Integrated Healing & Wellness Center

Access to healthy food

Healthcare access

Self-sufficiency

Obesity

Resilient communities

Residents receiving coordinated healthcare services

Prevalence of adverse childhood experiences

Mental illness

South LA

South Bay

Richstone is seeking support to create an integrated healing and wellness center that provides child abuse crisis and long-term treatment and prevention services for victims and families. This broad spectrum of trauma-focused treatment, wellness, and violence prevention programs will fill a void in our community serving vulnerable, high-need communities in L.A. County’s South Bay and neighboring South L.A. areas.

Through this project, Richstone addresses the South Bay’s escalating child abuse and health crisis by creating an integrated program that expands Richstone’s existing child abuse and trauma treatment programs and unifies them at a single location with new wellness and prevention programs designed to alleviate the risk factors for future abuse and long-term health risks.

● Trauma-Focused Treatment- The project expands Richstone’s existing treatment programs that move children and families out of crisis and down the path of healing. It allows more children to receive specialized help through: Assessments that screen children and adults for exposure to trauma and inform the development of treatment plans that care for the well-being of the whole child; Individual, Family and Group Therapy using a variety of treatment modalities that are trauma-focused, culturally relevant, responsive and appropriate to the individualized needs of children and families; Home Visits that engage families at home, eliminating barriers to participation such as child care and transportation; Therapeutic Support Groups to help children and adults build resilience, coping skills, problem-solving strategies and conflict resolution techniques to increase self-regulation, reduce stress levels and mitigate behavior that may damage their health and well-being.

● Long-Term Effects Treatment- These programs mitigate the long-term effects of trauma and abuse, enabling children and adults to connect with one another, create a safe and engaged community, and gain skills promoting health and productivity. The project includes integrating new Therapeutic Treatments including play therapy, art therapy and pet therapy; Support Groups and Classes that add mindfulness, and targeted substance abuse rehabilitation to our existing anger management and domestic violence support groups; new Health and Wellness Activities including nutrition, fitness, yoga, Tai Chi, self-defense, financial management classes, vocational assessments and job/life-skills programs. Wellness activities will be led by specialized volunteers from partnering organizations including Bay Club athletic gyms, Growing Great, Kinecta FCU and the Jewish Vocational Center.

● Prevention Programs- These programs provide education that disrupts the cycle of abuse and reduces the likelihood of future violence. The project builds upon our existing teen dating violence/healthy relationships workshops, effective parenting and co-parenting workshops, and youth empowerment/social skills development classes.

The project will enable us to change the life trajectories of an additional 500 low-income, at-risk and abused children and their families who currently lack access to quality mental health and wellness services. The project builds their innate resilience through work with trained trauma-focused therapists and access to a myriad of wellness and support programs available in a single safe location. The goals of the project are to offer accessible services that provide: therapy that promotes healing for child victims and their families; education for families to improve parent-child interactions and prevent abuse; support services to strengthen coping abilities and reduce isolation; wellness and enrichment activities to enhance healthy functioning; coordination among service providers to improve outcomes for victims of abuse; increased community education and awareness about child abuse, including prevention, intervention and treatment.

We anticipate meeting and exceeding these program outcomes: 85% of clients each year will demonstrate progress towards treatment goals; 80% of families each year will not be reported or re-reported for child abuse after receiving services; 75% of class participants each year will learn new coping techniques and wellness strategies.

Outcomes are measured using data extracted from Richstone’s client management software. This includes monthly evaluations, client satisfaction and assessment forms, attendance records, and child abuse reports.

Money

Publicity/awareness

Infrastructure (building/space/vehicles

Technical infrastructure (computers

Community outreach

Network/relationship support

Quality improvement research