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IN THIS ISSUE:
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KEY FACT: The City
of Pomona is the first city in Los Angeles County to adopt the
Social Host Liability Model ordinance to reduce out of controlled
parties that promote underage drinking that has led to violence, and
other alcohol related problems among youth in Pomona.
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POMONA YFMP
MEETINGS
YFMP
Community Board
2nd Thursday of the month
3:30pm to 5pm
Ganesha Park Community Center
For more information, contact:
Andrea Rico, andrea_rico@ci.pomona.ca.us
Candace Barry,
barynassoc@aol.com
Adriana Pinedo adrianapinedo@tmail.com,
Active Community
Empowerment (ACE)
For date, time, and
location, please contact: Nancy Matarrita,
nancy@pomonafirstbaptist.com
Promoting Academic Achievement (PAA)
1st Tuesday of the month
4:30pm to 6pm
Pomona Unified School District
Strategic Planning Room
Contact:
Sarah Ross, sarahross@aim.com
Pomona Youth Advisory Committee (PYAC)
Mondays, 4pm to 6pm
City Hall, Administration Board Room
Contacts:
Adriana Pinedo adrianapinedo@tmail.com,
Paul Robinson paulmax404@tmail.com |
COMMUNITY
RESOURCE CENTERS (CRC)
Pomona
residents may visit the following centers to obtain information and to
access services:
Jaycee Park Community Center
1pm –
5pm
Kennedy Park Community Center
1pm –
5pm
Palomares Park Community Center
10am - 5pm
Ralph Welch Park Community Center
1pm –
5pm
Renacimiento Community Center
10am - 5pm
Washington Park Community Center
10am - 5pm
Westmont Park Community Center
10am - 5pm
For more information, please call (909) 620-2324
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MHSA COMMUNITY
NAGIVATORS
Tri-City
Mental Health Center
- Community
Navigators funded by Mental Health Services Act
- Serving the Tri-City areas of Pomona, Claremont and La Verne
- Resource Specialists that provide information and referrals for
mental health and other needed services
- Provide education and awareness to
community organizations
Available Monday through Friday, 9am - 5pm. Also available
after-hours by phone, if needed.
Please contact:
(888) 436-3246
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VOLUME 1 |
ISSUE 4 | DECEMBER 2009
The
Youth and Family Master Plan is an outline for a community based
approach to linking best practice programs, policies, providing
resources and identifying gaps to support youth and family
services in the City of
Pomona.
Members
represent various youth and family serving entities, including
education, government, faith-based and, non-profit agencies along with
Pomona residents. The group meets to discuss and share resources
in the City
of Pomona. Local youth are encouraged to
participate. Membership is open to any individual who attends
community board or task force meetings.
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Putting Together the OJJDP Comprehensive Gang Model
Approach
By
Bernardo Rosa
On
Oct 15, 2009 the City of Pomona Mayor and Pomona Police Chief invited
over 50 partners to meet for an all day training of the OJJDP
Comprehensive Gang Model at the Pomona Mining Company. The training was
conducted by the National Gang Center. The Office of Juvenile Justice
and Delinquency Prevention is a recommended strategy by the Pomona
Youth and Family Master Plan that focuses specifically on the high risk
population. The highlights of the plan are to a) develop a community
steering committee, b) conduct a focused community assessment on gang
problems, c) developing a intervention team and d) organizing
supporting educational, social and economical organization to build an
effective wraparound targeting 75 -100 youth and their families. While
much of this is in place, The City of Pomona, led by Pomona PD and
other Juvenile Justice representatives, will be holding a follow up
meeting to begin planning next steps. The Pomona Youth and Family
Master Plan members, however, have been organizing work groups to
further strengthen the implementation of the OJJDP Comprehensive Gang
Model. For more information on the model click on:
http://www.nationalgangcenter.gov/Comprehensive-Gang-Model.
The following are supportive efforts that will enhance the intervention
approach to reducing gang involvement and violence.
Boys & Girls Club of Pomona Valley Gang
Prevention Through Targeted Outreach Strategy
By
Victor Caceres
Since 2008, the Boys & Girls Club of
Pomona Valley (Club) has successfully operated the Gang Prevention
Through Targeted Outreach Strategy (GPTTO) for 25 teens ages 12-18 in
the City of Pomona, Ca. This strategy received minimal Cal-GRIP (Gang
Resistance Intervention Program) funding under the Inland Valley
Violence Prevention Coalition under the Hope for the Future Project.
With additional funding the Club hopes to expand the prevention
strategy to 50 teens and is currently creating off site intervention
services at three targeted locations for an additional 35 gang members,
taggers, crew members, affiliates and associates. Wraparound services
are provided by the 75+ Pomona Youth and Family Master Plan partners
representing the school district, mental health, teen and young adult
employment services, substance abuse prevention providers, family
services and other needed resources. Both Gang Prevention (GPTTO) and
Intervention (GITTO) through Targeted Outreach are tested effective
models developed from the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency
Program Comprehensive Gang Model. The components of these models are a
multi- tier approach to prevention and intervention that uses effective
techniques and strategies to direct at risk youth to positive core club
interest based programs and activities.
Los Angeles County Alcohol and Drug Programs- YFMP
Community Board Network
By
Jamie Holes
The intent of the L.A. County AOD-YFMP Work group is to establish an
effective working network between identified service providers in the
city of Pomona. The group will support community based efforts to
reduce AOD related problems as well as strengthen direct services. This
network will cover the spectrum of needs as they relate to Alcohol and
Other Drugs services for the residents of Pomona. This group will also
focus on opportunities to secure funding as a collaborative to enhance
the services already available. Through combined efforts and strategic
planning, we will develop a more effective continuum of care that will
increase the individual's rate of success in recovery. Partners in this
effort include the County of Los Angeles Alcohol and Drug Program
Administration, National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence,
Prototypes, Pomona Alcohol and Drug Center, American Recovery
Center/BHS, Pacific Clinics, TriCity Mental Health, City of Pomona and
Pomona Unified School District. For more information please contact
Wayne Sugita at wsugita@ph.lacounty.gov or Jamie Holes at NCADD.Pomona@verizon.net.
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Cultural Equity and Race Relations Work Group:
(ClEARR)
By
Paul Knopf
The
goal of the Cultural Equity and Race Relations (ClEARR) Work Group is
to work towards improving and eventually ending racial tensions that
exist in our community. As a group we are collaborating with the
U.S. Department of Justice, Pomona Unified School District, L.A. County
Commission on Human Relations, Community Wellness Partnership of
Pomona, Lincoln Ave Church, Boys & Girls Club of Pomona Valley,
Youth and Family Master Plan Community Board and the City of Pomona.
This group looks forward in the coming months to train facilitators in
the SPIRIT program who will then in turn conduct strategic workshops to
the local community and schools to reduce racial tensions among various
cultural groups. We are currently preparing to do a “press conference”
outlining the groups goals, vision, and stressing the point to the
community that we are actively engaging this very important issue
beyond that of talk. The group hopes to expand the support of the
Boys & Girls Club Youth in Unity program, Cal-Poly Pomona Professor
Dr. Renford Reeses’ Colorful Flag program and the L.A. County
Commission on Human Relations’ Zero Hour program.
Author’s Note: (There are other partners and efforts that we hope to
highlight in the upcoming issues)
Tri-City
MHSA Community Navigators
By
Isela Moreno & Yareli Herrera
The Community Navigators is a program funded
under the Mental Health Service Act (MHSA) and was designed and
approved by our MHSA Public Delegates’ process last year. The
purpose of Community Navigators (and reason they are funded with the
MHSA monies focused on helping the most intensive/severe consumers) is
to provide information/access/resources to those persons who are:
1) in serious need but not in mental health services currently;
2) in mental health services but need more intensive assistance;
3) struggling with the issue of “stigma” and refusing to go straight in
to mental health services, but can benefit from other resources and
Navigators act as the “gateway” to seeing mental health services as
supportive and a positive experience.
In developing the Navigators program, the Delegate’s vision was to have
our 4 central Tri-City Navigators become “hubs” of information and
linkage/referral so that they could exponentially grow their circle of
influence within our Tri-City communities, Pomona, Claremont, and
LaVerne. Sort of like the example of “you tell two friends, and
they tell two friends, etc, etc”. This vision was created because
Delegates knew from the numbers presented and their combined
experiences that there will never be enough “funding” to cover all the
need; but in developing a network we can more effectively serve our
consumers.
The Navigators general role is to provide resources and information to
persons referred to them from any number of community agencies, not
just Tri-City Clinic. They receive referrals from City Halls, local
parks, schools and other agencies similar to Tri-City.
Isela Moreno is one of the Navigators for Pomona. She grew up in
Pomona, graduated from Garey High School, and received a Bachelors
Degree in Psychology from California State University Los
Angeles. Isela has had experience working at a level 14 group
home and was a former volunteer for Project Sister. She has a
passion for helping out others and is committed to providing the
residents of Pomona with resources that will help their mental well
being.
Our second Pomona Community Navigator is Yareli Herrera. Yareli grew up
in Northern California and moved to Los Angeles 6 years ago to attend
college. Yareli worked as an Adult Outpatient Case Manager for Tri-City
Mental Health Center for a year before becoming a Community Navigator.
Yareli’s understanding of her Latino culture and the stigmas attached
to mental illness aid her in becoming a successful Navigator and truly
understanding people’s needs. Yareli prides herself in bringing hope
and options into people’s lives by being the link between the resources
and the community.
Isela and Yareli are available Monday through Friday from 9:00 am to
5:00 pm, and alternate locations between Palomares Park and Washington
Park. To reach a Community Navigator please call (888)
436-3246.
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