WINTER. 2021
MOST EVENTS AND SERVICES ARE VIRTUAL DURING SHELTER IN PLACE. CHECK OUR CALENDAR INSIDE OR CALL US WITH ANY NEED.
Were Your Finances Hurt by COVID-19?
Financial Navigators Can Help!
The City of Fremont, in partnership with the International Rescue Committee in Oakland, is providing free phone-based Financial Navigation services to Alameda County residents through a new Financial Navigator service. Financial Navigators are now available to help you manage financial issues, identify immediate action steps, and make referrals to other programs to help your situation. During your phone session, the Navigator will ask about your concerns. Some examples might be prioritizing payments for expenses; maximizing income by accessing emergency cash assistance, loans, unemployment or short-term disability; or managing debt and guiding negotiations with a creditor.
Please note — Financial Navigators do not provide financial assistance like cash or loans. But they can connect you to services and benefit programs in Alameda County that can assist you. To request a phone session with a Financial Navigator, visit https://finnav.org/alameda or call the Fremont FRC at 510.574.2000. Provide your name, zip code, language preference, phone number and email address, and a Financial Navigator will call you within 48 hours to begin your free session. A session lasts approximately 30 minutes and is available in English, Spanish, Dari and Arabic as well as a host of other languages through the use of a language line.
• Rent Relief Coming • Tax Services • Giving Hope • Voice Options • Earn & Learn • Calendar
As part of the COVID Relief Package approved by Congress before the holidays, 25 billion dollars is now being released by the U.S. Treasury Department to assist households that are unable to pay rent and utilities due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Direct allocation of funds are being made to local governments (cities and counties) with populations over 200,000. Fremont will shortly receive an allocation of $7,194,867.
Funds are allocated to be used for financial assistance with back rent, rent and utilities. Eligible Fremont households must meet the following criteria: •
Qualifies for unemployment or has experienced a reduction in household income, incurred significant costs, or experienced a financial hardship due to COVID-19;
•
Demonstrates a risk of experiencing homelessness or housing instability;
•
Has a household income at or below 80% of area median income.
Priority is given to eligible households that include an individual who has been unemployed 90 days or more and households with income at or below 50% of area median. To Obtain Rental Assistance Information If you already receive FRC communications directly from the FRC, you will receive an email when the rental assistance program is available. If you do not receive our weekly FRC Update email, please subscribe here to join the FRC subscriber list.
VITA Goes Virtual!
Free Tax Preparation Begins February Free tax preparation services will be provided by SparkPoint Fremont through the VITA (Volunteer Income Tax Assistance) program for those who made $75,000 or less last year. Since 2002, SparkPoint Fremont has offered quality tax services and is one of the largest free tax sites in the Bay Area. If you were laid off during the pandemic, save money and utilize this excellent tax service.
To ensure the safety of customers and volunteers during the pandemic, the tax service will be 100% virtual this year. VITA is a member of United Way Bay Area’s Earn It! Keep It! Save It! Coalition, and this year we’ve partnered with Code for America’s Get Your Refund platform to offer online filing. Our IRS-certified tax preparers will complete your return while communicating with you throughout the process. SparkPoint will also offer limited drop-off service for those unable to manage a completely online process. Split your refund for a chance to win $100 or $5,000! If you put at least $50 of your federal refund into a savings account, you will be entered into a weekly $100 raffle drawing. If you provide a photo and caption stating your motivation to save, you will be entered into a $5,000 drawing. Several Tri-City customers have won $100 and last year, one of our customers won the $10,000 grand prize. The Internal Revenue Service announced that the nations’ tax season will start on Friday Feb 12, 2021. Watch for a VITA announcement soon! •
Repeat customers will receive a letter and email notice when the tax service opens.
•
If you’re seeking VITA services for the first time, look for a VITA announcement in our weekly FRC Update emails. If you don’t currently receive FRC communications, subscribe here to join the FRC subscriber list.
PG2
WINTER 2021
Giving Hope During a Pandemic
2020 has been a traumatic year for many individuals and families, especially those who lost jobs or businesses and are trying to keep a roof over their heads. In order to stay safe, many older adults became more socially isolated and discovered their fixed incomes didn’t go as far. In order to meet the greater needs of our community during this pandemic, the City of Fremont’s Human Services Department modified the annual holiday Giving Hope program primarily to a gift card wish list, thereby allowing recipients to choose their own purchases in a year when so many other things are out of their control. We’re thrilled to say our community stepped up helping 436 individuals, families, seniors and even 33 senior pet companions, making it one of our most impactful years ever. We wish to thank all of the generous donors for helping our clients get the necessities they need. These donations and acts of kindness brought much hope and joy to many during one of the most difficult years of our lifetime.
Community Resources for Independent Living or CRIL is partnering with the State’s Department of Rehabilitation to provide Voice Options services to those unable to speak, who have difficulty speaking, and who have not previously participated in the Voice Options Program. The goal of this program is to ensure full telephone communication access for all Californians with disabilities. CRIL staff will be able to identify and assist consumers in choosing the best fully customizable speech-generating app based on their needs.
Chromebook Connect
Though their smiles were hidden by face masks, this year’s Giving Hope recipients were so grateful to receive gift cards and in some cases, presents too.
You deserve to be able to access the internet, news, school, work and personal events. Let us assist you in getting a functional, accessible computer and internet access at a large discount for roughly $10/month, we’ll even pay for the first year! For more information on the Voice Options Program and Chromebook Connect, contact Aaron Salas at 510.881.5743 ext 36 or Aaron.Salas@CRILHayward.org WINTER 2021
PG3
Did you get laid off due to COVID-19? Are you not sure when/if your job is coming back? Start a New Career in Advanced Manufacturing. Get Paid While You Learn! It may be time to consider a career change to a growing industry offering career advancement. Advanced industries continue to bring thousands of jobs to Silicon Valley helping keep the region resilient and economically strong. Fremont alone is home to over 900 innovative manufacturing companies. These firms have responded to the call in the fight against COVID-19 and are adding to their workforce. They list “talent” as one of their top needs. This program is an “earn and learn” work experience and training initiative to develop a skilled workforce for the regional advanced manufacturing sector. Program Components • Begin a full-time eight-week PAID training program at Evolve Manufacturing early February 2021 with a wage of $18.00/hour. • Attend a 3-hour/week Ohlone College Smart Manufacturing Technology Training course (virtually on site at Evolve) for six weeks. You will learn: • Material Handling and Inventory
•
•
•
Understanding and Design Processes based on manufacturing specifications and instructions • Manufacturing Process Instructions and Blueprint Reading • Manufacturing Processes: Safety in Industry and much more. Successful completion of the course earns an industry recognized Certificate of Completion from Ohlone College. Some participants may be hired full-time by Evolve Manufacturing or move on to other companies as this industry is constantly hiring.
Facts about Manufacturing Jobs • Entry level does not require college degree. • With the right training and skill development, these careers offer a pathway to economic self-sufficiency. • Median Wages — National Average: $26/hour. Bay Area Average: $32–$35/hour
Full time 8-week training for $18/hour begins early February so don’t delay. To register for an upcoming information session, go to: bit.ly/ohlone_ interestform
Help for the Helpers
On October 29th, the FRC held its first ever virtual ‘Day Away’ staff event. This annual conference enhances our commitment to integrated services and provides support and education to all staff working at the FRC. This year’s event theme was Holding Strong Together. The day began with an expression of enormous gratitude for the way in which FRC staff pivoted overnight to working from home and continuing to provide critical support to those in need, as well as recognition of their increased workloads and the enormous challenges of the year. CONTINUED PG5 >
PG4
WINTER 2021
FROM PG4 >
Help for the Helpers The collective creation of a word cloud launched our day together, followed by workshops on health and mental wellbeing, social justice and FRC services. The virtual gathering was a great success, one of the silver linings of the past year.
We are always so grateful to the Tri-City community who help us with our mission by donating whatever we need, be it time, dollars or specific items. Since the pandemic hit and the needs of our community soared, we have been so touched by our generous community members. Thank you Inspur Systems Inc. of Milpitas for surprising us with a large food donation to add to our FRC Grab & Go Giveaways. With so many people suddenly out of work, the demands for food are many. Thank you most kindly. Alcal Specialty Contracting of Fremont is a longtime Giving Hope holiday donor. Every December, they deliver a large supply of toys for our clients. Thank you for the extra Christmas cheer you bring to our families and their children.
Amit Patel and his family are generous donors of the Fremont Human Services Department. Amit is one of our longtime VITA Tax Coaches who wanted to help with the rising needs this year. He donated food to the FRC Grab & Go Giveaways, and clothing and blankets to the department’s Homeless Program. Additionally, his company, Analog Devices, donated laptops to be used in our VITA tax program as well as five laptops that we’ll use to form a laptop loaner program for low-income families. We thank you for your time and all these wonderful donations!
For monetary donations, please visit our donation page. For other ways to donate — please call the main FRC phone line at 510.574.2000.
WINTER 2021
PG5
FRC CALENDAR | JAN—MAR 2021 Virtual Events and Services Back Tax Preparation Service Free assistance with filing back taxes, plus IRS advocacy and resolution. By appointment only. Contact: Jane, SparkPoint Fremont 510.574.2026. Financial Navigators — A Financial Navigator can quickly assess your needs and connect you to resources. Open to Alameda County residents in many languages. To request your free 30-minute phone session, go to https://finnav.org/alameda or call 510.574.2000. FOOD — Money for Groceries Are you laid off or low income and need money for groceries? We’ll help you apply to CalFresh benefits. Click here for flyer. To schedule a phone appointment, call the FRC at 510.574.2000. To apply yourself, go to www.GetCalFresh.org/s/ffrc Job Search — America’s Job Center/EDD For assistance with your job search while AJC/EDD office is closed, call 510.794.3669, 510.564.0500 or email WSBOaklandFieldOffice@edd.ca.gov LEGAL — Legal Advice Line from Bay Area Legal Aid. For help with a legal problem involving Housing, Public Benefits, or Consumer Rights Law, call 1.800.551.5554. For legal help involving Domestic Violence, call Jane at 510.574.2026 for an application for legal services. LEGAL — Family Law Clinic at FRC from Legal Access Alameda provides free legal advice on divorce, custody, visitation or support issues. Due to COVID-19, Legal Access Alameda (formerly ACBA VLSC) canceled all in-person clinics; however, they are offering limited virtual free services by phone. Call the ACBA intake line for assistance at 510.302.2222 option #4 or submit an online request at acbanet.org/request-a-lawyer/ SparkPoint Fremont Virtual Info Session 3rd Thursday from 6—7pm. Learn about SparkPoint’s financial services for low-tomoderate income people who want to improve their finances. Afterward, schedule a virtual meeting with a Financial Coach to work on your needs and goals. For more information, visit www.fremont.gov/SparkPointFRC. To register, call Jane at SparkPoint Fremont 510.574.2026. Tri-City Workforce Training Guide Check out SparkPoint Fremont’s website listing local free and low-cost, short-term training programs. Increase your skills for a promotion or new career. Improve your English, get a GED, a certificate and more. Includes adult schools, live and online community college certificate programs, apprenticeships, CSU East Bay and more. Shelter-in-place is a great time to utilize virtual training programs. www.fremont.gov/workforcetraining
To receive timely FRC communications and resources from us every week, subscribe here. Cancel any time.
Phone support is not available during closures January 18 FRC is closed for Martin Luther King Jr. Day
PG6
WINTER 2021
February 15 FRC is closed for Presidents Day
FRC CALENDAR | JAN—MAR 2021 Live Activities FRC Giveaway for Tri-City Families in Need Every 1st and 3rd Wednesday from 10.30— 11.30am. Twice-monthly walk-up giveaway of groceries, PPE and diapers for 100 Tri-City families in need. No registration required. Held in the FRC parking lot between the two buildings. Masks and social distancing are required. Questions? Call the FRC at 510.574.2000. Click here for flyer.
Virtual Support Groups EBAC — Circle of Care Program Virtual support group and parenting education for grieving families. For questions or to register, email circleofcare@ebac.org or call 510.531.7551. FERC — African American Family Support Group 4th Tuesday 5.30—7.30pm. For families/caregivers of those who have loved ones with mental health challenges in Alameda County. For questions, email Bettye@mhaac.org or call 510.746.1700 and leave a message. To join this Support Group, visit https://ferc.org/programs/support-groups/ FERC — Borderline Personality Disorder — Family Support Group 1st Wednesday 5—6.30pm. For families/caregivers of those who have loved ones with mental health challenges in Alameda County. For questions, email bettye@mhaac.org or call 510.746.1700 and leave a message. To join this Support Group, visit https://ferc.org/programs/support-groups/ FERC — Family Members/Caregiver Support Group 1st Thursday 5—6.30pm. For families/caregivers of those who have loved ones with mental health challenges in Alameda County. For questions, email bettye@mhaac.org or call 510.746.1700 and leave a message. To join this Support Group, visit https://ferc.org/programs/support-groups/ FERC — Family Members/Caregiver Support Group 2nd Tuesday 4—5.30pm. For families/caregivers of those who have loved ones with mental health challenges in Alameda County. Open to caregivers across the county. For questions: contact michele@mhaac.org or 510.746.1700 and leave a message. To join this Support Group, visit https://ferc.org/programs/support-groups/ FERC — Spanish Speaking Family Members/Caregiver Support 2nd and 4th Wednesday 5.30—7.00pm. For families/caregivers of those who have loved ones with mental health challenges in Alameda County. Open to caregivers across the county. For questions, email juanita@mhaac.org or call 510.746.1700 and leave a message. To join this Support Group, visit https://ferc.org/programs/support-groups/ Herald Family Rebuilding Center — Mandarin Support Group for Men and Women Tuesdays from 7—9pm. For questions, call 510.790.3366. Register here. YFS — Virtual Support Group for Parents and Caregivers of Youth Mondays 10—11.30am or Wednesdays 6—7.30pm. Explore how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted parents and children. Explore strategies for self-care, challenging child/youth behaviors, and ways to improve communication. For more info or to register, visit YFS Caregiver Support or call 510.574.2100.
WINTER 2021
PG7
BENEFIT PROGRAMS AND ASSISTANCE Alameda County Social Services
C330
510.795.2428
FRC Welcome Center/ Fremont Healthy Start
ABCD Lobby
510.574.2141
Women, Infants, and Children (WIC)
D430
510.795.2457
Hively D450
510.270.8807 925.417.8733
Community Child Care Council (4C’s of Alameda County)
510.713.2557
D410
Discovery Cove H850 510.574.2010 Childcare Center (Currently Closed)
CULTURAL AND FAITH BASED SERVICES D460
510.745.1680
CityServe’s H840 510.796.SERV Compassion Network (7378) Herald Family Rebuilding Center
While FRC agencies are working remotely, we’re publishing the best phone number(s) to reach them. The list is posted on the FRC website at: www.fremont.gov/FRC
FAMILY SUPPORT/FINANCIAL COACHING FRC Welcome Center/ Fremont Healthy Start
CHILDCARE
Afghan Coalition
REACHING AGENCIES DURING COVID–19
D450
510.790.3366
EMPLOYMENT/TRAINING
ABCD Lobby
510.574.2141
Family Support Services A110
510.574.2021
Lincoln Families Kinship D450 Support Program
510.583.8026
SparkPoint Fremont Financial Services
A110
510.574.2020
D440
510.574.2270
HOUSING ISSUES Fremont Fair Housing and Landlord/Tenant Services
MENTAL HEALTH/COUNSELING Family Education and D400 Resource Center (FERC)
510.790.1010
FRC Working Wellness A110 Team – for CalWORKS participants
510.574.2023
Fremont Youth and Family Services (YFS)
E500
510.574.2100
Alameda County Behavioral Health Vocational Services
D470
510.795.2300
America’s Job Center/ EDD
B200
510.794.3669
Tri-City Children and Youth Services
G710
510.795.2434
La Familia Counseling Vocational ESL
F600
510.329.3739
Tri-City Community Support Center
G710
510.795.2434
PG8
WINTER 2021
SERVICES FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES Community Resources for Independent Living (CRIL)
A100
510.794.5735
Deaf, Counseling, D420 510.790.1433 Advocacy and Referral (TTY and VP) Agency (DCARA) 510.371.0042 (Voice) State Department of F630 510.794.2458 Rehabilitation
KEY TO LOCATING FRC SUITES There are 2 buildings at the FRC. Building ABCD is on the right and houses suites beginning with A, B, C or D; and Building EFGH houses suites beginning with E, F, G and H.
Tri-City Community Support Services, Adult and Children Mediterranean Room H810 Tri-City Community Support Services, Adult and Children G710
G700
510.713.2557
D410
Discovery Cove H850 510.574.2010 Childcare Center (Currently Closed) Lincoln Families Kinship D450 Support Program
510.583.8026
Tri-City Children and Youth Services
G710
510.795.2434
Women, Infants, and Children (WIC)
D430
510.795.2457
Fremont Youth and Family Services (YFS)
E500
510.574.2100
Family Resource Center Administration, Family Support Services, Family Service Team and SparkPoint A110
Discovery Cove H850
4 Enter
Youth and Family Services E500
La Familia Counseling Services/VESL F600
Community Child Care Council (4C’s of Alameda County)
Enter
5
510.270.8807 925.417.8733
Caribbean Room H830
Enter
Enter
6
Hively D450
Millennium Room Nova Room A130 A120
CityServe H840 Pacific Room H800
YOUTH SERVICES
BHCS Vocational Program D470
3 2
1
Afghan Coalition D460
Department of Rehabilitation F630 Enter
Enter
WINTER 2021
PG9
FRC
CENTER ASSISTANCE
Our bilingual Resource Specialists help visitors with information, referrals and public benefit applications. While the FRC is closed, you can call the Resource Specialists directly for assistance.
ENGLISH
CALL ANY NUMBER
DARI, PASTU
DARI, FARSI
510.410.3421 510.410.4272
KOREAN
510.414.2700
MANDARIN, CANTONESE 510.410.3425 PUNJABI, HINDI, URDU
510.491.6699
SPANISH
510.410.3432
Are you struggling to buy groceries? You might qualify for CalFresh which provides money to purchase food. If you live in Tri-City and need help applying, call the FRC at 510.574.2000 and we’ll help you. Other ways to apply: Call 1.877.847.FOOD if you live elsewhere in CA Click to apply www.GetCalFresh.org/s/ffrc or
www.calfresh.dss.ca.gov/food
Fremont Family Resource Center
510.410.8392
ACCESS provides information, screening and referrals for Alameda County residents who need mental health and/or drug and alcohol treatment. ACCESS is answered by County licensed mental health clinicians Monday–Friday 8.30am to 5.00pm. After hours calls are returned by Alameda County Crisis Support Services. The telephone menu is in six languages: English, Spanish, Cantonese, Mandarin, Vietnamese, and Cambodian. ACCESS uses a telephone interpretation service for additional languages and California Relay for persons who are deaf or hard of hearing. An Alameda County Behavioral Health program.
510.574.2000 www.fremont.gov/frc /FremontFRC /FremontCares frc@fremont.gov Fremont Family Resource Center 39155 Liberty Street | Fremont | CA 94538
The City of Fremont does not discriminate on the basis of disability. If you need an accommodation, please contact the Human Services Department at 510.574.2050