Toms River, NJ (April 22, 2013) – Recently the Latino
Outreach of Monmouth and Ocean Counties met at the Ocean County Family Success Center (OCFSC) to share information about the impact of Hurricane Sandy on the
Latino community, highlight new or unknown programs that may be helpful to the jointly served population, and participate in a focus group to gather information about post-Sandy effects on residents and agencies serving the affected communities of the Jersey Shore. Representatives of nearly a dozen organizations joined the focus group which was made possible by a 1-year grant awarded by the
State to The Children’s Home Society of New Jersey (CHS of NJ), the sponsoring agency of OCFSC.
“The Ocean County Family Success Center and CHS of NJ are proud to be coordinating relief efforts with our community partners to provide the critical assistance to the families in these hard-hit communities of Ocean and
Monmouth Counties,” said Maritza Raimundi-Petroski, Director of Maternal/Child Health Family and Community Support Services at CHS. “The needs of the Latino community are often under met due to cultural differences and language barriers that prevent these individuals from finding resources that can truly help when needed. We’re working together to overcome these hurdles and help those who might not otherwise connect with the assistance that
is available.”
The focus group was facilitated by Fatima Reynolds, Family
Partnership Specialist of OCFSC and Lindsey Warne, an intern at OCFSC. Attendees were divided into three groups to address a set of questions directed at determining how many Sandy-impacted families have come to the group of agencies for assistance and how service practices are changing as a result of the disaster. Participants included representatives from The New Jersey State Department of Child Protection & Permanency, Ocean County
W.I.C, Center for Immigration Services, Monmouth Family Health Center, Leap, Inc. /Head Start, and Ocean, Inc. /Head Start. One common example of the changes in agencies serving the hurricane victims is that staff are seeing expanded and increased responsibilities and
reaching beyond their expertise to help families in need.
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“We have to bridge the gap with the Latino cultures and government agencies in cultural competency,” said Juan Munoz of the American Red Cross who advertized that the
organization will “take anyone with an unmet need.”
OCFSC will conduct these additional focus groups throughout April:
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St. Paul’s Church, 423 W. Lake Avenue, Bay Head, NJ 08742 Thursday, April 25th,
3:30 - 5:00 pm (Childcare provided)
Light breakfast and refreshments will be served
Harvey Cedars Bible Conference, 12 Cedars
Avenue, Harvey Cedars, NJ 08008 Tuesday, April 30th, 11:00 – 2:00 pm (Childcare provided)
Lunch and refreshments will be served
The Ocean County Family Success Center, 1433 Hooper Avenue, Suite 121, Toms River, NJ 08753 Wednesday, May 8th, 5:30 - 7:30 pm (Childcare provided)
Spanish language session * Esta sesión va ser en Español
Dinner and refreshments will be served
Please call 732-557-5037 or e-mail LWarne@CHSofNJ.org to register.
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About the
Ocean County Family Success Center
The Ocean County Family Success Center is the third Family Success Center to be opened and managed by The Children’s Home Society of New Jersey. State funding is provided through a competitive grant awarded by the New Jersey Department of Children and Families, Division of Prevention and Community Partnerships.
Hours of operation are Monday through Friday
8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. with some evening and weekend events. A monthly calendar of events can be found
online at www.chsofnj.org. The
Ocean County Family Success Center is located at 1433 Hooper Avenue, Suite 121,
Toms River, New Jersey, 08753.
About the Children’s Home Society
of New Jersey
The Children’s Home Society of New Jersey is a nonprofit child and family serving agency whose mission is to save children’s lives and build healthy families. Founded in 1894, the agency protects abused or neglected infants and at-risk children by insuring stable, permanent, and loving homes for each and every child it serves. All services are confidential and most are free. For more information, visit The Children’s Home Society of New Jersey website at chsofnj.org.
