Spanish American Committee
Spanish American Committee
216-961-2100
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The Families First Program

How the Families First Program Helps Our Latino Community

The mission of the Families First Program by the Spanish American Committee is to provide ladders of opportunity that help low-income individuals and families break the cycle of poverty and become self-sufficient. The Families First Program takes a comprehensive approach to support families who are struggling to meet their basic needs. Our clients gain access to a wide range of culturally competent case management social services. Our Case Managers and Social Workers help our clients to navigate community resources.

 

 

 

Case Management

  • Encouraging individuals to identify their primary barriers and seek guidance from Case Managers with prioritizing their needs
  • Connection to community resources for those experiencing homelessness
  • Help applying for public assistance programs including (but not limited to): SNAP, Medicaid, PRC, Unemployment, Social Security, Childcare Vouchers, and Utility Assistance
  • Distribution of basic needs items including toiletries, baby products, school supplies, and boxes of produce
  • Client advocacy, especially for Spanish-only speaking clients
  • Spanish translation services for phone calls and documents related to accessing benefits or basic needs (excludes legal documents and tax forms)
  • Technology Assistance including navigating online systems 
  • Assistance with applying for ID documents including birth certificates, passports, licenses and replacement social security cards
  • Creo En Ti ("I Believe In You") Women’s Support Group offered throughout the year
  • Community activities and events to meet the current needs of our clients 
  • Referrals to Cleveland Furniture Bank of qualifying families (client must cover the $180 cost of furniture and delivery)

Walk-In Hours

  • Weekly on Thursday’s from 9:00am - 12:00pm
  • We serve clients in the order that they arrive

Domestic Violence Support

  • Referrals to community resources in cases of domestic violence
  • In partnership with the Journey Center for Safety & Healing, we offer weekly onsite domestic violence counseling

Identification Crisis Collaborative

  • We provide vouchers that cover the cost of ID documents for income eligible clients 
  • Support in navigating the process when clients have expired documents

Legal Advice Clinics

  • In partnership with MJB Immigration, we offer monthly on-site legal advice clinics for immigration inquiries on the first Saturday of the month.

Entrepreneurship Support

  • In partnership with JumpStart Inc., we offer onsite bilingual one-on-one advising for businesses of all stages