Inspirational words and religious pictures line the Loma Linda apartment of single mother Ana Santana, 30. Her family found a home thanks to San Bernardino County’s No Child Left Unsheltered program ,Sheltering children.The program uses a housing-first approach to house homeless families with children.

The Housing Authority partners with the county Department of Behavioral Health, San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department, schools, faith-based organizations and nonprofit groups to get families into housing before they receive services.

The behavioral health department offers families case management and clinical therapy to help with mental health and, if needed, substance abuse treatment, county officials said.

The county’s affiliate nonprofit, Knowledge and Education for Your Success, or KEYS, provides financial assistance, such as utility deposits, transportation — including cards and bus passes — credit checks and application fees. It also helps families get birth certificates and other government documents, furnishings, welcome kits and other needs.

The only requirement to get help through the program is to be homeless, said Ana Gamiz, director of policy and public relations for the Housing Authority.

Families pay up to 30% of their income. No Child has hardship exemptions for those who cannot pay the minimum monthly rent of $125.

While there is no time limit on how long a family can stay in the program, county research has shown it could take a family at least two years to get established and into a routine, Gamiz said.

“These families have been homeless and they’re in crisis,” Gamiz said. “They need a lot more assistance than perhaps a traditional family that wasn’t street homeless.”