40th Anniversary - Families Forward
  • About
    • Our Story, Mission, Vision & Values
    • Leadership, Staff & Board of Directors
    • News & Updates
    • Financial Information
    • Family Homelessness in OC
    • Welcome OC Gateway to Housing
  • Services
    • Request Services
    • Housing Program
    • Affordable Housing
    • Community Market
    • Resources
  • Donate
    • Donate Now
    • Monthly Giving
    • Margie Legacy Fund
    • Holiday Giving Programs
    • Back to School Giving
    • Join our Circle of Impact
    • Planned Giving
    • Community Market Donations
    • Host a Food Drive
      • Schedule a Donation Drive
    • Shop and Donate
    • Thank You to Our Donors
    • Donor FAQs
  • Get Involved
    • Become a Housing Partner
    • Employment Opportunities
    • Volunteer Opportunities
    • Young Professionals
  • Events
    • Help Them Home
    • Gala
  • Connect
    • Contact Us
    • Request a Tour
DONATE
  • About
    • Our Story, Mission, Vision & Values
    • Leadership, Staff & Board of Directors
    • News & Updates
    • Financial Information
    • Family Homelessness in OC
    • Welcome OC Gateway to Housing
  • Services
    • Request Services
    • Housing Program
    • Affordable Housing
    • Community Market
    • Resources
  • Donate
    • Donate Now
    • Monthly Giving
    • Margie Legacy Fund
    • Holiday Giving Programs
    • Back to School Giving
    • Join our Circle of Impact
    • Planned Giving
    • Community Market Donations
    • Host a Food Drive
      • Schedule a Donation Drive
    • Shop and Donate
    • Thank You to Our Donors
    • Donor FAQs
  • Get Involved
    • Become a Housing Partner
    • Employment Opportunities
    • Volunteer Opportunities
    • Young Professionals
  • Events
    • Help Them Home
    • Gala
  • Connect
    • Contact Us
    • Request a Tour

Community Resources

 

Logo for 211 Orange County. Their logo design is a speech bubble with 211 prominently displayed in the bubble. Below the bubble is the text: Orange County. Get connected, get help.

Dial 2-1-1 to reach a free, 24-hour information and referral helpline linking you to thousands of local health and human service programs in the area, or visit www.211oc.org.

RefugeLink – Locate essential services through this Orange County/LA-based “Essential services locator app”

Clothing Donation Resources

Assistance League
Locations in Capistrano Valley, Fullerton, Garden Grove, Huntington Beach, Irvine, Laguna Beach, Newport-Mesa, Orange, Saddleback, Santa Ana, and Tustin
assistanceleague.org/irvine/thrift-shop

Cinderella’s Closet OC
Donations of formal dresses, formal shoes, and jewelry for youth
cinderellasclosetoc.com

Goodwill of Orange County
Multiple locations
ocgoodwill.org/donate-goods

Laura’s House
Locations in Aliso Viejo, Costa Mesa, Lake Forest, San Juan Capistrano
Also accepts home furnishings and houseware
laurashouse.org/resale-stores/#donationguidelines

Mercy Warehouse
info@mercywarehouse.com
(949) 910-0024
mercywarehouse.com/donations

Working Wardrobes
Donations of professional attire
workingwardrobes.org/donate-clothing

Furniture Donation Resources

Habitat for Humanity ReStore
habitat.org/restores/donate-goods

The Society of Saint Vincent de Paul District Council of Orange
1 (800) 974-3571
svdpoc.org/contact

Financial Education Resources

South County Outreach
(949) 380-8144
South County Outreach offers a weekly financial education series to provide you with the information and resources needed for you to unlock your financial potential.

Food Resources

  • Visit 211.org to locate a food pantry near you.
  • Text FOOD to 877877 and receive a message back with a location closest to where school aged children can get free summer meals (breakfast and lunch).
  • Visit ocfoodhelp.org to find food pantries in Orange County.

Seasonal Resources

  • Free activities for kids in Orange County
  • Free things to do in Orange County this summer
  • List of fairs and festivals in southern California
  • Free Summer Concerts and Movies in the Park

Are you an employer looking for dedicated and trainable candidates in difficult-to-fill roles? Partner with Families Forward! Our partners identify employment opportunities within their companies, and trained Families Forward staff match those opportunities to a motivated candidate who’s been provided career coaching, resume building, and appropriate work attire. We guide our clients (parents and older teens in Orange County) to ensure that they receive any necessary certifications and trainings. Join career partners such as Disneyland, Goodwill OC, and Orange County Transportation Authority today.

Are you an organization that assists families with career and employment services? Hosting an upcoming employment fair? Connect with Families Forward! We assist families in Orange County as they find and maintain safe and stable housing—and career services are often the largest need for families. We work with community resources to boost attendance numbers and potential candidates, candidates who are motivated to grow their income and provide for their families.

Career Resources

Chrysalis Orange County
290 S. Anaheim Blvd., Anaheim, CA 92805
(714) 204-3000
www.changelives.org
For employment preparation classes, resume review, practice interviews, transitional jobs and guided job search.

Cielo – Community for Innovation, Entrepreneurship, Leadership & Opportunities
1231 Warner Ave, Tustin, Ca. 92780
(714) 756-2006 or info[at]cielocommunity.org
cielocommunity.org
For individualized entrepreneurial coaching, resources, and support. Services include small business start up program, monthly workshop series, one-on-one consulting.

H.I.R.E.- Hub for Integration, Reentry, & Employment
North Orange County: 675 Placentia Ave., Ste. 330, Brea, CA 92821
South Orange County: 28202 Cabot Rd., Ste. 140, Laguna Niguel, CA 92677
www.hireoc.org
For career services, mock interviews, resume building, employment search, employment workshops and employment fairs. Youth and adults with criminal backgrounds only. Agency only provides services to clients virtually.

OC Workforce Solutions
North Orange County: 675 Placentia Ave., Ste. 330, Brea, CA 92821
South Orange County: 28202 Cabot Rd., Ste. 140, Laguna Niguel, CA 92677
ocworkforcesolutions.com
For career consultations, job search assistance, paid work experience, career resources, support services, and training programs.

Tierney Center for Veterans
1231 Warner Ave, Tustin, CA 92780
(855) 998-3837
www.ocgoodwill.org/tierney-center
For career counseling and supportive employment services. Veterans only.

UPSKILL OC
18012 Mitchell South Irvine, CA 92614
(949) 660-7600
unitedwayoc.org/our-work/united-for-financial-security/upskill-oc
For employment focusing on middle-skill job sectors in Orange County in- Healthcare, the trades, technology.

Working Wardrobes
1851 Kettering Street, Irvine, CA 92614
(714) 210-2460
www.workingwardrobes.org
For career consultations, financial education, computer lab access, career resource library access, and professional work attire.

Youth Employment Services

Taller San Jose Hope Builders
801 N. Broadway, Santa Ana, CA 92701
www.tsjhopebuilders.org
For training and placements within the industries of business applications, clinical medical assisting, construction and information technology. Ages 18-28 only.

Yesworks-Youth Employment Services
114 E. 19th street, Costa Mesa, CA 92627
(949) 642-0474
www.yesworks.org
For employment skills and personal finances workshops, mock interviews, and job search assistance. Ages 16-24

Government Assistance – Orange County, CA

Cal Fresh (Food Stamps)
www.calfresh.ca.gov • (714) 834-8899

County of Orange Social Services Agency
www.ssa.ocgov.com • (714) 541-7700

Family Resource Centers
www.factoc.org • (714) 566-2878

Orange County Housing Authority
ochousing.org • (714) 480-2900

OC Health Care Agency
www.ochealthinfo.com • (714) 796-5577

WIC (Women, Infants, and Children)
www.calwic.org • (714) 834-8333

Housing Resources

We encourage all families who need housing to contact 2-1-1 by:

  • Calling 2-1-1. Select prompt #3 for Housing Assistance or ask to speak with a Housing Intake Specialist, or
  • Emailing help@211oc.org and request to connect to a Family Access Point, or
  • Texting your zip code to 898211.

2-1-1 has access to all the housing providers in the county and they may be able to provide additional referrals. You can find more resources at: 211oc.org/search-for-resources.html

Are you an organization that assists families with counseling and mental health support? Connect with Families Forward! We assist families in Orange County as they find and maintain housing, connecting them to mental health (and other community services) as they stabilize. We work with mental health services and providers who can offer free, sliding scale, or Medi-Cal-eligible support with grief, trauma, anxiety, past intimate partner/domestic violence, disorders, and more—for both caretakers, as well as children.

Medical and Mental Health Resources

Camino Health Center
(949) 240-2030
Camino Health Center is a community health center serving the underinsured or uninsured residents of south Orange County through its three health center locations in Lake Forest, San Clemente, and San Juan Capistrano.

Laguna Beach Community Clinic
(949) 494-0761
Laguna Beach Community Clinic offers quality medical, dental and health education services to low-income and uninsured residents of Orange County by utilizing a sliding fee scale and public support funds for care reimbursement.

Lestonnac Free Clinic
(714) 633-4600
Lestonnac Free Clinic provides free health care services to low-income and uninsured residents in Southern California.

OMID Multicultural Institute
(949) 502-4721
OMID offers psychotherapy, counseling, and life coaching to clients of all ages and backgrounds, and are committed to providing care that is both affordable and culturally and linguistically responsive. Their services are offered on a sliding scale, ensuring that financial circumstances are never a barrier to receiving support.

SOS (Share Our Selves), Costa Mesa

(949) 270-2100
The SOS Community Health Center serves all of Orange County. The clinic provides full-scope primary care including preventative health care, urgent care, chronic disease management, mental health services, and same-day appointments. SOS treats patients at all stages of life – pediatrics to geriatrics.

Rental Assistance

If you are located in Orange County, CA, have a child/children under the age of 18 in your home, and need assistance with remaining in your home, please visit this page to learn about how Families Forward can assist you.


Utility Assistance

 

We’ve partnered with So Cal Gas to offer utility assistance programs that can lower your monthly bills. Click here for more information.

 


 

Additional Resources:

South County Outreach
(949) 380-8144
Please check the South County Outreach website for the most up-to-date information on their Rental and Utility Assistance application process.

Become a Career, Counseling, or Other Resource Partner

Partner with Families Forward and make Orange County a community where every family can thrive. We support families (parents and guardians with minor-aged children) as they work to find and maintain stable housing—connecting them with community resources that are essential in order for families to heal and grow.

Regardless of your sector or industry, you can become a partner in this work to support local families. We are proud to count community organizations, healthcare providers, business leaders, government agencies, arts programs, and educational institutions as our partners to ensure that families have their basic needs met after they have become safely housed.

For more information on how to partner with Families Forward, please contact Beatriz Rojas, Supportive Services Manager at brojas[at]families-forward.org.

Contact us

Current Highest Need: Career Partnerships

Families Forward partners with employers, career fair hosts, government agencies, and organizations that support people with employment.

Are you an employer looking for dedicated and trainable candidates in difficult-to-fill roles? Partner with Families Forward! Our partners identify employment opportunities within their companies, and trained Families Forward staff match those opportunities to a motivated candidate who’s been provided career coaching, resume building, and appropriate work attire. We guide our clients (parents and older teens in Orange County) to ensure that they receive any necessary certifications and trainings. Join career partners such as Disneyland, Goodwill OC, and Orange County Transportation Authority today.

Are you an organization that assists families with career and employment services? Hosting an upcoming employment fair? Connect with Families Forward! We work with community resources to boost attendance numbers and the pool of potential candidates, who are motivated to grow their income and provide for their families.

High Need: Counseling Partnerships

Families Forward partners with healthcare providers, community organizations that provide counseling support, and mental health practitioners to connect families to the emotional support that they need in order to heal.

Are you an organization that assists families with counseling and mental health support? Connect with Families Forward! We assist families in Orange County (both caretakers and minor-aged children) connect to therapy and counseling that is free, sliding scale, or Medi-Cal-eligible to receive support with grief, trauma, anxiety, past intimate partner/domestic violence, disorders, and more.

Contact Us

Families Forward
8 Thomas, Irvine, CA 92618
Phone: (949) 552-2727
Email: info@families-forward.org or contact us online

Hours of Operation:
Monday-Friday 9:00am – 5:00pm
Community Market (Food Pantry):
Monday 9:00am – 2:00pm
Tuesday-Thursday 10:00am – 3:00pm

Families Forward is a 501(c)(3) organization
Federal Tax ID #: 33-0086043
Click here for our Donor Privacy Policy

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Families Forward News

  • New Community Market provides families in need some dignity with their dairy - Daily Pilot Feb. 15, 2025
    Families Forward officially launched the Community Market on Wednesday with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at its Irvine headquarters.
  • COMMENTARY To Build Trust in Philanthropy, nonprofits and funders must intentionally connect
    Without trust, philanthropy’s ability to achieve social change is limited. Trust is essential — and it’s a two way street. Commentary by Taryn Palumbo
  • Seen and Be Seen: Families Forward 40th Anniversary Gala
    It was a celebration under the stars for the 400 guests who attended Families Forward’s 40th anniversary bash.
  • Four women-led nonprofits break bread with community at shared campus in Santa Ana
    Community Open House. Four nonprofits that serve Orange County — Big Brothers Big Sisters of Orange County and the Inland Empire, Families Forward, Girls Inc. of Orange County and the Orange County Human Relations Council — now operate from the same hub in Santa Ana.
  • Costa Mesa Affordable Housing Project to House 8 At-Risk Families
    The "Bungalows" features 8 units built through a partnership of nonprofit organizations, elected officials, and building industry professionals.

2024 Donor Impact Report

Families Forward - Impact Report 2024

Read the 2024 Donor Impact Report Online

Charity Navigator profile United Way OC Partner Initiative Service Enterprise background information and award sourceCalifornia Nonprofit of the YearCelebrate Resilience Nonprofit Hero 2020
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