Consortium to Ease Social Services Access

In memory of a well-liked and effective anti-gang and drug counselor, the Newport-Mesa Unified School District and 10 nonprofit agencies have formed Families-Costa Mesa, a consortium that seeks to simplify access to a variety of social services.

The venture includes the Share Our Selves food bank, St. Joachim Catholic Church and the Save Our Youth anti-gang program. It seeks to reduce violence, increase access to health care and teach self-sufficiency.

“Through the collaboration and through the coordination in our office, we are improving the services to families in the Westside,” said Bill Turpit, director of Families-Costa Mesa.

The group serves only the Westside and targets families with children in Whittier, Pomona and Wilson elementary schools.

“You work with the whole family,” Turpit said. “You work with the kids at school and at home, and you also rely on other sources in the community.”

The program is run largely by referral.

Needy residents, for example, may go to the food bank for groceries and discuss their desire for gang-prevention counseling. Volunteers there follow up by making a referral to Families-Costa Mesa, which puts the client in touch with the proper agency in the consortium.

“Let’s say I had a young person who needed help,” said Oscar Santoyo, director of Save Our Youth, which works with youth at risk in regard to gangs and drugs. “I’d have to open up my directories and look for phone numbers. Now, all we have to do is pick up the phone and call Families-Costa Mesa. It’s much simpler. It’s more grass-roots-oriented.”

The idea to form Families-Costa Mesa is credited to the late Roy Alvarado, a gang counselor who worked with the Newport-Mesa district until he died of cancer in April on his 61st birthday.

“He had a vision of all of [the] organizations working together toward one goal--and that’s helping the family,” Santoyo said.

The Orange County Social Services Agency allocated $145,000 in October to launch the group. Turpit took a leave of absence from his law practice to run the agency for a year.

Families-Costa Mesa is at 777 W. 19th St., Suite V.

The organization will host a round-table discussion at 10 a.m. Jan. 7 at the Save Our Youth Center, 661 Hamilton St.

Information: (714) 574-3970.