Our History

In every community there are people who need help; and the Conejo Valley is no exception.  Frustrated in the early 1980's by reduced funding for social service agencies, a group of concerned citizens hit on an idea to help keep small, local organizations afloat by eliminating their rent.

After years of planning and fund raising the vision for a one-stop social services shop was realized in 1988 with the opening of the "Under One Roof" human services center; owned and operated by Community Conscience, a non-profit organization.  Fourteen non-profit and 3 government agencies currently occupy the 17,500 square-foot building.

In addition to providing rent free space for the non-profits, Community Conscience also leverages the delivery of social services in the following ways:

• By its visibility and nearness to public transportation, it sends a signal to citizens who need the services delivered there.
• By locating "Under One Roof" and operating in a collegiate environment, the agencies are able to cooperate in the delivery of multiple services, eliminating duplications and bridging the gaps in the system.

The building was financed through a combination of Community Development Block Grant Funds, private donations and conventional financing that is being serviced and paid down by the fund raising efforts of the Community Conscience Board of Trustees.  Non-profit agencies recognize a rent savings of approximately $150,000 per year to provide additional program services.  Government agencies pay fair market rent which funds monthly operating expenses such as janitorial, gardening, insurance, etc.

These agencies have handled tens of thousands of cases annually over the past 15 years helping the Conejo Valley stay free of social problems which plague so many other communities of the same size.  It is also believed to be a factor in keeping the community at the top of the list of cities of our size with a low crime rate.