min read
When the State of California officially selected Mysti’s Adult & Family Services as a PATH CITED Round 4 awardee for Contra Costa County, it wasn’t just another program milestone. It was a defining moment in my work, leadership, and the mission that has shaped my life for over two decades.
For years, my career has centered on the hardest parts of this field — homelessness, justice involvement, complex care, housing instability, and navigating systems that often fall short for the people who need them most. My work in Monterey County and Santa Cruz County pushed me into the gaps, the emergency moments, the crisis rooms, the impossible cases.
Mysti’s was built inside that reality.
We didn’t grow because we had funding. We grew because we were willing to do the work others avoided — consistent field-based contact, real housing navigation, culturally grounded service, and high-intensity case management for people the system labels “too complex.”
Personally, I consider this expansion a turning point.
It represents:
The evolution of my work from local advocacy to regional impact
The validation of a model built from lived experience and frontline practice
The trust to step into one of the most challenging and diverse counties in the state
A wider responsibility — not just to scale, but to lead
It also means carrying forward the legacy of my mother, Mysti Bluee, whose name and spirit anchor everything this organization stands for.
Entering Contra Costa County is not a routine expansion. It is the next chapter in a larger mission — one grounded in housing, health, justice, and the belief that systems can change when people are willing to do the work.
California selected Mysti’s because we’ve already put in that work.
And now, the next phase begins.
Learn more about the CEO and Founder, Giovanne D. Schachere, MS, at Schachere.com
CalAIM, Contra Costa County, PATH CITED, Community Supports, Enhanced Care Management, Homelessness, Housing Navigation, Medi-Cal, County Systems, Health Equity, Social Work Leadership, Monterey County, Santa Cruz County, Giovanne Schachere