First 5 Contra Costa’s Family Resource Centers Awarded over $50,000 to Address Family Needs During COVID-19 Crisis

First 5 Contra Costa in partnership with the Child Abuse Prevention Council (CAPC) and Scotts Valley Tribal TANF applied for and was awarded a $52,400 grant from the California Family Resource Association (CFRA) to provide emergency relief to Contra Costa families. In April, Governor Newsom announced $42 million in new investments to protect young children at heightened risk for abuse and mistreatment due to COVID-19, with $3 million allocated specifically for Family Resource Centers (FRC) to distribute to families they serve.

“We are excited to have this valuable resource for families and to be working with our local community partners—the Child Abuse Prevention Council and Scotts Valley Tribal TANF—to extend our reach beyond the families we serve at the First 5 Centers.”said Lisa Korb, Family Support Program Officer at First 5 Contra Costa.

The grant, released from the Office of Child Abuse Prevention, named FRCs as the recipient of the grant and named foster and tribal families as the priority populations to be served. First 5 Contra Costa funds a network of six FRCs operated by non-profits Aspiranet and Bay Area Community Resources. The First 5 Centers (FRC) support families to help parents raise healthy and happy children, and connect families to community resources.

In collaboration, First 5 Contra Costa, the Child Abuse Prevention Council, and Scotts Valley Tribal TANF will provide gift cards (gas and food), children’s books, and other needed supplies like diapers, wipes, cleaning supplies to approximately 1,000 families who have experienced a loss of income as a result of COVID-19.

“We are grateful to our family-strengthening partners to be able to provide critical support to our community during these unprecedented times.”said Carol Carrillo, MSW, Executive Director at the Child Abuse Prevention Council (CAPC). The CAPC strives to prevent child abuse in Contra Costa County by raising awareness through educational programs, trainings, parent education, support, and advocacy.

Scotts Valley Tribal TANF provides culturally relevant social services, with the goal of encouraging the formation and maintenance of healthy and self-sufficient Native American families. “The resilience of our community continues to be strong. This funding and local partnership will help SVTT provide additional support, resources, and services to Native American families living in Contra Costa County.” said Sharon James-Tiger, Executive Director at Scotts Valley Tribal TANF.

http://www.svtribaltanf.org