One-Stop Government Assistant Shops to Open
The FamilySource Centers simplify application process
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If you're confused by all the government bureaucracy when applying for assistance programs, help is on the way.
Needy Angelenos now have better chance of getting government help with the announcement Monday of the opening of 21 one-stop shops for applying to anti-poverty programs.
The FamilySource Centers allow families to fill out only one form to apply for several anti-poverty programs provided by federal, state, county and city governments.
"We are going to better connect services to the people who need it most with our 21 FamilySource centers located in our hardest-hit neighborhoods," Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa said during a ceremony at the Community Build FamilySource Center in south Los Angeles.
The program aims to help 50,000 families every year apply for a variety of programs including child health car, tax credits, auto insurance, and nutrition.
Only five centers are operated by the city. The remaining 16 are run by community-based organizations who each provide extensive case management to at least 350 families.
The 21 centers -- the first of which opened in January -- will receive $18 million in funding through the federal Community Development Block Grant program.
