By Mario A. Cortez 
Southeast San Diego and National City residents can now reach vital services without leaving their community. On Monday, July 11, the opening ceremony for the Community Action Resource Engagement (CARE) Community Center was held in National City. The opening ceremony gathered about 100 people, including members of the community, law enforcement, and local leaders, all present to learn about the people behind this endeavor and the services that will be offered at the center.
“This is a dream come true,” opened San Diego County District Attorney Donnie Dumanis. “We are announcing the opening of this center which has been a dream of ours for eight years.”
The CARE Community Center is the result of a long time collaboration between law enforcement and community service agencies aimed at preventing crime and improving the standard of living in Southeast San Diego.
“Some of you may wonder why the DA’s office is involved in something like this. Our office has made it a priority to tackle crime prevention, community intervention, and prisoner reentry; we have been on the forefront of these issues,” added Dumanis.
This community center aims to connect community members with much needed services in one of the county’s most underserved communities.
“This is an assessment hub where we can assess individuals in an effective way and refer them to organizations within the community to receive help,” explained J.J. Anderson of the County DA’s Office.
“A lot of times, someone in the community is assessed but they are sent far away to Clairemont or somewhere else. So we are using the resources in our community for the community,” Anderson added.
Services that will soon be available in this sector of the county through CARE include youth mentorship programs, substance abuse programs, parenting programs, mental health treatment, as well as veterans assistance.
Andre Turner of Project Aware detailed some of the resources available at this new community center to neighborhood youth.
“We provide computers for kids to help them with job applications and resumes. We have mentoring, we have facilities for diversion for those coming out of juvenile hall so we can direct them to the right path. We’ll get together with the Food Bank so we can feed kids and young adults that need to be fed.”
Other youth programs include the Youth Advisory Board, which will provide a safe space for after school activities and include referrals to mentoring high school students; Girls Only!, which will bring gender-responsive resources for girls; and the Community Youth Court, where youth diverted from the criminal youth system can participate in activities involving workshops and alternatives to detention.
“It’s getting crazy out here with the police and a lot of young people are scared to come through these doors since the DA is involved. I look forward to connecting with the police more to build a safe haven, a place where we can all talk about stuff,” added Turner.
Programs aimed at adults include the Inter-Faith Advisory Board, where solutions for public safety will be developed by community members; the Reentry program, where former county inmates will have access to services, job training and, community meetings; and the Veteran Empowerment Program, where those who have serve can receive help with food stamps, veterans benefits, employment opportunities, and many more forms of assistance.
“This is what happens when people aren’t divided and work together for the right reasons,” closed J.J. Anderson on the opening of the center.
The CARE Community Center is located on 12 N. Euclid Avenue in National City.