Lincoln Mandela FRC Brings Critical Resources to West Oakland
OAKLAND, CA (September 12, 2019 2:00PM)— Lincoln, a 136-year old Bay Area nonprofit, together with, BRIDGE Housing, HomeAid Northern California, DAHLIN Group, Base Builders and other local partners, celebrated the grand opening of the Lincoln Mandela Family Resource Center (FRC) located at 1340 7th Street in Oakland, the first of its kind on the historic Seventh Street corridor of West Oakland.
The Mandela FRC will serve as a community hub with coordinated neighborhood-level services to support family protective factors and children’s school readiness and success in areas such as literacy, workforce development, early childhood care, technology access, and safety-net resources.
"The Mandela Family Resource Center is extremely critical to this community. It is transformative, and it will impact lives making this community better," said Alameda County Supervisor Keith Carson, representing District 5, who attended the event.
“Congratulations to Lincoln on the beautiful new Family Resource Center,” said Cynthia Parker, President and CEO of BRIDGE Housing, which developed and owns the space where the new center is located. “We're proud to work with Lincoln to support the West Oakland community with affordable housing and access to educational and economic opportunities.”
The organization impacts more than 29,100 children, youth, and their families annually, and its programs have continued to evolve over the 136 years that Lincoln has served the community. Through the new center, Lincoln will continue critical work to significantly impact the root causes of poverty and trauma together with community residents and partners.
“This is an exciting time for Lincoln and West Oakland,” said Allison Staulcup Becwar, President, and CEO of Lincoln. “We’ve seen the power of Family Resource Centers for creating community and change and generating sustainable support networks for families at Lincoln’s school-based center in East Oakland. Now West Oakland families will have their own space to drop in and break bread, discuss concerns and share successes, and get supports that enhance their lives.”