Family Care Network, Inc.

The Family Care Network has a strong Practice of Caring, built on Social Justice principles, with the goal of ever improving our ability to positively impact the quality of life for everyone on the Central Coast.

The social issues and problems that FCNI is working to solve are :
Homelessness
Foster youth w/unhealed trauma
Youth aging out of foster care facing higher percentage of incarceration, homelessness, unwanted pregnancies, academic failure, and failure to transition to self-sufficiency in adulthood (continued reliance on public funding)
Cycles of poverty and abuse in families
Family reunification
The impact of unhealed trauma

FCNI believes in providing "strength-based and needs driven services", which focus on empowering families to become self-sufficient rather than system dependent. Pursuing the best outcomes, accountability and transparency are also some of our guiding philosophies.

FCNI's major services areas are Housing Support, Career and Education Opportunities, Healing trauma with positive experiences, and Family Stability and Support. Woven throughout these areas are FCNI's Mental Health Services, which prove to be the vital first step with families affected by trauma, allowing them to get the help they need to heal. FCNI's Housing services provide stability through safe, affordable housing. In our county, the cost of living and limited opportunities have forced many of our local families and youth into homelessness. FCNI owns and operates 9 properties and provides affordable housing support services to over 400 households a year; including both homeless families and at-risk youth transitioning from foster care. Our Career and Education services help the youth in our care realize their dreams through education. The youth in our care have all journeyed a difficult road, filled with limited opportunities and unmet needs. Without having their basic needs met and a support system in place, foster youth struggle to achieve academic, career, and personal goals. FCNI covers the financial cost of academic-related expenses for our 750+ foster youth, taking the financial burden off of our youth so they can focus on achieving their dreams. FCNI also provides one-on-one guidance and life skills development to ensure our youth are provided a safety net of care until they can successfully achieve self-sufficiency. Healing trauma with positive experiences responds to special childhood and family needs. When a child is placed in foster care or a family is struggling, the challenges they face are overwhelming. As a consequence, celebrating the simple joys of childhood- birthdays, holidays, or school achievements- are either overlooked or deemed impractical. Missing out on milestone events only adds to their trauma- increasing their feelings of hopelessness and of being marginalized. FCNI works to ensure that our youth are given every opportunity to experience joy and full inclusion in childhood experiences. We know the importance signified in purchasing graduation robes, class rings, prom or formal wear, yearbooks, etc. We also make sure our youth participate in special activities such as taking music lessons, playing sports, and going to summer camp. Our Family Stability and Support services focus on finding those special parents and families who can provide compassionate care and stable homes for our children in need of foster care. The fact is that the entire nation is facing a critical foster family shortage. When there are no local foster families, children are often placed in hotel rooms with staff or moved from placement to placement. These difficult circumstances only increase the trauma our foster youth already experience. We recruit, certify, train and retain foster families who can provide a stable and loving home to our children in need. This area also focuses on meeting needs that stabilize and empower struggling families.

Over the past 33+ years, FCNI has successfully served over 25,000 children and families. In our most recent fiscal year, we served over 1,400 children and families- 100% of whom were low income- with an overall success rate of 95%. This means that of those served, 95% of them successfully achieved one or more life-changing program goal, including:
Family reunification
Healing from trauma
Having their mental health needs met
Being empowered and strengthened
Establishing a community-based support system
Finding stability and safety
Developing stronger parenting and relationship skills
Improving behaviors and maintaining their placement
Securing housing and critical resources
Adoption by their “forever” family
Achieving self-sufficiency
Developing critical life skills
Securing employment
Setting and starting their career and/or higher education journey