Harbor Interfaith Service assistance programs.
Programs from Harbor Interfaith Services are focused on certain portions of Los Angeles County, and the non-profit assists the hungry, those behind on their rent, and the homeless as well. Services are available across Long Beach, Wilmington, Harbor City, San Pedro, Lomita, Torrance, and Harbor Gateway, and the primary programs are noted below.
Most of the support is coordinated from the Family Resource Center and also the FISH Food Pantry, and both of these sites serve as the point of entry for all HIS services. The agency and the staff there work towards helping people gain long term, self-sufficiency for their balance of their lifetime.
In addition to a three-day supply of groceries, the Harbor Interfaith Services furnishes personal hygiene items, donated clothing, shampoo, deodorant, free diapers if applicable, toothbrush, and toothpaste. Other HIS support services at the Family Resource Center include case management, in which clients are paired with advocates and volunteers who provide guidance and referrals.
There may be information on obtaining low income housing in Los Angeles or Long Beach, job placement, medical services, counseling, public benefits and one-time financial aid. This may be rental assistance for those facing eviction and there may be help with utility bills too. Additionally, FISH provides free holiday meal baskets, toys and gifts for those in need.
The Family Resource Center from HIS also provides supportive services that include quarterly vision and health exams, applications for Medicaid and Medicare, and help with finding housing and employment.
Thousands of households and families in the South Bay area of Los Angeles face hunger on a monthly basis, and they are considered to be food insufficient. People often run out of money to purchase food or groceries and prepare healthy meals. Furthermore, senior citizens in the region often must choose between paying for prescriptions and putting a meal on the table, and there are both single mothers or those with a husband that go to bed hungry in order to ensure that their children have a meal.
Assistance is part of the Stop Hunger Now program, and HIS and the FISH Food Pantry provides outreach and nutritional education to low-income and working poor families, and at the same time assists them with the process of signing up for CalFresh food stamps. Another partner known as Having Opportunities and Producing Excellence provides monthly groceries and hygiene products for seniors over the age of 55. Home delivery is available in certain areas, such as Wilmington, Lomita, or Long Beach, and is for those who are homebound.
EFS - Emergency Family Shelter is a short term housing program that provides families or individuals, including the homeless, with comprehensive case management, as well as an array of support services. Applicants to EFS required to meet with their Harbor Interfaith Services case managers and to attend weekly workshops on topics such as credit repair, budgeting, parenting, job training and proper nutrition.
In order to get help, the individual must be employed, in job training or in school on a full-time basis, and must agree to save at minimum 80 percent of their income for future rental expenses while residing at the shelter. There must be at least one child under age 18 present in the family; the applicant can be a single mom; and there can’t be any recent domestic violence created by the applicant.
Available support services for guests of the shelter include clothing, low cost child care, free food, on-site counseling and/or referrals, clothing, and information on low income apartments in Los Angeles County.
The Accelerated Learning and Living (ALL) job development and transitional housing program offers apartments to clients, and they will be affordable and offer clients independent living. HIS provides assistance with locating permanent housing, applying for rental deposit help and instruction on financial management. This may be transportation, job placement, child care, and counseling. Participants also need to work toward achieving educational and career goals.
Child development is part of Mary L. Gimenez-Caulder Center. It is for young children from low income families in South Bay or Long Beach, and it emphasizes and respects the uniqueness of each child, providing educational programming in a nurturing and emotionally secure environment. Other services from the agency include free healthy meals and snacks that meet federal government nutritional guidelines, medical checkups, and much more.
The location of the agency HIS is at 670 W. Ninth St., San Pedro, California 90731, telephone 310-831-9123.
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