Family Services
Director’s Message
Welcome to the Family Services Page!
The WLCAC Family Services Division takes pride in delivering only the highest level of quality service, providing personal attention, patience, a strong work ethic, and a people-first attitude. For nearly 30 years, WLCAC has provided coordinated human services for low-income residents living in Watts and surrounding communities. Thanks to my dedicated, passionate, and talented staff and trusted community partners, Family Services will continue to find the best ways to bring necessary resources to meet the immediate needs of our clients and find long-term solutions to challenges the residents of our community are facing.
Our team’s commitment to the community is astonishing to me, watching them take the time to listen, confirm, recommend, and follow through with everyone who walks through our doors is a testament to our mission in action. Our staff treats each client the same way they would like to be treated if they were in the same situation, with empathy and respect. When you have a team of caring people working toward the same goal, we all win.
Our Division
Our Family Services division serves as a one stop shop, providing complete wrap-around services to children, families and individuals living in Los Angeles. A majority of our clients are Black and Latino and come from the surrounding Watts and South LA areas, assisting over 12,000 clients and their families annually with a wide array of programs and services.
Family Source Center
WLCAC’s city-funded Family Source Center (FSC) is one of the highest-performing programs in the City of Los Angeles, operating two FSC sites and continuously exceed our goals serving over 4,000 unduplicated clients each year, from individuals living paycheck to paycheck, to families struggling to pay their rent and put food on the table. We assist clients with obtaining housing, employment, financial literacy, youth enrichment and tutoring, free tax preparation services, vaccination assistance, food, immigration services, legal assistance, mental health services, expungement, post-secondary education, emergency assistance and case management services.
Re-Entry Program
WLCAC’s Re-Entry Program is the largest in Los Angeles County, where we consistently case-manage over 300 clients per month. Over the past five years, our FamilySource Center has provided re-entry intensive case management to over 2,500 justice-involved individuals. This involves creating customized care plans for each client and spending a substantial amount of time with them to fully understand their life history and the road they took that resulted in their incarceration.
Our Impact
We Offer
Employment Prep Services
We screen for WorkSource and YouthSource referral eligibility for job training and placement to provide the following services:
- Resume Building Workshops
- Job Search Support
- Interview Workshops
Financial Education
We provide a financial assessment for clients and help them design a financial plan that will help them budget and build a savings plan. Our financial education programs include:
- Financial Planning
- Financial Literacy Workshops
- Free Tax Preparation Services
Daily Food Pantry
In response to growing concerns over food insecurity in South Los Angeles, the Family Source Center partnered with supermarkets, Food Forward, and other partners to provide a fully stocked food pantry to ensure community members have equitable access to healthy and nutritious foods.
Immigration Services
WLCAC is proud to serve the undocumented community, providing access to food, resources and services. FSC offers the following immigration services:
- Citizenship Applications
- Residency Renewals
- DACA Renewals
Outreach
Our outreach staff are critical to informing the community about the various services and serve as the first point of contact for our Family Source Centers. You can find our team at local events, supermarkets, churches, and community centers informing residents about COVID19 and flu vaccine assistance, our food pantry, free tax services, and more.
Emergency Assistance
We offer emergency assistance to clients through rental assistance, securing security deposits, utility assistance, providing grocery and gas cards, furniture donation and relocation assistance. Our Family Source Center’s goal is to empower our clients to be self-sufficient. We help them achieve that independence by assisting them in paying their bills on time, avoid eviction, and, eventually, become homeowners.
Mental Health Services
In 2022, our FamilySource Center provided 160 individuals with mental health services.
Expungement
In 2022, our FamilySource Center helped 21 individuals seal their criminal records through a process known as expungement.
Post-Secondary Education
In 2022, our FamilySource Center enrolled 49 individuals in post-secondary education.
Our Team
Sheila Lewis-Thomas, MBA
- Director of Family Services
- sthomas@wlcac.org
Claudia Palacios
- Compliance Director
- cpalacios@wlcac.org
Janay Brooks
Khaila Harris
- Program Manager
- kharris@wlcac.org
Azucena Diaz
- Reentry Deputy Director
- adiaz@wlcac.org
Staff Stories
FSC is an amazing program because everyone here works together to find solutions for anyone who walks through the door.
It’s crazy to think where I was before and where I am now. I’ve learned a lot in the months I’ve been working with WLCAC.
We all fall on hard times, we all struggle, but everyone needs a helping hand.
I lived in Watts, growing up in housing projects that didn't have many positive outlets for youth my age. Since that first day, I would go to the WLCAC-Bridges program daily.
Client Stories
Partner
The Office of Community Partnerships and Strategic Communications (OCPSC) is a groundbreaking and award-winning office that manages the State of California’s highest priority community engagement and public awareness efforts.
Noteworthy Accomplishments
2019-2020
Angeleno Card: We distributed 2,800 cards worth $2,979,700
Mayors Grocery Card: We distributed 167 cards worth $64,900
Change Reaction Grocery Cards: We distributed 150 $100 cards
Angel Fund: We provided $106,454 to people who lost income
WLCAC Grocery Cards: $100,000 (not city funded)
FSC Regular contracted services: enrolled 5,306 clients (2,500 annual goal), increased
client income $4,815,859 ($500,000 annual goal)
2020-2021
FSC Regular contracted services: enrolled 3,871 clients (2,500 annual goal) and
increased client income $2,690,291($500,000 annual goal)
Mayors GIVEN Cards: Provided $350,700
2021-2022
FSC regular contracted services: enrolled 4,793 clients (2,500 annual goal) and
increased client income $1,747,503 ($500,000 annual goal)
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