Feeling Neighborly

A row of tiny apartments links one of Orange County’s poorest, most congested and crime-ridden neighborhoods with affluent Irvine, less than 10 miles away, in a church-funded program that participants say is breaking down stereotypes and building bridges.

The four apartments along Santa Ana’s notorious Minnie Street--a row of rundown apartment buildings occupied primarily by immigrants from Mexico and Cambodia--were rented a year ago by Mariner’s South Coast Church of Irvine as a centerpiece of its outreach effort.

Families of eight or more normally occupy the one-bedroom, 500-square-foot apartments, which rent for about $500 a month and show the wear of decades of heavy use.

But with fresh coats of bright paint, new heavy-duty carpeting and soft, comfortable furniture, three of the four apartments Mariner’s leased were transformed into cozy after-school homework centers for dozens of youngsters.

A fourth gives teens a quiet and safe place to spend evening hours in a neighborhood scarred by graffiti and litter and known for its violent gangs.

“It’s a real positive thing for the neighborhood,” said Santa Ana Police Lt. Chuck Magdalena, who supervises a community policing team that occupies an apartment in the same building. “This is probably the most concentrated and dense area of the city, and there aren’t many places for kids to go.”

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The six-block stretch of Minnie and Standard streets is home to about 12,000 people, Magdalena said. Drug use, public drunkenness and domestic violence were chronic problems, he said, but in recent years concerned residents have teamed up with the city and several nonprofit agencies to turn the neighborhood around. In two years, the crime rate has dropped 23%, Magdalena said. Several residents said they can walk without fear at night for the first time in years.

The church-run apartments, known as the Minnie Street Learning Center, are an important part of that effort, Magdalena said.

The center, which draws on a pool of about 100 church volunteers and has two paid directors, opens at 3 p.m. daily for students from first grade through high school. Eager and restless, most in blue-and-white school uniforms, the students lined up by grade on a recent afternoon before dashing into their assigned rooms, clutching notebooks and pencils.

“I want to learn,” said Albert Melchor, 10, who discovered the center a month ago as he walked home from school. “I want to study hard and be somebody.”

Albert said he lives in a one-bedroom apartment with three sisters, a brother, his parents and an uncle--a relatively small family for the neighborhood. He said his parents are supportive but are poorly educated and know little English, so they can’t offer much help with his studies. “Here there are people who can tell you what’s right,” he said.

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Although the neighborhood is a mix of Asians and Latinos, the 50 children who crowded into the apartments were all Latino; many had been born in Mexico. Laurie Beshore, who directs outreach efforts for the nondenominational Christian church, said attempts to appeal to both Asians and Latinos simultaneously have failed. “We feel like we can be really connected with one or the other, but not both,” she said.

Tutors from the church, however, visit Cambodian children’s homes on Fridays and sometimes take them to the church for lessons, said Sara Schantz, communications director for Mariner’s.

Outside the learning center, the students’ talk flowed from English to Spanish and back again, but inside, Spanish is forbidden--even during playtime. “It’s good for them,” said director Rebecca Bramlett. “If they want to do well in school they need to learn English. And most of the tutors don’t speak Spanish.”

In contrast to the dress of the working-class neighborhood, volunteer tutors arrived in white shirts and ties or neatly pressed dresses. One tutor brought his freckle-faced son, who joined a group of youths on the floor for a game of cards.

Barbara Course, a retired school administrator dressed in a church T-shirt and jeans, had been with the program only a month but said she was impressed by the passion of the students for learning. She said she expected to spend most of her weekly visits addressing discipline problems.

“But they don’t need it,” she said. “I was surprised they were so motivated. They’re eager and attentive and grateful for the help. I don’t know what they would do without it.”

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The session opened with Bramlett leading a religious song as students sat cross-legged on the floor and followed along. “Jesus loves me, yes I know, for the Bible tells me so,” they sang.

Such religious messages were woven throughout the four-hour afternoon program, which was divided into an hour to do homework, an hour of games and two hours of lessons on phonics, writing and math.

The teen center also opens each afternoon session with a prayer. And as part of the program, students are invited to weekly Bible study sessions at the Irvine church campus, with transportation provided. Bramlett said several dozen usually attend.

Beshore, who spearheaded the learning center’s development, said the church could not run the program without mentioning its beliefs.

“None of our projects are separate from our faith,” she said. “At the same time, we’re not trying to proselytize anybody away from anything else. . . . The main thing is we want every child who walks in that room to know they are created by a God who loves them.”

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Outside in the dimming light, Umberta Ventura stood at an apartment complex across Minnie Street with a few other mothers who send their children to the homework center each afternoon. Ventura said that because her English is limited, she can offer little help to her sixth-grader.

“It’s a good thing,” she said. “They are helping to make this a safer street. I told them I’m a Catholic and I believe in the Catholic religion. They aren’t trying to change the way I believe.”

Beshore said the connection between the church and Minnie Street began about 10 years ago, when a member began working with Cambodian families there. Slowly, volunteer efforts began to build.

Seven years ago, the church began transporting children from Minnie Street to its Newport Beach site for help with homework. “There would always be more kids than we could fit in the cars,” Beshore said.

Finally, about a year ago, the church collected $100,000 to rent, refurbish and stock the apartments, she said.

The program already has outgrown the four apartments and is searching for a larger space within walking distance of Minnie Street, said Harry Boon, who is directing the project.

Santa Ana will do what it can to help facilitate the move, Councilman Robert L. Richardson said.

“We’ve got so many young people in Santa Ana, and if we’re going to have half a chance to be successful, we’ve got to work with them and provide opportunities,” he said. “I think Santa Ana and communities across the country should utilize more faith-based organizations that are willing to help.”