Latest News

StrengthUnited Named Among Best Places to Work In SoCal

ian.carroll@csun.edu — Sun, 29 Sep 2024 01:01:05 +0000

September 28, 2024

StrengthUnited has earned the distinction of being ranked one of the Best Places to Work in SoCal! StrengthUnited was chosen based on the results of a recent Best Companies Survey. Our survey results also ranked us in the Best Places to Work in Los Angeles for Hispanics. StrengthUnited, along with other winners, will be featured on the Best Companies Group website and in the Best Places to Work in SoCal digital publication, reaching 700k business leaders across America. This publication aims to showcase the outstanding achievements and best practices of the honored companies. StrengthUnited will be honored at a virtual awards ceremony on September 30, 2024.

StrengthUnited Receives $963k for Domestic Violence Community Policing and Advocacy Project

ian.carroll@csun.edu — Sun, 29 Sep 2024 00:59:08 +0000

September 26, 2024

Congressman Tony Cárdenas secured $963,000 in FY24 for StrengthUnited’s Domestic Violence Community Policing and Advocacy Project through StrengthUnited’s Family Justice Center. The funding to support this project is provided by the Office for Victims of Crime (OVC) FY 24 Byrne Discretionary Community Project Grant which is part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act 2024 to assist victims of crime. We are eager to utilize these funds to expand our services to individuals who have experienced interpersonal violence.

StrengthUnited Introduces Community Public Health Team

ian.carroll@csun.edu — Wed, 27 Mar 2024 20:33:05 +0000

February 13, 2024

StrengthUnited would like to introduce the Community Public Health Team (CPHT)! The goal of the CPHT pilot project is to build a community-centered system of care and strengthen the infrastructure needed to deliver coordinated, community-based services to individuals and high-need communities. This project is funded by Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (LACDPH) in collaboration with Rising Communities. The CPHT Concept was introduced and created by Dr. Ferrer, Director of LACDPH who was inspired by work being done in Cuba and Puerto Rico where reduction in health disparities in their regions came from community trust, strength, and connection. It is a large-scale project with the goals of reaching 8,000 households annually. CPHT works with communities to identify local health priorities, reduce gaps in health outcomes, and improve the conditions essential for overall health and well-being. The RFP was very competitive with only 10 agencies selected throughout all of Los Angeles County being awarded $3.5 million dollars over a three year period. StrengthUnited’s CPHT partner is North East Valley Health Corporation who will focus on physical health while StrengthUnited will focus on mental health. StrengthUnited has also subcontracted with ��鷻’s Center for Assessment, Research, and Evaluation (CARE) as well as ��鷻’s Institute for Community Health and Wellbeing. StrengthUnited’s chosen communities are San Fernando, Sylmar, Pacoima, and Arleta. The CPHT will build upon existing community-based resources and supports including relationships with local organizations and social services agencies to address various public health issues, community-identified concerns, and respond to emerging public health threats. StrengthUnited is utilizing a community-driven approach and is structured to meet the unique needs of each of our chosen communities.

StrengthUnited Receives Grant For CalOES Rape Crisis Program

ian.carroll@csun.edu — Fri, 29 Mar 2024 11:11:06 +0000

January 16, 2024

Congratulations to StrengthUnited for receiving a CalOES grant for a Rape Crisis Program. Your work is essential and profoundly meaningful to our campus and our community. Thank you for continuing to shine in your service!

Merilla McCurry Scott Appointed Executive Director of StrengthUnited

ian.carroll@csun.edu — Mon, 25 Sep 2023 20:20:23 +0000

September 22, 2023

In April, 2023 Strength United announced the beginning of an Executive Director search to identify the next leader of this amazing organization. After an extensive search and a three staged selection process, with significant consideration given to the skills, experiences and expertise needed to successfully guide StrengthUnited in its next phase of growth and focus. We are pleased to announce that Merilla McCurry Scott, Ph.D. has been selected as Executive Director, beginning September 18, 2023.

Over the past two months the selection committee conducted a rigorous and thorough process of reviewing applications, holding an initial phone interview and candidate screening, with an in-person interview for those who were well-qualified candidates. Four excellent candidates were selected for the final Campus Selection in-person committee, from which Merilla was selected and accepted the position.

Merilla, is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist, having received from UCLA a BS in Psychobiology, MA in Clinical Psychology and PhD in Clinical Psychology, with twenty years-experience working in behavioral health; Building, leading, and retaining talented teams of 400+ multidisciplinary staff with a highly accountable continuous learning workplace culture; Training directors and managers on leadership strategies with an emphasis on emotional intelligence and cultural humility; Elevating diversity, equity, and inclusion standards via training and mentoring of 100 managers on best practices; and enhancing staff morale, productivity, and wellness by building community and organization health programs.

In addition, Merrila, was appointed by LA County Board of Supervisor Sheila Kuehl as Member-AT-Large, 2nd Vice Chair, and Chair (Mental Health Commissioner) in addition to Subject Matter Expert (SME) on the LA County Board of Supervisors Mental Health Commission. For a period of five years, Merrila focused on the issues impacting the County Mental Health System. Playing a key role in in ensuring individuals, families, and communities have equitable access to quality care.

As a clinician, Merilla has created infrastructure for School Based Programming, Substance Abuse Programming, Transitional Age Youth and Trauma.

Please see the message from Merilla below:

“I am excited to join StrengthUnited and I look forward to being part of an innovative and passionate team that is known for providing high quality care while addressing the root causes of violence. I enthusiastically connect with StrengthUnited’s effort to increase capacity and equitable access to services to those most impacted by violence as we educate future professionals to become successful agents of change. I am grateful for this opportunity to serve with the StrengthUnited team as we build safe communities for all.”

StrengthUnited's Holiday Meal Drive

education.web.student@csun.edu — Wed, 23 Nov 2022 20:37:12 +0000

November 23, 2022

On December 17th and 18th, ��鷻's StrengthUnited will host its annual Holiday Meal Drive, where team members and volunteers will distribute bags of groceries to support local families as they prepare their holiday meals.

With your gift, we will be able to purchase all the fixings for a wonderful holiday meal, including a large turkey, sides, beverages and a pie, and share the joy of a holiday meal with families in our community.

If you are interested in adopting a family by purchasing gifts specifically geared toward a family's needs this holiday season, please reach out to Elsa Martinez at elsa.martinez@strengthunited.org for more information.

Thank you for joining us in support this holiday season!

Congressman Sherman Secures $1 Million for ��鷻 StrengthUnited to Support Children’s Mental Health Programs

ian.carroll@csun.edu — Tue, 26 Apr 2022 20:01:15 +0000

April 4, 2022

From ��鷻 Today:

StrengthUnited, a chartered center of California State University, Northridge’s Michael D. Eisner College of Education, has received $1 million from an appropriations request made by Rep. Brad Sherman (D-Sherman Oaks) included in the recently signed $1.5 trillion government spending bill. The center provides 24/7 crisis intervention, long-term support and prevention for individuals of all ages who experience or witness child maltreatment, domestic violence and sexual assault.
“We’ve seen a tragic surge in the number of children needing additional assistance,” said Sherman, who represents California’s 30th District, which includes the university. “That’s why this funding is vital, as it will be used to address the long-term mental health needs of children in the San Fernando Valley arising during the COVID-19 pandemic and recovery. I’m pleased that my colleagues in the House and Senate have voted to fund this project.”
StrengthUnited and the Mitchell Family Counseling Clinic, which merged last December, provide training, service learning and community engagement for undergraduate and graduate students at the ��鷻 campus and broader community. Campus partners include the Teaching and Learning Consortium and SIMPACT.
“We are grateful to Congressman Sherman for his continued support and commitment to ��鷻 and StrengthUnited, which has a profound impact on the lives of young people and families in our communities,” said ��鷻 President Erika D. Beck. “Our university goes well beyond our campus borders, as we reach out to provide hope, healing and resources for those who need it most. I’m deeply appreciative of Congressman Sherman’s longstanding partnership with ��鷻 and for the shared work to address the prevention of domestic violence.”
The proposal demonstrates the power of a campus multidisciplinary approach to helping communities thrive, according to StrengthUnited Executive Director Kim Goldberg-Roth. “This funding will support our continuous efforts to create equitable conditions for those affected by violence, and more importantly, it aims to address the educational losses children experienced during the pandemic from increased maltreatment and decreased class time,” said Goldberg-Roth. “We hope to continue our work in building pathways to campus for the most disenfranchised in our community.”
The congressional appropriation for StrengthUnited was part of 500 California projects totaling $760 million funded by the federal bill for local universities, roadways and parks.

StrengthUnited Is Part of California Women’s Recovery Response

ian.carroll@csun.edu — Tue, 26 Apr 2022 19:14:27 +0000

March 24, 2022

StrengthUnited has been awarded a grant of $25,000 from the California Commission on the Status of Women and Girls. This first-of-its-kind funding initiative is dedicated to Women’s economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Women and girls have been disproportionately impacted economically by the ongoing pandemic. The most recent Bureau of Labor Statistics monthly jobs report shows that while men have now recouped all their labor force losses since February 2020, more than 1 million fewer women are in the labor force since February 2020.

StrengthUnited provides critical services for women and girls in our community at a time when they are most vulnerable, having survived abuse, assault, and maltreatment. The physical and psychological trauma is all too often exacerbated by financial abuse, and women struggle to recover and support their families.

“Calls to our crisis hotline increased 42% since the beginning of the pandemic,” says Kim Goldberg-Roth, LMFT, Executive Director of StrengthUnited and the Mitchell Family Counseling Center. “At the same time, financial abuse and insecurity have multiplied the impact of the physical and psychological trauma women have experienced.”

StrengthUnited can help women survivors from traditionally marginalized groups achieve economic resiliency through support services, financial literacy programs, access to resources, and more. Through this grant, StrengthUnited will create a comprehensive outreach campaign, focused on providing cultural- and language-specific information, in order to change the conversation about help seeking, featuring stories from other survivors, how their lives have positively changed, and how their financial self-efficacy has improved.

StrengthUnited, a chartered center of ��鷻’s Michael D. Eisner College of Education, has served the San Fernando and Santa Clarita Valleys for more than 35 years, providing crisis intervention, support, and prevention services for those who have experienced trauma as survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, and child maltreatment, while also training hundreds of new mental health professionals to serve our community. For more information, visit www.StrengthUnited.org.

StrengthUnited Merging With the Mitchell Family Counseling Clinic

education.web.student@csun.edu — Thu, 10 Feb 2022 18:27:53 +0000

February 10, 2022

StrengthUnited and the Mitchell Family Counseling Clinic, both chartered centers of ��鷻’s Michael D. Eisner College of Education, are pleased to announce that they are merging their services and resources to provide greater opportunities for our students and our community. As of December 2021, the two centers began operating under StrengthUnited’s single charter to provide training for undergraduate and graduate students, and 24/7 crisis intervention, mental health, prevention, education, and outreach services to the broader community and campus.

StrengthUnited (SU) provides crisis intervention and support for those who have experienced trauma as survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, and child maltreatment. The Mitchell Clinic (MFCC) provides relational therapy including treatment for individuals and families for issues such as anxiety and depression, grief and loss, life transitions, and more. The merger allows the centers to increase the scope and scale of services they can offer, and provide a more comprehensive continuum of care for their clients while providing students with expanded educational opportunities.

SU’s focus on crisis intervention, trauma, and violence prevention provides a critical community service for survivors at their most vulnerable. And MFCC’s focus on more comprehensive relational therapy addresses the continuing, longer-term needs of clients. The joining of services comes at a critical time, meeting the urgent need for more mental health services in our communities.

To obtain trauma-focused services for clients, call our 24/7 support and resource line: 818-886-0453 or 661-253-0258; and for relational counseling services, call 818-677-2568.

StrengthUnited’s Youth-Led Community Group Creates Graphic Novel to Prevent Sexual and Domestic Violence, in Partnership with LA Public Libraries

education.web.student@csun.edu — Tue, 01 Feb 2022 18:32:22 +0000

February 1, 2022

Over the summer of 2021, 15 teen volunteers from StrengthUnited’s Close to Home program in Canoga Park worked together to develop a graphic novel addressing teen dating violence. Teens Leading Change: The Domestic Violence Awareness Project, features visual definitions of intimate partner violence through youth-developed comics, essays, and a guide to accessing sexual and domestic violence resources.

StrengthUnited (SU), a chartered center of the Michael D. Eisner College of Education at California State University, Northridge, provides crisis intervention and support services for survivors of all ages who have experienced child maltreatment, domestic violence, and sexual assault. SU also works to address the causes of violence at their roots through prevention and education outreach. SU’s Close to Home program fosters community-wide responsibility to prevent interpersonal violence by providing education and utilizing community mobilization strategies. Community-based prevention strategies, such as creating protective environments and teaching skills to prevent violence, are key in curbing sexual assault before it happens in the first place.

“First and foremost, the goal was to develop a graphic novel created for teens, by teens, that really linked interpersonal violence to young folks' lived experience by reflecting on the ways that it has directly impacted their communities,” says Alejandra Sandoval, StrengthUnited Outreach and Prevention Coordinator. Youth were challenged to think about these issues in connection to their everyday lives. You can hear more about the project from Alejandra Sandoval in conversation with ValorUS (formerly the California Coalition Against Sexual Assault). And listen to the teens from Close To Home talk about their experience working on the project on the LA Public Library’s podcast.

StrengthUnited's Prevention educators worked with librarians from the Los Angeles Public Library to design and produce the graphic novel. StrengthUnited was intentional about keeping this project youth-led. Some youth struggled to process all of the intricacies of intimate partner violence and distill it into a single comic strip, so the facilitators created an essay section for contributors who wanted to write out their thoughts. The final product included many of the nuanced aspects of interpersonal violence, such as manipulation, sexual violence, and financial abuse. To ensure that important context was still provided to readers, the team included framing information after each story as well as a list of resources where teens can get support.

The Teens Leading Change graphic novel is now available electronically on the Los Angeles Public Library's website and will be distributed across the County to each library branch. You can view the publication online