About Us

Riverside County in California and neighboring counties of Los Angeles and San Bernardino where we serve are ranked among the neighborhoods with the highest poverty rates (Census Bureau’s Supplemental Poverty Measure). These communities are characterized by low-income families who experience various mental health illnesses. The prevalence of serious mental illness varies by income in California, with families with incomes below 100% of the federal poverty level recording much higher rates of mental illness for both children and adults.

 In Riverside County, the residents experience mental illnesses that affect their thoughts, feelings, moods, or behaviors in day-to-day life. The most common illnesses include depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia. Depression is also a common illness associated with teens from low-income families and at least 10% of all children who live below the poverty line suffer from severe emotional disturbance. San Bernardino County also recorded an increase in the gap between the need for mental health care and the number receiving treatment in 2019/20. It is estimated that 26,506 low-income residents in need of mental health services in that year did not get care. Mental illnesses tend to reduce one’s ability to promote healthy behaviors such as eating right exercising and minimizing alcohol uptake and drug abuse.

 Autism: Autism, or autism spectrum disorder (ASD), refers to a developmental disability characterized by challenges with social skills, speech and non-verbal communication, and repetitive behaviors. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring (ADDM) Network, an estimated 1 in 44 children have autism in the United States today. Signs of autism usually appear by age 2 or 3, and often, it can be diagnosed as early as 18 months. Early intervention leads to positive outcomes later in life for people with autism.

 Asperger's syndrome: Asperger syndrome, or Asperger’s, is a form of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and typical strong verbal language skills and intellectual ability distinguish Asperger syndrome from other types of autism. Children with Asperger’s Syndrome can speak with others and can perform fairly well in their schoolwork. However, they have trouble understanding social situations and subtle forms of communication like body language, humor, and sarcasm. They might also think and talk a lot about one topic or interest or only want to do a small range of activities. Boys are more likely than girls to have Asperger’s Syndrome and most cases are diagnosed between the ages of five and nine, with some diagnosed as early as age three.

ADHD: Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is one of the most common neurodevelopmental disorders of childhood that is usually first diagnosed in childhood and often lasts into adulthood. Children with ADHD may have trouble paying attention, controlling impulsive behaviors, or being overly active. Even though it is normal for children to have trouble focusing and behaving at one time or another, children with ADHD do not outgrow these behaviors. The symptoms continue, can be severe, and can cause difficulty at school, at home, or with friends.