In 1995, The Community Health Alliance of Pasadena was incorporated as a non-profit organization. CHAP makes available high quality, accessible and culturally sensitive health care and other related services in an environment of care and mutual respect. Low or no cost services are available to those who meet income qualifications. .CHAP takes into account the unique needs and characteristics of the communities that they serve, providing a continuum of care throughout the lifecycle of children and adults. Their three clinics, all located in the city of Pasadena, are: the Fair Oaks Health Center at 1855 Fair Oaks Avenue; the Del Mar Health Center at 3160 Del Mar Boulevard; and the Lake Health Center at 1800 Lake Avenue. To date, these three clinics have serviced the medical and dentals needs of over 250,000 patients. In order for CHAP to continue to carry out its non-profit activities, it seeks the services of volunteers. They need volunteers from various fields of the medical profession such as Dentists, Nurse Practitioners, Registered or Licensed Vocational Nurses, Registered Dental Hygienists or Dental Assistants. In addition, they also welcome volunteers who can provide their expertise in such fields as Community Relations, Special Events and Fundraising, Health Education as well as Office Assistance

CHAP staff members are bilingual, fluent in both English and Spanish. Armenian translators can be made available to those who may require this service when they make their appointment. Both insured and uninsured patients from the San Gabriel Valley as well as residents of the Los Angeles County can avail of their services. CHAP also welcomes patients who qualify for one of the following coverage programs.

• Community Health Plan (Los Angeles County HMO)
• LA Care Health Plan
• Healthy Families
• Medi-Cal
• Denti-Cal
• Medicare
• Child Health and Disability Prevention Program (CDHP)
• Family PACT

Services are also available on a sliding fee scale. Low as well as no cost services are available to those who meet income qualifications. No one is turned away simply because they are unable to pay. New patients are welcome.
CHAP draws its support from the service fees it can collect, from contracts, grants, or donations from individuals. The funds generated from the service fees and contracts are able to meet 65% of CHAP’s annual expenses while the rest of the funds have to be raised through grants and donations from individuals. Donations to CHAP are tax deductible.

Source: http://chapcare.org/

Through the 24 locations in 4 different countries, as well as across Southern California, Ability First had been providing communities with services and programs aimed to help out adults and children alike with developmental and physical disabilities to be able and reach their optimal potential throughout their lives. Ability First operates 12 residential housing complexes which are accessible, and they also offer a wide range of recreational, socialization and employment programs for those with disabilities.

Fortunately, most of the Ability First programs are designed to qualify for support and funding through the state supported Regional Centers. However, the support from the government is not enough for Ability First to provide high quality services and programs, perhaps only half of the funds needed. Ability First is a nonprofit organization which strives on and relies heavily on the support of generous donors and others from the community.

Ability First offers programs for both children and adults alike with developmental and physical disabilities. The programs for children provided by Ability First are creative in nature, as well as helps to nurture girls and boys with learning disabilities, while teaching them the keys to life skills and build their confidence. Most importantly, everything is done in a way so the children will have fun. Families who enroll their children in Ability First programs will receive family support and access to resources. Together with their family, Ability First will be able to help the children reach their full potential. The children program are for those who are in the age range of 5 to 22 years old.

Ability First also offers programs and services for adults with disabilities as well. They are strong believers that adults with disabilities should be respected and their rights supported as well as their self-determination. They support whatever the adult wants to pursue which they find enriching, meaningful and interesting. The adult programs are for those who are 18 and above with no upper limit. With employments and day programs, Ability First helps to make the lives of everyone much more meaningful.

Source:  http://www.abilityfirst.org/

The Young and Healthy Pasadena Organization strives on four beliefs that they hold dear to. First of all, they believe that every children have the right to receive quality health care. Secondly, they believe that if everyone in the community played their part and pitched in, they will be able to ultimately improve the quality of life of the children in Pasadena. Their third belief is that they believe their missions can be successful and completed with help from other community institutions and finally they believe that it is their responsibility to support for the health need of Children in greater Pasadena.

The Young and Healthy Pasadena Organization offer services of programs for children that provides free health care services such as dental, medical, psychological, lab tests, and case-management services to children in low-income family, children who are uninsured in the Pasadena Schools, homeless shelters as well as day care center in the greater Pasadena community. The beauty of the programs is that all of the services are provided by those who volunteer to help the Young and Healthy programs such as dentists, physicians, optometrists, therapists, as well as other range of health care professionals.

The Young and Healthy Pasadena Organization also provides services of getting underprivileged children high quality health insurance. There are five health insurance programs and they are the “Healthy Families” health insurance, the “Medi-Cal” health insurance, the “Healthy Kids” health insurance, the “California Kids” health insurance, and the “KP Cares/ Kaiser Permanente” health insurance. All of these programs are either low cost or no cost but provides high quality coverage and protection, thanks to the partnership with Young and Healthy.

This noble organization had been winning humanitarian awards since 1991 until today. Play a part in helping them provide quality healthcare to the children of Pasadena as it is an investment of the future of greater Pasadena.

Soure:  http://www.youngandhealthy-pas.org/

The Pasadena Senior Center offers those in their golden years a chance to socialize, by offering classes in dance, fitness, even computers.  There is even a senior curriculum that offers center members to learn about national and international issues, their community, the arts, and other cultures.

For those seniors who would rather not take part in the educational courses offered, the Pasadena Senior Center offers a wide range of activities and clubs that are geared towards the interest of the local senior community.  The activities offered at the center are:

• Billiards
• Bridge
• Computer Lab
• Library
• Needle Arts
• Salsa Dancing
• Sing-Along Music
• Story Telling
• Table Tennis – This activity costs $2.00 per session.

While these activities are bound to entertain local seniors the Pasadena Senior Center has some fantastic clubs that center members can join.  The active clubs include:

• Asian Club
• Clara’s Craft Club
• Encore Cafe TV Production. -This club produces a television show for seniors made by seniors.
• Friendship Group.
• Grocery Bingo – This club has been playing Bingo for ten years.  The prizes offered are grocery items for the home.
• Latino Club
• Painting Club
• Poker Club
• Potpourri of Crafts
• Scrabble Club
• Senior Advocacy Council – This group works to promote the well being of California’s 55+ population.  Anyone with a yen for politics should join this group.
• Thursday Early Morning Jam

These clubs and activities offer seniors the chance to feel like they are contributing and enjoy themselves.  The Pasadena Senior Center also offers a place for seniors to grab a meal or even just a cup of coffee and socialize with their peers.

The Pasadena Senior Center also offers several outreach programs to low income senior citizens of Pasadena.  These programs are designed to aid seniors who are home bound, or do not receive that they need.  Some of the programs include:

• Braille Institute – This group teaches seniors with low or no vision basic surviving skills.  The group also offers free eye screenings.
• Fall Prevention.  Seniors are at a greater risk of experiencing falls, so this group conducts free safety checkups on those who are considered ‘fall risks’.
• Food Distribution Program – This program is geared towards low-income seniors.  Those who qualify will receive food that same day.  Participating seniors need to show a valid California ID or driver’s license, as well as income statements.

These are only a few of the outreach programs offered by the Pasadena Senior Center.  Those who are interested in other programs can contact the Pasadena Senior Center for more information.

Soure: http://www.pasadenaseniorcenter.org/

Finding a job, any job, can be a bewildering task, especially if a woman is doing it alone and for the first time. Founded by three women, the Women at Work Organization (At work) is a non-profit group that seeks to help women “reach their full employment and earnings potential in a supportive environment.” At Work became a certified non-profit organization in the Los Angeles area in 1979. Because of the inherent bias and handicap confronting women at work, generally earning less than the men at the same corporate level, in the same field, working the same hours, carrying the same responsibilities and sometimes possessing even higher educational credentials, At Work aims to even out the playing field for women at work. Over the last thirty years, At Work has been providing career guidance and job search support services to women who want to join the workforce. With the current economic downturn, At Work has extended their services to also include the men. It is currently the only non-government bilingual (English/Spanish) career and job resource center serving the Los Angeles County. At its helm are Pixie Boyden, President and Marsha V Rood, Vice-President.

One of the unique features of At Work is its Career Resource Room, which can be accessed by job seekers and those wanting to make a career change.  The career resource room allows its users to:

• Search thousands of current job openings from entry-level to professional-level
• Unlimited computer use
• Job search related office services with access to photocopy, fax and printing for a                nominal fee
• Career Library, which has books on career planning, occupations, training programs, job searching and employer profiles
• Self-serve testing and computer tutorials: to help prepare job seekers for employment exams or to brush up on their typing, 10-key and computer software skills

The career resource room also provides “Drop-In Services” for its clients. On Mondays from 11:00 AM to 12 noon, it conducts a free orientation where it explains the services offered by the Women at Work Organization as well as the other facilities it has to offer.

The career resource room also holds a weekly Job Club meeting from 12:30pm-1:30pm for job seekers led by the At Work Job Developer.  Attendees receive a list of hot jobs as well as the latest news about the job outlook for the area.  A $2 donation is requested.

A new service – Individual Resume Critiquing – is available on Mondays and Wednesdays from 1:30pm – 2:30pm. For a minimal fee of $20, one can have a 15-minute session with a career counsellor who will review and give feedback and recommendations on your resume’s content as well as its format.  Prior registration is required and is on a first-come, first-served basis.

On Tuesdays, clients can avail of free Computer User’s Assistance from  11:30am – 12:30pm .   The Computer lab is open for those who wish to practice their computer skills.  Technical assistance is available at the computer lab for the entire hour, while you practice your skills, write your resume or work on a project.  Individual instruction is limited to 15 minutes per person.

On Wednesdays, there is a free Job Seekers Assistance Group from 12:00pm – 1:00pm for all job seekers.

Latina Orientación  a las 10:30 en punto -11:30 am (Gratis) Vengan al grupo para hablar sobre los servicios ofrecidos que le aydara en su búsqueda de trabajo.

The Foothill Unity Center has one mission: to help those in desperate need. Many of the people that the Foothill Unity Center helps are:

• Unemployed
• Earning extremely low wages
• Homeless people
• Victims of domestic violence
• Emancipated young adults who are in the foster care system
• Senior citizens
• Families on welfare or who are facing a temporary crisis
• Students on limited incomes
• Individuals just released from prison

Food programs that offer nonperishable foods once a month and perishable foods once a weekThe range of people that the Foothill Unity Center helps is broad indeed, however anyone who has lived in the Greater Los Angeles area knows how difficult it is to survive.  The people who work at the Foothill Unity Clinic understand this, and want to help.  They offer a wide array of services to the area.  These services include:

• A homebound grocery program that serves senior citizens and those on disability
• A bag lunch program that offers sustainable bag lunches for those who cannot store food or are homeless
• Free physician visits for homeless persons
• Free vision and dental programs for those in need
• Motel Voucher programs for those who are in a crisis situation and need a temporary place to stay until they can find a long term solution
• Transitional Services for victims of domestic violence
• Pet Food Bank – This service helps pet owners with food and other needed supplies

The Foothill Unity Center also has a back-to-school program for those lacking clothing andschool supplies, as well a Thanksgiving Day dinner and a program to ensure that children from low-income families have a good Christmas.  The Foot Hill Unity Center serves eleven cities in Los Angeles County:

• Altadena
• Arcadia
• Azusa
• Baldwin Park
• Bradbury
• Durante
• Irwindale
• Monrovia
• Pasadena
• Sierra Madre
• South Pasadena

The Foothill Unity Center has been helping people since 1980, and has grown to serve over 4000 people in the area.  With economic hardships that do not seem to be going away, an organization like the Foothill Unity Center is critical.  Not only are they helping those who are facing economic hardships they are also helping those who are living in fear of an abusive spouse or boyfriend.  The Foothill Unity Center is always looking for volunteers or donations.  Anyone interested can contact a facility in the area for more information.

Source: http://www.foothillunitycenter.org/

The training center that they overlook are equipped with facilities such as a public resource area which is open to the public to look through the job match search system; resource labs which is equipped with amenities such as telephones, computers, a fax machine, printer, copier and internet access; computer training lab which holds classes, programs and courses on hands on computer training; and conference rooms where workshops, programs and trainings are held.

The career center aims to help people to get jobs which are better and the right fit for each individuals who seek their help. The Foothill Workforce Investment Board career specialists will go all out to ensure that people get the job that they need, which suits their set of skills and talents. They help by preparing you for job, as well as opening opportunities and teaching you on ways to get the perfect job that you want. All that needs to be done is to book an appointment with their career specialists for them to help with looking for the right work.

Their career center also offers a Layoff Recovery program from those who are unfortunate to get laid off. Using various effective tools which are designed especially for job seekers such as career planning, skills assessment, resume preparation tips, interviewing skills as well as access to employment statistics, they are able to help almost anyone to land the job that they want.

Among other targeted job search programs that they offer are the likes of the Veteran Services which helps US Veterans to land the perfect job after service, a Trade Adjustment Assistance program where they to help those who lost their jobs due to trade shifts, as well as an Experience Unlimited program to help those with plenty of experience and high position who had lost their job to get back a similar position. They also offer Youth Services to help high school, college and University graduates to land the perfect job as well as career planning.

Source: http://www.fwibworks.org/

Started in 1973, today the Union Station Foundation had become one of the most biggest social service agency in aiding those who either have very low income, or are homeless. Their main goal is to assist everyone who are in need to rebuild their lives as well as cutting down the rate of homelessness. The many programs of the Union Station Foundation had helped countless people in so many ways, and they are doing a great job in making sure that everyone in Pasadena who are in need are not left out.

One of the Union’s most popular program is its community meal programs such as its annual holiday meals in the park program, and its USHS meal program. The USHS meal programs are often done in the Union Station Homeless Services hospitality center and is done on a weekly basis where the community could help to support various programs such as the Adopt A Meal program, Sack Lunch Program, Hot Lunch Program and Adopt An Item Program which are designed to feed everyone at their hospitality center.

The Union Station Foundation ‘s annual holidays meal in the park program is considered to be as one of the nation’s biggest community potluck event every year. They often hold it on Thanksgiving and Christmas. This event is aimed to provide warm meals to those who are in need in downtown Pasadena, as well as to make everyone feel like home and less lonely during the festive seasons. Besides food, they aim to give poor children toys as well during Christmas.

You can give back to the community and volunteer for its program, especially for this coming Christmas, you may head over to this website and register for one of its venue under the “How You Can Volunteer” section.

Among the most wanted menus for its 2011 Christmas dinner in the park program are the likes of ham, roasted potatoes, green bean casserole, corn, green salad, fruit cocktails, dinner rolls, pie and coffee. While the most wanted menu and supplies are the likes of ham, fresh potatoes, corn, green beans, canned pineapple, fresh apples, salad greens, ranch dressing, dinner rolls, pies, coffee, table covers and trash bags.

Go ahead, do your part now and give back to the community by helping the Union Station Homeless Services foundation and its Christmas dinner in the park program.

Not everyone who does not earn a lot of money is eligible for Section 8 housing. Eligibility is based on the annual gross income total along with the size of the family. While there are many considerations, a general rule would be that the total income could not exceed 50 percent of the median income for the area that the family will be living in. If a household is determined to be eligible after evaluating those standards, they will be provided a voucher for housing.

The amount of the voucher will be determined by the household income as compared to the median income for the area where the family will be living. It all sounds a little complicated, but it is as simple as providing the agent handling your case with your income documents and the rest is all taken care of by the agency handling your case. To apply you can contact your local public housing agency or visit a Housing and Urban Development (HUD) office near you and they will walk you through the process. You can find out more about the federal Section 8 program by looking at these websites:

• http://portal.hud.gov/hudportal/HUD?src=/topics/housing_choice_voucher_program_section_8
• http://portal.hud.gov/hudportal/HUD?src=/states.

It is important to consider that there may be a waiting list in your area. If this is the case, you should make every effort to get your application in well in advance of your need for new housing. Try to plan ahead and if you are unable to secure housing before you need a new place to stay try to make arrangements with friends or family.

If you are in the Pasadena, CA area, The Section 8 Rental Assistance Program is the program that you will be looking at to provide you with low-income housing in Pasadena, CA. A federally funded program provides households with housing vouchers that allow them to locate affordable, clean and livable housing for their families. Although the burden of locating the housing is up to the household, it is not as difficult as it may seem. A visit to the Housing Department’s website, Pasadena Housing Search, will allow households to find properties. This is a free resource and provides people with a starting point for their search for housing. There is also a affordable rental housing list available from the program that will aid people in finding low-income housing. The most important thing to remember in all of this process is to get your financial information organized and available and then locate the nearest agency in your area or the area that you will be seeking affordable housing in to begin the process. Because low-income housing can be limited in some areas, it is important to plan ahead if at all possible.

The most effective way to find good senior housing in Pasadena is to ask around friends, family or colleagues for suggestions. Some of them might have great suggestions. List the top 5 senior housing that you get and survey one by one properly. Find out each pros and cons of the houses as well as possibilities of your loved ones to live comfortably there. Ask for their suggestions as well if they would be happy there.

Another good way to find senior housing in Pasadena, California is to simply make an internet search. There will be plenty of results, and you can also easily survey and read about the place at the comfort of your home without having to visit those places. Only when you are serious, you could give them a call and visit the place the check out and see if it is suitable for your loved ones. Never forget to enquire the rates and fees and make comparisons.

For example, and internet search on the term “Senior housing in Pasadena, California” brings up various results on the first page itself, such as the trusted The Pasadena Senior Center. This is actually quite a great place as it offers activities, recreation, games, and even wellness and fitness programs to keep the homebound seniors occupied and productive.

Besides the Pasadena senior center, there are plenty of other senior housing facilities as well. However, if your loved ones face conditions where they require assistance to live their daily live, then it is best to look for assisted living facilities in Pasadena. The internet search terms can be changed as well according to your location and situation.

There are plenty of assisted living facilities in Pasadena, California. Most promises to offer assistance, but be sure to survey around first and look for the best. Senior houses such as Silverado, Sunrise, Emeritus and many more offer assisted living as well. Be sure to look for the best as it is about your loved ones.