The Koreatown Youth and Community Center (KYCC) has opened the FamilySource Center, which provides free social and community services to low-income families.
The FamilySource Center offers a range of free services to low-income families and youth under the age of 19 in the City of Los Angeles. These services include:
Multi-Benefit Screening
Income Tax Preparation
Incentivized Savings Programs
Assistance with Baby Items
Self-Employment and Entrepreneurship Counseling
Tutoring for Middle and High School Students
Intensive Youth Counseling
Arts and Science Classes
College Admissions Preparation
Pre-Employment and Employment Support
The City of Los Angeles’ Community Investment for Families Department (CIFD) will provide $1.5 million over the next five years to operate the center. Wells Fargo Bank is also supporting the center through a partnership.
According to KYCC, the permits required for the opening of the center were handled by the office of District 1 Councilmember Eunisses Hernandez.
“The vision that KYCC has been dreaming of for 16 years has come true,” said Johng Ho Song, director of KYCC, at a press conference on December 11. “We are honored to open the FamilySource Center, which provides financial support to low-income families as well as resources for education and employment. We look forward to providing a variety of services for the residents of Koreatown and the community at large.”
“Half of the 60 units in the building are currently occupied by residents who have experienced homelessness, and KYCC aims to increase the economic and social well-being of the community by reaching out to more Koreatown residents.”
“After years of battling, negotiating, and pushing for better services for the people of Los Angeles, it’s great to see the FamilySource Center here today,” said Councilmember Eunisses Hernandez. “What’s unique about the center is that LAUSD staff will be on site to provide in-depth school counseling. We look forward to the center’s continued journey.”
According to CIFD General Manager Abigail Marquez, the poverty rate in the city of Los Angeles is higher than that of Long Beach, the second largest city in L.A. County. “Our mission is to end generational poverty,” said Marquez, “and we want our residents to benefit from the FamilySource Center as much as possible.”
“I am a pastor of a pioneer church and have five children, so I can’t afford much,” said Yeondo Jung, 52, a resident of Koreatown who has been receiving support from KYCC for about six years. “KYCC has always provided me with a lot of financial help, including free tax reporting. I’m looking forward to getting a lot of help with my children’s schoolwork and education through the FamilySource Center.”
The center provides a variety of free services to low-income families in the City of Los Angeles based on the federal poverty level, regardless of status, and requires clients to provide identification, proof of residency in the City of Los Angeles, and documentation of income to receive services. The center is located at KYCC Menlo Family Housing in Koreatown (1230 S. Menlo Ave. Suite 100, LA 90006). For more information, call 213-365-7400.
KYCC, meanwhile, began as a nonprofit organization in 1975 to help Korean-American youth but has since grown into a leading organization that serves the Korean-American community and neighboring communities.
BY YEJIN KIM, JUNHAN PARK [kim.yejin3@koreadaily.com]
