Community/Social Services

61. A BETTER AMERICAN/MEJORES AMERICANOS

ABA aims to provide a social networking system for Spanish-speaking parents of at-risk youth so they can become more active participants in their children’s education. Many of these parents are extremely low-income and often have had very little education themselves. ABA seeks $30,000 to develop its website with interactive videos, a Parent’s Corner for chats and networking, and a link to the local School English Learner Advisory Committee. ABA will also help families acquire refurbished computers for qualifying parents who participate in free computer classes at local community centers.

62. CENTRAL COAST CENTER FOR INDEPENDENT LIVING

CCCIL helps disabled residents of Santa Cruz, Monterey and San Benito counties live more independent lives through education, advocacy and support. A grant of $25,000 would support the program Living Well with a Disability, which aims to address root causes of the secondary conditions (such as depression) often experienced by disabled people. The program will feature an eight-week workshop to help individuals develop tools necessary for healthy living, including nutrition and physical activity.

63. COALITION OF HOMELESS SERVICES PROVIDERS

CHSP cites the high cost of housing, low-wage agricultural and hospitality jobs and recent layoffs for a high rate of homelessness and near-homelessness in Monterey County – making now a critical time to support CHSP’s work coordinating services for the county’s growing homeless and low-income population. The group is seeking $2,000 to support Project Homeless Connect, a series of regular events in Salinas and Monterey that gather homeless service organizations – such as Shoreline Workforce Development, Veteran’s Transition Center, Monterey County Food Bank and Clinica De Salud mobile health clinic – for centralized outreach efforts.

64. COMMUNITY HUMAN SERVICES

CHS provides mental health and substance abuse services to low – and very-low-income clients in Monterey County, including counseling, prevention, intervention, treatment, housing and child welfare. A grant of $20,000 would help fund counseling services, in particular the Counseling and Therapy Services (CATS) program, which aims to provide a supportive environment for individuals impacted by HIV/AIDS and GLBTQ issues to discuss their challenges affordably and effectively. This program features support for grief, depression, anxiety, dating/relationships, gender identity, coming out and raising children within GLBTQ families.

65. FOR THE LEAST OF US

This prison ministry’s mission is to nurture and support families of incarcerated individuals – providing services and supplies, and mentoring children left behind – with the ultimate goal of reducing recidivism. With representatives from eight Monterey County churches and affiliates from 20 other churches, For the Least of Us also trains released inmates re-entering society and provides emergency responder services. Although faith-based, the services are open to all who call, regardless of faith, nationality, sex or age. A grant of $15,000 would help individual churches develop their own prison ministries.

66. HOUSING ALLIANCE FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES

HAPD brings together service providers such as Alliance on Aging, Central Coast Center for Independent Living, CHISPA and the Monterey County Housing Authority in order to address the special housing needs of disabled persons. A survey of over 400 disabled people – most of whom fall within the extremely low-income bracket – highlights a need for affordable housing with design features such as wider doors, grab bars and no-step entryways. HAPD seeks $15,000 for its Community Outreach and Engagement Campaign, aimed at informing county residents about services and engaging community participation in housing advocacy.

67. INTERIM

Interim was founded in 1975 to provide mental health services and affordable housing for homeless and low-income adults with mental illness. Today, Interim shelters 250 adults each year in 18 permanent and temporary housing locations throughout the county. The group seeks $3,000 towards construction costs for Sunflower Gardens, an affordable apartment project on Sun Street in Salinas, which will house 23 people in 15 studio apartments and two shared housing units, LEED certified with environmentally conscious materials and infrastructure.

THE TRUST IS SEEKING $21,000 TO PURCHASE A STORAGE CONTAINER FILLED WITH FREEZE-DRIED FOOD ITEMS, SURVIVAL GEAR AND EQUIPMENT. --Proposal #71: South Coast Community Land Trust

68. MONTEREY COUNTY BUSINESS COUNCIL (MCBC)

The MCBC started the Central Coast Career Readiness Consortium in an effort to supply the workforce with skilled local labor. In addition to testing and assessment, the consortium also provides computer-based training programs to help participants develop workplace skills in key areas such as applied mathematics, locating information and reading for information. They are asking for $16,980 to support the program, which contracts with WorkKeys, developers of the National Career Readiness Certificate.

69. NONPROFIT ALLIANCE OF MONTEREY COUNTY (NAMC)

NAMC was founded in 2003 as a means to increase the collective power of the local nonprofit community. In 2008 NAMC sponsored a Cultural Competency Conference, at which more than 100 attendees agreed that a countywide Cultural Competency Initiative should be launched to improve the quality of life for disadvantaged residents in Monterey County. A panel of 25 community leaders from public and nonprofit agencies is working to develop a strategic plan to enhance the capacity of local nonprofits to provide equal access to services through culturally appropriate policies and practices. NAMC is seeking $50,000 for the effort.

70. PEACE RESOURCE CENTER

The PRC, a project of the Monterey Peace and Justice Center, provides programs that open dialogue on nonviolence, English/Spanish conversation classes, Middle East Study Group, Night on the Town film series, First Sunday potluck featuring speakers, and a summer Understanding ESL class. The center is run mainly by volunteers, but more manpower is needed to manage organizational processes, outreach and fundraising. A grant of $45,000 would fund 40 staffing hours (two staffers at 20 hours per week) for one year.

71. SOUTH COAST COMMUNITY LAND TRUST (SCCLT)

SCCLT is a private, nonprofit social safety net that provides disaster services to the south coast of Big Sur. The trust’s funds have financed summer classes and programs for Big Sur children, an emergency vehicle for the volunteer fire brigade, and a pre-school program at Pacific Valley School. The SCCLT has a designated Red Cross Disaster Center at Pacific Valley School, with an on-site trailer to store Red Cross supplies. The trust is seeking $21,000 to purchase a storage container filled with freeze-dried food items, survival gear and equipment to be placed adjacent to the Red Cross trailer in the event of a disaster.

72. THE VILLAGE PROJECT

An African-American family resource center in Seaside, The Village Project offers mental health counseling, cultural competency training, effective black parenting classes, teen support groups and anger management counseling. Although the center focuses on the African American population, it has an open-door policy and serves residents of all cultural backgrounds. Most of the families it currently serves are low-income, single-parent households. In partnership with Friendship Baptist Church, The Village Project provides educational support and enrichment services for at-risk youth. They hope to provide year-round activities and services, including parenting classes that teach students about the full life cycle from in utero development through death. The center seeks $50,000 in support.

73. YWCA

As the only confidential shelter in Monterey County for women and children escaping violent situations, the YWCA primarily serves women 26 to 40 years of age, with an average of two to three children and an annual income of $9,000 or less. YWCA has experienced a 60 percent increase in request for services during the past year, including shelter services and counseling. State budget cuts have eliminated all funding for domestic violence, leaving YWCA’s clients at risk for homelessness and possibly fatality. A grant of $50,000 would help support the YWCA’s programs, including New Dawn, which helps victims of violence get legal resources, counseling, housing assistance and case management, as well as economic empowerment.

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Compiled by Kera Abraham, Mark C. Anderson, Erik Cushman, Linda Maceira, and Paul Wilner