TO: Fullerton City Council
FROM: Cathy Seelig, Friendly Center President/CEO
DATE: April 12, 2022
SUBJECT: Fullerton April 5th City Council Meeting Follow Up
Friendly Center Overview
Friendly Center began in 1924 providing free programs and services to individuals and families. We are an Orange County based, non-profit organization that believes in and understands the importance of a community working together to lift up neighbors in need.
Friendly Center uses the Family/Community Resource Center model to deliver free programs and services to individuals and families. This program delivery approach offers clients a comprehensive one-stop-shop that allows them to efficiently receive assistance in multiple areas of need.
Friendly Center has been housed in city park buildings, rent free, in the following cities:
• City of Orange 1985 – present, License Agreement
• City of Placentia 2009 – 2020, Agreement for Use of City Facility • City of Stanton 2015 – present, On-Site Service Provider Friendly Center has existing ties with Fullerton residents, organizations, and businesses:
• Over the past two years, Friendly Center’s Orange facility has served 269 Fullerton families. • Last year, 75 donors (including one major donor) were Fullerton residents. • In recent years, 51 Fullerton residents have served as Friendly Center volunteers. • A sitting board member has a family business located in Fullerton (Loma Vista Memorial Park since 1914).
• Friendly Center is currently part of the Fullerton/Placentia GRIP committee. • Friendly Center employs Federal Work Study students from Cal State Fullerton.
Friendly Center’s Responses to City Council Feedback
Addressing Council’s request to consider renting the Maple Neighborhood Center.
Friendly Center proposes to allow a portion of the Maple Neighborhood Center facility to be rented to the community during Friendly Center’s operational hours as available.
Addressing Council’s request concerning Maple Neighborhood Center lease impacting availability of community events and additional services.
Friendly Center provides year-round community events as a natural extension of the park’s communal atmosphere. These community events include:
• Family Engagement Events: Family Engagement Events involve participants taking part in meaningful activities that encourage teamwork and family bonding time. Previous events include BINGO nights, gardening workshops, and movie nights. • Holiday Events: Annual distributions of food, hygiene items, and gifts. These programs promote community and help clients provide for their children and families:
o Spring Basket Distribution
o Turkey Basket Distribution
o Holiday Toy and Gift Distribution
• Additional Services: Programs and services that will be offered that are outside the initial onset of programs.
o Job Development
o Legal Advocacy
o English as a Second Language Classes
o Parenting Classes
o Financial Literacy Classes
o Domestic Violence Support Group
o Nutrition Classes
Addressing Council’s question of estimated number of people to be served by Friendly Center at the Maple Neighborhood Center.
Friendly Center estimates that 1,000 unduplicated individuals would be served by programs and services during its first year.
Friendly Center Can Help Meet Fullerton’s Needs
According to Orange County Social Services, there are no Family/Community Resource Centers located between the cities of La Habra and Orange; making the area a service desert when it comes to availability of comprehensive programs specifically designed to serve low-income families. Though there are certainly
non-profit organizations in Fullerton offering similar programs, we could not pinpoint any that have the same Family/Community Resource Center approach, breadth of services, and program capacity under one roof.
The 2021 Conditions of Children in Orange County reports the following statistics for the City of Fullerton:
• The 8th highest child poverty rate among all 34 Orange County cities. • The 4th highest rate of substantiated child abuse allegations.
Friendly Center’s Free On-Site Programs and Services
Our multifaceted, holistic approach of providing assistance through a variety of programs is effective in helping both individuals and families. Friendly Center will initially offer the following programs out of the Maple Neighborhood Center:
• Information and Referral Services: A comprehensive service provided by the Information and Referral Specialist (I&R), who is the first point of contact for those seeking assistance at Friendly Center – whether that be in-person, over the phone, or via email. • Case Management: Clients experiencing multiple areas of need (i.e., family crisis, job loss, child abuse, domestic violence, food insecurity) are enrolled in Case Management. Clients regularly meet 3-6 months with their Case Manager.
• Counseling: Mental health counseling for all ages.
• Emergency Assistance: A service that provides non-perishable food items, hygiene products, and diapers to those in urgent need of such assistance. • Document Translation Assistance: Assisting clients with translating documents from English to Spanish.
• Utility Assistance: Provides utility assistance for SoCal Edison and SoCal Gas customers. • Rental Assistance: One-month, partial rental assistance available. • Diaper Distributions: Monthly distribution event.
• Food Distributions: Regularly scheduled walk-up food distribution events. • The Power of Me: An after-school academic tutoring and S.T.E.A.M. (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Math) program.
• Community Engagement Advisory Committee: A committee comprised of and led by Fullerton community members to advocate for community needs.
As a trusted resource in the community, Friendly Center would bring an estimated $350,000 worth in program services to the City of Fullerton and its residents at no charge.