|
A History of Caring
For fifty years, Community Services Agency (CSA) has
been providing vital social services for residents of Mountain View,
Los Altos, and Los Altos Hills. We understand that hardship can come
at any time and knows no age limit. We provide a safety net so that
independence and self-sufficiency can be restored and maintained.
An evolving name reflects an evolving
organization
CSA has grown from humble origins. In 1957, a group of Mountain
View residents, concerned about the welfare of low-income families
in the city, gathered to talk about the plight of the local migrant
farm workers. They decided to form the Mountain View Welfare Council
to address the needs of this population. Within a year, the council
was incorporated, and it was planning its first sharing of holiday
gifts for families.
By 1967, the interests of the council had expanded to include
housing issues, immigration issues, and the needs of senior
citizens. Accordingly, its name was changed to the Mountain View
Community Council.
With a move into larger, permanent office space in 1974, the
organization changed its name once again, this time to Mountain View
Community Services, reflecting the increasing services provided,
such as meals and counseling.
CSA assumed its present name, Community Services Agency, in 1982, in
recognition of a client base that extends through Los Altos to Los
Altos Hills.
A growing repertoire of programs and services
CSA’s first program in 1958 was a holiday gift distribution
called Christmas Clearance. Later called Santa Claus Exchange, the
program remains today an important element of CSA’s work, now the
Holiday Sharing program.
CSA’s Emergency Assistance program
began in 1961, with counseling and referral services provided to
troubled families by a Welfare Coordinator.
In 1968, CSA initiated a Senior Services
program, providing information and referral services to elderly
residents of the community, so that they could remain in their homes
as long as they might be comfortable there. Nutrition services were
added in 1974, comprising meals, recreation, and educational
seminars.
1974 was a big year for the agency. Clothing
distribution was added to a growing list of Emergency Assistance
services. Also, the agency moved into larger facilities at 204
Stierlin Road, Mountain View. Interior painting of the building was
performed by clients and board members, while volunteers from the
Mountain View Police Department handled the move from the old office
space to the new.
Another milestone occurred in 1977, with the
initiation of food service to the needy.
CSA’s Emergency Assistance program added crisis
intervention services in 1982 and the Community Kitchen (food
distribution) and financial assistance services in 1983. The Senior
Services program added transportation in 1983 and case management in
1984.
In 1989, the agency launched a new Homeless
Services program designed to lift the homeless up from their
situation to rejoin society. The Alpha Omega Shelter was the first
service offered, in cooperation with 17 local churches.
CSA conducted a capital campaign and
dramatically upgraded its facility in 1990. Among other features,
the building had greater capacity for food service, then termed the
Food Closet.
The Homeless Services program stepped up in
1995 with the creation of Graduate House, a transitional housing
facility managed by Project Match. CSA was a partner in this
facility.
In 1998, CSA fundamentally changed the nature
of its Food and Nutrition program by creating the Food Pantry
(grocery store for the needy) at the Stierlin Road facility and
discontinuing its meals program.
Another fundamental change occurred in 2006,
when CSA discontinued the rotating homeless shelter in favor of
enhanced case management services, pursuing the demonstrated
“housing first” model for serving the homeless. The revised program
is now called Alpha Omega Homeless Services.
Programs Originated or Facilitated by
Community Services Agency
Throughout its history, CSA has been a source for new,
innovative social services within the community. Many of these
services are now administered by other agencies. A few examples:
- The first day care center in Mountain
View, now Whisman Child Care Center.
- Mountain View Community Health Center, now
managed by a community group.
- Transportation services for students in
English as a Second Language (ESL) classes, now operated through
Mountain View-Los Altos Adult Education.
- The first Brownie and Scout groups for
minority children, now integrated into the Girl Scouts.
The agency has also sought and established
partnerships with other nonprofit providers, to ensure their
delivery to CSA’s clients. Examples: Women Infants and Children,
Lawmobile, and Rotacare.
CSA Today
Mature at age fifty, CSA now follows a strategy
of first contact for the community’s needy, providing fundamental
services and referring clients to other agencies for additional
services.
Caring for the homeless
CSA’s Alpha Omega Homeless Services provides
case management, direct assistance, and referral services (most
importantly housing) to individuals and families. CSA partners with
numerous other county service providers, assembling a comprehensive
package of assistance to the local homeless population.
Caring for the working poor and unemployed
CSA’s Food and Nutrition Center supplements the
nutrition requirements of needy families with fresh and staple
groceries. Food items are contributed by community supermarkets and
by nonprofit organizations like Second Harvest Food Bank and Hidden
Villa.
CSA’s Emergency Assistance program provides a
much needed helping hand to those afflicted with short-term severe
needs. Assistance includes rent, utility payments, short-term
shelter, medical purchases, and many services for children,
especially related to school.
Holiday Sharing, providing food to families and
fun toys to kids, is a joyful program that draws together volunteers
and clients from throughout the community.
Caring for the elderly
Senior Services is the fastest-growing CSA
program, reflecting the growth of the elderly population in our
community. Case managers deliver in-home assessments, counseling,
referrals, and educational seminars, designed to allow local seniors
to remain safe and independent.
Our Senior Nutrition Program at the Mountain
View Senior Center serves subsidized hot lunches every weekday,
countering the isolation and apathy that can afflict the elderly.
|
