In this program an average of 100 clients and their family members are helped each day with food, clothing, hygiene and grooming items, transportation, utility assistance through Southern California Edison, blankets and quilts, and referrals to all kinds of community resources.
The Comprehensive Emergency Assistance Program is located at the Long Beach Center of LSS/SC in an area characterized by poverty, gangs and substance abuse. The need for services is great in the area surrounding the agency but also individuals come to the agency from communities throughout Los Angeles County. The goals of the Comprehensive Emergency Assistance Program include: 1. To provide emergency needs such as food and clothing as well as assistance with hygiene and grooming items, blankets and quilts, and transportation. 2. To help those served develop long-term solutions with a case plan and referrals to community agencies for needs such as substance abuse, medical and mental health treatment, and other resources. Since 1983 the Long Beach Center of Lutheran Social Services of Southern California has provided comprehensive emergency assistance.
An average of 100 clients and their family members are helped each day with food, clothing, hygiene and grooming items, transportation, utility assistance through Southern California Edison, blankets and quilts, and referrals to community organizations and resources providing shelter, employment, counseling, welfare and other benefits, parenting groups, drug and alcohol intervention and treatment, legal help, medical assistance, batter groups, psychiatric and mental health treatment, and other social service agencies. The LSS/SC Long Beach Center’s hours of operation are 8am-4pm, Monday – Thursday. The program provides emergency assistance on-site at the Long Beach Center of LSS/SC. Clients are encouraged to make an appointment for services. Emergency referrals from community agencies and walk-ins are also served by the program.
People requesting assistance may be disabled or living on limited pensions; homeless veterans or veterans requesting assistance with basic needs and referrals; those working low paying jobs; people with no or limited income and unable to afford basic living expenses; and others in need of counseling, mental health and/or substance abuse treatment. At least 55% of those served are children, and more than 50% of adults served are women. All services are provided as part of a case plan with the individual’s goals, progress, and outcomes maintained in the case records. The purpose of the program is to provide basic immediate needs as those served are empowered to resolve their problems and helped to develop long-term plans. To help those served develop plans and solutions, casework is provided. The casework process may include identification of problems, gathering of information, assessment and plans made with client and worker.
The LSS/SC Long Beach/South Bay Comprehensive Emergency Assistance Program is the point of intake for other programs including our Hispanic Outreach Project, Preparation for Employment Program, and Elders and their Families: A Program of Care and Caregiving. The clients’ total situations are assessed at intake, and the appropriate programs or services are offered within the agency or a referral is made to an outside resource. Increasingly we have been developing programs for our Emergency Assistance clients which focus on the prevention of poverty and long-term solutions.
714-685-1800