Catholic Charities of Los Angeles, Inc. - Newsletter, February 2003

A Quarterly Newsletter from Catholic Charities - February 2003

Rural Santa Barbara County Receives Services

At a recent food distribution, Donijo Munro, left, Director of the American Indian Education, offers assistance to a client. Catholic Charities’ staff make referrals for services administered by the program.

When Norma Lopez, on-site Client Services Coordinator for Catholic Charities’ Santa Barbara Region, arrives for work she knows that she will be involved in a wide variety of duties. Ms. Lopez provides outreach for social services to the 300 predominately American Indian and Latino residents of Sisquoc, located 15 miles east of Santa Maria, in Santa Barbara County.

The Santa Maria Catholic Charities’ staff had already begun providing a mobile food pantry to the area and realized that additional services were needed. As a result of a Community Based Organization Grant from the California Children and Families Commission, Ms. Lopez spends several days a week offering services such as intake and needs assessments, emergency food and clothing, and rental and utilities assistance in Sisquoc and the surrounding vicinity. She works in collaboration with the American Indian Education, a program of the Santa Barbara County Office of Education.

Referrals for services come via word-of-mouth from family and friends. Due to cultural preferences and language barriers, those needing aid are reluctant to come to the Catholic Charities’ office for help. As a result, Ms. Lopez, who speaks both English and Spanish, spends much of her time visiting clients in their homes, frequently in the remote countryside. Often, a bond of trust is established which allows Ms. Lopez to arrange for assistance such as a visit to Food Share, a unique monthly food distribution service which offers a shopping environment similar to a market rather than a commodity-based food pantry.

Through funding from the California Commission on Children and Families, Catholic Charities offers early childhood education and social service outreach to residents of Sisquoc in Santa Barbara County.

Recent clients are a family of seven who emigrated from Mexico. The father came ahead to work and secure housing. After seven years, he brought his wife and five children to live in the Sisquoc area. Ms. Lopez welcomed the family and, through Catholic Charities’ case management services, assessed their needs in order to help them become acclimated. Four of the children were ready to start their education. Until recently, the local school did not have a teacher to serve migrant families. She helped the family by: translating for the children in the classroom; coordinating transportation to and from school; and securing warm clothes for the youngsters and nutritious food for the family. The children attend school and are learning English while they adapt to their new life.

In addition to case management, Ms. Lopez acts as liaison to the Kindergarten Readiness program, which teaches children age 4 how to sit quietly, listen and learn in preparation for Kindergarten, and she also functions as translator for parent conferences. In addition, she has served as an advocate and translator for migrant students enrolled at the 80-student Blockman School in Sisquoc.

For more information about the Community Services programs and services available throughout Catholic Charities’ Santa Barbara Region, visit www.CatholicCharitiesLA.org.