| The
Social Services Commission and the Community
Services Department are responsible for identifying and addressing
community needs and coordinating social service programs within
the city. The provision of information and referral services and
recommending funding for social service programs that are administered
by non-profit agencies in the Whittier community are important
components of the Social Service efforts.
Local
non-profit agencies are funded through grants allocated annually
in five major categories: Small Grants, Matching Funds, Contingency
and Request for Proposal. The Social Services Commission focuses
on violence prevention programs for young people, homelessness
programs; youth services including child care; substance abuse
prevention programs; affordable housing; community counseling
and juvenile delinquency prevention.
The
Social Services funding program is supported by the City's General
Fund and HUD Community Development Block Grant funds. The Commission
and staff continue to work with the Whittier Area Interfaith Council,
the Uptown Business Association and the community regarding concerns
about homelessness and panhandling. The City Council has created
a sub-committee to investigate, funding opportunities and locations
to create a regional "One-Stop Center" to address community
and homeless needs.
Social
Services Funding for 2008-09.
The 2008-09 Social Services Funding applications are now
available. Please click here
for instructions and an application, or email stillman@cityofwhittier.org
to have an application emailed to you. For more information,
please contact the Community Services Department at (562)
464-3360. |
Commission
Goals
- Meet
identified community needs for the provision of social services.
- Assist
non-profit social service providers in aiding Whittier citizens.
- Provide
information and referral services in the community.
Information
and Referral
The
Information and Referral office is located at the Whittier Senior
Center. City staff and trained volunteers provide residents with
information on social service agencies in the area and the services
they provide. The office is open Monday through Friday, 8 a.m.
to 5 p.m. and is located at 13225 Walnut Street, Whittier, CA
90602. They may be reached at (562) 464-3368.
The
Commission publishes a Social Services Directory. The directory
is available for purchase at the Senior Center. To download the
complete 2004 Social Services Directory in pdf format click
here. Adobe Acrobat Reader is required to read or print the
directory.
2006-07
Funded Programs
American
Red Cross (www.arcriohondo.org)
The American Red Cross is a humanitarian organization, led by
volunteers, that provides relief to victims of disasters and helps
people prevent, prepare for and respond to life threatening and
health-related emergencies. The City provided funding for the
Kid’s Safety Day which educates youth in the community to
identify, prevent and respond to emergency situations that negatively
affect their health and well being. Funding was also provided
for the Youth Emergency Preparedness program, which provides advanced
training in first aid, CPR and disaster preparedness to local
boy scouts and girl scouts. The Save Our Seniors (S.O.S.) programs
received funding as well. This program provides training in first
aid, CPR, emergency preparedness, home safety and fraud awareness.
Boys
and Girls Club of Whittier (www.bgclubwhittier.org)
The Boys & Girls Club of Whittier provides and promotes services
that allow our members to develop a respect for themselves and
for the rights and dignity of other people, to evaluate their
alternatives and make good decisions Funding will be used to continue
the Reading Program and a separate agreement covers the Teen Night
Program.
CAPC,
Inc. (www.capcinc.org)
CAPC, Inc.’s (Community Advocated for People’s Choice)
mission is to empower individuals with disabilities to maximize
the quality of their lives in their home communities. All individuals
served have developmental disabilities. Funds are allocated to
assist CAPC staff in supporting clients at several self-advocacy
group conferences throughout California.
Center
for Recovery from Compulsives, Inc.
The Center for Recovery from Compulsives’ focus is to support
excellence in the provision of sober services at the community
level, to work for the improvement of alcohol and drug abuse education,
to promote the view that recovering alcoholics and drug addicts
can make a positive contribution to society, and to anticipate
and meet the needs of community members who have an honest desire
to obtain sobriety, become employable and be productive. Funds
are utilized to support HOW House, a sober living environment
for recovering alcohol and drug-addicted men 18 and over.
Community
Legal Services (www.clsphila.org)
The goal of the Domestic Violence Prevention Program that Community
Legal Services provides is to assist every low-income/moderate-income
person without an attorney to apply for domestic violence or civil
harassment restraining orders at the Norwalk Courthouse. They
help to prepare applications for orders, declarations, temporary
restraining orders and related documents; advise clients regarding
court and law enforcement procedures; refer clients to related
community resources (counseling, lawyer referral services, police,
victim/witness assistance, shelters, etc.) and to prepare the
protective orders after the court hearing.
Hillcrest
Senior Care (www.hillcrest-church.org/Senior_Care.htm)
Hillcrest Senior Care provides a licensed day care center for
twenty frail and elderly participants daily. It is a socialization
program in a loving, caring environment especially designed for
persons recovering from stroke or in the early stages of Alzheimer’s.
Hillcrest has the only senior care center in the area. The funds
they receive are utilized to continue this program without increasing
the participant's charges.
Hispanic
Outreach Taskforce
Hispanic Outreach Taskforce is a non-profit, non-political, family
oriented organization serving the Rio Hondo Corridor. The purpose
is to positively improve education, health, and status of our
surrounding communities by providing scholarships for graduating
seniors from the Whittier Union High School District for college
education. Scholarship recipients must be City of Whittier residents
at the rate of $500.00 per resident.
Homework
House (www.heavypen.com/homework/)
Homework House provides free tutoring and mentoring for children
who are at-risk for academic failure and dropping out of school.
Volunteer tutors donate their time after school to help children
overcome their academic deficiencies, renew their academic interest
and discover the joy of academic achievement. Funds are allocated
for books, supplies, and copies for the program
Intercommunity
Blind Center(www.intercommunityblindcenter.org)
The Intercommunity Blind Center focuses on integrating the blind
and visually impaired youth and adults of the greater Whittier
area into all aspects of the sighted world. Its purpose is to
reach out to these individuals and their families and link them
with the educational, recreational, vocational, social and counseling
opportunities offered by the Center, at no cost to the client,
thus improving their quality of life. $1,800.00 of the funds are
to be used to financially support the Activities, Outings and
Youth Programs. $2,500.00 of the funds are for the Living Skills
Programs.
Intercommunity
Child Guidance Center
Intercommunity Child Guidance Center's goal is to provide mental
health services to individuals, group, and family therapy, medication
evaluation and monitoring for seriously emotionally disturbed
children, adolescents, and their families. Low-income families
and those without resources to receive help elsewhere are the
priority. Funds are utilized for both the Crisis Intervention
Program ($5,500.00) and the Parenting Program ($4,300.00). The
Crisis Intervention Program allows Child Guidance to provide crisis
treatment to children, adolescents and their families experiencing
a crisis in the life (e.g. death of a close relative or friend,
house burned down, rape, sexual abuse, divorce, etc.). The Parenting
Education Program provides year round classes in both English
and Spanish. Classes are free to the community and the majority
of those attending are low-income families ordered to by the court.
InterCommunity
Counseling Center
The Intercommunity Counseling Center’s goal is to provide
psychological counseling to clients of the Whittier area of every
race, creed, and color. Funding is utilized to provide psychological
counseling for Whittier residents with low family income. The
program’s goal is to provide 175 hours of therapy for 45
families, couples or individuals.
Interfaith
Food Center
The mission is to provide supplemental food four days a week to
the low-income residents in the City of Whittier along with providing
a “lunch type” bag of food for the homeless people
in the City of Whittier. Funds will be used to defray expenses
in purchasing, gathering and distributing food and to support
expenses in rent, wages, insurance, equipment and transportation
maintenance replacement.
L.A.
Center for Alcohol & Drug Abuse(www.lacada.com)
Los Angeles Center for Alcohol and Drug Abuse is working toward
a society free of substance abuse. This mission is accomplished
by helping to eradicate the conditioning and conditions that contribute
to psychological and behavioral maladjustment. LACADA works to
establish the mental and emotional stability required by individuals
so that they can maintain an independent and productive lifestyle.
In doing so, L.A.C.A.D.A.’s challenges are juvenile delinquency,
gang activity, violence, homelessness, joblessness, child abuse,
family dysfunction, criminal recidivism, alcoholism/addiction
and AIDS.
Southeast
Area Counseling Center
The Southeast Area Counseling Center provides low cost mental
health services to poor and low-income populations who would otherwise
be turned away because of financial hardship. S.E.A.C.C.’s
commitment is to break the cycle of violence through counseling,
education support and understanding.
Salvation
Army – Hospitality & Shower (www.redshield.org)
The Salvation Army Hospitality House goal is to assist all homeless
in need of shelter. To provide a safe place to eat and sleep at
night. The shower program is to ensure the homeless that they
will be provided with necessary hygiene. Case management included.The
Salvation Army Hospitality House goal is to assist all homeless
in need of shelter. To provide a safe place to eat and sleep at
night. The shower program is to ensure the homeless that they
will be provided with necessary hygiene. Case management included.
Salvation
Army Transitional Living Center
The Salvation Army Transitional Living Center’s goal is
to empower homeless mothers and their children to transform their
lives by offering them hope, renewing their spirits, and teaching
them to live independently and productively. They provide temporary
housing to prepare families for permanent independent living.
SASSFA
(www.sassfa.org)
Funding will support the Senior Services Program by providing
the following services to those 60+: congregate nutrition, home
delivered meals, case management (age 18+), telephone reassurance,
homemaking, personal care, homemaker registry, caregiver support
groups and community education.
SKILLS
Foundation – Friday Forum (www.skillsfoundation.org)
The SKILLS Foundation (Supporting Kids In Living and Learning
Successfully) focus is to support the youth in the Whittier community
by providing funding for worthwhile programs and activities that
discourage the use of drugs and alcohol, participation in gangs,
and encourage self responsibility through programs that build
self esteem and strengthen problem solving skills. $4,500.00 of
the funds will be utilized to augment the Friday Forum Program
of monthly dances and provide teen programming that will serve
to educate the participants and their families in such areas as
teenage pregnancy reduction, AIDS education, and parenting classes.
In addition, there is $4,500.00 in funding for the Conflict Management
Program. These funds will provide field trips for middle school
students to the Museum of Tolerance and the cost of the S.A.V.
(Students Against Violence) Program for the Whittier Union High
School District. For more information on the SKILLS Foundations,
please send e-mail to skills@cityofwhittier.org
Southern
California Rehabilitation Services (www.scrspwi.org)
SCRS strives to empower persons with disabilities to achieve their
personalized goals through community education and individualized
services that provide the knowledge, skills, and confidence building
to maximize their quality of life. Funds will be used for the
Independent Living Services that includes in-home service registry,
housing assistance, peer counseling, independent living skills
training, job development, information and referrals, and training
on the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Southern
California Alcohol & Drug Programs
Southern California Alcohol & Drug Programs, Inc. is dedicated
to the prevention and treatment of substance abuse and related
problems, including homelessness, long-term welfare dependence,
criminality, HIV/AIDS, and domestic violence/abuse. The agency
targets disadvantaged populations. Funds will be used for the
Awakenings Programs, which is a residential, and outpatient drug
treatment services for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Persons.
Social
Services Commission Scholarship Program
This program is administered through the Community Services Department
and is to provide scholarships for Whittier Youth for classes
or to join affiliate sports programs.
SPIRITT
Family Services
SPIRITT Family Services (Skills for Prevention, Intervention,
Recovery, Individual Treatment and Training) helps augment programs
currently serving youth in Whittier. CLARO (Challenging Latinos
to Access Resource Opportunities) conducts weekly support groups
for at-risk young male Latinos at several schools in Whittier.
In addition, SPIRITT Family Services offers a female counterpart
to the CLARO program entitled SERENA (Self-Empowerment Resources
to Educate, Nurture and Advocate) at one intermediate and two
high schools.
Whittier
Area First Day Coalition
The Whittier Area First Day Coalition serves the homeless and
at-risk individuals in the Whittier area by providing a facility
and offering services that allow for a transition to self-sufficiency.
The Recovery from Homelessness includes a 45-person emergency
and transitional living facility with client centered case management,
an information and referral service, an Outreach and Emergency
Response Team, and a Job Club to assess, prepare and support clients
to seek and retain permanent employment.
Whittier
Area Interfaith Council
The purpose of the Whittier Area Interfaith Council is to form
a coalition of concerned institutions able to work together on
the social problems and responsibilities. Funds will be used for
operation of the Cold Weather Shelter Program by helping fund
the on-site intake workers. The intake workers prevent and defuse
disputes, confirm attendees are screened, and have the authority
to refuse admittance or eject guests because of unacceptable behavior.
Additionally, the funds are for basic expenses and overnight security
when volunteers are unavailable.
Whittier
Area Literacy Council
Whittier Area Literacy Council is a charitable and educational
organization. Its primary purpose is to teach people to read,
write and speak English by using the Laubach method and other
appropriate materials and to train tutors to teach these persons.
Funds will be utilized to continue all aspects of the W.A.L.C.
program. This includes providing three literacy and ESL tutor
training classes, more sites for daytime and evening tutoring
sessions, and continue Crossroad Café for ESL students.
Whittier
Meals on Wheels
Whittier Meals on Wheels sole purpose is to make available tasty,
healthy meals to persons having need of this service. Volunteers
deliver the meals, consisting of a hot and a cold plate, plus
milk or juice and a dessert Monday through Friday around the noon
hour. Money received is used for subsidies for those persons in
the area served who are in need of nutritional meals and are unable
to secure them other than through Meals on Wheels and cannot pay
the full cost thereof.
Uptown
Whittier YMCA
Funding will support the Youth Adventure Center program for low
income families. Programs include fitness and nutrition programs
for children 6-14 years old.
|