Beginning in May, disabled residents in North Long Beach will have a more convenient option to help them access essential benefits and services.<\/p>\n
The nonprofit Disabled Resource Center is expanding its hours at its satellite location on Atlantic Avenue at Artesia Boulevard.<\/p>\n
For 50 years, the organization has served Southern Californians with disabilities by connecting them \u201cto programs and resources that help them live their most independent life,\u201d said Jennifer Kumiyama, executive director of the center.<\/p>\n
Those resources include assistance with benefits, employment services, mobility training, housing resources and assistive technology, Kumiyama said \u2014 \u201canything that you can imagine that equates independence.\u201d<\/p>\n
In order to access these resources, most people travel to the DRC\u2019s primary location at the intersection of Spring Street and Temple Avenue, just south of the airport. It\u2019s a hard location to reach, with limited connections to bus lines, and it takes some residents an hour to get there, Kumiyama said.<\/p>\n
In an effort to reach people in historically underserved neighborhoods, the DRC team is now expanding its services in North Long Beach. Starting May 4, DRC staff will be available from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Mondays and Thursdays at the Molina One Stop Center at 6583 Atlantic Ave. #110.<\/p>\n
For Maria Esparza, a North Long Beach resident with a disability, greater access in her neighborhood is a lifeline. She reached out to the DRC when she got a letter from the county telling her she was losing Medicaid coverage and would have to switch to Covered California by the end of the month.<\/p>\n
Without health care, she would have lost access to medical appointments, hospitals and necessary support to maintain her health, she said in Spanish. The DRC helped her restore coverage \u2014 and now that they\u2019ll have greater offerings near her home, she won\u2019t have to struggle as much with public transportation, she said.<\/p>\n
This expansion comes at a critical time for many residents of Long Beach who are facing increased economic hardship, Kumiyama said. Meanwhile, reductions in public funding are straining the resources that already exist. Independent living centers across California are facing funding cuts because of a state budget shortfall and rising program costs. And federal funding slashes have hamstrung the state\u2019s ability to sustain disability services at the community level, she said.<\/p>\n
Esparza, the North Long Beach resident, \u201cwould not know what to do without this help,\u201d she said through a translator. \u201cI was already in a state of fear about the situation.\u201d<\/p>\n