In Memoriam

The Contra Costa Health family mourns the recent loss of Michael Fischer, a dedicated manager in our Health, Housing and Homeless Services (H3) division. Below are some final Service Excellence awards to honor Michael's time with us. 

For going the extra mile on every project he worked on!

Michael was a native Contra Costan and vital member of Health Services’ Health, Housing, and Homeless (H3) program for the past 14 years. During his time with H3, Michael worked in every part of our county’s homeless service delivery system, touching countless lives in the process. Michael was best known for the CORE homeless outreach program, which launched under his leadership in 2017. CORE would not be what it is today without Michael. His personal mission was to ensure no one had to face the cruel reality of living outside, and he leaves a lasting impact on all who had the privilege of knowing him. Michael's infectious smile, passion for life and gentle spirit endeared him to many. His legacy is the way in which he led – always with love, and he leaves a lasting impact on all who had the privilege of knowing him.  

• For the work he did popping up five Project Roomkey (PRK) hotel sites during the start of the COVID-19 pandemic to safely transition all congregate shelter residents in our community to hotels to reduce the spread of COVID-19. For working tirelessly to procure hotel/motel sites across the county that could safely accommodate hundreds of people, procure meal delivery services for meals to be delivered on site to residents, amend existing contracts while creating new ones to bring on onsite management to each hotel site, and coordinate the transportation of all shelter residents to the various PRK hotels in a safe and efficient manner. For recognizing the need for supportive services and quickly hiring a Project Roomkey Coordinator and ten case managers to ensure everyone had access to a case manager to work on a housing plan to successfully exit residents from shelter to housing whenever possible. For never wavering in his support and encouragement of me and our entire team at Health, Housing and Homeless Services (H3). For picking up every phone call phone with a smile and “how are you?” and ending every call and every email with, “Go Team!” For exemplifying every single day his dedication and commitment to Contra Costa Health and more importantly to the individuals and families experiencing homelessness that we serve. For all that he did for Contra Costa Health, may he always be remembered and honored.
  -Nominated by Shelby Ferguson

• For the wonderful work he did for Health, Housing and Homeless Services for over 10 years giving clients the confidence to do things they thought they could not and believing in them when they or no one else did. For all those who approached me to tell me how he touched their lives and what a beautiful person he was, embracing the homeless community and understanding their needs and wanting to reach every corner of Contra Costa County.
  -Nominated by Michael's sister

• For the great work he has done for the City of Pittsburg assisting the City with its shared CORE Team that later transitioned into a dedicated CORE Team for Pittsburg and our community. For consistently providing the City with monthly statistics that showed the number of Pittsburg’s unhoused using Delta Landing’s services and diligently addressing any concerns that staff received from Pittsburg residents. For being a dedicated partner to the City and community, we thank him for his service.
  -Nominated by Maria Aliotti, Assistant City Manager, City of Pittsburg