LA familia central valley (lfcv) was established to fill a growing need in the local community: a behavioral health home for those experiencing lifes challenges in stanislaus and merced counties

This Project Grant award of $999,860.00 from the U.S. Department of Justice's Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) under the STOP School Violence Program (CFDA 16.839) will support the "Un Paso Adelante" initiative by La Familia Central Valley (LFCV), a non-profit organization. The funding will enable LFCV to provide mental health services, staff training, and educational campaigns for students, families, and school personnel in the Riverbank Unified School District (RUSD) and Hilmar Unified School District (HUSD). Key objectives include reducing school violence, diverting students from justice involvement, and increasing the ability to recognize and respond to mental health crises. Strategies include individualized student support, family counseling, campus-wide psychoeducation, and evidence-based staff training such as Youth Mental Health First Aid. The project aims to decrease violent incidents, bullying, and recidivism, while improving students' perceptions of school safety and climate.

This project, named UN paso adelante, will add local treatment services to two school districts: riverbank unified school district (rusd) and hilmar unified school district (husd). Rusd, located in stanislaus county, has a community of 24,800 residents and serves over 3,100 students. 82% of those students are latino, 54.7% qualify for free or reduced lunch, and 36.5% are english learners. 65% of rusd students are socioeconomically disadvantaged. Husd, located in merced county, has a community of over 9,500 residents and serves 2,400 students. 46.2% are latino, 47.9% qualify for free or reduced lunch, and 23% are english learners. 51% of husd students are socioeconomically disadvantaged. Lfcv will train school personnel, educate students and families on common mental health concerns and violence indicators, and hire two staff therapists to provide intensive services to the most at-risk students to decrease school violence, divert students from justice involvement, and increase staff and community ability to recognize and intervene in mental health crises and secure treatment. The tiered support program for students will include the following strategies: (1) programming for the most at-risk students (individualized support and intervention, including EL joven noble group counseling sessions); (2) individual and family counseling sessions, including cara y corazon training for parents; (3) programming for all students (campus-wide educational campaigns, classroom psychoeducational groups, and resources); (4) professional development for teachers and staff (a samhsa and what works clearinghouse designated evidence-based practice called youth mental health first aid); (5) parent involvement (outreach to parents to reduce the stigma associated with mental health treatment, explain program benefits, and promote the benefits of involvement in the programs offered; parent workshops and trainings); (6) technological support (recordings of ymhfa training and other educational meetings with students and parents will be easily accessible with students, parents, and community members). Lfcvs program aims to reduce violent incidents in both districts by 10%, reduce justice-involvement recidivism rates among participants in EL joven noble interventions, decrease the percentage of incidents of bullying on campus by 15%, increase the percentage of students who believe that their school has an anti-bullying climate by 10%, and increase the percentage of students who perceive school as very safe.