Led by CHOC Community Impact VP Terri Smyth Canillo, CHOC is bringing important services to resident children, families, and senior citizens. This division of CHOC works to empower youth and families, encourage strong communities, and cultivate collaborative partnerships and services to improve the quality of life for very low to moderate-income families. In 2023, the division is expanding to reach more residents than ever before

A Human-Centric Approach

As with everything we do for our residents, we aim to place their unique needs first. At CHOC Community Impact, our programs are programmed to empower residents to improve their quality of life, build better lifestyles, and meet respective property residency requirements.

Divided into three communities – Family Services, Youth Services, and Senior Services – CHOC Community Impact brings on-site programs and activities tailored to each of our communities' respective needs.

For all three communities, the four pillars of service that our programs are focused upon, in addition to year-round services, are as follows:

Financial fitness
Health & wellness
Education & employment
Community & connections

Below, we’ve highlighted a few examples of how each of these services are implemented within each community.

Financial Fitness Services for Families

The CHOC Community Impact team and our partners strive to help CHOC families gain control of their finances, through education and other resources that lead to increased financial stability. This includes available, on-site services, as well as free resources.

A few examples of our programs in action:

Taxes: Free tax filing assistance though VITA (Volunteer Income Tax Assistance)
Financial literacy: Homeownership information, utility/rental assistance, and budgeting
Renters Insurance: Information about its many benefits
Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP): A program which delivers low-income energy assistance for utility bills and weatherization services

Education and Employment for Youth

The Education and Employment pillar plays a critical role for Youth Services. Our programming helps young CHOC residents prepare for future educational goals, as well as develop their own career interests, goals.

Access to effective literacy and after-school programs is a priority; see below for a few examples of the vital education and employment programs CHOC implements for resident youth:

Summer Enrichment: Prevents learning loss or “summer slide,” which can have long-lasting effects to academic progress
School Readiness: Keeps youth engaged all summer and prevents summer slide, made possible through our partnership with United Way California Capital Region and the Dairy Council of California
Food Insecurity: The Summer Food Service Program (SFSP), which provides summer lunches, was established to ensure that the children of CHOC residents continue to receive nutritious meals when school is not in session, especially for low-income students – a huge financial benefit to our resident families

Community & Connections for Senior Services

CHOC Community Impact also focuses on creating a sense of community for our seniors, connecting them with their broader community.

Mental Wellness: Social connections keep seniors healthy and happy
Emergency Planning: Planning for emergencies keeps seniors healthy and safe
Healthcare: Understanding healthcare options through open enrollment education
Civic/Community: Voter education and volunteering helps seniors engage in their community, solidifying a sense of independence and purpose

Year-Round Services for Youth, Families, and Seniors

While the above entails quarterly 2023 focuses, many Community Impact services happen year-round.

For Youth, we offer continuous after school programming (ASP), in addition to our Summer Enrichment program. Because many resident families are challenged with the affordability of fee-for-service after school programs, we offer ASP across our portfolio of CHOC communities, free of charge. Offering these programs on-site provides a safe and supportive environment for youth, promotes academic and physical development, and reduces risky behaviors that may occur after school.

New CHOC Community Impact Partnerships

CHOC Community Impact recently met with California State University, San Bernardino, establishing a partnership to host their student interns (Social Work Field Students) within CHOC Impact programs.

For the past 20 years, CHOC has been a preferred field placement site for student interns in the Tri-County area of Northern California. VP Terri Smyth Canillo began her career as a California State University, Sacramento student intern, and the majority of our current CHOC Community Impact team also began at CHOC as student interns. Student interns play a major role in enhancing CHOC Impact services, working alongside staff and planning and facilitating events and activities. Our valued interns also keep up-to-date on trends, increasing productivity and meeting organizational goals. CHOC Impact interns are also a great source of future long term employees!

Terri and the CHOC Community Impact team also met with Hope Collaborative, District 4 (Riverside County, Child Abuse and Prevention Council). These 2023 meetings, along with other coalitions currently in the development, solidify our relationships with other nonprofits and organizations in our service areas across California, allowing us to best serve our resident youth, families, and seniors, resulting in healthier and happier CHOC communities; we look forward to meeting our 2023 goals, working hard to improve every CHOC resident’s day to day experience.

It really does take a village to support a family and build healthy communities. The CHOC organization is proud of Community Impact services currently underway across our portfolio of multifamily, affordable housing communities. Interested in learning more about CHOC’s Community Impact division and our team? Please visit us here!

CHOC Community Impact: A Proven Roadmap to Success

Building a brighter future for every CHOC resident