Community Resources
Ventura Network of Care AB540:
http://ventura.networkofcare.org/family/legislate/state-bill-text.aspx?id=257852&bill=AB%20540&sessionid=2013000
Description: Ventura Network of Care provides a description of the AB540 legislative laws and what it means for undocumented students.
Ventura County Dream Act VC Dream Scholars:
https://vcdreamscholars.wordpress.com/about-2/
Description: Ventura County DREAM Scholars was created in an effort to provide informational and moral support for AB540 (undocumented) students in the cities of Oxnard, Port Hueneme, Santa Paula, Ventura, Ojai, Moorpark, Fillmore, Camarillo, Simi Valley and Thousand Oaks.
Clergy and Laity United for Economic Justice AB 540 Safe Zones Training:
http://www.cluevc.org/ai1ec_event/ab540-safe-zones-training/
Description: Provides special training for all educators, school staff, and community group leaders who work closely with undocumented youth “Dreamers” in our county. CLUE-VC/Dreamers Without Borders wants to start teaching basic AB540 knowledge to anyone wishing to help Dreamers access higher education, create a strong network of resources across the county, and call Dreamers out of shadows and into Safe Zones for success! Trainings are provided at no cost.
Community Services
Ventura County Transportation Commission (VCTC)
Contact Name: Dolores Colmenero, Lead Customer Service Representative
Telephone Number: (800) 438-1112 or 805-642-1591 ext. 117
Website: http://www.goventura.org/
The VCTC is a regional transportation planning agency that serves Ventura County. They handle all aspects of transportation including driving, taking public transit, biking and walking. Their VISTA bus service is especially beneficial for CI students since the CSUCI – Camarillo route runs from both the Centerpoint Mall in Oxnard to the CI campus, and also from the Metrolink station in Camarillo to the CI campus. The VISTA buses also offer connections to other cities in Ventura County, as well as to locations in Santa Barbara and Los Angeles County
Camarillo Area Transit
Contact Name: Camarillo Area Transit Operator
Telephone Number: (805)-988-4CAT
Website: http://www.ci.camarillo.ca.us/i3.aspx?p=655 and www.camarillotrolley.org
Camarillo Area Transit (CAT) helps residents get around the city of Camarillo with predetermined routes or a DIAL-A-RIDE reservation option. They also help operate the Camarillo Trolley Service, which is a free trolley bus offering service to Camarillo residents every day of the week. The Trolley is especially useful for CI students since they can take the VISTA bus to the Metrolink station, and pick up the Trolley from there. The Trolley stops at many of the major shopping centers in town so students can take care of all of their shopping needs.
Area Housing Authority of Ventura County
Contact Name: Norman Nagel, Chair, and Stephanie Mercer
Telephone Number: 805-480-9991
Website: www.ahacv.org
The Area Housing Authority of Ventura County is a non-profit organization that assists individuals in finding affordable housing in unincorporated areas as well as the cities of Camarillo, Thousand Oaks, Simi Valley, Moorpark, Ojai and Fillmore. The programs they offer include federally funded programs such as the Housing Choice Voucher Program (Section 8) and Low Rent Public Housing, as well as the Agency Owned/Managed Program. These options can be helpful for students living on a tight budget.
Interface Children & Family Services
Contact Name: Front desk receptionist
Telephone number: 805-485-6114 or 2-1-1
Website: http://www.icfs.org/
Interface is a non-profit organization that serves the communities of Ventura County by offering a variety of help-related services at low cost. These services cater to children, families, and individuals, and include violence intervention assistance, counseling, and a resource center for families and youth programming. These services can prove helpful to students who have families of their own or to those who require psychological or violence intervention assistance.
RAIN Transitional Living Center
Contact Name: Intake screener
Telephone number: 805-383-7505
Website: http://raincommunities.org/
RAIN offers services and housing to families in Ventura County who are transiting out of being homeless. Their goal is to transition people from homelessness to rental housing situations. They offer a home-stay setting in Camarillo that provides services such as employment assistance, life skills classes, and case management/counseling services. Housing is provided for individuals and families, as well as those recovering from recent hospitalization. This is a good resource for students who are homeless, or those whose families are homeless.
County of Ventura Veteran’s Services
Contact Name: Main referral desk
Phone number: 805-477-5155
Website: http://www.ventura.org/human-services-agency/veteran-services
The Veteran’s Services office provides assistance to local veterans and their families regarding compensation claims, pensions, the California Tuition Fee Waiver Program, and medical referrals, to name a few. They run eight offices throughout the county in order to better serve this population. The main center in Ventura also offers counselling services for PTSD, military sexual trauma, and for bereavement issues. These services can be very helpful to students who either are veterans, or who are family of veterans, especially regarding gaining money for college and access to counseling services.
The Coalition for Family Harmony
Contact Name: Main office staff
Phone number: 805-983-6014
Website: http://www.thecoalition.org/
The Coalition provides services for victims of domestic violence and sexual assault, and resources to education the community about violence against women, children, and men. They offer sexual assault programs (including counseling and Crisis Response Intervention), domestic violence programs (including an emergency shelter), probation services (such as a batterer’s intervention program), and a child abuse prevention program. This useful resource can assist students suffering from sexual assault or domestic violence.
CHIRLA (Coalition for Human Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles)
Contact Name: Main hotline
Phone Number: 1-888-6CHIRLA
Website: http://www.chirla.org/
CHIRLA is an organization dedicated to helping promote human and civil rights of immigrants and refugees. They accomplish this through community outreach and education, including workshops on immigration rights and student options, community organizing, taking part in federal, state and local advocacy, and providing legal services. This organization is a particularly good resource for students who identify as AB 540 to use to gain information and assistance.
Camarillo Public Library
Contact Name: Front desk
Phone Number: Main Desk: 805-388-5222; Reference Desk: 805-388-5811
Website: http://librarycatalog.info/default.aspx?ctx=3.1033.0.0.1
The Camarillo Public Library offers a variety of books, magazines, DVD’s and CD’s as well as electronic resources. They also have access to many more materials through interlibrary loan. In addition, they offer resources for persons with disabilities, including two ADA compliant computers, Braille Institute Digital Library book collection, and two magnifiers for enlarging text. They also have a research librarian on staff to help with research questions. The library can be an alternate place for CI students to find resources for class papers and projects.
El Concilio Family Services
Contact Name: Main office
Phone Number: 805-486-9777
Website: http://elconciliofs.org/
El Concilio helps provides pathways to citizenship by giving options on a case-by-case basis to clients and also offering bilingual services for information on basic needs such as housing, employment, and medical assistance. This service could prove helpful for CI students who identify for AB 540, or if they have family members in need.