Oc United Together Minintries

OC United's mission is to partner with individuals and families in the healing and prevention of trauma through restorative relationships and whole-person care.

We believe individuals and families are strengthened against future trauma when they are connected to a loving community, embrace their unique purpose, and realize their power to use their voice and make a difference.

Our work is built on the TBRI principle that "what is broken in relationship can only be healed in relationship." Each of our programs and services emphasizes fostering healthy relationships, between participants and with our staff and volunteers, as the primary mechanism for healing and change.

OC United was established in 2015 by Executive Director, Jay Williams and Director of Operations, Amy Gaw. Jay's 16 years of experience as Pastor of Compassion and Justice at a local church was instrumental in shaping the mission and vision of OC United. In his efforts to serve the marginalized within the community, and mobilize congregants to serve alongside him, he was dismayed by the fragmented ways that local organizations responded to the needs of their shared neighbors in crisis. Collaboration existed in name only. OC United was born out of a desire to bring different players together - organizations, businesses, schools, faith communities, and local government - to reimagine the ways we collaboratively care for the marginalized within our community.

We began our organization with four key initiatives - foster care, domestic abuse, homelessness, and low-income neighborhoods. Within the first two years, we launched a transitional housing program for former-foster youth, hosted workshops and support groups for foster and adoptive parents, offered domestic abuse support groups, partnered with local homeless shelters to provide an on-site workforce development class, and started an after-school program at an elementary school in south Fullerton.

Over the past eight years OC United has built strong trust and social capital within the North Orange County community, allowing us to act as an influential community hub. We form partnerships with other non profit organizations to deliver collaborative services either by bringing in these partners to run programming at our facilities or offering our programming at other nonprofit sites.

Fiscal Year Impact (2023-2024)
1. We successfully launched a Welcome Center at our main office location in Fullerton to provide drop-in services for adults experiencing street-level homelessness.
2. We successfully expanded our United Teens after-school program to a third location at Nicolas Junior High in partnership with the Fullerton School District, serving 30 students in 7th and 8th grade in our first year.
3. We successfully expanded our adult ESL classes to a third location at Orangethorpe Elementary School through our partnership with North Orange Continuing Education.

Fiscal Year Goals (2024-2025)
1. We will successfully launch our new THRIVE Academy in September 2024 for Transition Aged Youth (TAY) ages 18-19.
2. We will successfully launch our new Teen Mentoring Club in October 2024 for youth ages 13-17 impacted by the foster care system who previously attended our Royal Family KIDS Camp.
3. We will partner with CalOptima to provide day habilitation services to Medi-Cal eligible program participants.

Fiscal Year Needs (2024-2025)
1. Funding to develop a new website and marketing materials in anticipation of our 10-year anniversary in Spring 2025 ($20,000)
2. Funding to purchase an 8-passenger van for transporting program participants ($30,000)
3. Funding to support the hiring of a full-time marketing and communications director ($50,000)
4. Funding to support the hiring of an on-site licensed mental health professional ($48,000)

North Orange County (Anaheim, Brea, Buena Park, Cypress, Fullerton, La Habra, La Palma, Los Alamitos, Orange, Placentia, Stanton, Villa Park, Yorba Linda)