Drop-in Center for Transition Age Youth Opens in North Hollywood

On April 19, The Village Family Services, a leading family wellness agency providing safety and permanency to children and youth, hosted a grand opening and ribbon cutting ceremony for their new drop-in facility serving at-risk; foster; lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or questioning (LGBTQ); and homeless youth. Los Angeles County Board Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky, and California 46th District Assembly Member Adrin Nazarian joined San Fernando Valley residents in celebrating the grand opening of drop-in@thevillagefs, located at 6801 Coldwater Canyon Avenue in North Hollywood.

“This drop-in center will provide an ability to address all of the issues that affect [transition age youth] in a comprehensive way. That’s why we were happy to provide the start-up funding for this project,” said Supervisor Yaroslavsky.

Speaking of the youths who will be served by the center, he said, “They deserve the same opportunity, the same sense of hope, the same sense of respect and dignity that each and every one of us expects for ourselves.”

“This is a very exciting day for Irma [Seilicovich] and me. As founders of The Village Family Services, our hearts are always with the most vulnerable members of our community,” said CEO Hugo C. Villa.

The Village Family Services has been providing trauma-informed services to youth for more than 13 years. Villa said the event was historic because of the strategic location of the drop-in@thevillagefs within Valley Community Clinic, a federally qualified health clinic, and adjacent to their Teen Clinic. The new facility will provide a safe place where youth can receive integrated supportive services including mental health counseling, case management, primary health care, and HIV and health-prevention services. They can also engage in vocational training and employment services; find educational advancement resources; and link with substance abuse prevention services. Additionally, homeless youth will be provided with basic needs such as showers, laundry and meals.

To learn more about The Village Family Services, visit www.thevillagefs.org.

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