Our Initiative

Through a series of focus groups targeting different age groups, as well as discussion with organizations that have connection to the neighborhood, the CFAA team identified key challenges and assets in their community. More conversation with residents helped to crystalize the key concerns of the Los Mares neighborhood: safety. Top safety concerns included a lack of ersources for young people, gang activity and a lack of public space to gather or play.

 

To date the Sheriff's department reports an increase in communication between Los Mares and their department.  In fact, many gang members have left the immediate area because their neighbors began to call the Sheriff's Department to report crimes it their neighborhood.  This increase in communication and services came because residents agreed to meet and work with Sheriff's Deputies.  The Chief of Police Services attended community forums to listen to resident concerns and increase resident awareness of the importance of reporting and dipell myths about the possibility of being deported after calling the police.

 

The forums were so well recieved that the department came back and taught self-esteem and good decision making classes to youth in the area.  Approximately 12 teens went to the 12 session teen project and 10 completed all the sessions and graduated.

And for the youngest members of Los Mares, Senior volunteers started a reading group.  Two days a week during the month of August the group gathered to read books together and get young minds recharged and read to start the school year.

 

In the summer of 2010 residents of all ages and diverse volunteers from across the city built and began maintaining a community garden in the neighborhood as well.  Every weekend Los Mares families and volunteer gardeners work in the garden so that local residents can beneift from the fresh produce.

 

In the spring of 2011 the community decided that a mural would be a wonderful addition to the garden.  In April residents had the chance to create hand painted tiles that were to placed in mural.  Over 90 tiles were prepared, fired and added to the mural.  On October 19 over 100 people from across the city came to Los Mares to see the unveiling of the mural - a now permanent addition to Los Mares!