2023 October Newsletter

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Hope House

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October 1st marks the beginning of National Domestic Violence Awareness Month.

Imagine relaxing at your favorite place. Do you feel calm, at ease, and peaceful? Can you feel your breath slowing down and your muscles relaxing?

We invite you to envision a world where relationships feel this way. A world where thinking of someone brings that same sense of joy, contentment, and serenity and people are valued, respected, and love one another.

This October for Domestic Violence Awareness Month, we wanted to emphasize the importance of taking steps to prevent domestic violence before it happens. Domestic violence organizations across California work every day to end cycles of violence and stop the cycles from starting in the first place. Prevention is essential!

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Open Arms

Open Arms Fall Resource Fair

Open Arms will be hosting a fall resource fair tomorrow, October 27th from 2pm – 4pm at Open Arms youth drop-in center. All community members are welcome to come and explore some of the amazing resources that are available in their community. Confirmed vendors include some of the following resources: housing, employment, education, government resources and much more.

Mobile Showers

For the month of October mobile showers will be offered twice a week, courtesy of our amazing partners at Community Action Partnership of San Bernardino. Mobile showers will be available every Monday and Thursday from 9 AM – 2 PM for the remainder of October. To keep in touch with mobile shower schedules please follow us on social media for updated schedules and information.

The success of our clients brings a sense of happiness to not only Family Assistance Program staff but also to our partners and community. With much joy, we are eager to share the success of one of our TAY housing participants. This participant was referred to our housing program after they were left to fend for themselves with no guidance, no support close by, and a language barrier. With hard work and dedication, they were able to overcome barriers and adversity that they were faced with. From working full-time to attending classes to learn and perfect the English language, they were able to successfully move into independent housing, become a full-time college student, and save more than $10,000, all in under 1 year. This participant is proof that with stable housing, support, and guidance the impossible is possible. A true inspiration to all and we are extremely honored to have been a part of their journey.

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2023 Dreams Come True Gala

Thank you to all who sponsored and attended our annual Dreams Come True Gala! Here are a few pictures and to see more, visit our Facebook page:

Congratulations to all of our 2023 Dreams Come True Award Winners!

Cindi Howard – Community Champion
Jobi Wood – Honorable Representative
Desiree Valdez – Honorable Participant
Talea Johnson – Honorable Participant
Chantel Paret – Honorable Representative
Christina Ellis – Honorable Participant
Jessica Gonzales – Honorable Participant

Welcome Home

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Welcome Home is currently operating at maximum capacity, with all of our beds occupied. Half of our clients are gainfully employed and actively working towards building their savings. We conduct a weekly raffle for gift cards. They can earn tickets through chore completion, maintaining tidiness, and case management milestones.

We’ve been making the most of our proximity to local parks, where clients have been enjoying games of basketball and taking walks with staff.

This past month, we helped three clients change their names legally to match their gender identity. Their joy in seeing their true name and gender on their paperwork was the highlight of the year.

The Welcome Home team is committed to making a difference in the community. With the increase in homophobic attacks and the rapid increase of bullying, the safety of our youth participants and residents is one of our highest priorities.

We are pleased to announce our active involvement in the 2nd cohort of the statewide “Stop the Hate” project funding. The Family Assistance Program is launching a countywide Anti-LGBTQIA+ Hate Crime Campaign. This campaign will play a vital role in providing essential services and support to LGBTQIA+ youth who are victims of bullying and hate crimes.

Our multi-tiered campaign will focus on prevention, intervention, and direct support, encompassing services such as mental health and legal assistance and working with schools and community members. Thanks to substantial funding and successful collaborations, the campaign has already made a meaningful impact, assisting millions of individuals.

It is crucial to acknowledge that 40% of homeless youth identify as LGBTQ+. In response to this concerning statistic, Welcome Home is actively searching for licensed therapists who specialize in working with LGBTQ+ youth. We invite interested individuals to contact Jim@FamilyAssist.org to contribute to our cause.

Welcome Home will also take part in The United Against Hate Week, scheduled for November 12-19, 2023. It calls for local civic action to combat hate in our communities. This event was established in response to rising levels of hatred, aiming to empower residents to foster tolerance, celebrate diversity, and create inclusive communities.

For those who wish to report an incident related to hate, a dedicated helpline is available at (833) 866-4283 or 833-8-NO-HATE, operating from Monday to Friday between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. You can speak with a trained civil rights agent who can assist in over 200 languages.

At Welcome Home, our overarching goal is to break the cycle of homelessness among LGBTQ+ youth, one person at a time. Young adults aged 18-24 who are experiencing homelessness within the LGBTQ+ community are encouraged to reach out to Welcome Home Staff at WelcomeHome@FamilyAssist.org to be added to waiting lists. Together, we are working to create safe and inclusive spaces for these young individuals to thrive.

Our House

Spooky season is here. Our youth had a blast helping the staff decorate the house for Halloween, as well as participating in various seasonal arts and crafts. The youth were ecstatic when they found out that the staff would be able to take them trick-or-treating around the neighborhood.

On another positive note, we always encourage our youth to go to school and to participate in school activities. When one youth found out homecoming was coming up, she was bummed and stated she would probably not be able to attend. Our staff acted quickly and reached out to her support team and we were able to obtain a ticket and make this happen for her. We want to give a huge thanks to Angels Closet in Redlands, as they are a huge support in the community and help provide clothing to youth in need. Our youth was able to receive a dress, shoes, and a few pieces of jewelry to attend the school event. Here at Our House, we always try to provide the youth in our program with as much of a normalized lifestyle as possible. I think our staff are indeed succeeding at that.

My Place

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At My Place, we house youth ages 12 to 17. My Place has been taking the youth who enter our program to different outings. These outings include going to the movies, on nature walks, and to the lake to feed the ducks. My Place has also been teaching the youth some important life skills. The youth have been helping with grocery shopping and learning the value of what groceries can cost. They have been cooking and baking along with the staff.

My Place has been providing group sessions such as physical education and arts. Our art wall continues to grow as more youth enter our program. My Place continues to do case management with our youth and help them set up their SMART goals. My Place creates a safe environment for the youth and makes the youth feel comfortable in the shelter. We are excited to see what the month of November brings us. My Place is excited for the upcoming holidays and festivities.

Health Navigation

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Family Assistance Health Navigator Julie Stevens is joined by Margarita Moran de Arroyos at Hope House as they plan education on breast self-exams across San Bernardino County’s Domestic Violence shelters. The shelters agreed at a September 2023 meeting that preventing illness was just as important as navigating shelter clients to their physicians for care. Experts report that up to 40% of breast cancer can first be detected by self-exams. October is Domestic Violence month and Breast Cancer awareness month. Shelters have developed a schedule of training including printed materials as well as short breast exam videos:

Stop the Hate

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The California Department of Social Services (CDSS) Civil Rights, Accessibility and Racial Equity (CARE) Office announced the Family Assistance Program as one of the recipients of the Stop the Hate Funding (STH) for Fiscal Years (FY) 2022-23 and 2023-24. The CDSS allocated $91.4 million in funding. A total of 173 organizations are awarded for the service period of July 1, 2023, through June 30, 2026. Family Assistance Program was awarded $450,000.

“An attack on any of our communities is an attack on everything we stand for as Californians,” said Governor Newsom. “As hate-fueled rhetoric drives increasing acts of bigotry and violence, California is taking action to protect those who are targeted just for being who they are. We’re bolstering our support for victims and anti-hate programs and tackling ignorance and intolerance through education to prevent hate from taking hold in our communities.”

The announcement comes as hate crimes, and racial, religious, sexual orientation, and gender bias events have increased in California. Just this past month, a Southern California shop owner was shot and killed because a rainbow pride flag hung outside her clothing store. And in the first month since Governor Newsom launched the “CA vs Hate” hotline, there have been 180 reports of hate acts across California.

Family Assistance Program provides crisis service, support, and housing to homeless and runaway youth and young adults, survivors of domestic violence or human trafficking, and women on probation or parole. As the culture of our agency is to address the needs of the disenfranchised and advocate for the rights of those discriminated against, Family Assistance Program is implementing a campaign to Stop the Hate of anti-LGBTQIA+ violence in San Bernardino County.

The Family Assistance Program is reaching out for your support and involvement in our Stop the Hate Campaign. As you know, hate crimes and bullying of youth and young adults because of their sexual orientation or gender identity expression have been increasing and there are literal targets on their backs in schools and communities across Southern California. The Family Assistance Program will be launching a campaign to prevent, identify, address, support, and report hate crimes in San Bernardino County.

Though our intentional focus is LGBTQIA+ identified youth who have been exposed to or at risk of bullying and hate crime victimization, this campaign was developed prior to the horrific incident in Cedar Glen and, unfortunately, dovetails with the hate crime murder of businesswoman Laura Ann Carleton.

Though focused primarily on LGBTQIA+ Youth, our Stop the Hate Campaign will engage anyone who has been a victim of a hate crime (racial, sexual, ethnic, class, gender, etc.), as that is the philosophy of Family Assistance Program. In response to the violence and abuse that individuals experience based on their sexual orientation or gender identity, we would be honored to have your support for our Stop the Hate Campaign efforts to serve, prevent, and intervene on behalf of our LGBTQIA+ youth and individuals who are victimized by hate.

As we proceed with the implementation of this Campaign, we welcome the involvement of you and your community in our efforts! If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact jim@familyassist.org

Our Stop the Hate Campaign is a three-pronged approach of Direct Service, Prevention and Intervention:

Our Direct Service components will consist of:

  • Expand services and system navigation for victims of hate crimes and hate incidents by providing peer-based therapeutic support and creating plans of care coordination that align with the survivor’s goals.
  • Develop and provide wellness practices that target LGBTQIA+ community members’ needs such as wellness and community outings for youth through our Drop-in Centers.

From a Prevention facet, we will:

  • Increase community awareness of hate crimes, hate incidents and service access through a youth-driven, broad-based, marketing campaign to raise awareness throughout San Bernardino County.
  • Engage LGBTQIA+ youth in peer-to-peer mentoring activities to promote positive youth development and leadership skills.
  • Work with Gay Straight Alliances at schools to discuss individual/community Safety Planning.
  • Conduct anti-bullying and anti-hate presentations in high schools, colleges, and youth centers.
  • Establish a countywide Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network for LGBTQIA+ youth in San Bernardino County.

From an Intervention perspective, we will:

  • Create county-wide responses to hate crimes and hate incidents by having a select group of LGBTQIA+ youth review policies/procedures of county-wide programming to ensure diversity, equity, and inclusion.
  • Increase community awareness of hate crimes, hate incidents, and service access through training at schools, colleges, housing programs county programs, Chambers of Commerce, and other programs serving LGBTQIA+ youth.
  • Create countywide responses to hate crimes and hate incidents by establishing an intersectional cohort of not-for-profit, public, and private community-based organizations to provide a coordinated rapid response to hate crimes and hate incidents.

Victims of Crime

Young people aged 14-24 in San Bernardino County: You are not alone if you've experienced:

Domestic or Relationship Abuse
Theft
Bullying
Physical or Sexual Attacks
Illegal Evictions
Hate Crimes
Mistreatment by the Authorities

Family Assistance Program is here to support and advocate for you. If you’ve been victimized or just need someone to talk to, don’t hesitate to call us at 909-571-5659. Together, we can explore your situation, your rights, and find a path forward. Watch the videos on our website to learn more about how we can help you.

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Hiring

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We are currently hiring full and part-time for many open positions.

Click here to see all of the open positions at Family Assistance Program:

Open Positions

If you are interested in applying for any of our open positions, email your resume to hr@familyassist.org

Give

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If you want to help the most at-risk members of your community, you can donate to Family Assistance Program:

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If you are interested in donating items or anything other than a monetary donation you can email angela@familyassist.org

We have partnered with Santa’s Sleigh again this year.

Bring Christmas Cheer by Baking!

Donations Wanted!

Donate baked goods for our Dessert Auctions on 11/21 and 12/6 and help bring Christmas to children in need.
Contact misty@familyassist.org or call (949)592-2075.

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Thank Your to Our Community Partners

Join Our Team

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Join Our Team

CHECK OUT OUR OPEN POSITIONS

If you are homeless and feel that your civil rights were violated by police or community official please click this link to fill out a form from the ACLU.

Family Assistance Program envisions a community where each person has a loving, nurturing home life. We provide the tools necessary to create healthy interpersonal relationships, economic empowerment, and stable housing.

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