Toberman Neighborhood Center

Profile

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Key Facts

Target demographics:
youth, children, families and community!

Geographic areas served:
In the Harbor Area

Year founded:
1971

Programs

Since 1903, Toberman Neighborhood Center (Toberman) has provided health and human services throughout Los Angeles County, as stated in our mission, “to build a healthy, vibrant community through addressing the challenges that prevent youth and families from reaching their full potential.” Toberman welcomes children, youth and families by offering programs to improve the quality of life towards building a safe and healthy community. Toberman currently serves 8,000+ individuals and families a year who reside in greater Los Angeles, with a focus on the Harbor areas of San Pedro, Wilmington, Harbor City, Harbor Gateway and Long Beach.

Toberman’s target demographics are male, female, children, non-binary preteens, adolescents, and young adults ages ranging from 4-26. The population are marginalized, Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC), from socially disadvantaged groups. Individuals served are from ethnically and culturally diverse backgrounds. The majority (82.2%) served are Hispanic/Latinx, 8.2% White, 6.6% Black/African American, 2.4% Asian/Pacific Islander, and 0.6% Other. While 54.8% of individuals speak English in the target area, 30.8% speak Spanish or a combination of Spanish and English. The client ages served are 24.1% children ages 5-12 years, 15.2% adolescents ages 13-17 years, and 34.9% Adults ages 18-26. Approximately 75% of individuals served through Toberman are youth/young adults ages 10-24 years. Most of the youth served through Toberman live at the 300% Federal Poverty Level (FPL) and above, with 29% receiving Food Stamps and 95% living with multiple generations of low-income housing. More than 50% of our community members live below the 300%-400% FPL, and many families experience intergenerational poverty without access to traditional resources or public benefits to improve their wellbeing. Program services include:

Family Source Center: For over 15 years, Toberman has provided supportive services to individuals and families during their most challenging times through the Toberman Family Source Center (FSC), serving over 2.500 clients annually. To address the needs of the most under-represented and marginalized members of our community, Toberman has provided assessments to identify the gaps in services and client needs, one-on-one case management, the development of a customer service plan to help coordinate services towards individual and family self-sufficiency, access to a comprehensive list of programs and social services, and basic needs through the Toberman Food Pantry, Thrift Store, and Emergency Financial Assistance—a one-stop—service delivery model at Toberman. Toberman has collaborated with key community stakeholders through the FSC, which includes Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) for families with school-aged children, the County and State departments for multi-benefit screening and assistance with Medi-Cal, CalFresh, LIHEAP and CalWORKS, and community based organizations and businesses to provide financial coaching and income tax preparation, housing stability services, legal services, immigration workshops, and pre-employment/employment assistance.

Gang Reduction and Youth Development (GRYD): For over 20 years, Toberman has provided gang prevention and intervention community services through the City of Los Angeles Mayor’s Office of Gang Reduction and Youth Development (GRYD). Through intervention activities and collaboration with community organizations with the goal of improving the health and well-being of families and communities, program services have promoted the positive decision making and behaviors among youth and young adults. Through GRYD, Toberman has helped more than 2,500 youth through the following: 1) Gang prevention case management using problem-solving strategies, addressing challenges and strengthening families; 2) Diversion services for young people who come into contact with law enforcement; 3) Programs for positive youth development and connections, such as Peacemaking activities to prevent violence before it occurs; 4) Providing safe-passage and dispute mediation; 5) Systems navigation services to provide linkages and referrals to address individual needs. Participants work directly with Toberman staff to access community resources, supportive services, substance abuse programs, life skills courses, anger management, domestic violence support groups, job readiness/certification programs, and other programs promoting health and wellness; 6) Housing and Financial stability/assistance (ex. rent, utilities, financial literacy, banking); 7) Educational support (ex. enrollment, basic needs, classes, GED, certificate); 8) Legal services; 9) Employment services (ex. job readiness, training, search, resumé); 10) Parenting curriculum; and 11) Mentorship,

Ready 2 Rise Mental Health Services and Independent Living Skills: The Ready 2 Rise Mental Health Services and Independent Living Skills program offers activities towards empowering youth to build academic/cognitive development, socio-emotional development, physical health, mental health, and/or identity development. A social worker (MSW/LCSW) provides early onsite mental health assessment, prevention, screening, treatment, and referral to appropriate diagnosis and medical treatment as needed.

Through a holistic approach to delivering program services rather than focusing on single issues and deficits, Toberman mental health and independent living skills activities are based on a series of program models to support the values of the Positive Youth Development model. The foundation of the delivery of services is the use of the Biopsychosocial model, which addresses key strategies to promote biological, psychological, and social factors in an integrated way. This model provides a comprehensive framework for understanding and supporting positive youth development by recognizing the complex interplay of factors that shape outcomes for young people.

Food Distribution Program: The Toberman Food Distribution Program has been in existence for more than 30-years with the overall goal of supporting Toberman clients and community-wide individuals to address food insecurity by providing healthy and nutritious food. The Food Distribution Program includes the successful implementation of the Toberman Mobile Food Pantry and the Grab & Go Program. The Food Pantry collects food and provides healthy groceries to families in the Harbor Area and the Grab & Go Meal program provides meals to the community. The Toberman Food Distribution Program distributes healthy groceries to clients through weekly food distributions that occur during regular business hours. Toberman clients who do not have access to transportation or are homebound can register to receive food deliveries to their home once a week. In addition, the Food Distribution Program offers Grab & Go Meals for the community onsite, Monday through Friday from 3:30-5:30pm.

Afterschool Programs/Youth Development: Serving underserved children grades 7-12 to address academic achievement, Toberman provides supervised recreational activities in a safe environment, educational courses, tutoring, study skills training, secondary school completion, and mentoring.

The afterschool and summer program offered is the Toberman Tech Club for Aviation Sciences. The program provides the tools, knowledge, and opportunities to explore and excel in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. This support is not just a contribution towards our programs; it's a commitment to nurturing the next generation of innovators, thinkers, and leaders. Students from diverse backgrounds can shatter stereotypes and empower individuals to pursue a career in STEAM fields, which provides opportunistic careers with lower unemployment rates and a higher quality of living. The dynamic program is designed to immerse students in the exciting world of STEAM. Our primary aim is to spark curiosity and inspire exploration in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. This approach not only teaches fundamental principles but also fosters creativity and divergent thinking.

Sports League: For over 10 years, Toberman has provided indoor and outdoor sports activities to over 5,000 marginalized children and youth who have experienced traumatic life events. Regular physical activities, such as youth sports, has been linked to improved cognitive function and reduced symptoms of anxiety and depression. Participation in team sports fosters social interaction and the development of inter-personal skills, leading to positive relationships to create a sense of belonging and support. Success and improvement in sports increases self-esteem and confidence and teaches resilience and perseverance, which are strong attributes for maintaining mental and physical well-being.

Toberman offers free afterschool and weekend sports activities through the Let Them Play sports program, with the goal of improving well-being and quality of life through positive physical activities to prevent poor mental and physical health and to decrease the involvement with the justice system and law enforcement. Youth engage with a Case Manager to assess and discuss their needs in terms of effective sports participation as a component of Trauma Informed Care. Fundamental sports activities for Let Them Play, are provided indoors at Toberman’s gymnasium and outdoors in the large parking lot outside the gym.