La Manzana Community Resources

Our compassionate staff build a warm, friendly, safe place for the Pajaro Valley community to access resources that offer stability and hope for the future. La Manzana Community Resources is part of the Community Bridges family of programs. (Para Español, desplácese hacia abajo y en el icono de Google seleccione “Spanish.” La información estara traducida a partir de allí.)

Services

Click here for a complete list of services across our sites.

Community Advocacy

We seek to meet the needs of families through bi-lingual, bi-cultural support on both a long and short-term basis. Our drop-in advocacy support aims to help our community access resources and set goals to address issues such as housing, employment, education, domestic violence prevention, childcare and more.

Counseling

We partner with professionally pre-licensed clinical counselors to offer free counseling and advocacy to youth, families and individuals. Our services provide support for people to learn and access healthy coping skills, stress management techniques and work on other issues as needed.

Housing Navigation

We guide you through the intricate process of finding a safe and secure home. We are committed to helping you locate suitable housing options and connecting you with vital services and other providers capable of securing emergency rental assistance and additional essential resources.

Emergency Preparedness

Our mission goes beyond mere response; we believe in proactive preparedness. That’s why we are dedicated to ongoing emergency preparedness education and organization, ensuring that our community is ready to face any challenge that may arise. For more information and resources to stay prepared for disaster and emergencies, visit our Emergency Preparedness page.

Parent Education

We offer a variety of parent education classes and one-on-one sessions, including classes that address a wide range of topics including preventing tantrums, traveling in the car, managing chores, the power of self-esteem, and more. Classes, workshops, seminars and individual sessions are available in both Spanish and English, funding for the program is made available by First 5 Santa Cruz County.

Public Benefits Enrollment Assistance

Our advocates help with enrollment and reporting for government benefits and services (i.e. Cal-Fresh, unemployment, MediCal, CoveredCA). Our advocates can help you select the best healthcare program for you and your family.

Summer Lunch

During the summer months we serve lunch to children in Santa Cruz County as part of the USDA’s Summer Food Service Program. Summer Lunch provides a nutritionally balanced meal to children who may be without lunch while school is out. In collaboration with Snap-Ed, we also provide nutrition education, food sampling and physical education for children and families at the Summer Lunch sites.

Eviction Defense

Whether you’re facing an urgent situation or simply seeking a second opinion, we connect you to trusted legal representation that understands the intricacies of your unique circumstances and empowers you to face the future with confidence.

“I worked in the field for 40 years, but I can’t work anymore. This food is very important to us. I use the fruits and the vegetables to cook for my wife, she’s diabetic. I also like to come here for help filling out forms. I can’t speak English or read, so it helps me a lot.”

—Retired Farmworker & Pajaro Valley Resident