Family Mentoring
The Family Mentoring component of Stepping UP assists OCCHC families in working towards self-sufficiency by focusing on three main areas, including: 1) Financial literacy; 2) Education; and 3) Health and Nutrition. Our program goals are to help families strengthen their lives and continuously move forward in achieving their goals. The focus of Family Mentoring 2008 is motivation, financial stability, education, and building community cohesiveness. This program will use education, planning, goal setting, community resources, and a supportive approach as primary tools to assist families. At base, the program serves as an information and referral service for all participants in which Family Mentors provide participants with information, referrals and guidance regarding various services offered in their community including food programs, health care, child care, and education, and more. To help families strengthen their lives, the program’s main objective is to provide one-on-one assistance, seminars, and workshops in areas of budgeting, homeownership, credit repair, citizenship, education, job training and employment concerns.

For 2008, Family Mentoring will be partnering with other organizations to bring expert knowledge and services to families through our workshops, seminars, and referrals. These partnering organizations include Consumer Credit Counseling Service (CCCS), Neighborhood Housing Services (NHS), Working Wardrobes, the County of Orange, Santa Ana College, Affordable Housing Clearinghouse, Washington Mutual, and Habitat for Humanity.

This year we have already had a good start with our workshops and seminars, hosting both Spanish and English Budgeting Workshops with CCCS, and Homebuyer Workshops with NHS. We have also begun a seven week workshop series, the Career Success Workshop, with Working Wardrobes. This weekly workshop is designed to help our ladies build self-esteem, prepare for job readiness and career development, build interview skills, create a resume, and work on budgeting and finances. At the end of the workshop series, the ladies are invited to attend the Day of Self-Esteem where they will receive a new wardrobe, have their hair and makeup done, and attend a career fair, and much more. We are currently working to develop a Career Success Workshop for our Spanish-speaking ladies as well. This summer and fall we plan to continue our Budgeting Workshops, hold an all-day Homebuyer Seminar, as well as a scheduling a Citizenship Workshop. We will update you just as soon as we have the dates scheduled!