Providing for Families in the South Bay

The thanks keep pouring in.

“My name is Adrianna. I just wanted to say ‘thank you’ for the laptop,” wrote one student who was gifted with a computer from South Bay Community Services through a $100,000 grant from the San Diego COVID-19 Community Response Fund. “It really means a lot. I’m gonna be using it for school to do my homework assignments, using PowerPoint and send emails.”

The grant to South Bay Community Services (SBCS) is just one of more than 130 from the COVID-19 Community Response Fund at The San Diego Foundation. To date, the grant has helped the nonprofit to provide 450 computers, laptops and tablets to support distance learning and tele-therapy services for students in the nonprofit’s shelter, transitional housing, and educational and mental health programs. The award also is helping SBCS provide food, cleaning supplies and toys for the homebound children and families it serves.

“Thank you so much,” wrote one mom. “My little girl spends so much time working on the learning apps so we would just like to say, Thank you!’ She has wanted something of this sort for a long time.”

SBCS began in 1971 as a Chula Vista drop-in center dedicated to helping teens struggling with drug abuse by providing counseling and rehabilitation. It has expanded steadily since then, with services today focusing on child well-being, youth development and education, family wellness and community engagement. It also provides emergency shelter and housing for families escaping domestic violence as well as families who are homeless.

The community service organization’s impact has been profound. In fiscal year 2018-2019, some 93 percent of children ages 3 to 5 traumatized by family violence and abuse maintained or improved in developmental and cognitive areas while attending the nonprofit’s Mi Escuelita preschool. And 87 percent of parents involved in SBCS’ children’s mental health programs reported a reduction in their child’s symptoms. Every student enrolled in the Academic Advocate college mentoring program graduated high school, with 92 percent enrolling in a two- or four-year institution from there. And its Youth in Transition program, which provides housing and supportive services to homeless and former foster youth, saw 100 percent of youth successfully exit the program and transition to safe and sustainable housing.

SBCS has gone into overdrive during the COVID-19 crisis, increasing food distribution for families in need by three times; expanding shelter capacity to accommodate additional families and individuals experiencing homelessness and those that are at high risk for COVID-19 complications; increasing rental assistance and rapid rehousing efforts to meet an increase in requests; and enhancing educational support programs, such as purchasing the 450 computers, laptops, and tablets.

The COVID-19 Community Response Fund grant illustrates how community foundations are at the forefront of helping those in need during the COVID-19 crisis. The Community Response Fund – which has granted $11 million to San Diego nonprofits and organizations impacted by the coronavirus outbreak – is hosted and administered by The San Diego Foundation in collaboration with San Diego County Supervisor Nathan Fletcher, the co-chair of the County’s COVID-19 subcommittee.

“I would like to express how thankful I am for the generosity from you and the organization. The computer donation will truly help with schoolwork,” wrote one student in a note shared on the South Bay Community Services Facebook page. “I am confident that this donation will be a blessing towards my life. Thank you!”

Help San Diego youth and families in need by donating today.