Social Services Commission & Directory

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.

Commission Goals

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.