2023 April Newsletter

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april 2023 newsletter
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Direct from Darryl

Our newsletter this month is longer than normal because we have so much going on in an effort to strengthen our community. We have community events, fundraising events, and updates on the services we provide for our clients. As we enter spring, we are focused on all of the great projects we have coming up this summer. Hiking, camping, rock climbing, and rafting are all on the agenda for this summer. We will also be launching a program to address the health care needs of victims of crime. If everything goes smoothly with licensing, in May we will be having a grand opening for another youth shelter in San Bernardino.
 
May is also a time for legislative advocacy work in Sacramento. We will be taking a group of formerly homeless youth to learn about advocacy and meet with our legislators. Assembly member James Ramos will be taking them onto the Assembly floor to see where it all happens. Later in the month, some of our staff will be meeting with legislators to discuss issues related to domestic violence and some of the bills that will impact them. We are proud to connect our elected officials with people who are willing to share their life experiences.

Darryl Evey
Executive Director

Hope House

Thank you to everyone that has attended our Taco Tuesday fundraisers! We are inviting you to join us again on Tuesday, May 2nd at Miguel’s Baja Grill at 14480 7th St., Victorville, CA 92395. Come have some delicious food and drinks, buy raffle tickets and support a great cause. Your support helps further our mission in our domestic violence shelters and programs.

Thank you to everyone for your generous donations. We are always accepting donations and raffle prizes. For more information contact Sylvia 760-442-0649 sylvia@familyassist.org

Here is a letter from a participant that we helped with rental assistance and an emergency housing voucher.

screenshot of letter

Join us for Taco Tuesday, May 2nd from 5-8pm!

taco tuesday flyer

Rock’n our Disabilities Eggxtra Special Egg Trunk

Hope House attended Rock’n our Disabilities Eggxtra Special Egg Trunk. It was so much fun for Hope House staff to decorate the van and pass out candy and give resources out to the community. There was a lady who asked for extra fliers so she can put on her board of resources. She is from a local church and they do couples counseling. We also attended High Desert Second Chance’s Easter event.

The Financial Empowerment Classes have been a success, so much so we were invited to teach Financial Literacy at Hook Jr. High School at their Family Engagement Center on Tuesdays from 9am-10am for the parents of the middle schoolers.

Here is what one of the participants had to say:
“The first class was amazing 👏. I really connected with the instructor. She is so energetic and friendly. Hopefully through the rest of the sessions the class will increases and everyone will enjoy themselves.”

Thank you for helping us bring these classes for our families. We were also able to raise a participant’s credit score by 10 points just by her paying off one of credit cards.

trunk of car with easter gifts
Disabilities Eggxtra Special Egg Trunk

Easter Basket Drive

Thank you to everyone who donated to the Easter Basket drive! We were able to give an Easter basket to every participant in our programs. We had an amazing response from our community with so many donations. We worked together to make all the baskets and get them passed out to all of the participants. Thanks to all of these efforts, our participants felt loved and taken care of for the holiday. Your donation has demonstrated that we can all make a difference if we work together. We thank you again for your support! The joy that we have been able to bring to families in need is immeasurable and would not have been possible without your support. Your donation has truly made a difference, and we cannot thank you enough for your unwavering commitment to making our communities a better place. 3M Company Above all Pest Control Amazon KRB4 Smarties Assistance League Victor Valley His Closet His Pantry High Desert Equality Kern Construction Aztec Riders Girl Scouts of America Troop 415 Victor Valley Womens Club Margaret Smith Liby Tavor Professor Kiery Borruel #VVC Banks Auto Group – Edgar
table of easter baskets
staff filling easter basket

Community Center

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Spring has sprung and April is underway! The C Street Staff has been busy Spring cleaning and helping clients get resources for Easter baskets and other items for their families. Our Domestic Violence Advocacy 40-Hour Training kicked off on April 11, 2023 and we had over 83 people registered, that’s 83 NEW Domestic Violence Advocates in our community…we are so excited about this response! Don’t worry, if you didn’t sign up for this training we will have another one in October.

April is Autism Awareness Month and us here at C Street want to show our love and support this month. Some of us have children, family members and friends on the autism spectrum and this describes them perfectly: Always Unique Totally Interesting Sometimes Mysterious #AutismAwareness

Don’t forget, the C Street Community Center is still offering FREE Notary Services! This service is available Monday through Friday, from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm. Please call Jobi at 760-843-0701 for more information.

DID YOU DO YOUR TAXES YET??? YOU STILL MAY HAVE TIME!!! Did you know that Family Assistance Program can help you file your basic 1040 and CA State tax returns….for FREE? Well if you didn’t know, now you do! Call or email Jobi for your appointment today (760) 843-0701 or jobi@familyassist.org

pile of dollar bills with scrabble pieces spelling t-a-x on top
free notary services

Open Arms

The Spring Break Resource Fair was a GREAT success here at Open Arms. It was amazing to see the community come out, shop for clothing and grab a quick lunch all while receiving great information from vendors. We were very fortunate to have had 23 vendors despite the gloomy weather. A huge thank you to all of the vendors who were able to make it and were such awesome sports about the rain. We would also like to shoutout our clients who were a huge help to all staff during this event. We look forward to hosting a summer resource fair and inviting everyone back to Open Arms. For the month of April Open Arms will be participating in resource fairs hosted by Dignity Health, as well as Operation New Hope. We look forward to being able to reach the community in a different capacity.

During the month of March, we were able to house clients with the help of our community partners. We rely tremendously on these partnerships to help our clients reach their housing goals. Thank you to Operation Safe House, Operation New Hope, and Path of Life Ministries for their consistent support with helping serve our clients.

Open Arms is happy to announce we now have a Victims of Crime Advocate who will be able to assist clients with understanding their rights, counseling services, restraining order assistance, and support during court hearings.

We are very pleased to welcome new staff here at Open Arms: Maria, Victims of Crime Advocate, Nichole, Systems Navigator, and Justis, Street Outreach. Welcome to Open Arms and Family Assistance Program.

Please take a look at our group calendar for the month of April!

fair booths
clothing racks

Open Door

two people standing at the trunk of a car
At the Open Door we are doing so many exciting things. We have so many events coming up like San Bernardino Valley college, we will be sitting on a panel. We will also be doing a tabling event at CSUSB. We were invited to the Victim’s Right in Rancho Cucamonga and in the High Desert We are also doing trainings at Dignity Health this month along with Missing and Murdered Natives on the signs and indications of Human Trafficking. Open doors weekends are busy also we will be doing the Heart Matters and the Women’s Brunch Award Ceremony. This month we would already like to thank Barstow college for inviting us to their Mental Health fair it was an awesome opportunity. And let’s not forget the generous donation Ontario Fire Department 7 gave us with Easter toys, for our clients. We hope you had a happy Easter 🐣 from everyone at the Open Door.
staff members at FAP table

Next Step

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It is always an occasion to celebrate whenever we are able to assist our program participants secure permanent housing, so we are extremely proud to announce the success of our rental assistance program in doing exactly that. Over the past few months the Dream Team marriage of the Next Step Rental Assistance, Housing & Warm Hand-Off team (made up of Adriana Zavala, Ana Arteaga, Claudia Zavalza, Tonya Ward and Vanessa Haro) and Open Door’s Housing Navigation & Financial Empowerment team (made up of Patricia “Pat” Tyler and Anny Delance), have worked in close step to make it possible for four rental assistance program participants overcome the housing insecurity they faced. The four participants include two participants that were having difficulty finding permanent housing for themselves and two participants graduating from Next Steps’ own reentry housing program.

Of the two participants not in Next Step housing, John had recently paroled in January and had success being approved for SSDI but was experiencing great difficulty in finding suitable housing that would lease to him due to recently being paroled. The second participant not in Next Step housing, Clifford, was living in temporary community housing and had success being approved for SSDI also, but again, he had great difficulty finding suitable housing that would lease to him due to his justice involved history. Adriana and Vanessa referred both to the Housing Navigation & Financial Empowerment team to determine what their SSDI income and current budgets would support. After years of having to share their housing space with several others, both naturally preferred to live privately. Luckily, Anny determined both these individuals’ income and budgets would be able to sustain living on their own in an apartment and so they moved onto Pat’s housing navigation services. Pat has worked diligently to create relationships with local apartments and other housing providers endorsing the benefits of Next Step’s rental assistance program and was able to successfully secure leases for both of these gentlemen. Each has already moved into their new private apartments, making possible their goal of being self-sufficient and living on their own.

Even more exciting, has been the graduation of two of our Next Step housing participants, Pamela and Celia, who have worked hard while in our program, doing all they needed to do to prepare themselves for exiting into their own apartments. Pamela came to be in our housing last summer, immediately after her release on parole. While in the program, she developed her goals and worked hard to achieve them; attending several self-help classes, taking advantage of resources offered to her and securing gainful employment. She saved the money she earned each month towards her exit and also successfully applied for SSI. Pamela’s case manager, Ana, referred her to the Housing Navigation & Financial Empowerment team for their assistance. Anny and Pat determined she would indeed be able to support herself with her SSI and employment income. With Pat’s help, Pamela was able to move into to her new apartment as of this month.

The second of the Next Step housing graduates to secure a lease for an apartment, Celia, came to us late last year and has since made great efforts to reunify with her 2-year-old baby girl, secure gainful employment and find a suitable home for her and her child. Celia’s case manager Claudia also referred her to Anny and Pat’s services. With their assistance, she found an apartment to lease. But, although Celia successfully completed her supervised probation while in Next Step housing, she was told by the probation department that her housing with Next Step would no longer be funded by them since she was no longer on probation. To provide Celia additional time to complete all the requirements to be approved for her apartment, Next Step approved to extend her more time in housing despite not being funded. We are happy to report Celia will be moving in at the beginning of April.

FAM Spot

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Hi from Fam Spot. We are excited to let everyone know that we have been busy helping the community garden at the senior center here in Victorville build raised garden beds and clean up their center.

Every Monday we take several youth from Fam Spot and our TAY houses over to the senior center and the youth love it. They are learning composting, planting, soil, and how to take care of them. We were also able to get a pass for Mojave Narrows, so we now take our youth every Sunday. The youth love going. They play frisbee, walk the lake and learn more outdoor projects. With the summer coming up, we are looking forward to doing more water activities to keep our youth cool. Don’t forget to look for our monthly calendar to keep up with our daily activities.

Our House

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Clients have been enjoying spring at Our House! They have been watercolor painting, going on regular walks to neighborhood parks and establishments, enjoying frequent ice cream outings, jumping joyfully at trampoline parks, and searching for wildflowers as near as a neighbor’s yard and as far as our most recent outing to Diamond Valley Lake in Hemet – whose wildflower trail did not disappoint! While appreciating all that the rain brought us, from wildflowers to snow in the surrounding mountain ranges, Our House continues to help youth navigate their transition into long term placement, school, and independent living programs as they come of age.
wildflower field
wildflower field
wildflowers on mountain

Welcome Home

Welcome Home has been spreading the word about our amazing LGBTQIA+ based program by getting our name integrated into several counties, connecting with LGBT committees and attending resource fairs. Our case manager presented for the Rainbow Youth Collaborative to spread awareness about the many useful resources in the Family Assistance Program. He also spoke at Cal State San Bernardino and reached about 160 students! Welcome Home attended a resource fair at Open Arms. We had the pleasure of tabling alongside Open Door, FAP’s human trafficking program. Together we met some wonderful people, ate good food and passed out flyers for our upcoming events! Panera hosted a fundraiser on April 14th at the San Bernardino location. Twenty percent of any purchases made between 4pm-8pm went to Welcome Home to help support the clients and their needs. We are also looking forward to our Pride event on June 23rd. It will be held at Open Arms from 11am to 3pm! With 3 successful exits this week, we are looking for more participants to add onto our waitlist. If you or someone you know is 18-24 years old and identify as LGBTQIA+ please contact us! welcomehome@familyassist.org
raise some dough flyer
lgbt tay pride flyer

No Drugs America

no drugs america flyer

This program is free and sponsored by Family Assistance Program. Youth ages 12-18 can attend classes on Wednesdays 3:30-4:30pm in person at the FAM Spot on 6th. & C Street

19 and older attend Zoom Classes Tuesdays 4-5pm and Thursdays 5-6pm Call 760-843-0701 to register.

Probation, Parole, Child Family Services Clients, Community Service Clients and Students are Welcome.

“Real Evidence * Real People * Real Results”

Thank You

southwest gas logo

We are extremely honored that Southwest Gas Foundation has given $30,000 to Family Assistance Program to help fund the Tiny Home Village for homeless youth in Old Town Victorville. This donation will fund 3 of the tiny homes to go along with the tiny home that was funded by the Southwest Gas employees through the Fuel 4 Life employee giving program. That is 4 of our tiny homes fully funded by the amazing people at Southwest Gas. We appreciate the continued and ongoing support from Southwest Gas, their foundation, and their employees! We are overwhelmed by the generosity from Southwest Gas!

tiny home village plan
fiesta flyer

Hiring

yes we're hiring

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

give jar

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

Donate– Opens in a new window.

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

Thank Your to Our Community Partners

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Join Our Team

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Join Our Team

CHECK OUT OUR OPEN POSITIONS

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.

2023 March Newsletter

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Groundbreaking Ceremony

You are cordially invited to celebrate the groundbreaking ceremony for our Youth Drop-In Center Expansion, TAY Shelter Expansion & Tiny Home Village at 10 a.m. this Friday, March 10th.
 
We are beyond thrilled to see this dream come to fruition! This project will be built in phases with final plans including a commercial kitchen, bathroom & shower facilities, computer lab, rec room, 24/7 access to case management, support, resources and 14 Tiny Homes to help keep transitional age youth 18-24 off the streets. This event will kick off phase I of our expansion which includes the youth drop-in center remodel and the add on of four additional bedrooms with 20 beds for local Transition Age Youth. This is the first tiny home village for youth experiencing homelessness in Southern California.
 
“I am excited that the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians has recognized the need for youth specific services and is supporting this innovative project,” said said Darryl Evey, the Executive Director of Family Assistance Program. “If we do not end youth homelessness, we will not stop the pipeline of people who have had their childhoods destroyed by housing insecurity. This project will set these young people up for a lifetime of successes.”
 
We will have a Tiny Home prototype on site. This is something that you don’t want to miss! 
 
Please join us for the groundbreaking ceremony with Family Assistance Program staff, clients, board of directors, as well as San Manuel Band of Mission Indians and our local dignitaries.
 
Special thank you to Assemblymember James Ramos, Assemblymember Juan Carrillo and Senator Rosilicie Ochoa Bogh who will be present at the event. 
 
The event will take place at 16857 C Street, Victorville. Please RSVP to vida@familyassist.org
Transforming Lives flyer
Zumba & Fitness Fundraiser Event:
Date: Saturday, April 22
Time: 11am-2pm
It’s Earth Day so it is a great way to come out and focus on your mind, body and soul!
 
Free family friendly event, raffle prizes, & face painting!
Sponsored by: Corporal Strength Training & Skinny Thicc
Theme: Transforming Lives
 
All raffle donations will go towards the tiny home village & youth drop in expansion.
 
Contact vida@familyassist.org for more information.
famspot expansion flyer

We have fundraisers lined up to raise money for the Tiny Home Village and Youth Drop-In Center Expansion.

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THANK YOU TO ALL OF OUR SPONSORS
 
We want to thank the Ontario Reign Hockey Team for supporting the expansion during the February 17th hockey game! 
 
Thank you to everyone who came out to support! 
 
Together we were able to raise a little over $1,600.00
 
Special thank you to DAWG Rehab who sponsored 4 tickets for our youth to attend the hockey game and to CARS Auto Body Shop and Cali Auto Glass for sponsoring the purchase of chuck a pucks for our 15 youth in attendance. 
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cars logo

Hope House

taco tuesday flyer

Join us for Taco Tuesday, today, March 7th from 5-8pm!

Thank you In-N-Out for the generous donations of your gift duffle bag with In-N-Out gear and gift cards in support of our Taco Tuesday Easter Fundraiser! Items will be part of our raffle prizes for our fundraiser March 7th at Miguel’s Baja Grill. We are inviting you to join us the 1st Tuesday of every month in support of a great cause . We are always accepting donations and raffle prizes. Thank you to everyone for your generous donations . Your support helps further our mission in our domestic violence shelters and programs. For more information contact Sylvia 760-442-0649 sylvia@familyassist.org

basket of donations

Our participants have been working on Self-Love in Art Healing. They are really enjoying it and are learning to love themselves. They feel stronger and are learning to have more self-esteem and becoming more independent. One of their favorite quotes is – My own love for myself is important.

drawing of hands in chains
participant holding up his drawing
easter basket drive flyer
We are asking for help again this year for our Easter Basket Drive. Hope House and all of our Transitional Housing sites have many children this year. We are reaching out to the community to help us help our families to have a very happy Easter this year. Please sign up on the Event Brite and we will contact you with further information.
 
We are accepting everything for the children in our programs along with items for the parent.
 
Please contact Sylvia for further information or just register on Event Brite.– opens in a new window

Thank you

We are presenting a Financial Empowerment and Credit Coaching Class. This is our second time presenting this class and we are extremely excited about the overwhelming outcome that has been received. The class runs for 10 weeks every Thursday from 11am-12pm on zoom. The class started on February 9th, and will run until May 4th. So far, we have had over 40 people attend the classes. In these classes we go over the meaning of Financial Literacy, Budgeting and Saving, How to Build or Repair Credit, and Homeownership. This class is totally free and is open to everyone. If you would like to sign up please contact Nalisha Anderson (760) 223-7787 nalisha@familyassist.org

Hope House would like to Thank Sovereign Way Christian Church. They invited us over for a Valentine’s Day event. Our participants had a fun day of shopping, they were so excited to have lots of goodies, coffee and tea. They were able to shop for themselves and their children from the racks of clothing, purses, and shoes. Our participants were welcomed to anything! They even gave them flowers, journals, and little bibles. Our participants were very thankful for everyone who made this special event possible.

financial empowerment flyer

Community Center

International Women’s Day (IWD) is a global holiday celebrated annually on March 8th as a focal point in the women’s rights movement, bringing attention to issues such as gender equality, reproductive rights, and violence and abuse against women. The proud women at the Community Center will be wearing purple and green in honor of this day. Join us and wear purple and green on Wednesday, March 8, 2023 to support the honored women in your life!

Rosie the Riveter
march international womens day

kamala harrisOn January 20, 2021, Kamala Harris became the first woman, the first black person, and the first South Asian-American to become U.S. Vice President. In 2016, Harris was the first Indian-American woman to be elected to the United States Senate and in 2010, Harris became the first African-American and first woman to serve as California’s attorney general. Kamala is a California native; she was born in Oakland to immigrant parents (her mom was from India and her dad was from Jamaica). As a Howard University alumna, Harris is the first graduate of a historically black college or university to hold the vice presidency.
Thank you, Vice president Harris, for inspiring us young girls specifically brown and black girls to dream. In you we see a super hero, a possibility and an aspiration. Representation matters. It matters to young black and brown girls who have not seen themselves in positions of power. It matters to young black and brown girls whose race and gender have been weaponized against them in ways that they might not even see or know – yet.

free notary servicesDon’t forget, the C Street Community Center is still offering FREE Notary Services!

This service is available Monday through Friday, from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm. Please call Jobi at 760-843-0701 for more information.

W-2s and 1099s are in the mail which means one thing, it’s TAX SEASON! Did you know that Family Assistance Program can help you file your basic 1040 and CA State tax returns….for FREE? Well if you didn’t know, now you do! Call or email Jobi for your appointment today (760) 843-0701 or jobi@familyassist.org

The Victorville Community Center will be hosting the San Bernardino County FREE tax preparation service on March 30, 2023. Please call the number listed above to schedule your appointment.

free tax preparation flyer
what to bring to tax appointment flyer

Open Arms

February allowed Open Arms the opportunity to reflect and embrace Black History Month with clients. Having the chance to discuss prominent figures pertaining to Black History allowed for our staff and clients to discuss an important part of history. Saturdays focused on art therapy, having clients express their emotions through the art of color and brush strokes. Clients have really taken to this activity and have been taking their paintings home to hang in their rooms. Our Valentine’s Day paint n’ snack activity was a great success, clients were gracious enough to share some of their paintings to decorate our center walls. For the month of March our groups will focus on Women’s History Month, dedicating time to discuss prominent women figures in our history.

We are happy to announce Open Arms will be hosting a resource fair on March 23rd from 12pm – 3pm. We are eager to share we have over 15 vendors registered for the event, ranging from health resources, employment, education, and housing. We will also have a raffle drawing throughout the event, as well as food and clothes drive. We look forward to providing the community with a wide range of resources and opening our center for everyone to come and see the great things Open Arms has to offer.

Open Door

the open door logo
At the Open Door we just finished the 40 Hour Human Trafficking training with 32 new Human Trafficking advocates! The next 40 Hour State Certified Human Trafficking training will be held in May, so watch out for the registration. We want to thank Naomi from Volunteers of America for partnering with us and helping to house victims of crime. Bernadette presented at Redlands University on HT 101, for their Women, Gender, and Sexuality studies program. The professor said that the class received so much positive feedback that they asked Open Door to come back on March 24th for another event that they are having. Happy Women’s History Month! If you would like to donate to Open Door or have any questions please contact bernadette@familyassist.org
happy womens month flyer

Next Step

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Last month we announced the privilege of being awarded a second round of funding in both the Warm Hand-Off (WHO) and Rental Assistance (RA) grants and the start of a new grant period, beginning March 1st. But, as we enter a new grant period for this second round of funding we reflect on the achievements made during the life of the initial grant, which was from August 2019 to February 2023.

Those achievements include:

Grant Achievements
1. Paid $1,921,899 in rent payments for 373 participants to place them into a new home or keep them in their current home.
2. Provided $29,983 worth of essential appliances and furniture.
3. Housed 135 participants and 34 accompanying children in need of rapid rehousing due to homelessness or threat of homelessness.
4. Provided case management, housing navigation, and landlord mediation, for 373 participants. Advocating for each participant throughout the process of securing suitable and stable housing.
5. Provided employment assistance resulting in employment of 193 participants.
6. Provided emergency services in the form of food, clothing, identification assistance (CA ID, birth certificates and social security cards), transportation, bus passes, hygiene products
7. Provided employment clothing for job interviews to 29 participants.

Of course, none of this could have been accomplished were it not for the hard work of our team members, like Case Manager Ana Arteaga, who took in our first “pre-release contact”, Claudia from Central Institute for Women (CIW) in Corona. We initially received a letter from Claudia prior to being released asking for assistance to help her parole from incarceration. We provided Claudia with a letter of support letting her and the parole board know we had a bed reserved for her in our housing program. Ana coordinated with Claudia to pick her up from CIW when released. Since coming to our program, Claudia has worked hard to overcome the obstacles she faced. With Ana’s full support she has obtained all her essential documents, graduated anger management classes, opened a checking account at a bank and secured gainful employment. Claudia’s goal is to raise $10,000 by the end of her program with Next Step and secure suitable housing for her 4 kids; we are happy to report she is on track to achieve her goals.

Another one of our Rental Assistance Advocates/Case Managers, Adriana Zavala, successfully advocated for her participant, Monique, to be accepted into a home of her very own. This was the first time Monique had lived on her own in her very own home. The landlord was reluctant to approve her for the home due to her background and circumstances, but after explaining the program and how it would benefit them, Adriana successfully advocated for the housing approval. Monique continues to live in her own home and continues to pursue her goals.

As we look towards the future, we are excited to introduce our new WHO Case Manager, Tonya Ward. Tonya comes to us with lived experience as well as much experience having worked in CIW assisting with their inmate programs. We are confident that Tonya will be an asset to our program and will continue to help us make a positive impact in the lives of returning citizens.
Thank you to all of our supporters who have helped us make the Next Step Reentry Program a success. We couldn’t do it without you.

If you or someone you know would like to inquire about our reentry services for a person on Parole or Supervised Probation, please reach out to us at our hotline 909-550-5615 or email us at NextStepReentryServices@familyassist.org

FAM Spot

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live hockey game

From one of our youth participants:

“Hi, my name is Austin. I am 21 years old and I’m currently homeless. The Family Assistance Program has helped me with getting temporary housing so I could have an opportunity to get back on my feet and hopefully move into my own place by the end of the program. They also help me with finding a job as best they can. The Family Assistance Program has helped me in a number of ways. I have a hard time being around people because it makes me anxious and coming to The Fam Spot has really helped me out a lot with that especially! It has helped me sort of break down my walls and make me feel more comfortable being around other people. The Family Assistance Program is a great opportunity to get you the help you need to get back on your feet and give you another chance at life. This program has truly saved me from what could’ve been a very horrible, horrific, stressful situation that I would’ve been in if I hadn’t discovered this program. Shelly is amazing and always puts her clients at the top of her priorities. She has helped me a lot, probably the most. I am very thankful to have this program and the support group that comes with it! Everyone is awesome and they have saved me from a terrifying situation. I have nothing but good things to say about The Family Assistance Program and what they have done for me. They’ve truly helped me in a number of ways and saved me from the worst possible situation I could’ve been in and they continue to help and support me regularly. I’m very grateful for that and the staff that works hard to make sure their clients are in a safe environment where they can focus on themselves and grow as a person without having to worry about where they’re going to sleep at night. I’m truly thankful for everything that The Family Assistance Program has done and continues to do for me! I have no idea where I would be right now if not for them!”

My Place

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This month has been very exciting and productive for My Place. Our youth were able to do outreach and volunteer in our community. We implemented life skills groups including making resumes, grocery shopping, learning how to pump gas and nutrition groups were a success. There were several outings this month including a trip to a hockey game, the Science Center in Los Angeles, snowboarding at Mountain High, park trips, hiking, lake trips, barbecues, and an outing to Dave and Busters. Our youth helped decorate our shelter for Valentines day and Black History Month. We look forward to March and hope we can continue to make our shelter feel like a home for our clients.

Our House

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We have a lot in store for our clients from our trivia nights to all of the outdoor activities we set up for our youth. The staff have done a great job implementing numerous groups, like life skills and nutrition. They have also been providing outings such as going to the movies, mall, and bowling. Our youth have also been enjoying Ms. Lynne from Open Arms coming out to talk to them about the dangers of drugs and what they can do to their bodies. We have been encouraging our youth to go to school and help them get enrolled. Some even want us to help them get involved with other independent living programs as they are coming of age.

Our House

graphic of rainbow homeWelcome Home LGBTQIA+ TAY house is currently in the works of a PRIDE event for June 23rd! More details yet to come as we collect LGBT friendly sources and vendors for this momentous occasion. We are excited to share that we’ve already had our first successful exit after only being open for two months. Furthermore, we’ve had two clients score jobs this month! With the help of on-site advocates, as well as Christopher from Arrowhead United Way, they were equipped with rides to and from interviews. Our case manager, Oscar, is working side-by-side with clients to help them monitor and build their savings. He has implemented forms of positive reinforcement to make sure that our clients stay on top of their goals.
The case manager has spoken with many different organizations this month, including; Rainbow Pride Youth Alliance, Rainbow Collaborative, Redlands Charitable Resource Coalition and the LGBT DBH subcommittee. Our goal is to spread the word to ensure that every homeless or at-risk queer person knows that they have a safe space available to them at Welcome Home. Even if we are at max capacity, we have many sources available to them as well as a waitlist. Stay tuned for more information in regards to the upcoming PRIDE event!

san bernardino 2023 pride

Thank you

group of people holding large check

We were extremely honored when Southwest Gas Corporation picked Family Assistance Program as one of the local non-profits that the employees can donate to in their Fuel for Life Employee Giving program but we were blown away by the generosity of the local employees that pledged $12,791.60 to Family Assistance Program! These much needed funds will help the most vulnerable members of our community. We appreciate the continued and ongoing support from Southwest Gas, their foundation, and their employees!

Family Assistance Program is honored to be among, Mary’s Mercy Center, Inc., Lestonnac Free Clinic, Step Up on Second – San Bernardino, Lutheran Social Services of Southern California, and Legal Aid Society of San Bernardino and receive this grant that improves the health of the greater San Bernardino community! Join us in thanking Dignity Health for providing this grant to these local organizations and thank them for the support they provide to these organizations helping struggling families, victims of abuse, and homeless access to housing, medical, dental, and behavioral health services.

Hiring

yes we're hiring sign

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

COVID-19 - VACINATE ALL 58

vaccinate all 58

TIPS TO STAY HEALTHY AND PREVENT THE SPREAD OF WINTER VIRUSES

Winter is an exciting time for families, with many looking forward to holiday celebrations, family gatherings, special outings, and shopping. While enjoying all that the season brings, it is important to remember the simple steps you can take to protect yourself and those around you against winter viruses such as the flu, COVID-19 and RSV. Staying up to date with COVID-19 and flu vaccines is one of the best ways to stay healthy this season. Other important steps include:
  • Staying home when you feel sick
  • Testing for COVID-19 if you are having symptoms. If you test positive for COVID, contact your healthcare provider right away to learn about treatment options
  • Washing your hands often with soap and warm water for at least 20 seconds
  • Covering your coughs and sneezes
  • Avoiding close contact with sick people
  • Considering wearing a mask in public indoor places to limit the spread of germs
During winter festivities and gatherings, it’s especially important to wear a mask around infants and toddlers who cannot wear masks and are most at risk for serious infection. It is equally important to mask up around the elderly as these groups have less protection from winter viruses. Find a vaccine or booster near you by visiting MyTurn.ca.gov. For more information about COVID-19, visit covid19.ca.gov .

Thank Your to Our Community Partners

community partner logos

Join Our Team

orange butterfly

Join Our Team

CHECK OUT OUR OPEN POSITIONS

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.

2023 February Newsletter

6fdadmin

february 2023 newsletter

Happy Valentine's Day

virtual valentine's card

Tiny Home Village

groundbreaking ceremony flyer
You are cordially invited to celebrate the groundbreaking ceremony for our Tiny Home Village & Youth Drop-In Center Expansion at 10 a.m. on March 10th.
 
We are beyond thrilled to see this dream come to fruition! The new center will include 14 tiny homes — complete with a commercial kitchen, bathroom & shower facilities, computer lab, recreation room and 24/7 supportive services for homeless youth ages 18-24. This is the first tiny home village for youth experiencing homelessness in Southern California.
 
“I am excited that the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians has recognized the need for youth specific services and is supporting this innovative project,” said said Darryl Evey, the executive director of Family Assistance Program. “If we do not end youth homelessness, we will not stop the pipeline of people who have had their childhoods destroyed by housing insecurity. This project will set these young people up for a lifetime of successes.”
 
Please join us for the groundbreaking ceremony with Family Assistance Program staff, clients, board of directors, as well as San Manuel Band of Mission Indians and our local dignitaries. The event will take place at 16857 C Street, Victorville. Please RSVP to vida@familyassist.org

We have fundraisers lined up to raise money for the Tiny Home Village and Youth Drop-In Center Expansion.

Ontario Reign FUNdraiser!
Hockey Chuck a Puck
Date: Friday, February 17th
Tickets start at $22
Last day to buy tickets is Wednesday, 2/15/23
Buy your tickets here:

Watch a hockey game and raise money for a good cause! Buy tickets for you, your family, your friends, and enjoy a fun Friday night watching hockey with us! Chuck a pucks can be purchased on site. This is a family friendly, fun event!

All proceeds will go towards the tiny home village & youth drop in expansion.

Contact shelly@familyassist.org for more information.

hockey match flyer
Transforming Lives flyer
It’s Earth Day so it is a great way to come out and focus on your mind, body and soul!
 
Free family friendly event, raffle prizes, & face painting!

Sponsored by: Corporal Strenght Training & Skinny Thicc
Theme: Transforming Lives
 
All raffle donations will go towards the tiny home village & youth drop in expansion.
 
Contact vida@familyassist.org for more information.

Open Arms

Open Arms is happy to announce our new partnership with PAIR Teams, who will be assisting our clients with all medical needs. We are looking forward to the great things this partnership will bring our clients, along with extra support. Open Arms will be discussing further collaboration with Operation New Hope, holding monthly staff meetings to assure an opportunity to discuss new ideas that will benefit all clients. The month of January consisted of focusing on creating posters for the Human Trafficking Awareness Walk, which our clients took great interest to. Staff showed support by participating in wearing blue on National Human Trafficking Awareness Day and also participating in the awareness walk. Open Arms participated in the PITC for the San Bernardino area, in an effort to bring more awareness to the homeless population in the county. Our team had great success with over 50 surveys accumulated within just our team of 4. 
 
We are eager to see what the month of February brings us as we celebrate Black History month. February will consist of groups pertaining to Black History, along with activities and a special Valentine’s Day Paint and Snack. We hope to continue bringing awareness and exposure to our clients as best we can. Please take a look at our group calendar for exact date and times.
four ladies holding up flyers
february 2023 calendar

Community Center

drawing of francis thompson

2023 is rolling along and we are now in February! February is Black History Month and we at the Community Center would like to highlight Frances Thompson, the first known Black Transgender female. Frances Thompson (1840-1876), although born into slavery in Alabama and assigned male at birth, by the age of 26 Frances Thompson was freed and living according to her own gender identity in a booming Black community in Memphis, TN. She kept her face clean-shaven, wore brightly colored dresses, and took in washing for pay. During the deadly Memphis Riot of 1866, Frances and her roommate, another Black woman, were brutally robbed and gang-raped by several white men which included two police officers. Frances and her roommate boldly testified at a committee hearing held by the US Congress, Frances stated that her and her roommate DID NOT consent to their brutal raping. This was and is huge for Black women because just a few years prior they didn’t have rights to their own bodies as enslaved women. A Black woman in 1866 fought bravely to live her truth against unthinkable peril and odds, we at C Street Community Center would like to honor and shed light on a hero this month, Ms. Frances Thompson.

Don’t forget, the C Street Community Center is still offering FREE Notary Services!

This service is available Monday through Friday, from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm.

Please call Jobi at 760-843-0701 for more information.

free notary services
W-2s and 1099s are in the mail which means one thing, it’s TAX SEASON! Did you know that Family Assistance Program can help you file your basic 1040 and CA State tax returns….for FREE? Well if you didn’t know, now you do!
 
Call or email Jobi for your appointment today (760) 843-0701 or jobi@familyassist.org
 
The Victorville Community Center will be hosting the San Bernardino County FREE tax preparation service on March 30, 2023. Please call the number listed above to schedule your appointment.
free tax preparation flyer
what to bring to tax appointment flyer

Hope House

easter basket drive flyer
We are asking for help again this year for our Easter Basket Drive. Hope House and all of our Transitional Housing sites have many children this year. We are reaching out to the community to help us help our families to have a very happy Easter this year. Please sign up on the Event Brite and we will contact you with further information.
We are accepting everything for the children in our programs along with items for the parent.
Please contact Sylvia for further information or just Register on Event Brite.– opens in a new window
We are offering free Financial Empowerment & Credit Coaching workshops. Our goal is to assist you in achieving financial independence and self-sufficiency.
 
Our free workshops will offer:
  • Income & Debt Management
  • Credit Matters
  • Learning Financial Fundamentals
  • Home Ownership
  • & so much more!
 
 
Any questions please contact Nalisha Anderson 760-223-7787 nalisha@familyassist.org
financial and credit workshops flyer

Open Door

 
  

Here at Open Door we’ve been accomplishing a lot of things. We have the 40 Hour Human Trafficking Training happening the month of February. Open Door has a lot of great presenters, like Homeland Security, FBI, Partners Against Violence, etc.

We attended the Tacos and Taxes event at San Bernardino Valley College with Assembly Member James C. Ramos. We were able to collaborate with a lot of agencies and helped many people file their taxes for free.

We were invited to Redlands University to educate the students on signs of Human Trafficking. They feel Human Trafficking is happening within their college. They believe with Open Door’s help to speak and present at Redlands University the students will be more aware if someone is trying to recruit them.

With doing all these presentations and tabling, we get the opportunity to get the word out there, spread awareness, and educate the County of San Bernardino on signs of Human Trafficking.

 

One of our Adult Advocates here at the Open Door is educating the community on the dangers of Fentanyl, and has taken it all the way to the state capital! Here are some words from Lisa, “My name is Lisa Wytcherley, I have been advocating to public mainly young adult and high school students about the dangers of Fentanyl. This all started when my 20 year old daughter was found unresponsive at her friends house due to her taking a pill that contain fentanyl to kill 5 people. My daughter passed 2 hours after she was found. After the trauma team did everything they could to try and save her. My main goal is to educate and prevent anymore deaths, by help passing bill so the drug dealers can be more accountable for their actions.”

Next Step

next step logo

A new year brings renewed possibilities; for Next Step it brings a renewed grant with new funding, as well as other new things to be excited about. This new year, Next Step Reentry has the privilege of being awarded a second round of funding for both the Warm Hand-Off and Rental Assistance grants. We did so well on the first round of Rental Assistance that we were first in line to be awarded the Rental Assistance grant. With these new funds, we have a new goal of providing our program participants the ability to rent a room right out of incarceration or with a referral to our program.

Although still in the planning and approval phase, we envision using the Rental Assistance funds to rent a house in which we will provide participants the opportunity to lease a room, free of judgement of their past and eliminating the barrier to housing they would have had if trying to rent anywhere else. This will accomplish three things: 1, provide another option to returning citizens when released from incarceration, 2, it will provide immediate housing for the participant to get them off the streets or keep them from going there in the first place with the security and peace of mind of a real lease agreement, 3, it will build a positive rental history for the participant. During their participation in the program, they will receive all the same assistance we have always provided our housing participants.

The bigger goal is to employ the Shared Housing Model, we are all getting acquainted with, along with the approach we are already taking with our program, to achieve a stable situation with all the participants in the house so that we can negotiate the transfer of the master lease to said participants. But for now, and until we get the go-ahead to move forward with our plan, we will still be providing rental subsidies as we have through-out our first round of funding.

In addition to this, the Next Step Reentry team would like to welcome its new team member, Sara Kruzan. You may remember her as the keynote speaker at the agencies Gala last year. She brings with her much experience and even more passion for providing the best program we can to our participants and the reentry population as a whole.

We are excited about these new possibilities and are looking forward to see how they will impact our program participants in a positive way. If you or someone you know could benefit from our services, please don’t hesitate to reach out to Erick or Vanessa from Next Step. ErickB@familyassist.org, VanessaH@familyassist.org.

FAM Spot

snowboarder holding board

Our outdoor activities are in full swing. We have been snowboarding and hiking. We have several activities scheduled for February so please check out our calendar.

Fam Spot is now open 7 days a week. We are here 10am to 7pm Monday through Friday and 9AM to 6pm Saturday and Sunday. Our clients are excited for us to be open on Sundays and feel this gives them somewhere safe to hang out at on Sundays. 
 
Fam Spot has been busy working with our local schools the last month. We are now doing LGBTQIA support groups at a local high school and dating violence/healthy relationship workshops. We have been attending tabling events at least once a week at different schools.
 
We are very excited to let you all know that a couple of Fam Spot staff, YAB members and some TAY youth attended the San Bernardino City Council meeting along with the ACLU for the state of emergency on homelessness agenda item. Each of them spoke on why they felt it was important for the city council to approve the agenda item. THEY PASSED the agenda item. We are proud of all that attended and spoke.

My Place

my place logo

There were a few exciting, healthy, and informational activities happening at My Place this month. For starters, we had the pleasure of taking the youth over to Fam Spot for a very informational presentation concerning opioids given by Mr. Frank Kelley and the No Drugs America program. Mr. Kelley spoke to the youth about the dangers and the possible consequences that can happen both short and long term. Our staff also took youth to a new arcade that just opened, clients were really excited about that. Since we’ve been having a warmer weather, the staff decided it would be a good idea to have a B-B-Q for the youth. Staff barbequed delicious meat items and side dishes. Our clients had a wonderful time, they ate, played board games, and played some basketball amongst each other and staff. We also had an amazing and healthy hike on the Pacific Coast Trails in Hesperia. Youth as well as staff were able to breathe clean fresh air and contemplate mother nature’s beautiful scenery. And last, but not least, My Place is looking forward to welcoming Valentine’s Day with a few festive decorations. 

Housing

hand holding house key
Through Housing Navigation, we offer a life-line between those that want to help and those that need help, and connect the two worlds expeditiously.
 
We meet with anyone who may come to ask for help locating housing, assess their needs, and provide case management, employment sufficiency, financial empowerment education, and the countless branches of advocacy offered. We have also offered many landlords, property owners, and management companies some much needed relief from their constant headache and frustration source that has been that of rental payments collection, and/or reliable tenants to fill rental properties.
 
Being able to offer our partners in property management and property owners, a direct-deposit payment into their accounts each month has proven to be mess-free and beneficial for all involved. If you, or someone you know, has a property that needs an occupant, please reach out to Star by email Starlene@familyassist.org or (760) 223-7787 ext. 3008.
 
“Alone we can do so little; together, we can do so much” Helen Keller

Upcoming Events

You Can Find Family Assistance Program at These Local Events

 

February

  • February 8 – Teen Dating Violence Prevention/Healthy Relationships Workshop (at Buena Vista Continuation High School, Chino)
  • February 17 – Ontario Reign Hockey Game (at Toyota Arena, Ontario)
 

March

  • March 7 – Taco Tuesday Fundraiser (at Miguel’s Baja Grill, Victorville)
  • March 10 – Groundbreaking Ceremony for Tiny Home Village (at 16857 C Street, Victorville)
  • March 25 – Family Expo at the SB County Fairgrounds, Victorville
  • March 30 – Free Tax Preparation Event (at 16857 C St., Victorville)

April

  • April 22 – Zumba Marathon at 16857 C St., Victorville
 
For more information on these events visit the calendar on our website

Hiring

yes we're hiring sign

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

COVID-19 Vaccinate All 58

vaccinate all 58

FEEL GOOD ABOUT THE FACTS. GET YOUR COVID-19 QUESTIONS ANSWERED ON WHATSAPP!

 
Everyone has felt the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, especially Latinos, who make up only 40% of the population but over 50% of COVID-19 related deaths. The safest way to protect yourself and others is to get vaccinated against COVID-19. At this time, only 59% of Latinos in California are vaccinated.
 
A new, easy-to-use tool is now available for Latinos and other Spanish speakers to learn about vaccines and COVID-19. WhatsApp allows you to text on your phone anytime, anywhere to find answers to your questions, and even book a vaccine appointment!
 
COVID-19 vaccines are free for everyone regardless of immigration status and insurance, and they are safe and effective for ages five and up.
We can all do our part to reduce the spread of COVID-19 and keep our families healthy with habits such as wearing a well-fitting mask in high-risk settings, getting tested if we might have been exposed to the virus, staying home when sick, and getting vaccinated.
 
Get your questions answered and feel good about the facts by opening WhatsApp and texting HOLA to 833-422-1090 to chat. 

Give

give jar

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

Donate– Opens in a new window.

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

Thank Your to Our Community Partners

community partner logos

Join Our Team

orange butterfly

Join Our Team

CHECK OUT OUR OPEN POSITIONS

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.

2023 January Newsletter

6fdadmin

january newsletter
orange butterfly

Direct from Darryl

This holiday season, we were overwhelmed by the support from our community. One of the best parts of our job is to connect people who care with people who need help. We had countless people and businesses come to us looking for ways to help. We are excited to feature some of them in this newsletter. The best part of the holiday season for me, is when I receive these random calls from our friends at Kaiser telling me they have a truck load of food they need to get to us. Or, our friends at Gracie Jiu Jitsu asking when would be a good time to bring some toys by (which was a little overwhelming when they showed up with hundreds of toys).
 
To all of our friends, thank you for bringing so much joy to the children we serve.
Darryl Evey
Executive Director

Thank You

Thank you to each and every one of you that donated to Family Assistance Program this holiday season! We were truly overwhelmed with how many people, businesses, organizations, and the community as a whole wanted to help and give back to those in need. It was heartwarming to watch the toys roll in from multiple toy drives and to see kids wish lists get fulfilled and have Santa aka San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department visit the kids at Hope House. The amount of toys that individuals brought to our Taco Tuesday to donate to the children in our domestic violence program overflowed the luggage cart at Courtyard by Marriott in Hesperia. Our community truly comes together and helps out when it is needed. Thank you again for your help this past year and we look forward to an amazing 2023!

thank you sign with flowers

Open Arms

Open Arms would like to extend our gratitude to our new partners, 4 Future Leaders of Tomorrow, who provided our TAY participants with Christmas gifts. We had a successful holiday spirit week, which all of our center clients enjoyed. With the great feedback we have been receiving from our clients regarding paint n sip events we would like to make this a monthly event.
 
We are excited to participate in the Human Trafficking Awareness walk hosted by Open Door. Our center will be hosting various groups leading up to the event to bring awareness to human trafficking. We will also have several groups that will revolve around creating posters for the walk, all are welcome.
 
Please take a look at our Drop-In Center group calendar – opens in a new window to see what we have planned for the month of January. If there are any special groups or one-on-one sessions requested, we are always happy to accommodate our clients. We are very excited to see all the great things we will accomplish as a company and also as a center this year. Happy New Year to all.
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Community Center

free notary services

Happy New Years from the C Street Community Center! We are excited to see what 2023 holds for our clients, our Staff and the Community in Old Town Victorville.

Don’t forget, the C Street Community Center is still offering FREE Notary Services! This service is available Monday through Friday, from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm. Please call Jobi at 760-843-0701 for more information.

In 2020 when the COVID pandemic came upon us, the agency established their first ever Safety Committee. This committee had a member representing every program in the agency, and the different programs could come together and share concerns and resources with each other. Two years later, the Family Assistance Program Safety Committee is still going strong! We are proud to announce our purchase and creation of “Cold/Flu Care Packs” for our clients. This care packs consist of cold medicine, Tylenol or Motrin, Kleenex, cough drops and some Vicks Vapo Rub; it may not be much but we are hoping these care packs will provide clients with some comfort when they are under the weather.

boxes full of cold flu packs

The Victorville Community Center will be hosting the San Bernardino County FREE tax preparation service on March 30, 2023.

Please call the number listed above to schedule your appointment.

free tax preparation flyer
what to bring to tax appointment flyer

Hope House

santa claus and ms. claus

Hope House wants to take this opportunity to thank you for your continued support towards our Adopt-a-Family program for Christmas. It’s the dedicated support of long-time donors like you that keep our programs going and helps us to fulfill our mission. Your donation is extremely important to our cause, and we’d like to thank you for your participation. Your gifts will help to make dreams come true and hope for a brighter year ahead. Thank you to all that donated and helped our participants and their children have a Merry Christmas:

San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department
Bath & Body Works Hesperia
Victor Valley Women’s Club
The Home Depot Barstow
IEHP Community Center San Bernardino
Vinci Brands
Kerns Construction
Alpha Omega Fitness HD
Aztec Riders MC
Victor Valley Community Services Council
Bank of America
Touched By An Angel Arts “N” Crafts
Gracie Jiu Jitsu Apple Valley
St. Timothy’s Episcopal Church
Maxine’s Chic Boutique
Maxine DiDonato
Gloria Alikhan
Elizabeth Tabor
Sammie
Tony Raylene Valle
Jonathan Durham
Amanda Mraz
Lupita Martin
Roderick McKee Taylored Company

Open Door

We at the Open Door, would like to thank all of our supporters for the donations we received for Christmas, we wouldn’t be able to do it without you!
 
Thank you GXO Logistics, Noemi, Yanira, and Linda. The children in our program loved all the toys you guys collected for us in your toy drive.. Thank you GXO, once again! See you next year!
 
We would also like to Thank our local Starbucks for doing a toy drive for Christmas. Thank you Kierra and your team at Starbucks!
 
Run to Rescue, thank you for all the Christmas stockings that your team made and donated to the Open Door, all of our participants each received a stocking full of goodies!
 
Thank you to the San Bernardino Soroptimist Club, for the Christmas gifts they gave to one of our participants and her child. They donated a toddler bed, comforter, and dishes. Thank you Soroptimists, you made a little girl’s Christmas more enjoyable.
 
We would also like to Thank Delta Sigma Theta Sorority for the African American hygiene kits for Christmas we got to put in the stockings for our participants thank you once again.
 
We would like to thank the agencies and businesses that helped us out this holiday season. Thank you from the Open Door!
five ladies with gifts outside starbucks
toys on a couch

Next Step

next step logo
What a wonderful team we all are here at Family Assistance Program, a sense of comradery with the other teams and team members in the agency is ever-present. New team members come into the agency, others leave, but new to the agency or not everyone seems very willing to help each other out when in need; willing to share their particular skill or expertise to help another program. It’s reassuring to know that we have that support and that we have so much resource within our own agency to look towards when we find ourselves beyond our scope of experience.

Next Step would like to thank Bernadette Valdez from Open Door and Shelly Thomas, of Youth Services for providing so much support to Next Step over the holiday season to help provide our participants and their families with a wonderful holiday experience. Shelly coordinated Christmas wish/needs list volunteers, in which she linked individual volunteers with a wish/need list written by each child accompanying our participants in the Next Step Reentry Housing Program. She made it possible for one of the mother’s in our program to receive needed items like a child car seat and a toddler bed, mattress and bed set, as well as other wish list items like kids’ books and toys.
Bernadette also offered much support to help our participants have a wonderful holiday season by linking our program to another agency providing our participants with Thanksgiving dinner spread to all our properties. In addition to this, she also linked another one of the mother’s in our housing program to a donor who provided our participant and her child with a needed toddler bed, mattress and bed set, as well as some other general child supplies.

Of course, we also have to mention the maintenance team, Curtis, Rick, Antonio and Tonus. We can’t express enough our gratitude for the hard, physical work you all do. Thank you so very much!

Happy New Year!

FAM Spot

toy drive donations
Thank you to Escrow Junction for organizing a toy drive and collecting a bunch of toys for the youth in our program! These toys made them extremely happy and let them know that people in their community truly care about them!
 
Happy Holidays from the youth services team of the high desert.

Thank you to Home Depot who donated 12 Christmas trees for our programs to have a tree to decorate in their shelter or transitional home! They also fulfilled the wish lists of all of our at risk and homeless youth. Each participant was able to fill out a wish list of the items that they would like for Christmas and they provided each and every thing they requested! This is not the first year that Home Depot has stepped up and given to us during the holidays. We appreciate all that you do to support us each year!

christmas tree
christmas tree
christmas tree

Hiring

yes we're hiring sign

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

give jar

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

Donate– Opens in a new window.

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

Thank Your to Our Community Partners

community partner logos

Join Our Team

orange butterfly

Join Our Team

CHECK OUT OUR OPEN POSITIONS

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.

2022 December Newsletter

6fdadmin

snow globe graphic
orange butterfly

Direct from Darryl

The holiday season is a time to rejoice in the spirit of people and reject the negative comments about society today. Every day, we have people contacting us to ask for an opportunity to help. People want to participate in events, donate gifts, donate money, and anything else they can do to help. Businesses are looking for ways they can support the community, and frequently without making a big production of it. People are in the giving spirit.
 
I hope everyone takes time to enjoy all of the good in our lives. Take some time to enjoy nature. Read a book (I highly recommend “I Cried to Dream Again” by Sara Kruzan). Holidays are filled with stress and food that is bad for us, so take some time to do something good for yourself. Also, now is the time to start setting goals for next year. I hit most of my goals for 2022 and hope to make 2023 a stretch to achieve even more.
 
Happy Holidays!
Darryl Evey
Executive Director

Spirit of the High Desert

It was an honor to win the Spirit of the High Desert Award at the local chamber of commerce Accolade Awards! According to the Greater High Desert Chamber of Commerce, the Spirit of the High Desert award means: “This business actively promotes and represents the community in a positive manner, helping to preserve and improve the quality of life in the High Desert. This recipient exemplifies excellent corporate citizenship by contributing time and effort to the communities in which it operates and embraces a corporate culture that enhances the lives of its employees.” It has been our honor to support our High Desert community for over 37 years.
 
Also congratulations to our Executive Director, Darryl Evey for being nominated for Most Inspirational Leader, as well as our Director of Development & Media, Angela Sorrell-Herrera for being nominated for the Lillian King Volunteer of the Year!
four staff members with Darryl
darryl receiving award on stage
darryl making a speech

Taco Tuesday

hotel trolley with luggage

Thank you to everyone who came out on Giving Tuesday for our Taco Tuesday fundraiser! Everyone was so generous and donated toys for our participants and their children for Christmas. We had a great time and enjoyed tacos from the Vegan Vato. Thank you to everyone who donated raffle prizes and everyone who bought raffle tickets. Thank you to the Courtyard by Marriott in Hesperia for hosting our event and for your continued support!

Company Christmas Party

Family Assistance Program Holiday Party was at Dave & Buster’s and it was nice to see everyone in person!
 
Congratulations to Elsa Scott for 15 years, Yvette Abreo for 10 years and Matthew Letellier for 5 years with Family Assistance Program!
 
Congrats to Rick on winning the 65″ Samsung TV!
staff member receiving award
staff member receiving award
staff member receiving award

Community Center

stockings hung on wall

Happy Holidays from the C Street Community Center! Twas’ the month before Christmas and all through the Community Center all the Advocates were busy decorating and helping people in the local neighborhood connect with present and Holiday resources for their families. It gets very cold this time of year, if you have any new or used blankets or jackets think of the C Street Community Center! The clients are always in need of these items to stay warm.

Don’t forget, the C Street Community Center is still offering FREE Notary Services! This service is available Monday through Friday, from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm. Please call Jobi at 760-843-0701 for more information.

Hope House

Hello and Happy Holidays from everyone at Hope House!!
 
Hope House was treated to a wonderful night at Taco Tuesday, so many wonderful friends came to support us. There was a Vegan taco dinner, that all enjoyed so much. Hope House Advocates watched in pure joy and a full heart as one after another walked up to the table and bought raffle tickets and dinner and to top all of that off they all brought presents for the children here at Hope House! It’s an amazing feeling after the last few years of struggle to see people come together with actual obvious joy in their hearts. The rooms were filled with beautiful trees, feelings and people!  
 
Hope House is looking forward to so much more excitement of the season that these families will get to experience. The San Bernardino Sheriffs Dept will come visit with Santa, We have Santa’s Sleigh day and The Women’s Foundation. These awesome folks help us provide the best Christmas every year!
 
Hope House has had a pretty great year, we have assisted several families including some fur family members. We have provided supportive services including several woman and families to move into our transitional housing.
 
Hope House would like to wish you all the best of the Holiday Season and the upcoming year! Thank you all for being you and for being by our side it is much appreciated! 
 
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
christmas graphic with bulbs

Open Door

We at that Open Door have been doing a lot of training, like for instance with Loma Linda Children’s Hospital Emergency Department on the signs of Human Trafficking, that way they have a better idea of how to treat the victims. It was very nice of them to send us a thank you card!

 

If anybody would like to donate, here is our Christmas flyer via Amazon wish list. Time is running out, the holidays are almost here! Here is the link:

Amazon Wish List

We at the Open Door would also like to thank Claire Cunningham, a member of the Knights of Peter Claver Ladies Auxiliary for all of the African American hair products that were just donated. They are greatly appreciated!

holiday flyer
open christmas card

Next Step

next step logo
“WAKE UP!!! Make my bed, shower up, eat breakfast, drink coffee, brush my teeth, stumble to the car, rush to work in this awful traffic so I’m not late to work… Uhhhhhrrrr!!!!”
 
Life is frustrating. Day in and day out, the long year makes it easy to get mired in the muck of the daily grind and the drama that just pops up in life. These difficulties can wear us down and distract us from the goals we have made; they can make us think “how can life be like this??” They are the big and little challenges that we will inevitably face in the good fight we all fight to go through this life a good person, a good son, brother, daughter, sister, father, mother, partner, friend, neighbor, citizen, etc. And although they can be scary, frustrating, infuriating and sometimes seemingly insurmountable… that’s all they are,… challenges and distractions we must overcome to get back to our major plan, whatever that may be. Life requires us to be resilient to have a chance at success, we try to teach this resilience to our participants because life is like that: challenging & unavoidable, and they will encounter these challenges for the rest of their lives,… like we do.
 
Thankfully, the holiday season slows us down a bit and gives us an opportunity to think about the wonderful things that have happened to us and the things we can appreciate in our lives. We at Next Step Reentry feel a great sense of purpose with the job we do, as I’m sure all at Family Assistance Program do, but more so, we all feel a tremendous sense of appreciation for the opportunity we have just to be in a position to be able to provide the type of support we have been able to provide to our participants, and our community at large. We are privileged to do this work and are humbled for it.

Next Step Reentry Team Achievements for the Year

  1. 63 Parole and Probation Participants Housed
  2. 38 Participants Successfully Secured Self-Pay Housing as Result of Landlord Mediations
  3. 32 Participants Successfully Employed as Result of Employment Assistance
  4. 202 Participants Supported with Rental Subsidies
  5. $3,000 in Landlord Incentives used to Successfully Encourage Lease Approvals
  6. $4,040 in Emergency Financial Assistance Provided
  7. $14,786 in Essential Furniture Provided to Families to Complete Their Homes
  8. $973,978 in Rent Subsidies Disbursed to Pay Rent and Keep Roofs Over Heads
When acknowledging our accomplishments over this last year, one can’t help but reflect on the importance of the team and the people who form it. A common theme over the life of the Next Step Reentry Program has been that of consistent change. Change is made in an effort to improve the program as much as possible and serve as many people as we can, but change is not easy; so the efforts and passion of each member of the Next Step team are greatly appreciated.

FAM Spot

fam spot logo
Fam Spot has been busy this last month. Fam Spot hosted an amazing Thanksgiving meal for all the youth in the HD programs. The youth enjoyed turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy and yams. They also participated in a baggage exercise and found out that each of them carries a huge amount of baggage around. 
 
We participated in Victorville’s annual Christmas parade and had a lot of fun. It’s really nice to get out and see the joy in people’s face that stand on the sides of the parade.
 
We will be hosting our annual Christmas dinner and giving out presents to the youth in our programs. If you are interested in donating gifts or gift cards to our youth, please reach out to Shelly at shelly@familyassist.org
 
Huge thank you to Desert Community Bank for buying paint and the supplies, along with volunteering to paint one of our houses. The youth are excited to have the fresh paint and even joined in on the painting.
 
We continue our monthly hikes and BBQs. Please see the FamSpot Facebook page for an updated look at our calendar.
 
Our LGBTQIA+ support group has been a huge hit for one local high school. The youth that attend love having the support and asked us to come back monthly. They have also started reaching out to other local high schools’ GSA club to give them the information for our support groups.
 
Happy Holidays from the youth service team of the high desert.
group selfie

My Place

my place logo
This month was full of fun activities, aside from having the pleasure of having dinner with our Fam Spot family for Thanksgiving, the clients were also taken to a beautiful relaxing spot up in Valyermo. There, the clients walked around and appreciated the beauty of mother nature. They took in nice clean air and interacted with animals and took a fun hike. The clients enjoyed it so much that they asked to be taken there again. They appreciated and enjoyed it and to our surprise, we saw more animals than on our first visit. Our clients also enjoyed an outing to the Phelan Wild Animal Park, where they saw tigers, lions, a bear, and all sorts of snakes and hyenas.
 
One of our clients was fortunate enough to be hired at Jack in the Box and moved on to one of our TAY facilities where he will continue to pursue his goals. We are excited and proud of the challenges some of our clients have overcome, learning and growing as individuals to one day become significant and productive assets to society. Our youth participated in a blanket drive for dialysis patients and did outreach in the community. We are looking forward to our upcoming Christmas dinner with Fam Spot and other Christmas activities to end the year.

Hiring

yes we're hiring

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

give jar

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

Donate– Opens in a new window.

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

Thank Your to Our Community Partners

community partner logos

Join Our Team

orange butterfly

Join Our Team

CHECK OUT OUR OPEN POSITIONS

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.

2022 November Newsletter

6fdadmin

fall leaves
orange butterfly

Direct from Darryl

The holiday season has begun, and we have much to be grateful for. Major thanks to the sponsors for our gala. At the end of this newsletter, we have all of their logos. Our speaker for our gala was Sara Kruzan. I highly recommend you pick up her book. It is an inspirational story about dreaming for freedom.

We participated in 6 Trunk or Treats and are now planning for multiple Thanksgiving events. We will be handing our Christmas presents and joining Santa’s Sleigh with the Don Ferrarese Foundation. Holidays are tough for people struggling with housing and poverty, but it is also a time when we see how compassionate and giving our community is.

I will always remember the year when a flood came through Apple Valley on December 23. We helped families get into hotels and out of the emergency shelter. They were grateful to be alive but saddened that the flood took away their Christmas trees and presents. Dan Tate showed up on Christmas Eve at 6pm with a truck load of presents for the kids living in the motel. Between him and his friends, every one of those children had an extra special Christmas.

I am most grateful for experiences like this. We can be proud of the community we have built. The media and political parties may tell us to hate our neighbors, but most people care about their neighbors. Most of us want to come together and create a better world for our children. My wish for this holiday season is that we all spend a little more time focusing on the good in the world.

Darryl Evey
Executive Director

Thank You to Our Veterans

four americans flagsThis month we celebrate Veterans Day and want to thank our Veterans here at Family Assistance Program.
Darryl Evey – Marines
Gary Martin – Army
Erick Barker – Navy
Thank you so much for your service!

Veterans Day is a federal holiday recognized annually on November 11 in the United States to commemorate all military veterans. The Family Assistance Program offices will be closed on Friday, November 11th. As always, our 24/7 hotlines are still available for any emergency situations:
Domestic Violence 760-949-4357 Anti-Human Trafficking 909-333-7476 Youth Homelessness/Runaway 909-335-2676

This Veterans Day and every day we appreciate the selfless service of all of our armed forces for protecting America’s freedom. Take the time to thank a Veteran today. Happy Veterans Day 2022!

Taco Tuesday

taco tuesday flyer

Join us on Giving Tuesday for our Taco Tuesday fundraiser! Come have tacos, buy raffle tickets, and support Family Assistance Program and one of our partner Santa’s Sleigh Toy Drive by Don Ferrarese Charitable Foundation. “Fulfilling the wish lists of hundreds of local children.”

Tuesday, November 29th
5pm – 8pm
@ Courtyard By Marriott
9619 Mariposa Rd.
Hesperia, CA 92345

Every year, on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving people take the time to kick off the holiday season by giving back to their community on Giving Tuesday. Keep your donations local! Bring a new unwrapped toy to donate to the children in our programs. Taco Tuesday is a fun way to give back while hanging out, having some drinks, and eating some delicious tacos!

Community Center

purple ribbonWe are so excited and proud of the 16 new Domestic Violence Advocates that our community has after our latest 40 hour training! Congratulations for your determination and hard work completing this training. We will be hosting our next training, Spanish Domestic Violence 40-Hour Training, in late February of 2023.

chalk drawing of heartC Street Staff has so much to be thankful for and we would like to share it:
Magali: I am thankful for my kids, my job and my house; for everything!
Diana: I am thankful for having a roof over my head, food to eat; I’m thankful that we are here to help all the clients that we help.
Ahea: I am thankful for my house, my daughter, my family and for all of my co-workers/friends/family!
Cristina: I am thankful for my kids and grandkids and for my good health.
Jobi: I am thankful for my family, my kids, my friends and to be a part of a great team that changes lives daily.

Hope House

We have a new program that is not only for our participants, but it is also open to the community. It is called Financial Empowerment and Credit Coaching Workshop. In this 10-week course we will discuss how to make a budget, and start saving, improve and build credit, income, and becoming debt free, and lastly homeownership. At the end of the course, you will receive a certificate of completion. We have recently just partnered with Bank of America to be able to assist participants with obtaining bank accounts, and we are working on obtaining partnership with a credit union as well. If you are interested please email nalisha@familyassist.org for the high desert, or anny@familyassist.org for San Bernardino.

Thank you to everyone that joined us last month for our Break the Silence to End Domestic Violence Walk. We appreciate all of the support from the community that are bringing awareness to help end domestic violence. If you or someone you know needs help leaving an abuser please share the 24/7 hotline number 760-949-4357

participant holding a sign

Open Door

The Open Door we would like to wish everyone Happy Holidays!!! We have a lot going on this coming year. We are getting turkeys together for Thanksgiving and making holiday baskets for Christmas.

Open Door has an Amazon wish list, for our participants and their children. iIf you would like to donate, please feel free to use the link or you can contact bernadette@familyassist.com.

Amazon Wish List– Opens in a new window.

The Open Door would also like to welcome two new staff, Anny Delance, our new Financial Empowerment Advocate and Patricia Taylor, our new Housing Navigator. They will both be working out of the East Highland Avenue office. Please contact them if you have a participant in need of services. Patriciat@familyassist.org and Anny@familyassist.org

four ladies hugging
Holiday Flyer 2022

Next Step

next step logoLast year I wrote about Ari, one of our parole re-entry housing participants. She did well in our program and graduated late last year when she moved with her 1 year old Zari, and 3 year old Niy’ari. Ari had the goal of moving into her own apartment in Bakersfield and then be reunited with her 6 year old son Xamari, who was in the custody of the Nevada CPS.

We were able to help Ari, with the rental assistance program while she found a stable income and employment. In addition to the rental assistance, Next Step was able to assist Ari with a new bed for her and one of her children, as well as a washer, and a dryer.

We asked Ari how the Next Step Re-entry Program has affected her life, she said, “You guys gave me a fresh start, an opportunity to get the ball rolling again. Once I was out of prison, I didn’t know what to do and I was headed down the wrong way again. Getting into the program, got me back on track and gave me direction.” Since graduating the program, and due in big part to her improved situation and outlook, Ari was granted custody of her 6 year old son Xamari. She added that “The support you gave me when I graduated the program helped me to get my son back.”

These days Ari is working for an app-based company called Beagle, which supports podcasts. Ari is the host of a podcast show on the Beagle in which she discusses several topics ranging from God, health, relationships, self-love, self-care, coping skills, and female empowerment. Ari recently took part in a writing contest, in which she submitted a rough draft for a teen werewolf novel and has been offered a writing internship.
“Things are going wonderful for me, I’m so happy!”

Open Arms

open arms logoOpen Arms is excited to celebrate Veterans Day with a BBQ for all to come and enjoy on November 11at 1pm. We will have food, games, and music to help celebrate and honor our veterans.

We are preparing for a Thanksgiving dinner for our drop-in center clients to enjoy on Wednesday November 24th. We will be accepting any food donations to help us give our clients the best possible meal.

Our Street Outreach team will be attending a resource fair held by Mojave River Academy in Fontana on November 10th. We look forwarding to sharing our resources and knowledge with the community. During the month of November, we will be focusing on mental health positivity during our Saturday groups. Please come and join us for Art Therapy every Saturday at 12pm, to promote mental health awareness.

YAB

ladies speaking in court

The Select Committee on Youth Homelessness in San Bernardino County met to listen to the voices of those working to tackle youth homelessness in the region. Good insights and thoughtful discussion took place where it emphasized the importance of taking preventative action against this issue and providing the resources needed. Our Executive Director, Darryl Evey and youth from our YAB committee joined in for this important discussion with Assemblymember James C. Ramos, Assemblymember Thurston Smith and Majority Leader Eloise Gomez Reyes.

court in session
darryl speaking in court
ladies speaking in court

COVID-19 New Booster

vaccinate all 58

UPDATED COVID-19 BOOSTER NOW AVAILABLE FOR CHILDREN 5+

The updated, more protective booster is now available for everyone ages 5 and up who has completed their initial vaccine series. Even more of our family members can now be protected with this booster, keeping them safer from the worst outcomes of COVID-19 such as hospitalization, long COVID, and death.

The updated booster was created to strengthen protection against the original coronavirus strain, while also targeting the newer, dominant variants that spread so widely this past summer.

The updated booster is an important tool for everyone ages 5 and up to take if it has been two months after their last vaccine dose, regardless of the type of dose received (primary series, additional doses or booster doses). It’s here in time for the fall and winter months when we’ve come to expect a rise in COVID-19 cases. Getting your family boosted now will make the coming holiday gatherings safer for all.

Californians can go to COVID19.ca.gov for more information on COVID-19 and the latest public health guidelines. Visit MyTurn.ca.gov or call 833-422-4255 to find a vaccine or booster near you.

Dreams Come True Gala

two ladies sitting at gala
table of awards
eight people wearing gala masks
people sitting at tables in gala
four people standing at gala
lady speaking at podium
people gathering together for a photo

Hiring

yes we're hiring sign

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

give jar

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

Donate– Opens in a new window.

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

Thank Your to Our Community Partners

community partner logos

Join Our Team

orange butterfly

Join Our Team

CHECK OUT OUR OPEN POSITIONS

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.

2022 September Newsletter

6fdadmin

september 2022 newsletter
orange butterfly

Direct from Darryl

This month, I was able to experience Covid. I have run 3 marathons this year. I am not overweight (well maybe a little), I do not have any health problems, and I am fully vaccinated. Covid knocked me out. I spent three days laying on the couch with a fever, headache, muscle aches, and unable to even think. It has been over 10 days, and I still have the headache and struggle with thinking clearly. I have a new respect for people who have had to struggle with this virus. As the newest booster becomes available over the next few weeks, I highly recommend everyone get it.

Fortunately, the agency moves along without me. We have a wonderful group of people who make sure that the needs of our clients are met. We have an accounting department and a grants department that can keep the agency moving along. We have program managers that can make decisions and handle any problems that pop up. When I am unable to think straight, it is nice to know that we have people who can.

While Covid was an effective weight loss tool, more importantly, it reinforced the value of our team. It is comforting to know that when I am not working, our systems and our teams are working.

Darryl Evey
Executive Director

The Gala is Coming

Sara KruzmanWe are so happy to announce that our keynote speaker for the annual Dreams Come True Gala coming up next month on October 15, 2022 is Sara Kruzan.

Sara was a victim of child sex trafficking who at the age of 16 through an act of trauma violence killed George Howard. George was a child sex trafficker, 20 years Saras’ senior, who began the indoctrination process of child sex slavery upon Sara when she was 11 years old. This was during the early 1990’s, the “Tough on Crime” phase of California, and Riverside County wanted to be the toughest. They prosecuted her as an adult, she was her only witness allowed to testify and no expert witness where able to talk about her previous PTSD diagnosis. She was sentenced to life without parole plus 4 years indeterminate. Ordered to pay a 10,000-restitution victim fine and graduated a year early form high school while housed and Riverside juvenile hall. She kept her hope alive, hope for freedom, and continued to fight for her case. Her legal team filed many petitions and over years was able to have a resentencing, a commutation and chance before the California parole board June of 2013. In October 2013, Sara was released from prison. In July of 2022, Gov. Gavin Newsome pardoned her.

She is going to speak about the importance of not giving up on your dream. Even if judges and society members of the state of California try to take away your hope and faith, your dreams can still come true, if you just hold with hope and curious courage.

Huge thank you to Wild Hair Company for your Cocktail Sponsorship and Molina Healthcare for your Music Sponsorship. Thank you to our table sponsors: Waterfountains.com, Southwest Gas, Stewart’s United Insurance Agencies, Cali Auto Glass, Majestic Land, Victorville Chevrolet, PRMG, ERNA Enterprises, Desert Community Bank, Life’s Essentials, John Perring-Mulligan, and Excelsior Charter Schools. Thank you to Steeno Design and Howard’s for your Centerpiece Sponsorship and Stephen Dhillon Law and Coldwell Banker for your sponsorship in the program. Your donations are what we need to make these events happen!

This is our annual fundraiser and all proceeds will go towards down payment assistance for Family Assistance Program clients and staff. The money raised at the gala will empower Family Assistance Program to transform people’s lives with home ownership.

Join us for a fun masquerade ball at the Hilton Garden Inn with a cocktail hour from 4:30 – 5:30pm and dinner starting at 6pm. Enjoy music from the amazing BOK Band, dancing, photo booth fun, and a silent auction.

BUY TICKETS

Sponsorship opportunities are available and silent auction items are needed, email Angela if you are interested.

 

gala sponsorship infoSponsorship flyer

Community Center

kids in front of whiteboard carnival mask

The Community Center was excited to host the family friendly event, “Mom’s Who Mask and Dad’s in Disguise”. Moms and Dads were encouraged to bring the kiddos out last Tuesday, September 6th, for a fun few hours of masquerade mask decorating and snacks!

For those who didn’t have any littles to decorate a mask with or missed the first event, we had a Mask and Mingle event at Viva Marias in Apple Valley on Thursday, September 15th. All proceeds went towards the Dreams Come True Masquerade Gala Fundraiser.

carnival masks

mask and mingle

Hope House

break the silence flyerOctober is National Domestic Violence Awareness Month. We will have our annual Break the Silence Walk on October 5th beginning at 10 AM and ending at 3 PM. This will be at our Administration office at 15075 Seventh Street. We are inviting everyone to join us. Please wear Purple to support Domestic Violence. If you are not up for the walk come and hang out with us for the day.

We are inviting organizations who would like to have an information booth with Community Services at the event. Water, snack and monetary donations will be appreciated. Please contact Tracey or Sylvia at 760-223-7787 or by email tracey@familyassist.org or sylvia@familyassist.org

Open Door

human trafficking flyerOpen Door is having our 40 Hour Human Trafficking Training this month. This training is exciting since we have some new presenters. Thank you to all that registered, contact Bernadette@familyassist.org to get on the waiting list for the next one.

Open Door would also like to say goodbye to one of our beloved Empowerment Advocates Myeesha. When I joined open door and they told me I was going to shadow Myeesha, she took me to the Sheriff’s Academy. As I sat there and listened to her tell her story and how she was training the new cadets on how to handle a human trafficking victim. I was blown away on how she had them hanging on every single word. With that being said here is a letter that Myeesha wrote herself.

My Final love letter:

As most of you are aware my name is Myeesha from The Open Door’s Family Assistance Program. With bittersweet sentiments, I close out a chapter here as a human trafficking Empowerment.
During the last 5 years that I have worked with Family Assistance Program, I have learned so much about myself professionally and personally. As you all know I am a survivor. But what many of you all don’t know is that I was a survivor who did not know I was a survivor until participating in the Open Door’s 40 Hour human trafficking training. That training was an answer to a lot of unresolved questions I didn’t know I even had. From then on coming to work for the Open Door. A program propelled and entrenched with survivor voices and leadership. A program that was the most unconventional kind that I had ever heard. While I have been at Open Door there was a saying I would say. There’s never a dull day at The Open Door. Every day has taught me something and allowed me the opportunity to learn and refine parts of myself. It is here where I have discovered the meaning of trauma-informed care, empathy, and personal boundaries. It is here where I have been allowed to train and work alongside law enforcement and reconcile parts of my trust with them. But It is also here where I have had to rediscover self-care and it is also here that I have had to learn that even though I am a survivor I am still more than just a survivor.
I have been blessed to work alongside many great team members past present and future. Team members who have allowed me the support opportunity and encouragement to be the best version of myself I could possibly be. I sincerely thank them and honor them for all they have done and continue to do. It has made the ride that much more memorable.
To Dianne who has constantly and consistently been there throughout my survivor journey all these years. Who has supported me and given me the opportunity to do more with my story. Who has taught me that we should not allow ourselves to feel inferior and that we are the experts? It is through your strength and resolve that has helped nurture and strengthen mine. I especially thank you.
Moving forward I wish nothing but the best for my team as well as The Family Assistance Program. Continue to lead the way in supportive services and care. Always remembering that our agency is only as good as the people who support it. Continue to invest in them. As I go I hope I’ve been able to leave everyone that I’ve encountered better than when we first met. I wish you all nothing but continued success, peace, and love.
Warm Regards,
Myeesha Arranaga

My Place

my place logoThis month has been full of new outings and activities for our youth. Outings to the pet shop, grocery store, the lake and the park have taken place. The youth have been participating in art groups, music groups, self care groups and a boxing group. Our youth have been going to Fam Spot and participating in a few groups including young visionaries and LGBTQIA groups. We have been fortunate to help a youth get enrolled in school and to help another youth reunite with family. We have a beach trip planned for this month and we are excited for more to come.

Next Step

next step logoThis job puts us in a position to help people. Although we have to keep a professional distance between us and our participants in order to stay objective with the care we are able to provide them, we begin to care for them as we would those in our personal lives. We aren’t always able to help our participants to the extent to which we would like to help them, but it’s great when we are able to assist their progress.

Recently one our Rental Assistance Advocates, Adriana Z. successfully advocated for her participant, MV, to be accepted into a new mobile home of her very own. This will be the first home, of her own, MV has had since she was released from incarceration. The landlord was reluctant to approve MV for the home due to her background and circumstances, but after explaining the program and how it would benefit them, Adriana successfully advocated for the housing approval. MV will be moving into her mobile home in the next few weeks.

Congratulations to Case Manager Claudia Z’s housing participants for making progress towards their exit goals. One of her participants AB had a rough start that ended with her back in custody, but after successfully advocating for her return to our housing program, AB has turned her situation around and has gained employment at a local car wash, is attending out-patient classes, and continues to add to her savings. Another of her participants JS continues to maintain her sobriety, and has hit her one-year mark.

Keep up the important work team Next Step, it is so greatly appreciated!

Open Arms

open arms logoOur Mask and Mingle event had a great turnout with the participation of our partners from Operation New Hope. We are looking forward to posting our calendar for the month of October including Halloween activities and a Fall resource event. Our group calendar now includes three different group opportunities a day, with substance and health groups now being available up to four times a week. For the month of September, participants are able to join a cooking class or art activity every Saturday at 12pm.

Our House

our house logoThe well-being of our youth is the top priority at Our House! We look forward to getting our clients back into a routine with the school semester approaching. Staff came together in the past month to create a welcoming environment for the youth by giving each bedroom its own personal touch. Additionally, our shelves are newly stocked with board games and art supplies. We’ve incorporated more activities and groups for the clients to enjoy! We’ll be closing out the Summer with visits to the park, book clubs, and movie nights. It’s important to us that both staff and clients enjoy their time together while also building social skills and team building. The future at Our House is as bright as the youth who reside here.

Funds in Action

jbay logoThis year, JBAY’s Critical Needs and Opportunity Fund will assist around 1,000 young people who have been in foster care or homeless. One of our youth clients was one of the recipients.

“The assistance helped me purchase my textbooks to further my education, without it I don’t know what I would have done.” Eunice

Eunice received $347.24 through the Burton Critical Needs and Opportunity Fund so that she could purchase textbooks for her Administration of Justice classes.

Rental Assistance

for rent sign

 

Martha called requesting rental assistance. She stated it is just her and her 20-year old son Jerry and she fell behind in her rent due to her having a stroke and she is unable to work right now. Jerry is working; however, they are having a hard time catching up from being behind 2 months. Because Jerry is 20 years old, he qualifies for our ESG program that assists youth between the ages of 18-24. Because of this program, we were able to keep Jerry and Martha housed with assisting them with their back rent to prevent homelessness.

Hesperia Days Parade

paraders on truck hesperia days paradeFamily Assistance Program participated in the 2022 Hesperia Days Parade on Saturday 9/17. The staff and our youth participants decorated the truck and had banners to display to the thousands of parade watchers sharing about all the great things that Family Assistance Program is doing in the community. They all had a blast and represented in their purple shirts. Great job team, you looked fabulous!

Hiring

now hiringWe 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

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

Donate

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

Thank Your to Our Community Partners

community partner logos

Join Our Team

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.

2022 August Newsletter

august 2022 newsletter
orange butterfly

Direct from Darryl

We are a fishing school.

Most people have heard the story about teaching people to fish. Basically, it is if you give a person a fish, they will not be hungry but teach a person to fish and they will never be hungry. We at Family Assistance Program pride ourselves on teaching people to fish. Our housing program is a partnership with the people we serve. They secure employment, learn life skills, and develop a productive life, and we compensate them by providing them with housing and other necessities. It is hard to look for a job when you are hungry and do not know where you will sleep tonight. We empower and support our clients by treating them as humans who have a right to food and housing.

Sometimes it is challenging to stay focused on the goal. Just as raising a child, it is easier to tie their shoes than to teach them how to tie shoes (or just buy Velcro shoes). Rather than give them food, we teach them to apply for food stamps, develop a menu, create a shopping list, and learn to live within their budget. Many of the people we serve do not know how to enroll in these programs. They do not know how to create a menu or develop a well-balanced meal. They do not know how to shop for groceries. This is just one example of how we “teach people to fish”. We also teach people how to find a place to live, how to apply for a job, how to keep a job, how to fix their credit, and a long list of other life skills. In all of these areas, it is easier to do it for them, but the goal is to make our services unnecessary.

Every time I meet someone who was in our program and is now on their own and totally self-sufficient, I get excited. If we do our jobs correctly, we will run out of people to help. We have a long way to go before that happens, but it is exciting to see the progress we are making.

Darryl Evey
Executive Director

Community Center

ad for sexually transmitted infectionThe Community Center has been working alongside ROOT to organize the reopening of the Old Town Victorville Street Fair; our anticipated first street fair will start up again in September.

We are starting our annual domestic violence 40-hour advocacy training today, Monday, July 12, 2021. We have over 100 people registered for our virtual training.

We are still having our walk-in STI clinic at the Community Center every Wednesday.

We serviced 1,448 individuals in June and provided clothing to 138 individuals during our weekly hygiene and clothing giveaway. We assisted 47 individuals with replacement ID vouchers and offered 119 bus passes to individuals to attend their court hearings, job interviews, and appointments. We have received 142 bags and 44 boxes of donations from our community. As the weather is getting hotter, we have provided clients with sunscreen and cold water to stay cool. July is going to be a hot one, stay cool and stay safe!

The Gala is Back

masquerade gala flyerWe are so happy to see all of the community support of our annual Dreams Come True Gala coming up on October 15, 2022.
 
Huge thank you to Wild Hair Company for your Cocktail Sponsorship and Molina Healthcare for your Music Sponsorship! Thank you to our table sponsors: Southwest Gas, Stewart’s United Insurance Agencies, and Cali Auto Glass, Majestic Land, and Excelsior Charter Schools! Thank you to Steeno Design for your Centerpiece Sponsorship! Your donations are what we need to make these events happen!
 
This is our annual fundraiser and all proceeds will go towards down payment assistance for Family Assistance Program clients and staff. The money raised at the gala will empower Family Assistance Program to transform people’s lives with home ownership.
 
Join us for a fun masquerade ball at the Hilton Garden Inn with a cocktail hour from 4:30 – 5:30pm and dinner starting at 6pm. Enjoy music from the amazing BOK, photo booth fun, and a silent auction.
 
Sponsorship opportunities are available and silent auction items are needed, email Angela if you are interested.
gala sponsorship info

Youth Leadership Summit

groups of people at conferenceThe Family Assistance Program partnered with San Bernardino Valley College and the San Bernardino County Youth Advisory Board to host the inaugural Youth Leadership Summit on Saturday, July 16th from 9:30 am – 3:30 pm. The goal of the summit was to provide a forum for youth who are interested in building their leadership skills and tools. The philosophy of the lead agency, Family Assistance Program, is that it is both important and necessary to make sure that youth were given the same respect that any professional attending a conference would receive, namely, reimbursing them for their time.

Our grant from the Sierra Health Foundation allowed us:
· to pay each youth participating $100 and
· to feed the youth throughout the day
· to provide quality speakers for the youth to build their skills

As a result, we achieved our intended goal of 100 youth. Due to interest, we increased our registration to 120 individuals.

The Summit was planned collaboratively with the Family Assistance Program, members of the San Bernardino Youth Advisory Board, and participants from San Bernardino Valley College’s Mental Health Association.

The input from youth insured that discussion themes and workshop topics were realistically applicable to youth participants. As a result, the Summit was broken into 4 aspects:
· Learning from Community Leaders (Keynote Speakers)
· Discussing Leadership in Areas of Concern for Youth (Roundtables)
· Participating in Leadership Skill Development (Workshops)
· Peer Networking and Resource Identification (Full Summit).

We asked the youth that attended this question: “What are you going to do with the information you shared and learned.” Here are some of the responses:
· “I want to create a change by continually including everyone in all school activities, and around the community by creating close knit community to hear each other’s voices.”
· “Help LGBTQ youth find a secure housing and jobs and create networks and community support for lgbtq youth”
· “I hope to create positive changes in my community by using my voice to share my thoughts and giving my time to others”
· “I want to be a good example and be able to help those who are younger than me by giving proper resources, support or other means.”
· “Make mental health and housing programs and resources more available to our youth”
· “I want to create a culture where folks in the community feel comfortable and safe reaching out for help when they need it. I want to be able to provide resources that are LGBTQ friendly to let folks in the community feel more confident and secure in reaching out.
· “I want to know which resources are available to youth who are housing insecure or unhoused that help them get their basic needs met on a daily basis. I want to address the intersectionalities between being housing insecure, substance use, and mental health and which resources are available that address these intersectionalities rather than individually.”
· “Bring more options to my community for youths. Their is no place where youths can express themselves or have outlets to express themselves and would like to change that.”
· “In my community, it’s very common for those in high schools and middle schools to be led astray and go down bad paths. By helping in my local youth center, I believe I could create more opportunities for other teenagers to get involved with the city. This would give them something productive and beneficial to do with their time, which would prevent them from getting distracted from school and working towards their future. Overall, I find it very important for there to be opportunities to help the community and I will work with my local youth center to ensure this.”
· “What I would want to do to create a positive change would be trying to communicate better with people to understand their reasonings and for them to listen to mine. I’d try to participate in any way that I could to make people feel heard.”
· “I want to start my own foundation to help youth that ages out of the foster care system. I’ve seen it first hand and I’m outraged what goes on right here where I live within the foster care system”
· “Provide the same kind of motivation and dedication that I used to help me get to where I am at to other people.”
· “Help increase the number of resources and services available for youth outside of school hours.”
· “I want to help youth (queer, disabled, and/or those with mental health struggles) understand and utilize the resources available to them when seeking accommodations, when becoming involved with their community, and when seeking employment. Queer and disabled people have some of the highest rates of unemployment because of biases against or lack of information available to them.”
· “I am especially passionate about advancing mental health access, LGBTQ+ rights, and women’s rights with regards to reproductive justice on the local level in the Inland Empire. Given that I was born and raised in the Inland Empire my whole life, I would love to give back to my community by becoming more involved in civic engagement. Additionally, I would love to see how grassroots organizations can work together to bring forth change at the state level in CA.”
· “Participating in my local youth coalition to advocate for, help, and advise at-risk youth in order for the homeless youth and the general homeless population to have better chance of stability and success in life. Being a local policy advocate.”
· “I believe that a community operates at its peak once everyone supports and wishes well amongst one another. We can encourage selflessness as well as kindness to fulfill that need in our community.”
· “I want to possibly create a group for foster and homeless youth to feel like they belong, where they get to talk about their experiences with other kids that can relate to them and empathize.”
· “Changes in guardianship for youth 16 and older – allowing them to initiate it if they left an abusive home or were kicked out of a home. The youth at age 16 should be able to speak for themselves. Also, dental care for homeless youth”
· “I want to learn how I can make a change instead of expecting it to happen. I want voices like mine to be heard instead of used for think pieces with no actual progress from people above that hear our concerns. Furthermore, I’d like to educate my self and stay active so I am speaking with individual who take in the gravity of these situations and want to do something about it.”
· “I would like to see more equitable access to health care, housing assistance, mental health services, and substance use services for my LGBTQ+ community here in the Inland Empire. This includes care that is welcoming and safe to gender and sexual minority community members.”
· “As teenagers, our generation struggles in silence. By participating in this Summit I was to bring comfort to my community. I want to give kids, teenagers, adults, or anyone to participate in organized discussions in which they would be comfortable speaking their truth.”

two people in front of conference banner people at conference speaker at conference

Community Center

The Community Center was able to assist over 2,000 individuals last month…how awesome is that? Whether it’s hygiene items, clothing, a bus pass, computer usage, restraining order paperwork preparation, or just a friendly ear to listen; the Community Center Staff is here and ready to help! Last week, we were able to assist two young ladies with clothes for job interviews they had scheduled, and one of them got the job! The Community Center is so happy to be a part of her success.

dog in lapRemember Samantha and her owner that we shared with you all in our previous newsletter? We are proud to announce that they now have a home to call their own! Samantha and her owner “Mr. Mann”, came to tell us about their new place and just how happy they are to have a safe place to lay their heads. In conversation we learned that “Mr. Mann” didn’t have a lot or much of anything to go into their new apartment so the Community Center helped him out with some dishes, cookware, utensils, some toilet tissue, and a few blankets that we had received from donations. “Mr. Mann” was over the moon and so appreciative of the items we gave to him and Samantha, and we in turn were so happy to be able to assist them. Good luck “Mr. Mann” and Samantha!

We are looking forward to working closely with R.O.O.T. (Revive Our Old Town) to plan another Oktoberfest in Old Town this year! Last year was a great success and enjoyed by many. We can’t wait to have another one! Stay tuned for dates, times and how to sign up as a vendor.

Hope House

domestic violence posterAugust 2nd was National Night Out for the City of Hesperia at Civic Plaza Park. Hope House has participated in this event for many years now and Lori, Laura, and Tracey attended this year. Every year the City of Hesperia has expanded this event every year. There were many vendors in attendance along with many characters. The park was packed with residents with their children all enjoying themselves.

October is National Domestic Violence Awareness Month. We will have our annual Break the Silence Walk on October 5th beginning at 10 AM and ending at 3 PM. This will be at our Administration office at 15075 Seventh Street. We are inviting everyone to join us. Please wear Purple to support Domestic Violence. If you are not up for the walk come and hang out with us for the day.
We are inviting organizations who would like to have an information booth with Community Services at the event. Water and snack donations will be appreciated.

Please contact Tracey or Sylvia at 760-223-7787 or by email tracey@familyassist.org or sylvia@familyassist.org

Open Door

human trafficking advocacy trainingOpen Door will be having our next 40-Hour Human Trafficking Advocacy Training starting September 13th. If anyone is interested in our next 40 HR Human Trafficking Training, please contact Bernadette@familyassist.org

My Place

my place logoAt My Place Youth Shelter we are focused on helping youth from the ages of 11-17 years old. This month we have been able to reunite two youth with their families after hitting hard times. We have also provided shelter for CFS youth. The youth have been participating in trips to Hesperia Lake, pet shops, and the park. We have had barbecues, movie nights, and game nights. In the last month, we started a garden in our backyard to provide therapy to our clients. There has been a donation of several books to start a library, so kids can check out and enjoy some stories. We have been helping youth with resumes and applying to jobs. Two of our youth recently have interviewed to work at Olive Garden and Denny’s. We are planning a beach trip for August and creating more groups for our youth. With school starting back up we will be bringing back our study groups to help with homework and tests. If anyone knows of any youth in need, please refer them to our program.

Next Step

Barbara Chavez and Others The Next Step Reentry Team would like to give praise to one of its own: Barbara C.! Barbara is one of our Rental Assistance Advocates and has been working hard not only in her position on the Next Step Reentry Team but also in her off-time. Barbara is a champion for the rights of those affected by their prior criminal background and who are seeking to improve their lives. She was recently interviewed by Senator Sydney K. Kamlager’s office, who represents U.S. senate District 30, to share her personal story of challenge, adversity, as well as triumph over her past and the success she continues to have following her release from incarceration. Barbara will even be traveling to Los Angeles in person to share her story in a recorded interview.

In addition to this, Barbara will be traveling to Sacramento this month to attend the second annual Drop LWOP (Life Without Parole) Rally in Sacramento to speak to the California legislature in person to share her story and provide awareness of the issues concerning the Drop LWOP initiative in California. Drop LWOP’s mission is to end Life Without Parole sentencing in California. Excellent work Barbara!

UPDATE
As you may remember from last month’s newsletter, we shared the story of one of our graduating housing participants Alicia, who was referred to us last August. She has triumphed through the adversity of fighting cancer, fought and earned back custody of her son Christopher, graduated from our housing program successfully, and completed her supervised probation commitment. If you recall, Alicia had successfully obtained a section 8 housing voucher, however, was having much difficulty finding housing that would accept the voucher. As of this month, Alicia has found an apartment to live in and will be moving in at the end of the month with her son Christopher. Congratulations Alicia!

FAM Spot

man climbing a treeFam Spot is excited to say that we provided 80 backpacks with school supplies to youth in need. It was great seeing the youth excited to have new supplies for school. We also have several hiking trips coming up, along with BBQ days. Please see the calendar attached. Our LGBTQIA+ support group is here every other Tuesday so please come join us for a safe place to get support. We are in need of art supplies of any kind for art groups the youth are wanting. Please email Rudy at rudy@familyassist.org with any questions regarding art supply.

August calendar

Hiring

now hiringWe 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

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

Donate

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

Thank You to Our Community Partners

community partner logos

Join Our Team

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.

2022 July Newsletter

6fdadmin

july 2022 newsletter
orange butterfly

Direct from Darryl

I had the great joy of spending Saturday with a group of young people who are going to be our next generation of leaders. Our Youth Leadership Summit brought together a group of young people to learn from some of our current leaders and learn to use their voice to make sure our community will continue to get better.

We started the day hearing from Senator Rosilicie Ochoa Bogh as she told us about being an immigrant and attending school without knowing English. She described how adversity can turn into strength and her path to representing 1 million people from the Inland Empire in Sacramento. We heard from Assemblymember James Ramos who told us about growing up in a mobile home on the reservation and living in poverty. He continued to work hard and get an education before moving into public service. Both of our elected officials excited the young people and helped them feel they can make a difference and they can be successful.

We had some great workshops from other community leaders. Scott Nassif from NAPA Auto Parts gave them advice on how to find and keep a job through listening and engagement. Kim Lewis from Lewis Advocacy explained how to put your ideas into legislation. Overall, this group of young people spent their Saturday working to improve their futures.

We closed the day hearing from Jevon Wilkes, the executive director of the California Coalition for Youth. He told his story of living on the streets of Los Angeles and knowing their had to be something better. He volunteered with the Youth Advisory Board and then worked his way to becoming the chairperson. He used this platform to speak with our legislators and demand that they consider the needs of young people living on the streets. Now, as the executive director, he is a regular speaker at legislative hearings. Legislators now come to him for his input. Every person in the room was listening and dreaming that this could be them some day.

Many of the young people came away excited for their future. They were able to speak with leaders who lived through poverty and are now successful and in positions to make real changes. These young people care about our community and about their peers. I came away excited for the future of our community. We hear and see so many negative things that it can become depressing. Seeing young people who give up their Saturday to learn how to make our world better gives me hope that it will be better.

Our future is looking bright.

Darryl Evey
Executive Director

The Gala is Back

masquerade gala flyerWe are so happy to announce the return of our annual Dreams Come True Gala! Save the date, October 15, 2022.

This is our annual fundraiser and all proceeds will go towards down payment assistance for Family Assistance Program clients and staff. The money raised at the gala will empower Family Assistance Program to transform people’s lives with home ownership.

Join us for a fun masquerade ball at the Hilton Garden Inn with cocktail hour from 4:30 – 5:30pm and dinner starting at 6pm. Enjoy music from the amazing BOK, photo booth fun, and a silent auction.

Sponsorship opportunities are available, email Angela if you are interested.

Hope House

break the silence walk flyerscreenshot testimonialOctober is National Domestic Violence Awareness Month. We will have our annual Break the Silence Walk on October 5th beginning at 10 AM and ending at 3 PM. This will be at our Administration office at 15075 Seventh Street. We are inviting everyone to join us. Please wear Purple to support Domestic Violence. If you are not up for the walk come and hang out with us for the day.
We are inviting organizations who would like to have an information booth with Community Services at the event. Water and snack donations will be appreciated.

Please contact Tracey or Sylvia at 760-223-7787 or by email tracey@familyassist.org or sylvia@familyassist.org

Family Assistance Program received a review on Google that mentioned our long time staff member, Sylvia. Sylvia truly cares about helping people and it shows in what she does every day. Thank you Sylvia for going above and beyond to always help those in need.

Community Center

Summertime is upon us and in the High Desert at the C Street Community Center we are feeling the temperatures increase! We have added sunblock to our hygiene bags that we hand out every Wednesday during our Clothing and Hygiene Give-Away…speaking of Clothing and Hygiene Give-Away, we need your help! The C Street Community Center needs men’s clothing donations of all sizes. If you have any men’s clothing that you would like to get rid of please contact Cristina at crisitna@familyassist.org.

We are proud to announce that on June 30, 2022, we had 20 attendees earn their Certificate of Domestic Violence Advocacy!!! Another great training in the books, and another group of Domestic Violence Advocates training by Family Assistance Program that span across the Country. This year we had attendees from Connecticut, New York, and Michigan, as well as many from Northern California and within our own County. Family Assistance Programs congratulates these 20 Advocates and can’t wait to see the great work they do! Jobi would like to thank all of the Family Assistance Program Staff and community partners that take the time to present, without you this would not be possible.

Open Door

san bernardino county sheriff's academyMyeesha in front of presentationThe Open Door has been attending different events and facilitating trainings this month. One of The Open Door’s Empowerment Advocates is Myeesha and she has been busy! At the Sheriff’s Academy training, 120 new cadets were trained on how to approach and treat a human trafficking victim. She spends time educating the new cadets on when they are coming in contact with victims, they are not criminals. Myeesha is a powerful speaker, the Sheriff Academy asks for her to come back multiple times a year.

Open Door is working with Dignity Health on upcoming Human Trafficking training to educate their staff on the signs of a victim of Human Trafficking. Myeesha once again did a great job on the Dignity Health World Day event. She did a presentation on Who, What, and How the Open Door helps victims of Human Trafficking. Spreading the word on Human Trafficking has been extremely successful this year.

Open Door has just finished our 40-Hour Human Trafficking Training with 13 new Human Trafficking Advocates ready to help awareness all over California. We had participants from LA County (Journey Out) to the city of Richmond in Northern California. If anyone is interested in our next 40 HR Human Trafficking Training, please contact Bernadette@familyassist.org for details.

Open Arms

open arms logoOpen Arms Street Outreach team has seen an increase in client intakes these past few weeks. We have successfully housed a handful of clients, assuring they are receiving proper services. A Street Outreach participant has been housed with the help of our rental assistance program. Clients have been enjoying our Substance counseling groups, finding the information useful to conquer any challenges they face.

Open Arms has been happy to continue our partnership with Operation New Hope, allowing our clients to optimize the services they receive. Our TAY participants have been connected with their education program, helping them get on track to receive a high school diploma.

All TAY participants were excited to participate in the Youth Leadership Summit on the 16th of this month; they enjoyed learning how to become young leaders.

youth leadership summit flyerFamily Assistance Program in partnership with San Bernardino Valley College hosted the inaugural Youth Leadership Summit on Saturday, July 16th from 9:30 am – 3:30 pm. This event included speeches from keynote speakers California State Senator Rosilicie Ochoa Bogh, California State Assembly member James Ramos, and the Executive Director of California Coalition for Youth Jevon Wilkes. The speakers addressed the resources both locally and statewide for youth to advocate for policies that directly impact their lives. They spoke about the past, current, and future policies they’ve worked on to strengthen the resources and rights of youth in San Bernardino County and the State of California. Each speaker spoke about the personal commitment they have to youth voices impact our communities. Over 120 local youth aged 16 – 24 years of age attended this event to learn how you can advocate to fight against youth homelessness and other issues important to youth. It was an all-youth event, created by youth for youth. Forty-one percent of youth homelessness in California occurs in San Bernardino making this topic an important discussion for our community.

Thank you to all of our speakers for taking time to educate and mentor our youth. And Thank you to Scott Nassif, Town of Apple Valley, Town Council Member for taking time to educate young people about employment and leadership with his talk on Leadership in Employment, What to consider when you’re applying for work, and How to become a leader in your community.

The youth participants had the chance to talk in roundtable discussions about the issues that they face and how change could be implemented in our local communities. Participants came from as far as Barstow and Palm Springs to attend this event. We are looking forward to next year’s Youth Leadership Summit already!

Next Step

Alicia with her baby boyCongratulations to the participant Alicia A., on graduating from the Next Step Reentry Housing Program! Alicia was referred to us in August of last year by her probation officer and came to us as a mother fighting every day to improve her life and to regain custody of her 14-month-old son Christopher, who was living with a foster family under CFS supervision. To make things even more difficult, Alicia was also battling for her life as a cancer patient. But you would never know she was ill by her vibrant zeal to overcome her current life challenges. Alicia immediately found a job and began to save money; her health concerns, however, began to affect her several months into her stay with us and she was forced to focus on her health and regaining custody of her son.
For months, Alicia struggled to gain back her health and at the same time never wavered in her determination and effort to reclaim custody of Christopher. During her time convalescing, she decided to pursue education to become a Drug & Alcohol counselor and is currently attending classes at a local college to earn her Drug & Alcohol Counseling certificate. Thankfully, after months of hard work with her health providers, she has been able to regain her health and is now cancer free!

While with us, she worked with Next Step Team case managers to create an environment at home that was safe for her son Christopher. Certain adjustments were made at our Wakefield Women’s home to demonstrate to CFS that the home was safe and appropriate for Christopher to live in with his mother. After a lot of hard work on Alicia’s part, she was granted custody of Christopher and was able to welcome him home at Wakefield Women’s home in Adelanto.

In February, Alicia had cause to celebrate as she had reached the end of her supervised probation as well as her time with Family Assistance Program. Unfortunately, one of the biggest difficulties she’s had is finding housing for her and her son. Thankfully, she was able to make arrangements to live with a family member temporarily, but she is still in search of a home that will accept her Section 8 voucher. She has applied for several section 8 associated apartments and is on the priority waiting list, but as adequate housing availability remains limited in the High Desert and San Bernardino areas, Alicia struggles to find anything at all. She desperately needs to find a home that will accept a Section 8 voucher.

If anyone is aware of any available housing in the High Desert or San Bernardino areas that will accept a Section 8 housing voucher, please contact Erick M. Barker at 760-669-9200 or email at ErickB@familyassist.org.

Rental Assistance

for rent sign

Family Assistance Program is offering rental assistance for youth ages 18-24 for the individual and/or their families who are behind in rent and those youth who are homeless and getting their first apartment. There is also a rental assistance program for families who are struggling to pay rent/mortgage and on the verge of losing housing. We also have a Domestic Violence rental assistance we have been serving for many years.

Qualifications:
Each program has different qualifications to be better assisted please give us a call at 760-223-7787 or you can email rentalassistance@familyassist.org

Hiring

yes we're hiring

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

Thank Your to Our Community Partners

community partner logos

Join Our Team

orange butterfly

Join Our Team

check out our open positions

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.

2022 June Newsletter

6fdadmin

june 2022 newsletter
orange butterfly

Direct from Darryl

There is a big pine tree outside my office window. It is home to a family of squirrels and a few different kinds of birds. Most everyone gets along, except for the big blue birds (I was sternly informed they are not Blue Jays but something similar). When the blue birds are in the tree, no other animals are. All of the other animals get along and even play together, but the blue birds are the bullies of the tree.

Yesterday, I watched a squirrel sit on a branch and eat a pinecone like it was an ear of corn. He ate each piece until nothing was left but the “cob”. When he finished, he scurried off, got another pinecone, and came back to eat it. The scene was a relaxing way to endure a boring meeting listening to important people pontificate. Until, out of nowhere, the blue bird swooped in and attacked the squirrel. He was knocked off his branch, lost his pinecone and nearly fell out of the tree. He then jumped to another tree and disappeared. The blue bird hopped around the branches and then left.

This upset me. I was angry about what had happened. I wanted to console the squirrel. I wanted to throw a rock at the blue bird and explain to him that there was no reason to be such a bully. I began thinking about how to build a squirrel sanctuary that would allow squirrels to live in peace without the threat of random attacks from violent bluebirds. I wanted to find a way to ban bluebirds from my neighborhood. I then realized that I was having an emotional reaction to what I witnessed. This is vicarious trauma.

Our staff deal with this every day, but on a much greater level. Working with someone who has been a victim of crime, or an injustice can take a heavy toll. Some people learn to “let it go”, while others carry it heavily on their hearts. It is nearly impossible to not be affected by the stories we hear every day. When someone comes into our office who is angry at the world, it can be hard to help them, until we remember they have every right to be angry. What our clients endure should never happen to anyone. As humans, it is impossible to not take some of this pain onto ourselves.

I have the utmost respect for our staff and the work they do. It takes a special kind of person to do this work and we have some of the best at Family Assistance Program. To the staff reading this, thank you for your service. To the community, please thank the people who are working in this field. They do not do it for the money, they do it because they care enough to make the world a better place.

Darryl Evey
Executive Director

The Gala is Back

masquerade gala flyerWe are so happy to announce the return of our annual Dreams Come True Gala! Save the date, October 15, 2022.

This is our annual fundraiser and all proceeds will go towards down payment assistance for Family Assistance Program clients and staff. The money raised at the gala will empower Family Assistance Program to transform people’s lives with home ownership.

Join us for a fun masquerade ball at the Hilton Garden Inn with cocktail hour from 4:30 – 5:30pm and dinner starting at 6pm. Enjoy music from the amazing BOK, photo booth fun, and a silent auction.

Sponsorship opportunities are available, email Angela if you are interested.

Hope House

pepperoni pizzaHope House would like to thank Cindy Bostick who is the Executive Director at Todays Women’s Foundation for inviting our participants for another session of Empowering Women for Self Sufficiency class. We are glad to attend in person this year. In the past our participants enjoyed the classes and learned a lot on the different subjects be taught. We appreciate all the women who help to put this on.

We would like to thank choice Medical Group’s Dr. Samir Nayyar. For the past few months, Liz has arranged for pizzas to be picked up for the participants at Hope House. The participants and their children look forward to their Friday pizza night.

Next Step

next step logoCongratulations to the Parole Rental Assistance team for their achievement of a total year-to-date disbursement of $291,364.00 in rent and deposit payments for over 150 parolees in need of assistance with rent. Awesome job PRA team!

On the housing side of things, we are happy to announce the opening of Hardt Women’s Shelter. Hardt is an 8-bed home and will be the home to women on supervised probation and their children. While in the Next Step Program, participants will receive wrap-around case management services, which include job assistance, identification assistance, linkage to felon-friendly employers and housing providers, health insurance navigation, public health assistance, and are also provided access to business centers furnished with desktop computers to allow them to job search, attend online classes and meetings. Participants are provided with groceries and hygiene products free of charge, so donations from community partners are always appreciated.

Adequate housing remains a big obstacle for our participants when they graduate from our program. With housing options so limited in general in the High Desert and greater San Bernardino areas, even the available vacancies with current community partners are becoming limited. If anyone is aware of any available housing in the High Desert or San Bernardino areas and open to housing men and women on probation or parole, please contact Erick M. Barker at 760-669-9200 or email at ErickB@familyassist.org.

Community Center

chihuahua dog in a man's lapDon’t forget, you can still file your taxes until October 17, 2022! If you have any questions or need assistance with filing your taxes, reading correspondence from the IRS, anything tax related…Family Assistance Program is here! Contact Jobi at jobi@familyassist.org

Our State Mandated 40-Hour Domestic Violence Advocacy Training kicks off this month! This is our first English one of the 2022 year, we anticipate having another one in October of this year. We have 40 people registered at this time to attend, that’s 40 new Advocates in the Domestic Violence field. If you or someone you know is interested in attending the next State Mandated Domestic Violence 40-Hour Training, feel free to reach out to Jobi at jobi@familyassist.org, or Diana at diana@familyassist.org

Below is a picture of Samantha, she is the fur baby of one of our C Street regular clients and a regular herself at the C Street Community Center. Samantha’s owner will often ask us if we have small baby clothes for Samantha, he likes to keep her looking her best. We were so excited when we got the dog vest pictured below in donations and couldn’t wait to give it to Samantha. I think from the picture you can see she loves it!! Clients, participants, they aren’t always people, sometimes they are animals too!

two hands making a heart in front of rainbow flagC Street Staff would like to say HAPPY PRIDE MONTH! We here at the C Street Community Center stand with and are behind our LGBTQ+ community. LOVE is LOVE!!!!!

Open Door

the open door logoWant to support an HT survivor but don’t know how?

Here is your chance. Fasthorse Creations creates all natural products with the body, home and heart in mind. All items hand made with dedicated accuracy for you. Hand melted, poured, labeled, whipped and mailed from the Fasthorse family with love. We are so proud and excited for her.

Please visit her website to view a sample of her products. Or visit their social media pages @FasthorseCreations

Support small business! Support women! Support Survivor Leaders!

Fast Horse Website

Open Arms

open arms logoOpen Arms has officially extended our hours for the Summer. Our center will be open 9am to 7pm Monday-Friday and 9am-6pm on Saturday. Our youth will also have the opportunity to be a part of an Autocross event this month as flag corner workers. We will also be participating in ‘Transform Your Life Day’ hosted by the California Conservation Corps on June 25th at the San Manuel Stadium from 4pm – 8pm.

Rental Assistance

silhouette houses against blue backgroundHere in the rental assistance program, we have been very busy helping those struggling to pay rent. Covid-19 has hurt a lot of landlords and tenants these past couple of years and has kept rental assistance busy trying to keep people in their homes. We received a new grant for youth aged 18-24 to help individuals and their families who need help with rent.

We have helped many domestic violence participants and have been successful with them. However, we have helped youth, and one person in particular Jonathan Enriquez is a youth participant who was behind on rent since March and was ready to get evicted. He heard about our program by word of mouth and looking up our website he reached out to us. We were able to assist him and get in contact with his landlord to hold off on the eviction and were able to help pay his rent. Jonathan is now current and was able to save to stay current.

Youth Leadership Summit

youth leadership summit flyerFamily Assistance Program in partnership with San Bernardino Valley College is hosting the inaugural Youth Leadership Summit on Saturday, July 16th from 9:30 am – 3:30 pm. This event will include speeches from keynote speakers California State Senator Rosilicie Ochoa, California State Assembly member James Ramos, and the Executive Director of California Coalition for Youth Jevon Wilkes. These speakers will address the resources both locally and statewide for youth to advocate for policies that directly impact their lives. They will speak about the past, current, and future policies they’ve worked on to strengthen the resources and rights of youth in San Bernardino County and the State of California. Each speaker will speak about the personal commitment they have to youth voices and their impact in our communities. Local youth aged 16 – 24 years of age are encouraged to register for this event to learn how you can advocate to fight against youth homelessness and other issues important to youth. This is an all-youth event, created by youth for youth. Forty-one percent of youth homelessness in California occurs in San Bernardino making this topic an important discussion for our community.

Registered youth participants will be paid for participating for the entire day. Register by scanning the QR code below on the flyer. Or REGISTER HERE – opens in a new window

For more info email JIM

Hiring

Employment-Flyer.png

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

COVID-19 Vaccine Conversation

covid vaccine flyerWhy did you get vaccinated? People have many different reasons why they got the shot. Share your story on your social media and get paid for it. We are looking for volunteers to start the conversation about COVID-19 Vaccine. Earn up to $400 when people engage with your post.

If you are interested in becoming a COVID Champion or have any questions you can email charity@familyassist.org

Thank Your to Our Community Partners

community partner logos

Join Our Team

orange butterfly

Join Our Team

check out our open positions

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.

2022 May Newsletter

6fdadmin

may 2022 newsletter
orange butterfly

Direct from Darryl

Advocacy

We use the term advocacy loosely and this sometimes dilutes the meaning. Advocacy is important when we work for people who are disenfranchised. In our democratic form of government, we need our elected officials to understand the needs of all people, not just the ones who can afford to attend their political fundraisers. Sometimes we forget that advocacy goes deeper than this. Foundations need advocates to help them prioritize their work. Government staff need advocates to help them prioritize funding allocations. Our team are constantly working with people in positions of power or authority to consider the families we serve when making decisions.
 
Many of the decisions are difficult. Should the police department buy a new helicopter, or should the funds go to the fire department for a new fire truck? Should infrastructure funding pay for a new traffic light that can improve traffic flow, or should they pave the roads? Should social service funding go to prioritize housing a person with a severe mental health problem, a senior citizen, or a homeless teenager? It feels like a Kobayashi Maru every day.
 
This is why we have advocacy. Did you know that people who are homeless are able to receive a free ID card from the DMV? This is because several of us brought clients who were formerly homeless to Sacramento to meet with elected officials. They each told their story and explained that they could not find employment without an ID and could not get an ID without money and could not get money without employment. Each legislator understood how this simple bill could change the lives of real people. Once they understood how the bill helped people, it was easy to secure their support.
 
Last week, Shelly, Jose, and a few of the youth from Fam Spot were able to share their personal stories with the Victorville Planning Commission. The commissioners were in a tough place on how to make a decision. Should they side with the “Not in my back yard” group, or should they side with the people who actually live in the neighborhood. When our team were able to make the argument personal and how this will change the lives of young people in our community, the commissioners were able to support the project.
 
Advocacy is a powerful tool. We advocate for our clients every day. Somedays we are able to secure big wins. Other times, we just hope to come back another day. As long as people in our community need our help, we WILL come back another day.

 

Darryl Evey
Executive Director

Open Door

the open door logoOpen Door received the following recognition from one of our interns, Tiffany Acklin, from Cal State San Bernardino. Tiffany is in the Social Work Masters Program.

“Thank you so much for the opportunity to intern at The Open Door this past year. It’s been a pleasure working with all of the staff and I will always treasure the things I’ve experienced and learned during my time here. Including volunteering with the ladies, going out to the meeting location with Marcelis to meet a hostile participant, going on outreach, to crisis intervention with a participant thinking of surrendering her child, just to name a few. But most of all I really enjoyed talking with all the women and staff members about their stories and journeys of their experiences in the life. I want to give a special thanks to the ladies who have put an effort into including me on the life and activities of the home as well as case management. I’ve appreciated it very much. Haydee (who always whispers), you are goal-oriented, scheduled and organized, and amazing at what you do. Jackie, your attention to detail about case management is so important and shows that you really care about these ladies. There’s never been a time I asked a question about a participant that you didn’t know the details of. Rachel, you bring so much life to the house. Although you’ve had your challenges with some of the participants, you have a special gift of being with people and making them feel connected and important. Rosa and Monica, you have an extraordinary ability to help all of these ladies with the daily tasks that so many of them struggle with because no one invested in them and took the time to teach them. This is vital to their journey in self-sufficiency and empowers them for the rest of their life. Don’t forget that or minimize it. Alyssa, you are incredibly strength-based when it comes to the ladies and their struggles. You are also a “doer” and never have idle hands. I’ve never seen you be afraid to roll your sleeves up, clean or fix things that many women wouldn’t attempt to fix (you go girl). You would make an amazing social worker. To Dianne, Emily, Myesha, Bernadette, and Vanessa, thank you so much for sharing your stories and allowing me to come along at outreach, trainings and groups. The work you do takes an incredible amount of strength and bravery. It truly changes people and benefits the community as well. I am grateful to everyone so please forgive me if I didn’t mention you. The women I’ve met here, not only staff, but some of the participants as well, are by far some of the strongest women I’ve known and are the true definition of a survivor. I don’t know who named this organization but it was named well because I’ve seen the door opened wide for all who need help. Everyone who has come into the program for help has been treated with kindness and respect and given every opportunity for growth. Two of the key social work ethical principles are respect for the inherent dignity and worth of a person, and recognizing the central importance of human relationships-two things I have seen practiced on a daily basis at Open Door. Keep up the good work! The Open Doors you create for people are truly life-changing and it has been an honor to be a part of it for even a little while. Till we meet again.”
– Tiffany Acklin

Open Door will miss Tiffany and all the care and support she gave our participants. Good luck Tiffany!

Want to support a survivor but don’t know how? Here is your chance. Please visit this WEBSITE to view and purchase all-natural products, handmade, from this Native American survivor to thriver!

Hope House

Hope House celebrated ‘Cinco de Mayo’ this past week. The participants helped create a delicious and savory meal for the home. One of our participants made a traditional Mexican meal called ‘Carne en su Jugo’ which was paired with rice and homemade tortillas that Margarita helped make and for dessert, we had Pan Dulce and Mosaic Gelatin. During this time, Angel helped pass out the Mother’s Day books that she made with the children. We are so glad to have been able to celebrate this small holiday with our participants.

Also, this past Sunday we handed out our Mother’s Day gift bags and our participants were extremely grateful to have received them. They had a small Mother’s Day breakfast as well. It is important to celebrate the Mother’s that are doing everything they can to give their children a better life away from.

happy mother's day

Next Step

david wearing a suit and tieNext Step would like to highlight one of our probation participants David. He came to us last year after just having been released from incarceration with no family to ask for help or place to sleep. David found himself in one of the lowest points of his life. When we first met him, David seemed very rough around the edges with his scruffy looking beard and very worn from his experience being incarcerated. Within a few weeks of beginning his program with Next Step he jumped into action, cleaned himself up, got a clean shave and a haircut; and wow, the difference was amazing, there was a handsome man under that scruffy beard. With his case manager’s guidance David used the shelter’s computer center to create a resume for himself and to apply for jobs.

David’s case manager coordinated with the Probation Department and arranged for him to obtain a suit for his first interview, which was the very next week. David expressed that he was very nervous and unsure of himself, so his case manager encouraged and assisted to prepare him for the interview to help him gain confidence in himself. And he landed the job!

He passed his 90-day Probation Department Housing Review and was extended another 90 days in our program. He is still working full-time, has been offered a better position within his company, and has successfully adopted the budgeting practices taught to him by his case manager; the Next Step for David is searching for self-pay housing. The end of David’s time in our program is in sight and with the tools David has acquired in program, his successful budgeting plan, and the job he continues to work, he now has a solid foundation to plan his exit strategy.

A big part of David’s success in our program is due to the resources we are able to provide participants such as the new Computer Centers that were graciously set up, at two separate shelters, for us by our Information Technology Expert Gary Martin. The Next Step team is extremely appreciative of the donations and funding that has made it possible to provide these resources and the expertise it takes to apply them to our program.

Community Center

advocacy training flyerAnother tax season has come and gone, and WOW, what a rush!?! C Street is happy to have reached over 200 individuals with CalEITC information, and other tax tip flyers. Jobi assisted over 100 individuals with self-preparation of their Federal and State taxes; 100 individuals that did not pay fees to file their taxes this year which adds up to about $19,000.00 saved in the community.

Don’t forget, you can still file your taxes until October 17, 2022!

We are excited to announce our Domestic Violence Advocacy Training will be taking place next month!! Spread the word and save the date!!

vendors wanted flyerDon’t forget to come out and Walk the Block in Old Town Victorville! Support your local business and spend sometime on good old Route 66!

FAM Spot

resource fair flyerFam Spot is excited to announce we are adding hikes to our monthly calendar. Several youth have asked for more outside activities and we listened. Twice a month we will be taking the youth out on a hike and having a picnic. We are also continuing our monthly BBQs with the youth. With summer rapidly approaching, we are working on getting more activities added to our calendar to keep the youth busy and having fun.

We have a resource fair coming up on May 21st for families to come to get resources.

My Place

two people playing boxingThis month at My Place, we are still growing stronger as a team, as we continue to welcome new team members to help support our at-risk youth. We continue to see a rise in youth attending school, group participation in life skills, and peer counseling. A big support for our youth has been our advocate who always goes above and beyond, Sean! Boxing has been an enormous success to help youth with coping skills. Boxing has been a major source of motivation and a sense of relief for our youth. It has been an amazing part of our shelter and the youth look forward to this group every day that he is here.

Rental Assistance

residential elements clip artWe had an applicant with emergency housing vouchers from the Housing Authority of the County of San Bernardino. When they pulled up her application she had already started her own business cleaning. She was denied assistance due to her income. She came to us again. She had an apartment lined up to rent. With our other rental assistance funding, we were able to assist her with the funds to move in. At the time she asked for help we were not aware she was sleeping in her car. Then she was contacted to let her know that the checks to help her move in were released. When she came to pick up the checks she started crying and stated we are a blessing to the community. As she walked out of the office we could still hear her cries. The staff on shift just wanted to hug her and let her know everything was going to be all right.

Housing & Homeless Youth

people meeting at a park On Friday, May 6 Family Assistance Program held a tour of the planned “Tiny Home Village” in Old Town Victorville with regional legislative leaders. Following the tour, the group gathered for a round table discussion on the local housing needs of High Desert residents and Transitional Age Youth (TAY) population.

In attendance were Assemblymember Thurston “Smitty” Smith (33rd Assembly District, Assemblymember James Ramos (40th Assembly District), Senator Rosilicie Ochoa Bogh (23rd Senate District), Apple Valley Mayor Pro Tem Art Bishop, Chief Deputy and SoCal Regional Director for Governor Gavin Newsom Molly Wiltshire, Housing Authority of San Bernardino County Executive Director Maria Razo, Family Assistance Program Executive Director Darryl Evey, Youth Advocate and Case Manager Jose Chavez and other community housing leaders.

man displaying a board to people at the meetingOur local leaders discussed the importance of going upstream and investing in housing for youth in order to end homelessness. Regional solutions to aid in the development of emergency shelters, transitional housing and permanent affordable housing were shared amongst the group. The diverse mix of representatives from the local level to the state allowed for the identification of intersectional solutions that can be applied across the region. Youth homelessness and housing for youth need to be prioritized at the local and state level. From our city’s general plan to the funds coming down to address the state’s housing crisis need to support this priority. This will ensure that our young people have access to safe and affordable housing and will help prevent the next generation of homelessness.

Youth Advisory Board

youth advisory board flyerThere’s A LOT happening at YAB in San Bernardino County!

We’re doing:

  • Social Media Planning
  • Legislative Research
  • Practice Telling Your Story to help your advocacy
  • Prepping for a Virtual Hill Day educating Legislators in DC!

Not much homework, but a LOT of opportunities to get involved!!

Tell your friends to register and join us!

Come check it out!

SB County Youth Advisory Board:
Wednesday afternoons at 4:30p (Get paid $15/meeting)

For more info email JIM

Hiring

Employment Flyer

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

COVID-19 Vaccine Conversation

covid vaccine flyerWhy did you get vaccinated? People have many different reasons why they got the shot. Share your story on your social media and get paid for it. We are looking for volunteers to start the conversation about COVID-19 Vaccine. Earn up to $400 when people engage with your post.

If you are interested in becoming a COVID Champion or have any questions you can email charity@familyassist.org

Give

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

opens in a new windowDonate

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

Thank Your to Our Community Partners

community partner logos

Join Our Team

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.

2022 April Newsletter

6fdadmin

april 2022 newsletter
orange butterfly

Direct from Darryl

Resignation or Aspiration?

We have all been hearing about the “Great Resignation”. This is the narrative that people do not want work because they are lazy freeloaders. I do not agree with this biased and offensive spin on the state of the job market today. The people I speak with are anxious to work. They are looking for careers and are excited about their potential future. They are looking for the right job at the right pay. They are finally, for the first time in their lives, able to be picky and wait for the “right” job. They do not need to work 60 hours a week at minimum wage, just to pay rent and still rely on food stamps to eat. People are no longer forced to choose between a terrible job or going hungry.

I believe in the free market economy. For too many years, it has been rigged against the working-class. People from wealthy families have a support network that covers their food, housing, and other expenses while they take their time finding the perfect career move. Working-class people did not have this luxury. If a person is forced to work 40 hours a week at a dead-end job with very little pay just to survive, it is hard to get an education and then spend a year or two sifting through potential career opportunities. Today, the playing field is being leveled and now everyone has the opportunity to think about their long-term goals.

An article by Whitney Johnson in the Harvard Business Review describes this new Great Aspiration as similar to the Industrial Revolution. She predicts that this change will result in cottage industries from people following their passion. She also encourages employers to embrace this change, and to encourage employees to explore their talents. Employers who are agile and able to embrace change will survive and flourish.

At Family Assistance Program, we are doing that, as we have for many years. We support, nurture, and encourage our staff to reach their goals. Sometimes, this results in training and helping people who move on to other work. Most of the time, it results in people who flourish and grow to become more than they dreamed possible. We currently have 13 job openings with 12 more coming out next month. I appreciate that people can be picky. This helps us find the best person for each job, rather than someone just looking for a paycheck. It may make hiring people more difficult, but I believe it is better for the long term.

I hope the Great Aspiration will be the beginning of a new age where every person is able to reach their full potential.

Darryl Evey
Executive Director

Open Door

teresa holding hangbagsOpen Door received a wonderful donation from Outreach Leader, Teresa Kelly-Harris and Danielle McGee Belton, Founder of “Promise, Purpose and Destiny Ministries”: brand new purses full of hygiene, hair products, and other goodies that our participants can use. Once again thank you to Promise Purpose and Destiny Ministries for their lovely donations.

Ramos at Tacos and Taxes boothOpen Door is proud to be a part of the continued collaboration and community partnership with the Sheriff’s Academy and now the Gang Unit Special Teams. Advocate Myeesha Arranaga has trained over 200 law enforcement officers and Sheriff deputy trainees from the San Bernardino, Highland, Redlands, Riverside, and Pomona area within the last 45 days. We are looking forward to this continued partnership with the hopes of identifying, educating, and providing more resources to other HT victims.

Open Door has been spreading the word about human trafficking by doing table events, trainings and We were at Taco and Taxes hosted by Assembly Member Ramos at San Bernardino Valley College. Not only was this a huge success but the event was informational for the community. It was great collaborating with all the other agencies there and look forward to many more events in collaboration with our partners and politicians.

Hope House

HAPPY SPRING EVERYONE!

easter decorations in trunk of carHope House is excited to bring in a new fresh season. Especially because it’s probably the BEST season EVER, Spring! Hope House has begun attending more events in the community.

Hope House staff Lori, Angel, and Laura attended Rockin’ Our Disabilities Foundation’s Easter event on April 2nd. There were so many children and vendors gathered for the event. All the children received candy and toys from each vendor. Michele and Angel with Hope House will attend High Desert Second Chance’s Easter Event on April 16th. Please come visit us at 16666 Smoke Tree Hesperia, CA 92345 from 11am – 2pm.

Hope House will be having some fun here at home with our families, as well. We will have a potluck, games, and Easter egg hunts! We are accepting donations so we can help the mothers in our program make Easter baskets for their children.

We are accepting donations to help create the Easter baskets for our participants. If you can donate candy, eggs, toys, baskets, or any other Easter items please contact Sylvia at 760-223-7787 or sylvia@familyassist.org

We hope everyone has an amazing Spring and a beautiful Easter!

Next Step

next step logoThis month has been very successful for several of our participants. On the housing side, due to the hard work and perseverance of both the housing team and participants, two of our participants have been approved for self-pay housing. One, a probation participant has recently graduated from our program, and with the help of his case manager, he has found self-pay housing.

Another participant on the parole side hit the ground running when she entered our program. Although she has been with us less than 60 days, she has already found employment with two different employers and has been approved for self-pay housing in an apartment of her own. We will be using our Parole Rental Assistance Program to help pay her rent. During her assessment, the participant indicated a need for non-emergency medical services and eyeglasses. We were more than happy to link her to our Health Navigator, to find a local doctor and to our community partner America’s Best Eyeglasses to take advantage of their gracious offer for free eye exams and glasses. In a conversation with her case manager, the participant said “every time I talk to you, I mention something I need and you say you know someone that could help. Then you make a phone call and I have an appointment. I love this program!” It’s a wonderful thing to hear from a participant, to hear that they feel their needs are being met and that we are helping to accomplish that.

On the Parole Rental Assistance side, the PRA team continues to make great strides toward becoming a well-oiled machine. We continue to help many homecoming parolees in need of support that they would not receive anywhere else. Recently, one of our PRA team members met a homeless man that had nowhere to go, he turned out to be on parole. Thanks to her empathy and consideration for the man, we were able to link the man to one of our community housing partners, Hernandez House. They were able to let the man into housing that night, despite the 2 to 3-week delay in receiving a rent check. Great job team Next Step, keep it up!

Community Center

clean up dayThe C Street Community Center is ready to spring into SPRING! The weather has been so beautiful allowing staff to shake off those winter coats and embrace the natural vitamin D! The Community Center staff has been taking turns walking our block throughout the day. Along the walks, we will talk with clients we see, pick up trash if need be, and greet other businesses or community members. It’s a new healthy habit for the staff here!

The Community Center along with Fam Spot, R.O.O.T., the United Steel Workers Union, and High Def Entertainment cleaned up Old Town Victorville on Saturday, April 2nd. It was such a great day! We even had Victorville City Councilmember, Liz Becerra, assisting with clean-up and taking loads to the dumpsite. When we come together we can make great changes in our community!

FAM Spot

young man admiring a desert flowerWe at Fam Spot have been working hard to get our outreach up and going. We are excited to announce that we are out in the streets meeting new young people 3 – 4 days a week. We have met a lot of new faces and have been able to connect them with many of the resources we offer. Several of them even started coming to Fam Spot for groups. Fam Spot asked and has listened to the youth about what groups/workshops they are wanting. We have groups in mindfulness, communication, financial literacy, and anger management. Fam Spot and No Drugs America will be hosting a youth resource fair in May. Date TBD. We host an LGBTQ+ support group once a month, along with a monthly BBQ and more.

Fam Spot enjoyed a beautiful and educational hike with our youth learning about our local Mojave desert plants.

My Place

dog lying on floorThis month at My Place we are still growing stronger as a team, as we welcome new team members to help us support our at-risk youth. We continue to see a rise in youth attending school, group participation in groups like life skills. A big support for our at-risk youth has been one of our staff bringing her Husky that goes by the name “Ellie” to visit our youth. Ellie has been such a good support for our youth, she lets the youth cuddle her and she’s there as their comfort as you can see in the picture.

We are in the process of having another youth complete our program successfully. With the help of our staff, she was able to enroll in school and is excited to graduate this school year. The youth is soon to be 18 and with the proper resources My Place staff have provided, she is confident of achieving her goals. We, at My Place are so excited to see what the future has in store for this amazing young lady.

Residential Assistance

reidential elements clip artMark, a landlord, contacted our office in regards to the rental assistance for several of his tenants in Dec 2021. We were able to schedule an in-person appointment to assist him with the application and documents. As of April, the state has been able to pay the back rent for some of his tenants that were affected by COVID-19. Through the months we have been able to talk to Mark about the emergency housing voucher from the housing authority for survivors of domestic violence. We explained the program and he is willing to accept the voucher. This will help our residents who are in transitional housing and our shelters. In May he will have two apartments available for some of our residents who have been approved for their emergency vouchers. We are happy we can work with local landlords and make a difference together.

Tax Time

checklist for doing taxesTax season is in full swing, don’t forget Monday, April 18, 2022 is the deadline to file your taxes! Jobi at the Community Center has assisted over 40 individuals with self-preparation of their 2021 taxes, and we have given out 407 informational flyers to the community to educate them on the Cal EITC credit!

 

Do you have everything you need to prepare your taxes? Check below to see if you’re ready! If you have everything needed, and want to self-prepare, call or email Jobi for more assistance at 760-843-0701 or jobi@familyassist.org

 

Youth Advisory Board

youth advisory board flyerThere’s A LOT happening at YAB in San Bernardino County!

We’re doing:

  • Social Media Planning
  • Legislative Research,
  • Practice Telling Your Story to help your advocacy
  • Prepping for a Virtual Hill Day educating Legislators in DC!

Not much homework, but a LOT of opportunities to get involved!! Tell your friends to register and join us!

Come check it out!

SB County Youth Advisory Board:
Wednesday afternoons at 4:30p (Get paid $15/meeting)

For more info email Jim

Hiring

vaccine advocate position

We are currently hiring full and part time for this and other open positions.

 See All Open Positions

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

Join over 40 local non-profits that are hiring in your area!

Do you want to work somewhere that is making a difference in your community? Your local no-profits are hiring!

Join us on Tuesday, May 3rd from 1-6pm at Courtyard by Marriott in Hesperia to meet with and apply for open positions!

Free entry! Large exhibit hall!

Bring lots of resumes!

non-profit job fair flyer

COVID-19 Vaccine Conversation

covid vaccine flyerWhy did you get vaccinated? People have many different reasons why they got the shot. Share your story on your social media and get paid for it. We are looking for volunteers to start the conversation about COVID-19 Vaccine. Earn up to $400 when people engage with your post.

If you are interested in becoming a COVID Champion or have any questions you can email lindsey@familyassist.org

Give

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

opens in a new windowDonate

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

Thank Your to Our Community Partners

community partner logos

Join Our Team

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.

2022 March Newsletter

6fdadmin

march 2022 newsletter graphic
orange butterfly

Direct from Darryl

As the world opens back up, I hope some things do not change. I remember when I got my first cell phone and how free it made me feel. I was on vacation in Canada and able to take a work call and walk my employee through what he needed to do to solve the problem. This was in 1996 and it felt like I had been transported into a Star Trek movie. Zoom has added a new dimension to this.
 
We have had zoom meetings at Family Assistance Program but since the pandemic began, everyone has become more comfortable with virtual meetings. We are more connected now than we were before. We are also more productive. It is normal to have back to back meetings with people all day who I previously would rarely see. It is also much easier for people scattered across the county to jump into a meeting as if we all worked in the same building. With the increase in gas prices, I expect this new freedom to continue.
 
One change I am enjoying are the live, in-person events. In the last few weeks, I have attended multiple events and fundraisers. The Greater High Desert Chamber of Commerce had their evening affaire. It was great to see friends I had not seen since the pandemic, and others I had only seen rarely. Sometimes, at these meetings, people look vaguely familiar, but I cannot place them. I saw Johnathan from the Courtyard twice in 5 days and still did not recognize him because he was dressed differently. Fortunately for me, he is such a nice guy that he did not make me feel ignorant, just let me figure it out on my own. (Thank you, Johnathan, for being so gracious.) As we move back to these events, I hope to begin to recognize people again. Until then, if you see me and I look lost, do not take it personal.

 

Darryl Evey
Executive Director

My Place

people sitting around a dinner tableMy Place has been gaining knowledge through amazing staff trainings to have a better understanding of different youth that may walk through our doors. We continue to grow as a team and welcome new staff to help support our at-risk youth. We have seen an increase in group participation, kids attending school, reunifying families, and participation in life skills classes. This will teach our youth how to be independent as they reach their young adult years.

We have an amazing success story. One of our youth has shown great improvement, not only with starting school, but as well as wanting more for herself. She has completed her community service hours; she has started school and now wants to join the track and field team. We are in the process of getting her an I.D. and to start her process of applying for jobs. She has been following her program and exceeds every expectation. The staff have been there for her from giving boxing lessons, to helping build a garden, to having those conversations with her letting her know we see her improvement each and every day. We are so proud of her!

Hope House

curtainsHope House received a message from Midge at Community Services Council. Midge was collaborating with Sandy from the Grocery Outlet in Victorville. Sandy had many bouquets of flowers from Valentines Day and was taking them to non-profits, seniors, and other programs with participants who would appreciate them. They showed up and gave each of our participants a bouquet of flowers. This brought a smile to all their faces and to the employee’s faces, as well. It is truly amazing how flowers can be such a positive impact on a persons well being, especially for those who are fleeing domestic violence and having to stay in an emergency shelter during Valentine’s Day. One of our participants who decided to be creative, arranged the bouquet in the top of her curtains over looking her bed in her room. Thank you so much Midge and Sandy for thinking about Hope House and making everyone’s day!

Next Step

next step logoThis month we heard back from a former participant that likes to keep in touch with us, she graduated late last year and moved back to Bakersfield with her two children to be closer to family. She has begun to build a strong support system for herself and has begun to lay roots down in her community as she was recently hired on at the Boys and Girls Club of Bakersfield as an Activity Supervisor. She describes it as her “dream job” and couldn’t thank Family Assistance Program enough for our continued support.

“This program is the greatest stepping stone of my life, and without it, I couldn’t have achieved what I have achieved.”

In our ongoing after-care support, we have provided beds for her and her two kids in her new apartment. She added that this was a tremendous help because it helped her achieve one of her recent goals to pass the home inspection by her social worker. The inspection was required to obtain custody of her first child, for which she is currently fighting for in the courts. She now feels safe in her fully furnished home for her and her children.

Open Door

people holding large check

Open Door is in their third week of the 40-hour Human Trafficking Training. If you missed this one, the next free certified Human Trafficking Advocacy training will be held in May 2022. If you would like to join our next training, please reach out to bernadette@familyassist.org.

This month we would like to highlight and thank one of our community partners, Dignity Health. We were one of the agencies selected for their Community Grant Awards. Thank you for your continued support with your check for $40,500. These funds will go directly towards victim’s immediate needs. Dignity Health and Open Door continues to be committed to helping victims of human trafficking. Open Door continues to provide on call advocates to respond to any calls from the hospital staff and provide training on human trafficking for hospital staff. This month were honored to work with the San Bernardino Human Trafficking Task Force.  We both participated in the 7th annual “Operation Reclaim and Rebuild”. More than 80 federal, state and local law enforcement agencies, along with 11 task forces from across California participated in this statewide effort to curb human trafficking. The cities, Rancho Cucamonga, San Bernardino, and Victorville, were selected due to their high volume of activity and advertisements directly related to the commercial sex trafficking industry. Open Door provided victim support and services, along with shelter and safehouse services. Thank you SBHTTF for letting us provide services to victims. We were featured on the San Bernardino District Attorney’s website for the work we do in the community. Thank you for spotlighting our work with victims of human trafficking. See the spotlight story here: opens in a new windowCommunity Spotlight: The Open Door Program Combats Human Trafficking in San Bernardino County – San Bernardino County District Attorney (sbcountyda.org)

Community Center

computerThe C Street Community Center is thankful for our new updated computers in the lobby! Clients are now able to complete job applications, rental applications, or other documents that may be asked of them by other service agencies. Even more so, community members can come prepare their own taxes for FREE and receive guidance as needed, again for FREE! We are so excited that we currently have nine employees throughout the agency training to become registered tax preparers with the State of California! Wishing lots of luck on their tax preparer training to Jobi W., Ginger B., Elsa S., Raquel A., Shelly T., Laura G., Sylvia R., Bernadette V., and Oscar L. By this time next year, these individuals will have the ability to prepare and e-file taxes for our clients and others in the community for free. Don’t forget, on March 10, 2022 from 8:30 am to 4:00 pm the San Bernardino County TAD office will have Volunteer Tax Preparers available for service. This is by appointment only, call 909-421-4091 or 909-421-4093 to schedule your appointment!

people wearing orange safety vests

Family Assistance Program and the Community Center took the lead on the 2022 Point In Time Count for Adelanto, what a success! Our volunteers were able to make contact with 13 homeless individuals in the Adelanto area, as well as report dwellings, tents or those they see sleeping in a car.

 

 

 

clean up flyerBeing able to count and report these individuals assist the County in acquiring money to assist the homeless community, and create resources for them. Thank you to those who came out to Volunteer, you are appreciated! Thank you to our own Diana Penaloza, Shelly Thomas, Jose Chavez, and Board Member Sir Duplechan for coming out and participating in the count! A HUGE thank you to the Starbucks at Palmdale and Highway 395 for allowing us to use their store as our check-in/check-out base for the Adelanto PITC, the Staff there is awesome!

The Community Center and Fam Spot will be joining R.O.O.T. for the Community Clean-Up in April. Come out and help us revive our Old Town Victorville.

In honor of Women’s History Month, the Community Center leaves you with the first two paragraphs of the poem, Phenomenal Woman, from the great Maya Angelou. Don’t forget the PHENOMENAL WOMEN we all are!
Pretty women wonder where my secret lies.
I’m not cute or built to suit a fashion model’s size
But when I start to tell them,
They think I’m telling lies.
I say,
It’s in the reach of my arms
The span of my hips,
The stride of my step,
The curl of my lips.
I’m a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That’s me.
 
I walk into a room
Just as cool as you please,
And to a man,
The fellows stand or
Fall down on their knees.
Then they swarm around me,
A hive of honey bees.
I say,
It’s the fire in my eyes,
And the flash of my teeth,
The swing in my waist,
And the joy in my feet.
I’m a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That’s me.

Domestic Violence Transitional Housing

tub and shower comboWe have almost completed our ADA unit at one of Family Assistance Program’s domestic violence transitional locations. This one bedroom unit went through a complete rehab thanks to the contractor John Farinelli. The bathroom sink and kitchen sink have room for a person in a wheel chair to be self sufficient. A desk was also made for accessibility. Our maintenance guys Raul and Antonio installed the flooring and carpeting. This unit will make some deserving participants feel very comfortable at their new home.

Tax Time

tax flyer
Join us for a free tax workshop to get information about how to file your taxes.
Thursday, March 17th at 12 noon, join us in person or on Zoom, whichever one you are more comfortable with.
In Person: 16857 C St., Victorville, CA 92395
On Zoom: ZOOM LINK
We will talk about:
Who can file taxes? Work (W-2), Self-employment (1099 or yourself), LLC/LLP and Corp.
– Filing Status
– Documents you need for filing
– Credits – EITC, CalEITC
– Stimulus Payments
– PPP & EIDL Payment/Forgiveness
– Did you get all your money?
– Where is my refund?
Ask questions to tax professional and get answers!

Youth Advisory Board

youth advisory flyerThere’s A LOT happening at YAB in San Bernardino County! We’re doing:

Social Media Planning,
Legislative Research,
Practice Telling Your Story to help your advocacy
Prepping for a Virtual Hill Day educating Legislators in DC!

Not much homework, but a LOT of opportunities to get involved!! Tell your friends to register and join us!

Come check it out!

SB County Youth Advisory Board:
Wednesday afternoons at 4:30p (Get paid $15/meeting)

For more info email JIM

Youth Advisory Board

vaccine advocate flyerWe are currently hiring full and part time for this and other 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

COVID-19 Vaccine Conversation

covid 19 flyerWhy did you get vaccinated? People have many different reasons why they got the shot. Share your story on your social media and get paid for it. We are looking for volunteers to start the conversation about COVID-19 Vaccine. Earn up to $400 when people engage with your post.

If you are interested in becoming a COVID Champion or have any questions you can email lindsey@familyassist.org

COVID-19 Vaccine Conversation

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

Donate

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

Thank Your to Our Community Partners

community partner logos

Join Our Team

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.

2021 December Newsletter

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december 2021 newsletter title
orange butterfly

Direct from Darryl

There is a Christmas carol that says, this is the “hap-happiest season of all” and according to a poll last year, 63% of Americans agree. This is a time to celebrate, wish people a merry Christmas and happy holidays. It is time to spend with family and friends, watch holiday specials on tv, attend Christmas parties, enjoy a pumpkin-spice latte, and generally be happy about life. At Family Assistance Program, we work hard during the holidays to brighten the lives of the people we serve. From giving out holiday meals, helping with bills, providing Christmas presents, we are able to brighten the lives of many families in our region.
 
This is also a time when some people (as much as 23% by some surveys) suffer from holiday blues. For these people, they feel even more isolated and alone. Feeling depressed around happy smiling people can reinforce a sense of not being normal. If you see someone who looks a little down, be nice, but please do not push the issue. If you are having a party or family gathering, think about inviting some friends who may not have anywhere to go. Whether it be due to not having a family, being estranged from family, or just geographically separated, being alone on Christmas day can be very sad. Even if they choose not to join you, having been invited helps them feel they have choices, and that is powerful.
 
And for those who have a family with a Christmas morning filled with toys and happy children, congratulations. I hope you are able to take a moment, sit back, and take it all in. Be fully present in those moments. Take a mental snapshot of how the experience looks and feels. These are the memories that get us through the tough times.
Darryl Evey
Executive Director

Tiny Home Village

site plan of tiny home villageThe Family Assistance Program received $1 million donated from The San Manuel Band of Mission Indians to help with a solution to end youth homelessness. This money will be used in the expansion of Family Assistance Program’s current youth drop-in and community center in Old Town Victorville, located on the corner of 6th and C Street. This expansion will add 20 beds to create an emergency shelter, a commercial kitchen, and a tiny home village with 14 tiny homes. This will be the first tiny home village created exclusively for transitional age youth that are experiencing homelessness in the state of California.

Many complain about the homeless population in our community, but The San Manuel Band of Mission Indians is investing in the solution to the problem. “I am excited that the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians has recognized the need for youth specific services and is supporting this innovative project. If we do not end youth homelessness, we will not stop the pipeline of people who have had their childhoods destroyed by housing insecurity. This project will set these young people up for a lifetime of successes.” says Darryl Evey, the executive director of Family Assistance Program. This project will connect homeless youth with emergency services and our other transitional programs that include wraparound care in a part of our community that truly needs it. Family Assistance Program is currently providing homeless youth services through their youth drop-in centers, youth shelters, and transitional homes. This project will provide housing to any youth experiencing homelessness aged 18 – 24.
“We are deeply honored to support the Family Assistance Program and their first ever Tiny Home Village to help combat homelessness for the young adults impacted in Victorville,” said Chairman Ken Ramirez. “Our youth are the future and no young adult should ever have to experience not having a roof over their head. Investing in infrastructure that will provide future generations with the necessary resources to thrive is a top priority for San Manuel.”
“I am incredibly excited to see the increased services and tiny home village that will assist our most vulnerable youth population at the Family Assistance Program in Victorville. Youth homelessness is a critical issue that non-profit organizations like the Family Assistance Programs are tackling head-on. The generosity of the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians and their commitment to bettering our community is unmatched.” – Assemblymember Thurston “Smitty” Smith.

For more information about how you can become involved in being a solution to homelessness, please visit our website or email our Director of Development and Media, Angela Sorrell – angela@familyassist.org.

See media press releases here:

Opens in a new windowHD Daily News

Hope House

FAP staff dressed up like elvesHope House is happy that the holidays are here! The month has already brought one party for our families and more to come. This week Hope House was invited to our first Christmas party of the year. The party hosted by CHOICE Medical Group and Today’s Woman Foundation. The whole party was wonderful, they thought of everything, down to the kiddos favorite foods.
 
Dinner was provided with the children having chicken tenders, mac and cheese, fruit…all kinds of goodies!
Dinner was followed by arts and crafts, then the big guy “Santa” arrived.
 
Santa climbed into his sled and began passing out gifts to each family. Hope House felt the women and their children were tended to with such care and kindness. It always touches our hearts to see there are so many awesome hearts out there that care as much as we do!
 
Hope House sends a HUGE Thank you out to Today’s Woman Foundation and the Doctors with CHOICE Medical Group. We truly appreciate your kindness and humanity!  Happy Holidays to you all!!

Next Step

next step logo with christmas hollyAt Next Step, the core of our program is our housing and case management, but we are also working very hard to further develop our PAROLE RENTAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAM. During this last month Next Step Reentry has had the opportunity to provide 25 parole participants with rental assistance, which provides our participants with monthly rent for anyone in danger of losing their housing or simply needs rapid rehousing assistance. We have plans to expand this program and increase the number of participants we are able to serve and help. This month, we were able to disburse a total of $43,563.90 towards helping people keep a roof over their heads and warmth in their bodies. In addition, we continue to take in new participants into our housing program and took in 3 probation participants and 2 parole participants. We are also very excited to be working with our in-house life coach Yvette Abreo, she is assisting us to develop tailored life coaching lesson plans for participants to assist in their taking control of their lives. We are also coordinating with her to implement the CARE Curriculum weekly groups, we look forward to achieving much success with her help.
 
Happy Holidays!

Our House

our house logo with christmas hollyOne night a concerned father called our emergency youth shelter because he needed a place for his 17 year old daughter to stay. He recently was awarded custody after the mother was lost in a tragic incident. The youth didn’t have a relationship with the father and didn’t feel comfortable staying with him. When she arrived at Our House she did not have an idea of what she wanted to do with her life. A case manager sat down with the client and started having a conversation with her to explain the program. She seemed intrigued and set goals for herself.
 
Case managers continued to encourage the client to thrive for herself and start taking positive steps for her future and well-being. Once she saw the support she had, she right away wanted to get things done. She enrolled in school and wanted to start working. She built her resume and within a couple days, got an interview. With assistance from the shelter, the client was able to get proper clothing for her interview and got hired on. Case managers kept in touch with dad for any signatures required and his participation in our program, as well.
 
The client is now a full time student finishing her senior year of high school, working part time at a nearby fast food restaurant, and is taking necessary and motivational groups that we provide for our youth. This client has been a huge role model to other clients and shown how to be successful in our program. We feel extremely proud of her progress and we will continue to guide her through this rough patch and show her that she is worthy of a successful and healthy future.

Open Door

Please join us in giving back to our human trafficking victims and their children this Christmas. Go to our Amazon wish list or drop off at our office at 1255 East Highland Ave, #210, San Bernardino. Please contact our Outreach Coordinator Bernadette Valdez for any questions at: bernadette@familyassist.org
 
 
happy holidays decorative text

Our next Human Trafficking Advocate certified training will be held in February 2022, starting February 1st. Please watch our Facebook page for more details on how to sign up or contact our Outreach Coordinator Bernadette Valdez at bernadette@familyassist.org.

This month we are hearing from Myeesha Arranaga, one of our HT Advocates. Myeesha has been working at Open Door for the past 2 years. She is dedicated and passionate about what she does. When asked why Myeesha works at Open Door, she responded,

“Doing this work, you understand very quickly that you are going up against the tide. Many don’t realize the work that we do can be some of the most difficult, heart-wrenching frustrating work possible. Working with marginalized and underserved populations, a population that has heavy intersectionality of years or even decades of unaddressed childhood/adult trauma, homelessness, mental health, substance abuse, social & family services, coupled with the stigmas and criminalization that comes from being trafficked. Having to prove that you were trafficked and prove to other agencies that these survivors are “worthy” of services. The majority of the time when we’re working with survivors they don’t believe that they were trafficked or victimized because they are used to every outside source judging them and telling them that this is what they choose or they ran and left their trafficker too late and because of that they’re not eligible for services and or not believed to be a victim. Many times, because of how they are presented they are not seen as victims who deserve empathy or victims who have experienced trauma and hardships but criminals or hyper-sexual individuals. Can you imagine the frustrations to prove that you were a victim even when your head hasn’t reconciled the fact that you were vulnerable at some point and this thing that they are feeling isn’t love but a trauma bond. That at some point because of those vulnerabilities you were sought after, hunted down, conditioned, and then eventually found yourself caught up deeper than you imagined. Only to be told that this is what they wanted all along! They need to be validated, to be seen, heard and believed. Many times, as an Advocate of the Open Door or as an ambassador of Family Assistance Program we hear “Oh you’re with that program?” “You take everyone!”. Or “You guys are too nice or too lenient”. “Too soft too understanding,”. I choose to believe that Open Door is a soft and safe place to land when they are ready. Someone to believe them, encourage them, support them, empower them, help them reach new heights, ground them and open their eyes to new things! Just like we would hope someone would do or could have done for us. Is it hard? At times, absolutely. But it’s worth it and our participants are worthy of the effort. Even if it is for a brief moment while we are in contact with them. Hopefully, at some point, there has been a seed planted along the way and they can look back days, months, or years later and see that those little seeds produced a tree far greater and maybe just maybe bear fruit to help those who come after us.” – Myeesha Arranaga

My Place

my place christmas treeThe month of December is a tough one for a lot of the youth in our shelter with the holidays approaching. The staff at My Place try to make it as joyful as possible for them and decorate for the holidays with the supplies we have. This month we could use your help and are looking for Christmas decorations to help decorate the shelter. We are also asking for donations of gift cards so we can provide gifts for our youth under the tree. Thank you to the amazing couple that donated a Christmas tree with lights. Together we can make this holiday season merry and bright for the youth experiencing homelessness.

Community Center

group of people in christmas sweatersThe Community Center staff and The Fam Spot staff and kids participated in the 74th annual Victorville Christmas parade. The Grinch joined us and put smiles on everyone’s faces. The community did a great job ensuring that everyone felt the Christmas spirit. We enjoyed being a part of this event and are already looking forward to next year. 

Street Fair

old town street fair
vendors wanted
Join us this Saturday December 18th 11am – 5pm at the Victorville Old Town Street Fair starting on 7th Street & B Street! This is the last Old Town Street Fair of 2021, join us as we share holiday cheer. We will have a special guest from the North Pole who will be providing toys for the children. Families will have the opportunity to take free photos with Santa.

Rental Assistance

covid-19 rent relief programUnfortunately, COVID-19 is still affecting our community, luckily, the CA COVID-19 Rent Relief Program makes a difference in people’s lives. Most of our applicants are not familiar with today’s technology. We help ease the stress of 112 people a month by assisting them with the application process. The state program promises to pay 100% of rent owed. We have participants who have received payment and have one less worry this holiday season. They are extremely grateful for Family Assistance Program staff for providing them support every step of the way.

Taco Tuesday

taco tuesdayJoin us on Tuesday, January 4th from 6-8pm for our monthly Taco Tuesday fundraiser! Thank you to the Steven Dhillon Law Firm for sponsoring this event! Join us at Viva Maria for Taco Tuesday and raise some money for a great cause! We will have raffle prizes to win. Viva Maria has a variety of street tacos for us to enjoy, as well as a full menu and bar. See you there in the new year!

If you have a raffle prize to donate email angela@familyassist.org

Thank Your to Our Community Partners

community partner logos

Join Our Team

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.

2021 November Newsletter

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fall leaves with the word "November"
orange butterfly

Direct from Darryl

During this pandemic, Family Assistance Program has continued to grow. The needs of our community have changed, and this has required we change to meet those needs. I believe we have an ethical obligation to serve our community, which means meeting their needs as quickly and efficiently as possible. The thought leader Antonio Nieto-Rodriguez said, “in times of change, companies need to be organizationally ambidextrous.” This means we need to be good at what we do, and good at new things.
 
I believe we are doing great work and changing lives. Since we are good at what we do, we have additional opportunities to make an even greater impact. At her speech to the United Nations, Emma Watson said, “If not me, who? If not now, when?” Others throughout time have made similar statements. It is easier, and more comfortable, to coast. I prefer to push us beyond our comfort zone, to develop new programs, to solve problems within our society, to make our community better. I like that I am frequently exhausted, but I am excited about the outcomes we achieve.
 
We have built a strong team, and together we will continue to grow and strengthen our community. Over the next few years, we will expand our rental assistance program and expand our housing programs. We will begin to dip into affordable housing to complement our current transitional housing and shelters. This is the logical next step for addressing the unmet needs for our clients. I would also like to see us assist more people in purchasing homes, both for our clients and staff. While doing this, we will keep our eyes open to seize additional opportunities. Two years ago, I could not have predicted where we are today, but no one could have predicted this pandemic and how it would have affected the world.
 
There is an old quote, “humans make plans and God laughs.” This does not mean we should not make plans; it only means we need to be flexible. We will make plans and work towards them, and then throw them away if necessary. I do not know where we will be two years from now, but I do know that we will be serving our community in whatever way the community needs.
Darryl Evey
Executive Director

Rental Assistance

mother holding child while reading a bookOur office has been busy with appointments for the CA COVID-19 rent and utilities relief program. We assisted one client who was behind three months in rent and utilities. The reason she is behind is due to her mother passing away from COVID-19. Her mom was part of the household income. She was trying to deal with the loss of her loved one and then her aunt also passed away a week later from complications from COVID-19. During our appointments we really get to know our clients and the difficulties they are going through during these hard times. Our client also mentions during the appointment her mother had custody of her niece and nephews which are twins. Our client took the niece and the client sister took the twin boys to help raise. Our client missed some time at work and was force to be unemployed due to covid-19. As we were finding out more about her situation we realized she was eligible for other services such as the emergency housing voucher and resources for food distribution, since she mentioned she was also a victim of domestic violence. We were able to sign her up for all of the services to help her get on the road to success.

Community Center

four people standing in a row looking at the cameraWe have finalized our second annual 40-hour State Mandated Domestic Violence Advocacy Training. We had 26 individuals participate and receive their certificate. We look forward to the work they will do in their community. A big thank you to all our presenters!
 
sti noticeThe picture below is Diana, Raymond and Jobi with Pastor Jessie Lopez from Azure Hills Church…they donated over 200 hygiene bags to be given to clients. C Street gave some to our Transitional Aged Youth programs, Fam Spot, Hope House and the DV Program, and Open Arms. Our clients appreciated these hygiene bags during the clothing give away. Thank you, Azure Hills Church, for your generous donation!
 
We are having our walk-in Free STI clinic at the Community Center every Wednesday.

FAM Spot

t-shirt with painted hand a nd stripes to look like american flagFam Spot participated in the City of Victorville’s Veteran’s Day parade; we took the liberty to do group activities with the youth to create Veteran’s Day t-shirts to show our love, support our veterans and support world peace. In the future, Fam Spot will continue to do groups with youth to educate them about anger management, communication skills, and healthy relationships. The goal is to provide self-reflection and personal growth. We want all individuals; to have awareness of self-care and self-love.
 
t-shirt with painted handprint and the word "you" Furthermore, we will be having a Thanksgiving dinner on November 23rd at Fam Spot. Other programs such as our Transitional Age Youth and My Place Shelter will attend this thanksgiving event, as well. For instance, Staff will be doing thankful activities and groups with adolescents to express their gratitude. To add, we will appreciate any food donations and gift cards to have food items purchased for thanksgiving for the youth to enjoy a traditional meal.

Open Door

the open door logo
Open Door has hired their new Community Outreach Coordinator. Bernadette Valdez came to us after working for Salvation Army and Kindred Health Care agency. She will be offering trainings on Human Trafficking and will be facilitating a new 40-hour Human Trafficking Advocate training starting in February 2021. Please contact her if you or your agency are interested in individual trainings or the next 40-hour training. Her email is bernadette@familyassit.org.

Congratulations to Advocate Vanessa Montes. She is getting married this month. Long and happy marriage to you Vanessa!

Open Door will be getting ready for the holidays with special Thanksgiving dinners for our Safehouse participants and our residential participants. Below are some of the things they are thankful for this holiday season:

“My twin boys who love me no matter what”.
“My relationship with a man who really values me and our relationship”
“Open Door for providing me with my freedom and resources to get back on my feet for my family”
“My family”
“I’m alive today”
“Waking up to another 24 hours”
“My momma”
“Loved ones and people who love me and support me”

Each month Open Door would like to feature one staff member and ask them why they do the work they do. Emily Dickson has been working with victims and survivors of human trafficking for the past 8 years. She began as an Advocate and is now the Housing Director for Open Door’s housing programming.

Here are her thoughts about why she does the work she does:

“In my experience in providing supportive services to victims of Human Trafficking, there have been times that were very rewarding and other times that have left me feeling very defeated. I must say that those feelings of reward, far outweigh the feelings of defeat. It took me quite some time to really grasp the reality that each individual that I support have their own journey to live in life. I had to understand that I was not in control of, or responsible for the decisions they made and the path that they chose/choose to take. I had to realize that I am responsible for the role that I play in supporting the individual and providing them with all the options and opportunities available to them, that maybe they weren’t aware of. I am in control of planting a seed of encouragement, motivation, education and awareness. That is what I remind myself when I do have an individual that has chosen to go down a path with several red flags. I continue to encourage, support and redirect with kindness. It also has helped me to understand that even though I may feel they have chosen the “wrong path”, it may be the “right path” for them in their journey.” – Emily Dickson

My Place

pumpkin with writing on topMy Place has a lot of fun things planned for the month of November! On November 23rd, we are hosting a Thanksgiving Dinner for our youth programs here in the High Desert. We plan to have fun games, prizes and Turkey with all the fixings included! We’ve also begun a new tradition here at My Place: The Thankful Pumpkin, where we have our youth write something they are grateful for every day until Thanksgiving.
 
Also, we are looking for gift cards for local grocery stores, so if anyone can help with that please reach out to Shelly via email shelly@familyassist.org

Our House

We here at Our House continue to encourage our clients to thrive and succeed each and every day. We have 1 client in particular who came to the shelter with the intentions to shelter hop until her 18th birthday. With our encouragement and guidance, she has re-enrolled back into high school with the hopes to graduate soon, and has even obtained employment with a nearby fast-food restaurant. We continue to make our clients feel welcome and safe. We are extremely proud of our youth who have been able to stay at Our House and continue with their participation and dedication to following their program. All our youth love participating in our wide variety of groups and outings.

Moronga Basin TAY Housing

This month at Morongo Basin TAY housing, staff was able to build a strong professional relationship and collaborate services with our community partner TAY ONE STOP youth services here in the Basin. We were able to house two youth that were facing homelessness, they now have a safe place to sleep in our housing program. Here in the Morongo Basin, we have an even greater emphasis on building community partner relationships and linking our TAY participants to services they are requiring to not face being homeless. Our youth participants have shared how very thankful, excited and are looking forward to planning and preparing a wonderful Thanksgiving meal.  

Substance Use Education

We have partnered with Frank Kelly and No Drugs America for Substance Use Education Classes that are free to the public. If you are interested in these classes or booking a training for your school or organization email jobi@familyassist.org
substance-abuse

Street Fair

old town street fair

Join us on Saturday November 20th 11am – 3pm at the Victorville Old Town Street Fair starting on 7th Street & B Street!

Taco Tuesday

Thank you to everyone who came to join us for our 1st Taco Tuesday fundraiser on 11/2! It was a great success and a fun event! See you at the next one on December 7th.

Thank Your to Our Community Partners

Join Our Team

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.

2021 September Newsletter

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september newsletter
orange butterfly

Direct from Darryl

A wave of Evictions is on the Horizon

Landlords and tenants need to work together to help each other. The state and counties received $1.8B (yes billion with a B) in federal funds for rental assistance. As of last week, only $500M has been distributed, with just over 3 months left for the program. Many landlords and tenants I have spoken with have described their frustration with the program. It is bureaucratic and cumbersome. It does not need to be this way, but bureaucrats like to make everything complicated.

With a little patience and perseverance, the landlords can receive every dollar that is owed to them. The eviction moratorium is ending this month. Many landlords have expressed they prefer to just evict people and move on, rather than deal with the frustrations of dealing with the county rental assistance program. While this may seem like an attractive option, the money that will be lost is worth the effort.

We will be joining some of our partners to host a webinar on how to access these funds. We have many staff member trained and are available to walk people through the process. It would be sad to see $1B returned to the federal government while landlords are struggling. Please share the flyer in this newsletter with your friends to help them get the help they need.

Darryl Evey
Executive Director

Rental Assistance

CA COVID-19 eviction moratorium is coming to an endCA COVID-19 Eviction Moratorium is coming to an end!

Join us today at 4pm for a virtual information workshop for tenants and landlords.

Via Zoom Teleconference
ZOOM LINK

Meeting ID:
853 0756 6135
Password:
603550

Community Center

street in victorvilleWe are planning the next 40-hour domestic violence training for October. We look forward to educating and training community members that are eager to contribute to the domestic violence field. Keep an eye out for the Eventbrite link with more information to follow.

The Community Center will be facilitating free rapid COVID-19 tests for the community. We will be one of the locations that will provide this service. We will share detailed information soon.

Please join us as we commence our Old Town Street Fair series. Our first street fair will be on September 18, 2021. We look forward to seeing the community come together to enjoy some family entertainment and shopping!

Hope House

break the silence adhope house logoOne of our families at Hope House has moved on to our transitional housing units! The mother of three had worked very hard to reach many goals and she made wonderful progress. The mother overcame some obstacles, was always determined to have legal issues taken care of for her children. She worked to earn extra money so that she could purchase a vehicle.

We are very proud of this woman and she and her children deserve all she has made possible. We know this is just the beginning of their journey, and we will be with her as she moves her way to self-sufficiency and independence.
Join us next month for the Break the Silence Walk to End Domestic Violence on October 6th 10am – 3pm. This is a two mile walk starting at our Administration Office located at 15075 7th St. Victorville, CA 92395

Open Door

open doorthe open door logoWe at the Open Door continue to meet people where they are at. Not only are we providing drop-in services at our new office, we continue to conduct street outreach throughout the month. Street outreach consists of us handing out safety bags to those still being affected by being in the life. In the past 30 days we have encountered 27 different men and women.

We are pleased to announce that we have a new Youth Advocate , Haley Guillermo, she will be working with youth that have been referred from DCFS, Probation and our two youth shelters. Haley is currently pursuing her Bachelor’s Degree in Biological Psychology. Welcome to the team Haley!

We have officially completed our third 40-Hour Human Trafficking Advocacy Training of the year. We had 41 individuals who completed the training and received certificates of completion.

We have yet to fill the open position we have as the Community Engagement Coordinator. We are sad to be losing Candice Erskin due to her moving out of state and beginning a new journey. We wish her well on her new endeavors.

Next Step

open armsMany of our target population have not been seen by a health care physician for a long length of time. However, because of Carolina G., our agency’s new Health Navigator, many more of our participants are learning how to navigate the heath care system and are getting the services they need.

We all know that navigating through any system can be tough, but with staff committed to helping our community, we will continue to bring wellness to those we serve.

Next Step Morongo Basin

next step logoThanks to the devotion and dedication of Family Assistance Next Step program another participant has been able to reach her personal goals and change her life. Amanda came into to our program eight months pregnant, had not received any prenatal care, a history of drug addiction, and on probation. She had been engaging in unhealthy patterns and her son had been removed from her custody. Amanda began feeling overwhelmed and very defeated. Upon entering Next Step she started seeking prenatal care right away, attending all required weekly groups and testing and was able to comply with her CFS case. She began building her support network and healthy family relationships again. Amanda successfully secured permanent housing and employment and is now living independently planning to reunify with her children in the next few months.

DV Transitional Housing

house for saleWe would love to share and update with you on our friend Faith who has recently received keys to her beautiful new home, she is legitimately a FIRST TIME HOME BUYER! This woman was able to buy a brand-new home for her children, thanks in part to her participation in our program.

Faith moved from our shelter into transitional housing where she was able to heal, find her footing, and reach her goals. Faith has taken the time to share with me how much our program generously supported the needs of her family every step of the way.

While Faith did struggle at times to survive, she never gave up. She found a job, developed superior work ethic, which led to presently working full time. The transformation improved her life, she was clever at saving money for the future, developing credit, forming a plan.

Faith also had to confront a custody dispute for the children with her abusers. She was able to find her voice to advocate for their rights. She filed a dispute claim for her income taxes. Proving that the children lived with her the majority of the time.

Faith has come such a long way from when she entered Hope House, it truly has been an honor and privilege to have worked with Faith. Being able to watch the healing, determination, and blessings be bestowed makes our hearts happy.

Faith has expressed to me that she could not have reached this goal or fulfilled this DREAM without Our Program. Beginning with that first step to leave. She has stayed the course, never losing dedication to her vision. She states she will forever be grateful her journey led her to the Family Assistance Program.

Substance Use Education

substance use education classes adWe have partnered with Frank Kelly and No Drugs America for Substance Use Education Classes that are free to the public. If you are interested in these classes or booking a training for your school or organization email jobi@familyassist.org

Thank you to the Greater High Desert Chamber of Commerce for having us as a speaker for the Friday morning Coffee Break. It was a great way to share about all of the great things that Family Assistance Program is doing.

Thank Your to Our Community Partners

community partner logos

Join Our Team

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.

2021 August Newsletter

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august newsletter
orange butterfly

Direct from Darryl

How much does your housing cost?

Economists report that for a healthy economy, people should spend no more than 30% of their income on housing. The median income in the San Bernardino County is about $68,000. This means, the average family in our county should be spending about $1,700 per month on housing. In case you have not looked lately, there are no houses for rent in the High Desert for that price. This means that more than half of the people in our county cannot afford to rent a house in our county. Where are they supposed to live?

Most people are spending over 50% of their income, and many are spending closer to 75% of their income on housing. This is why so many people are relying on food banks to feed their families. Economists tell us that this is not healthy nor sustainable. These types of challenges are a direct contributor to homelessness and other problems. If a family has little to no discretionary income, their children cannot participate in sports or after school activities. The family cannot attend events in the community. A simple financial setback like an illness or vehicle problem could take years to recover.

A group of leaders in our county have come together to work towards increasing the affordable housing in the High Desert. This cannot be done by a few people. We need citizens to tell their elected officials that this is important to them. We need to welcome apartments and condominiums as a positive alternative. We need to welcome smaller lot sizes and higher density. We need to care about our neighbors enough to see through the fear mongering that higher density creates crime. Together, we can solve this problem, but only if we see our struggling neighbors who are struggling with housing as our friends, people worthy of respect and dignity.

Darryl Evey
Executive Director

Community Center

outdoor boothstreet in victorvilleWe finalized our 40-hour domestic violence advocacy training and certified forty-one participants. We have received feedback from participants and look forward to havING our second English training in October. Fourteen class participants completed parenting and anger management classes and received their certificate of completion.

The Community Center participated in National Night Out in Apple Valley. Jobi set up a booth and passed out resources to the community and answered questions about our services.

We are also working with ROOT and planning the Old Town Victorville Street Fair series. The Street Fair starts back on Saturday, September 18th 2pm – 6pm, located on 7th Street from B to C Streets. There will be food, art, shopping, music, and more. We look forward to finally have the community together once again. Hope to see you all there!

Hope House

outdoor boothStaff at Hope House participated at National Night Out for the City of Hesperia on August 3rd. Ana and Michele set the table up. Lori and Tracey came out to help when the event began. National Night Out is an awareness raising event held the first Tuesday of August. each year The event is a Community Building Campaign promoting police-community partnerships and camaraderie. Family Assistance Program has been part of this event for several years. It is always wonderful to see the community come together.

The staff attending shared information of all the programs Family Assistance Program offers. Many were unaware of them and were eager to get more information. Michele and Ana explained what each program does, how to get a restraining order, and about our emergency shelters. Many asked the cost for services and were impressed when they were told services were free.

It was encouraging to finally have events in person and to see so many of the residents come out. The Star Wars Storm Troopers and Sheriff Department’s Search and Rescue Team were out. The children were able to explore fire trucks and enjoyed a pony that was walking about.

Michele and Ana would like to give kudos Lori R and Tracey for showing up for support after they had worked all day and we would like to give Lori K kudos for taking their shift so they could attend. Kudos to Margarita for helping get the candy and the other giveaways together for the event. Our team does well working together to get more information about our programs out to the community.

Open Door

the open door logoThe Open Door has officially moved! Our new address is 1255 East Highland Avenue Suite 210 San Bernardino California 92404. We also now have an office phone where we can receive calls , our new number is 909-352-2525. This new move has been exciting, it allows us to have new opportunities in this bigger building with more space to provide services to our participants. The Open-Door Staff is ready to grow and prosper into something better than ever before.

Next Step

victor valley college logoWe hope to be securing a booth at the celebratory event “Women’s Freedom Festival” in support of women surviving through incarceration, domestic violence, sex trafficking, poverty, addiction, and homelessness. Our booth will provide information, resources, raffles, promotional products, and more.

Our Case Manager spent hours with participants at the Dometic Violence Advocacy training sponsored by Family Assistance Program at the Community Center, supporting, providing resources and tools. We have received excellent feedback from our participants via surveys, which are done every other week.

Our weekly group meeting at the shelter house included Carolina, Family Assistance Program’s new Health Navigator. Discussing mental health was very much appreciated by the participants.

At our shelter, two new intakes not only found a supportive friendship but supported each other in obtaining full-time employment locally at the same restaurant within the same time period. They are supporting each other to complete their programming right on schedule, as well.

A participant recently completed a Construction Apprentice program at Victor Valley College and has enrolled for more college classes to make herself more competitive in the job market. Not only is she pursuing her educational goals but she is also working part-time as a phone sales representative.

Next Step Morongo Basin

next step logoThis month at Next Step Morongo Basin we have been working on building stronger professional relationships and collaborative services with our community partners here in the basin. Since the start of the pandemic more stress has been placed on individuals with mental health, behavioral health, and overall physical health. Clients are struggling with day to day self care and hygiene more than ever. We are working closely with community partners linking and empowering our participants to services they are requiring.

Now, that more local business and events have been opening back up we have been planning more weekly trips to the local Famers Market and near by Art Gallery.

My Place

skateboarder falling downWe have been busy here at My Place. With school starting up again in the High Desert we have been getting our clients ready for the upcoming school year. When not preparing our clients for success at school we have been doing outreach at a local skate park. It is always great to be able to reach out to the community where they are and we find local youth hanging out at our local skateparks.

FAM Spot

FAM Spot logoI am Dustin Mohammed, the Youth Program Administrator for Family Assistance Program in the High Desert. I am most proud to share updates on what’s to come at the FAM SPOT for the upcoming month of August. It gives me great excitement to inform everyone that we have implemented a system in which the youth advocates assess the youth’s area of academic struggles. Using this information, we then create a file that is specific to the youth for the purpose of assisting and encouraging improvement. Although we are constantly improving our methods, we have seen significant improvements in our clients reading, writing, and math. We have also made conscious adjustments regarding our staff’s approach for the purpose of adjusting the youth’s disposition towards school. Often, we see that when the term math or books are mentioned to the youth it becomes an automatic resistance. With this understanding we certainly notice the importance of positive encouragement.

Additionally, FAM SPOT has taken two days out of every week this month to spend a few hours having open discussions with the youth on the importance of a proper diet. Statistics show that diet plays a pivotal role in brain and physical development. Without a proper diet we cannot focus on enhancing the youth’s education. Allowing the youth to vent by way of open group discussion prepares them to understand what it means to express one’s opinions, belief, and understandings by way of dialogue. Respecting other viewpoints and space is something that we place a heavy emphasis on.

Our House

our house logoAt Our House, we are working with School on Wheels to get school supplies and backpacks for our youth, as in-person school is quickly approaching. Also, we had been working with a youth for several months that had very limited options but expressed interest in reuniting with the birth mother in Texas. The youth was able to reunify with the mother and called later in the month to tell us she is doing well. The client expressed her gratitude for the help she received at Our House. Way to go team!

Open Arms

open arms logoOpen Arms just kicked off a new group called “Identifying External Triggers” which will be held at the youth drop-in center located at 323 7th Street San Bernardino from 3:30 pm – 4:30 pm on Wednesdays and on Saturday August 21, from 1 pm – 2 pm. Outreach continues, and we are successfully making contacts in our community. We are also pleased to announce that the cooperation of clients in the Transitional Age Youth houses has improved quite substantially. Open Arms has been building its capacity and strengthening the development and collaboration of our staff!

Rental Assistance

rentWith Family Assistance Program participating in the CA COVID-19 Rent Relief Program, we are able to provide hope to families heavily impacted by the pandemic. Qualifying renters and landlords are now eligible for 100% of rent and utilities owed. We have assisted average families, small business owners, and even our employees to fill out the application. We are continuing to fulfill our roll of assisting families within our program. Click the link below to apply for rental or utility assistance:

Thank Your to Our Community Partners

community partner logos

Join Our Team

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.

2021 July Newsletter

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july 2021 newsletter
orange butterfly

Direct from Darryl

The unemployment rates continue to fall, employers are struggling to find new hires, and yet many people still cannot find work. Over the last few weeks, I have spoken to several people who have been actively looking for a job but have not been successful. These are highly skilled, very employable people. When asked about the many job openings I see, they have expressed concerns about the pay rate. Someone who made $80k per year before the pandemic is not willing to go back to work for a job paying $40k. They prefer to continue looking to find the “right” job rather than “any” job. I believe this is good for employers as well as employees and is a sign that our safety net is working.

Before the pandemic, in February 2020, the unemployment rate in our county was 3.7%, very near the lowest rate in the history for our county. By April, it had risen to 14.2%, a rate we had only seen once in history, during the great recession of 2009. The rate has steadily fallen every month and is now at 7.3%. We are finding that our clients looking for an entry level job are finding employment. We are also finding that people with skills are not willing to work at the rates, and sometimes conditions, that are being offered. People seeking jobs are less likely to accept what they consider to be exploitive wages. Employers are struggling to change their budgeting to accommodate these new demands for higher wages.

At Family Assistance Program, we currently have 14 job openings. This is mostly due to our recent growth but some of this is due to staff leaving for new opportunities. For our entry level positions, we are sad to see people leave but excited to see them grow into new career paths. For our more experienced positions, we are forced to make difficult decisions. As all businesses, we need to balance what we pay our staff with how we achieve our mission. We could give everyone a 20% raise, but that would require we have 20% fewer staff and help 20% fewer people. We work towards balancing how to help the most people while still respecting our staff with a livable wage.

But, these are good problems to have. As we see other companies go bankrupt or struggle to just maintain, we are continuing to grow. As long as people in our community need help, we will continue to do everything we can to address the need.

Darryl Evey
Executive Director

Community Center

ad for sexually transmitted infectionThe Community Center has been working alongside ROOT to organize the reopening of the Old Town Victorville Street Fair; our anticipated first street fair will start up again in September.

We are starting our annual domestic violence 40-hour advocacy training today, Monday, July 12, 2021. We have over 100 people registered for our virtual training.

We are still having our walk-in STI clinic at the Community Center every Wednesday.

We serviced 1,448 individuals in June and provided clothing to 138 individuals during our weekly hygiene and clothing giveaway. We assisted 47 individuals with replacement ID vouchers and offered 119 bus passes to individuals to attend their court hearings, job interviews, and appointments. We have received 142 bags and 44 boxes of donations from our community. As the weather is getting hotter, we have provided clients with sunscreen and cold water to stay cool. July is going to be a hot one, stay cool and stay safe!

Hope House

dogThe staff at Hope House are always willing to do whatever it takes to help anyone or any animal. There was an older dog who was lost and needed help. Looking at him you could tell that he belonged to someone and they must be looking for him. Instead of taking him to the animal shelter, he was kept at Hope House while we blasted social media with his pictures. He did not want to eat and was very sad. The staff began feeding him baby food which he loved. He had a hard time getting up also. With the help from Diley at the High Desert Animal Connection we were able to take him to the vet. After getting him the medication, he needed and feeding him baby food he began to feel a bit better. All of Hope House staff during their shifts would walk him around the yard.

Last night we received a message from the owner. She said the dog has a bad tooth and cannot eat well and also described him. This morning he was picked up by the owner and is home with his family after been missing for 9 days. Kudos to all the staff at Hope House for making sure he was safe till he was found.

Open Door

the open door logoOpen Door is excited to announce that our 40-hr Human Trafficking Advocacy Training will begin next month on August 2nd, 2021, and end on August 30th, 2021. Our 40-hr training will take place via zoom every Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 6pm-9pm. We will have presentations from San Bernardino Human Trafficking Task Force, Planned Parenthood and many more. Sign up today by visiting this link: opens in a new windowtinyurl.com/2w67f9wp

Open Door would like to thank Brenda Findley-Sutton and Lupe Castaneda for their generous donations of purses which included goodby bags inside for our participants. We greatly appreciate your donation and look forward to working with you in the future.

My Place

soccer gameThe Fourth of July is a national holiday favored by everyone, especially kids. We at Family Assistance thought there was no better way to spend it then at a rugby game! There was food, laughter, fun, and best of all FIREWORKS! The kids had a blast learning about the game in the famous LA Coliseum and saw the most amazing firework display on the same grass the players were on. They received pictures and autographs and finished the night off with a nice meal at In-N-Out, home to the best hamburgers. While the Fourth of July comes every year, it was our goal to make sure this was one the kids and staff remember forever.

Next Step

person holding sobriety coinNext Step would like to Celebrate one of our participants. She is 4 years clean, sober and determined to succeed.

The heat is on and so was the grill. Thanks to our donors for purchasing all the fixings for our BBQ fun gathering. Conversations surrounding recovery and healthy new beginnings were had. We are so very grateful, thank you!

In the upcoming weeks we will be offering life coaching to all residence in Next Step Housing. One on one coaching sessions and group dynamic interactions. Please stay tuned and we will share more as the life coaching program grows.

Rental Assistance

rentWith Family Assistance Program participating in the CA COVID-19 Rent Relief Program, we are able to provide hope to families heavily impacted by the pandemic. Qualifying renters and landlords are now eligible for 100% of rent and utilities owed. We have assisted average families, small business owners, and even our employees to fill out the application. We are continuing to fulfill our roll of assisting families within our program. Click the link below to apply for rental or utility assistance:

Thank Your to Our Community Partners

community partner logos

Join Our Team

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.

2021 June Newsletter

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june newsletter
orange butterfly

Direct from Darryl

June is Pride Month where we celebrate the LGBTQ community. Pride festivals are always a lot of fun. Last year, all of the events were either cancelled or went virtual. This year has been mostly more of the same. I am looking forward to the world opening up and being able to attend events again. I appreciate that we can have events where people can be themselves.

When I walk down the street with my wife, we always hold hands. We kiss goodbye without worrying about what people will say and will it become an issue. I hope someday, everyone will feel this way. It is sad to see the amount of discrimination going on across our nation and our world. Many people are not allowed to love who they love in open. People are discriminated against and persecuted for just being true to who they are.

Someday, we will get there. Until then, I will continue to wear rainbow pins and our programs will display rainbow flags. We need to do everything we can to make sure that at Family Assistance Program, love is love and we respect everyone’s right to love who they love.

Darryl Evey
Executive Director

Community Center

Family Assistance Program COVID-19 Vaccine Event on May 26th 2021The Community Center hosted a COVID-19 vaccine clinic event in partnerships with SAC Health System, IEHP, and the San Bernardino County Health Department on May 26th. We provided the COVID-19 vaccine to 20 individuals, and in conjunction with the Rescue Mission, we fed 150 people. A big thank you to all community members who helped this event be successful!

outdoor boothThe Community Center finalized their first ever Spanish 40-hour domestic violence advocacy training and provided certificates of completion to 17 new advocates eager to support and walk alongside survivors of domestic violence. The next English 40-hour domestic violence advocacy training will take place in July. Our weekly walk-in STI clinic at the Community Center is held every Wednesday and available from 10am – 3pm.

classroomThe staff received feedback from a class participant who recently completed the parenting and anger management classes. Ms. Rodriguez said, “I would like to thank you for your parenting and anger management classes because I can say that your classes are a huge reason why I think I’m handling things as well as I have been recently.” We love to hear how the services that we offer are changing lives for the better.

Hope House

lottery prizesHope House is so grateful to Pat Spier and the AWHONN (Association of Women’s Health and Neonatal Health). Michele received a call a few months ago from Miss Pat she said the Association was looking to give to some Non-profits and there would be a lottery. Pat asked what are some of the things we could use at Hope House. Michele immediately sent over a list of the most needed items we always seem to need. Within a month boxes from Amazon were coming like nobody’s business! These wonderful people really stepped up for us. Hope House is so very honored by this beautiful, touching generosity and care.

Hope House is also very excited for one of our families! They moved into their own home last week! It was an amazing feeling to see their happy faces, smiles ear to ear. Hope House wishes all the best to them and their new journey!

Open Door

the open door logoWe are so proud of the participants who finished Ending The Game (ETG) groups with us. ETG is a curriculum that reduces the feelings of attachment to traffickers and/or a life style, thereby breaking the bonds of coercion and trauma and reducing recidivism among trafficking survivors. This is one of the many groups, intervention and prevention that Open Door advocates facilitate with our youth and adults. For more information on the groups we provide contact dianne@familyassist.org

Open Door welcomes our new Community Engagement Coordinator, Candice Erskin. Candice comes from a social service background having worked at Option House as a Program Manager and facilitating their 40-hour domestic violence trainings. Candice will be our liaison in the community for meetings, events, information and the 40-hour HT trainings. Contact Candice at: candice@familyassist.org

We are happy to announce the opening of a second HT transitional home in June. This allows our participants to live up to 12 months rent free while they secure a job, reunify with their children and save money before they move on to the next stage of their freedom. For more information on our housing please contact: emily@familyassist.org

Are you looking to make a difference in the lives of trafficked youth and adults? Have you taken our 40-hour HT training? If so, Open Door is holding interviews for HT Advocates. Qualified candidates please send resumes to dianne@familyassist.org Survivors and lived experience experts are encouraged to apply.

My Place

my place logoWith school getting out soon, the youth at My Place are wanting to do more outside activities. During one of our planning groups, the youth came up with an idea of taking cold waters and Otter Pops to the kids at the local skate park where they frequent. The staff is currently working on getting donations of water bottles and Otter Pops. If you would like to donate water bottles or Otter Pops, please email myplace@familyassist.org

We also want to give a huge shout out to one of our youth who graduated two months early and is now working on college applications. This is a huge success for youth.

Next Step Morongo Basin

next step logoThis month at Next Step Morongo Basin we are very excited to share that we have two participants that have obtained part-time employment and one participant that purchased her very first vehicle and obtained auto insurance.

There has been a great food display of donations from our community partners of fresh fruit and vegetables, donations weekly to our program that our participants enjoy. We have been working on eating healthy quick meal prep, menu planning and daily cleaning tips.

We are also happy to share and welcome our new volunteer Noni!

Noni attended 40 hour our domestic violence training with Family Assistance Program last year and has been very eager to start volunteering with us for some time now.

Rental Assistance

rentOur first webinar explaining how to apply for Rent Relief for those who were impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and in need of rental and utility assistance was successful. Our next webinar will be held this Friday, June 11th. English will be at 1pm and Spanish at 2pm. Click here for the Zoom Link to join us:

Thank You to Our Community Partners

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Join Our Team

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.

2021 May Newsletter

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purple flowers
orange butterfly

Direct from Darryl

As the world opens back up we are excited to begin outreach and engagement activities again. We have already had a couple of outings with our clients and are planning even more. We will begin hosting a weekly BBQ with the young people at the Fam Spot. We are also planning to begin our monthly street fairs. It is wonderful to be able to interact with people again. There are so many ways we can help people; it is hard to get this information to people while we are isolated.

Most everyone heard about the federal stimulus, but most people do not know about the state support. There is a $600 stimulus payment for everyone making less than $75,000 with an additional $500 for each child. This is in addition to the Earned Income Tax Credit. Historically, people that did not make much money did not bother to file taxes. Now, it is even more important for them to file. If you need help, or if you know someone who needs help, let us know. Everyone could use a little extra money.

Darryl Evey
Executive Director

Hope House

woman holding pursesHope House showed its support to end sexual assault by participating in Denim Day, all staff showed support by wearing their denim jeans and purple shirts on April 28th to protest the unjust Supreme Court ruling in Italy that held a victim responsible for her rape. Hope House and Family Assistance Program is proud to stand in solidarity with those who may be suffering in silence and wants to acknowledge survivor’s strength in their healing process.

giftsHope House would also like to give big thanks to Kasey Rosales and Sylvia Romo for putting together the “Purses with Purpose Event”! The purses were donated by the community and were filled with essential toiletries and makeup for our participants in Hope Houses and transitional to enjoy. Laura and Lizzeth made the deliveries and were happy to see all the surprised looks on everyone’s faces when they received all their unexpected gifts!

We are happy to announce our first annual fundraiser Purses with Purpose. 138 purses were donated, some new and slightly used. We were able to provide the purses filled with female hygiene products, makeup and so much more to the women in our shelters and transitional housing for Mother’s Day. All items and purses were donated by our community and community partners. We are grateful for all the support. We had a great turned out and looking forward to doing it again.

Open Door

the open door logoHappy Spring! We had a wonderful Easter here at Open Door and are looking forward to celebrating Mother’s Day with all the mothers in our housing programs.

Open Door’s transitional home is full and our participants are all doing great. All of our participants are working, and one is going to school thanks to the generous donation from the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department graduating class 202! Thank you again for making this possible. One of our Safehouse participants regained custody of her children and is moving forward with her life. And we are excited about opening another residential home in late May due of the increased demand for safe housing options in San Bernardino County, for victims of human trafficking.

We also have a need for new baby girl items for one of our participants. We are currently looking for the following items: bottles, diapers, wipes, blankets, baby body wash, baby bathtub, breast pump and bassinette or co-sleeper. If you can donate any of these items, please contact her Advocate Aimee Jones at aimee@familyassist.org

We are currently looking for an Outreach Coordinator who will be responsible for all our trainings, recruiting volunteers and working with the community. If you have the skills and the desire to fill this position, please check out the job posting on our website and send your resume to Dianne Amato at dianne@familyassist.org

Next Step

next step logoNext Step has been continuing to provide excellent services for our re-entry community. We have done a lot of moving as we find new properties that give us more space for our participants. Our team is currently looking to bring on more case managers as our program grows and have been going through the interview process which has been a great learning opportunity for our participants as they participate in the interviews. This gives participants ownership over the program and we get valuable input from them that leads to hiring better staff. We have been successful with our parole rental assistance and have been able to help over 25 individuals remain in housing or sign new leases. It has been challenging to find new properties and landlords willing to work with our participants. The connections we have made are crucial and we really appreciate everyone serving this population.

Next Step Morongo Basin

This month at Next Step Morongo Basin we are happy to share that we have three new participants that came into our program. One of the participants is a returning participant that was just not quite ready for our program last year and with the help from Family Assistance Program staff was accepted into a voluntary six-month program to work on his struggle with addiction and after successfully completing his six-month program, he is eager to make lots of positive life changes and is demonstrating that daily. Our program here in the Morongo Basin has been working towards building an even greater partnership with community partners and empowering our participants and linking them to services they are requiring.

Community Center

two people standingad for sexually transmitted infectionsBecause of the generous donations that continue to come in through our doors, we can continue providing clothing and hygiene to our community members on Wednesdays. Frances from Judicial Council notified Evelyn of an opportunity for program participants who identify as survivors of domestic violence to provide feedback regarding some changes to forms; in return, participants would receive a gift card. After sharing this information with Hope House, we were able to get two program participants to participate. This opportunity allows participants to use their voices to make a change.

Ms. Lee is one of our regular clients, she is unable to walk, and we could provide her with a new walker. We had received the walker from the community’s donations, and Cristina was able to give it to Ms. Lee. Ms. Lee was thrilled and thankful.

We will have a walk-in STI clinic at the Community Center every Wednesday. We look forward to working with San Bernardino Public Health!

Transition Age Youth

The transition age youth in the High Desert have been busy this month with some maintaining work and saving money, while others are planning to move into their own places. One of our participants moved into her very own apartment from her extended foster care. We were able to assist her with moving and provide her the encouragement she needed to continue to be self-sufficient and brave on her journey ahead. Multiple youth have had job interviews for second jobs or to seek a better opportunity. One of our participants started therapy for the first time in her life. After an extensive history of child abuse, she was afraid to re-visit old wounds. By providing her the support and encouragement she needed, she chose to take the first step in her healing process. We couldn’t be prouder of watching these young people turn their lives around and become the self-sufficient young adults of the future generation.

Rental Assistance

rentWe came in contact with a client who has unfortunately been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and is in need of rental assistance. He has been behind on his rent since February of 2020. This client reached out to us looking for assistance; he has had a difficult time finding someone to assist him with filling out the application due to his disability, he is blind. We provided phone appointments with him assisting him with the eligibility process. Once he was deemed eligible to submit an application, we let him know what documents were required and then set up an in-person meeting and were able to assist him with filling out the application and coach him through these tough times. We were able to successfully submit the CA COVID-19 Rent Relief application and now we are waiting to hear from the program to see if they are able to assist my client.

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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