Families Forward

Started in 1984 with just five small apartment units, Families Forward was, and still is, dedicated to helping low income and homeless families in need. Non-Profit in status, Families Forward addresses families’ needs at any point in their crisis by providing a broad array of services, including: housing and housing assistance, counseling, food, education, case management, life-skills training and rent or utility assistance. Some specific programs that Families Forward offers include homeless prevention, homeless intervention, career coaching, REACH for success, and others go a long way in morphing the lives of many. While Families Forward serves many, the demographic they most cater to is the working-class citizen whom struggles to keep up with the out of control housing market.

Families Forward is deeply thankful to Lennar Charitable Housing Foundation (LCHF) for their generosity and devotion to supporting the needy children and families of Orange County. Through LCHF’s strong community partnership with Families Forward, these families have been provided the social and material resources to become healthy, educated, and dynamic members of our shared community.

This year, Families Forward has helped 53 clients increase their income. One such example is John, a single father struggling to stay afloat. In working a $10 per hour warehouse job, the harsh reality of high rent expenses in Orange County later forced John and his son to seek shelter behind a Pep Boys shop. The love for his child pushed John to seek out a career coach.  Through this coach, John found a welding program at Orange Coast College that would afford him the opportunity to work during the day and take classes in the evening. Due to his extreme financial situation, his enrollment fees were waived. To ensure his success, a volunteer was recruited to help him learn the academic portions of the course and prepare for his exams. In his third semester, he had formed a buddy group that offers extended support to each other in these times of adversity. With a new found education in hand and increased mental fortitude, John will likely enter the workforce upon graduation to the tune of a 50% raise in wages.

Over the past twenty-one years Families Forward has been committed to helping families in crisis by offering a spectrum of services to meet their individual needs. They continue to put smiles on people’s faces one at a time, day after day.