Exceptional Charities

Typically 50% of the guests who stay at the San Fernando Valley Rescue Mission are children 12 years of age and younger. To be effective, the Mission had to become mobile as well, taking homeless social services to where the homeless congregate. Currently hot showers, hot meals, referrals, and counseling services are provided daily. The objective of the Mission’s mobile outreach program is to provide life essential services to homeless individuals living on the streets. www.sanfernandovalleyrescuemission.org

Our third program is CAP, Compassionate Angel Program that provides free practical and emotional product support bags to any breast cancer patient. Circle of Hope believes that providing financial and emotional support will improve the quality of life and increase the individual’s chance of success in their battle against breast cancer.

Children Today contact: Miles Nevin, Marketing and Public Relations Manager
Children Today mailing address: PO Box 16004, Long Beach, CA 90806
Children Today website: www.childrentoday.org

Children Today mission: The mission of Children Today is to provide community based services to children and families experiencing homelessness, fostering long term stability and success.

Children Today vision: Our vision is that all children under age six who are experiencing homelessness will have a safe, nurturing place to spend their days playing, learning and growing, while their parents take steps toward stability, knowing their children are well cared for.

Through two no-cost, high quality child development centers, Children Today provides Infant/Toddler Care and Preschool to 64 children daily in Long Beach.

Save Africa’s Children targets the hardest to reach orphan care programs in urban slums and rural areas. We partner with African nationals serving on the frontlines of the AIDS epidemic to provide safe, compassionate, and productive alternatives through residential and community-based programs. saveafricaschildren.org

For over 30 years, Sojourn has provided comprehensive victim services. These services – offered in English and Spanish, without prejudice, and free of charge – are accessed through Sojourn’s 24/7 hotline. With funding from the state, county, cities of Santa Monica and Los Angeles, and private sources, Sojourn is the only such service provider on the Westside of Los Angeles County.
All residents of Sojourn’s two shelters (crisis and transitional) are provided with comprehensive, culturally appropriate case management, which includes clinical therapy for women and children and assistance in securing transitional or permanent housing. Non-residential services are provided at Sojourn’s business office and other sites in the community.

Sojourn believes that in order to respond effectively to victims of domestic violence, programs must be comprehensive and address the complexity of domestic violence, the range of victim's experiences, and the needs of diverse groups. To this end, Sojourn offers the following programs and services:

• 24-Hour Hotline - Crisis intervention, legal and medical advocacy, information and referrals.
• Crisis Shelter - 4-6 weeks of safe housing and support, emphasizing safety planning, domestic violence education, peer counseling, therapeutic and horticultural therapy, and advocacy provided in the following areas: protective orders, court accompaniment, custody and visitation, open DCFS cases, social services, and transitional housing.
• Adams House – 3-6 months of safe, transitional housing and therapeutic supportive services with advocacy provided in the following areas: housing, employment, economic, and legal.
• Comprehensive Children's Program - Empowerment play groups, clinical art/play therapy, advocacy, school enrollment, child abuse reporting, non-violent parenting skills for women, and outreach education provided to local schools – elementary through college.
• Community Education and Outreach Program - Awareness programs for civic, community, religious, and school groups. Training and technical assistance to media, community groups, and public agencies involved with victims of domestic violence.
• Court Advocacy - Full-time court advocate at the office of the Santa Monica City Attorney.
• Legal Services - Pro bono, drop-in weekly legal clinic provides advice and assistance from volunteers of Women Lawyers Association of Los Angeles.
• Battered Women's Support Groups - Weekly drop-in meetings are free of charge and offered in both English and Spanish with simultaneous children's groups provided.
• Clinical Therapy/Peer Support/Horticultural Therapy Program - Mental health treatment emphasizes trauma recovery for both adults and children through sessions of individual clinical therapy for women and art/play therapy for children. Individual peer counseling and group peer support is provided on an as needed basis by members of Sojourn's staff and by volunteers, all of whom are trained in crisis intervention and emergency case management techniques.
• Emergency Response - OCEAN Program (On-Call Emergency Advocate Network) provides immediate, in-person crisis intervention, resources, referrals, medical and legal advocacy, emergency transportation, safety, and follow-up services. Advocates are dispatched 24 hours a day, 7 days a week in response to calls from law enforcement and emergency room personnel. OCEAN also provides 24/7 intake to the Sojourn crisis shelter and runs a drop-in clinic at the LAPD Pacific Division station. Sojourn staff provide crisis intervention, emergency safety services (shelter, transportation, emergency protective orders, lock change, food, clothing), and follow-up services, which include counseling referrals, legal assistance with restraining orders, custody/visitation, and court accompaniment.
  SOJOURN HOTLINE – 310.264.6644

For more information, please call 310.264.6646 or find us on the web at www.opcc.net

Our offerings to our clients include a variety of services such as but not limited to: Trait Counseling and follow up, Adult & Teen support groups, Medical Referrals, Individual Education Plan (IEP), Vocational Assistance, Client Advocacy, & “Camp Crescent Moon” a 42 year old summer medical camp program for children with sickle cell disease.