Programs Offered:
Man to Man, Reach to Recovery, I Can Cope, Look Good Feel Better, Financial Aid. Visit our web site for details on each program.
www.cancer.org

The American Red Cross provides disaster and military services 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. 1. Disaster Services -- Single-family or multi-family disaster response -- providing shelter, food, clothing or household items. 2. Disaster preparedness -- Presentation to civic, religious groups or schools; collaboration with other groups for resources -- volunteers, facilities, and donated goods. 3. Education -- CPR, First Aid, HIV/AIDS, Swimming, Lifeguarding, Water Safety. 4. Military Services - Emergency Communications from family members here in Central LA to their military family member stationed anywhere in the world regarding serious illnesses, deaths and births. 5. Veterans Services - Cookie Day at the VA Hospital for Easter and Christmas; monthly patient recreation bingo. 6. Youth Services - School clubs, annual leadership camp.
www.cenlaredcross.org

Provides Social Services and Family Life Programs for residents of 13 parishes

CMAP is a non-profit organization that provides medication assistance to eligible individuals that have no prescription coverage such as private insurance, Medicaid, and/or Medicare. Medications are provided free of charge and individuals normally receive a three month supply at a time.

We have offices in the following parishes:
Allen Parish: (318)215-0101
Avoyelles Parish: (318)346-9217
Catahoula Parish: (318)339-4373
LaSalle Parish: (318)992-9193
Natchitoches Parish: (318)214-4684
Rapides Parish: (318)449-7293
Vernon Parish: (337)238-0730
Winn Parish: (318)648-2641

Chances are you or someone you know has problems affording their necessary prescription medications that are so important to living a healthy and productive life. Please call CMAP to see if we can help: 318-443-7494 or 1-888-443-7494.

CPFP is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that dispenses free medication to the working poor, elderly and indigent in Central LA. The program has been in operation since December of 1997, has a satellite pharmacy in Marksville and serves a 15 parish area. The pharmacy is staffed exclusively, with the exception of the executive director, by volunteer office personnel,pharmacists,pharmacy techs, screeners,etc. Caring People's Free Pharmacy is a "pharmacy of last resort". The community pharmacy is truly a place where our community comes face-to-face with those less fortunate, to care for one another and to help bring hope into lives filled with despair. With each prescription that is dispensed, a gift of hope is delivered as well. We see those in our community who are having to choose between buying food and medication. Going without needed medication can prevent the homeless, the unemployed and the working poor from remaining healthy enough to find a job and keep it. Many of the elderly, who have worked hard all their lives and are now on fixed incomes, are going without life-sustaining medication just to keep their electricity on and their water running, a roof over their heads, or food on their tables. A disabled person can go a year or more with no income while awaiting disability assistance, depending solely on the compassion of others for their medication in the meantime. Our hope is that by providing medication to those in need, we can reduce the need for more extensive and far more costly treatment in future years.

Programs Offered:
Services offered include emergency relief, food banks, senior citizens activities, income tax assistance, head start and early head start programs, homemaker activities, energy assistance, commodity distribution, and more.

back to top

Programs Offered:
Cenla Serves members are available to work with other non-profits in mentoring and tutoring, environmental education and hands-on activities, beautification projects and community building activities with neighborhoods.

Programs Offered:
Area Economic Development to work with existing and new businesses to expand in central LA to provide capital and jobs with expansion of our tax base. Community Development - Volunteer-led efforts to identify problems in transportation, education, infrastructure and to help bring about reasonable solutions to improve the quality of life in Central LA.
www.cenlachamber.org

Programs Offered:
1. General Counseling Program: Individual, marital, family and group therapy are provided by staff members with expertise in a variety of areas. 2. Turning Point Battered Women's Shelter: Emergency Shelter for battered women and their children. 3. Sexual Assault Center: Services include individual and family counseling for victims of incest, rape and sexual assault. Also offer a crisis line, support group and victim advocacy. 4. Independent Living Skills: Program focuses on assisting adolescents who are in foster care to make a smooth and healthy tranistion to successful independence in the community. 5. Family Preservation Services: In-home therapy to families and children who are at risk for abuse or psychiatric hospitalization. Referrals are made only through the Office of Community Services and the Mental Health Center of Central LA. 6. Batterers' Intervention and Prevention Program: Staff provide an ongoing 26 week series designed for perpetrators of domestic violence.

Programs Offered:
Member agencies of the Food Bank are eligible for the pantry, on-site feeding, and adopt-a-cenla senior programs, if they are a non-profit organization,501(c)(3), or a church. Pantry - provides food to needy people each month. On-Site Feeding - an on-site feeding agency provides a full meal to needy people for consumption at that site or to take to another site. Adopt-A-Cenla Senior Program - is operated by the Food Bank for indigent elderly families, 65 and over. The Food Bank asks members of the community to sponsor a senior by donating $100.00. This donation enables the senior to receive a fifty pound food box once a month for a year. The senior is assigned to the participanting food pantry located closest to them.

Programs Offered:
Housing, meals, life-skills training, educational supports, case management, child care (restricted)
http://www.geocities.com/socservsman/main

Programs Offered:
1. Management agency for Mt. Zion Senior Apts. - for individuals age 55 and older; 2. Developer of affordable housing for sale to low-income individuals; 3. Developer of affordable rental housing for low-income; 4. Home Buyer Training Program for first time buyers; 5. Technical Assistance and support for neighborhoods and other community-based organizations;
www.innercity71301.org

We serve a hot meal from 11:30 AM until 1:30 PM 365 days per year.

We teach soft skills for work, help people find jobs, work with the whole family to help solve the problem, work with job retention, work with employers to find a way to match the employee and employer, work with people with disabilities. Welfare-to-Work, LRR, Youth at Risk, School-to-Work, Homeless, people who have been disadvantaged in some way.

Programs Offered:
1. International and Central Louisiana Literacy Day; 2. Annual Spelling Bee Fund Raiser; 3. Annual Partners in Literacy Membership Drive; 4. Quarterly 12-hour workshop for volunteer tutors to become certified Laubauch Tutors; 5. Inservice Training for Certified Laubauch Tutors; 6. Specialized Workshops for Certified Tutors as requested by the community; 7. Annual Recruitment of Volunteer Tutors; 8. Educational Assessment of Adult Students; 9. Placement of Adult Students with Certified Laubauch Tutors.

Programs Offered:
First Steps; Nurturing Program; Parent Support Groups; Statewide Conference "Kids are Worth It", Helpline Number -- 1-800-348-KIDS, Paraprofessional/Professional Training, Public Awareness on Child Abuse and Neglect; and Parent Workshops

Programs Offered:
The Rapides Parish Job Center is the culmination of several core partners. The services that are offered at the Job Center include: 1. Job Search Opportunities, 2. Job Search Workshops, 3. Career Exploration, 4. Community Support Services, 5. Employers Services, 6. Software available for Public Use, 7. Computer Software Workshops, 8. Equipment Available for use, 9. Tutorials and 10. Financial Assistance Information.
www.laworks.net

Programs Offered:
Food Stamps, FITAP (cash assistance), FIND Work and Child Care Assistance.

Programs Offered:
Diagnosis and Evaluation- The eligibility determination process from initial contact through verification of criterion for receipt of support and services from OCDD. Support Coordination- Support Coordination is the process of assisting individuals and families who apply for and are eligible for OCDD services to: * Learn about OCDD. * Understand the services and supports OCDD provides. * Identify the person's support needs. * Develop a Plan of Support to address these needs. * Coordinate appropriate time-line to provide the services and supports; revise time-line as applicable. * Refer the individual to other community resources as necessary and appropriate. Self-Advocacy/Community Networks/Support Groups- Facilitation of friendship bonds between persons with developmental disabilities and persons in their community. Support Coordination- Assist individuals to obtain needed services through the OCDD Service System by completion of an eligibility determination, assessment of their needs, and development of a Plan of Support which identifies and provides access to natural community supports to meet their needs. Information and referral to other agencies is also provided. Individual and Family Support-Supports that enable a family to keep their family member(s) with developmental disbailities in the home. Cash Subsidy- Flat monthly stipends to the families of children ages birth through seventeen with severe developmental disbailities. Contracted Vocational and Habilitative Services- OCDD purchases these services through contractual arrangements with private providers. The services include, but are not limited to, supported employment and other vocational services, group models of community-based work, facility-based work and habilitative services as they relate to the acquisition of vocationally-related skills, community-based skills, daily life skills and behavior management. Supported Living- An array of services provided in residential settings allow recipients to acquire the skills and supports necessary to live as independently as possible in the community. Extended Family Living- Substitute family care in the home of non-related individuals for the purpose of providing for the physical, emotional, educational, habilitative, and social needs of persons with MR/DD. ICF/MR Residential Placement- ICF's/MR provide a broad range of residential services wherein individuals with developmental disabilities live. Home and Community-Based Waiver- Indiviudals needing information or who are interested in applying for MR/DD HOme and Community-Based Waiver may do so by contacting the Bureau of Community Supports and Services at 1-800-660-0488 or 225-922-3068. Early Intervention- Specialized community-based services are provided to infants and toddlers (age 0-36 months) with developmental disabilities. These services may include: family training, counseling and home visits; special instruction; speech-language pathology; audiology services; occupational therapy; physical therapy; psychological services; social work services; and assistive technology devices and services. Health services and transportation services may be provided to enable the child to benefit from other early intervention services.

Programs Offered:
Christmas Cheer for Children: The Center coordinates Christmas giving in this area. Through the use of computers, approved clients are matched with individuals, groups, organizations, etc. ensuring all who request help receive it, while eliminating duplication. Case management for Homeless Prevention: This program was established for those who need a continum of care which expedites and supports the transition of near homelessness from a state of physical, mental and social instability, to one of self-sufficiency. Through this program we provide utility deposits, rental deposits, and first month's rent. Cenla Medication Access Program(CMAP)

Programs Offered:
Individual and group counseling for victims and their loved ones is available. We also offer a 24 hour hotline, hospital escorts, court escorts, community/prevention education, and training to other professionals who work with victims.

Programs Offered:
Education; Testing; Counseling; Transportation; Prescribed Drugs; Food Distribution; Sickle Cell Clinic (monthly)

Programs Offered:
The Social Security Insurance programs pay monthly benefits from the trust funds to retired and disabled workers and their families and to surving family members of deceased workers. The SSI program pays benefits from general revenues to people with limited incomes and resources who are age 65 and over, or blind, or have a disability.

Programs Offered:
Technical assistance and in-service training for agencies that service 0-3 year olds and their families. Resource and Referral database for families of 0-3 year olds to utilize in order to get information about services in Central LA. Brochures and pamplets available about services and parenting issues.

Programs Offered:
1. On-Site Feeding Program - The Salvation Army provides on-site feeding program of three meals per day, seven days per week, 365 days per year. These meals are open to the public. 2. Transient/Homeless Shelter: The Salvation Army operates a dormitory style emergency shelter at the Beauregard St. address. Anyone may have up to 5 nights of shelter with a 30 day period between stays. As part of the shelter, we offer an "extended stay" option to clients who obtain a job. With proof of a job, we will hold that client's bed through their first paycheck, allowing a client a place to sleep, shower and eat so that the first paycheck can be applied to more permanent arrangements. Extended stays longer than the first paycheck are taken on a case-by-case basis. 3. Drug and Alcohol Rehabilitaion program. This is a residential, work therapy and 12 step based program for indigent and homeless addicts willing to get serious about recovery. 4. General Assistance: The Salvation Army provides assistance with clothing for those in need. We have one day a week when vouchers are issued, except for emergency disaster needs. We provide emergency disaster services to victims of house fire, hurricane, flood, etc. This assistance includes, but is not limited to: food, clothing, shelter, furniture and household items. We provide rent assistance sa funds permit, we also provide assistance for other "miscellaneous" needs on a case-by-case basis. Finally, we provide spiritual counseling as well as collaboration with other agencies in Central LA.

Programs Offered:
Community Building initiatives; Educational opportunities for Human Service professionals; funding for nonprofit programs

Programs Offered:
1. Pregnancy and adoption services - We serve both expectant mothers and adoptive parents - helping young women make the best decision for themselves and their babies, and helping new parents through the adoption process. 2. The LightHouse Family Resource Center serves foster children in Central LA with counseling and support services, respite for parents, and recreation and education. 3. Family Preservation/Reunification Program - Program that helps parents find new skills and behaviors to preseve the family unit. 4. Mental Health Services - Various programs that serve adults with mental illness and children with severe emotional and behavioral problems. Services of these programs include housing, life skills and respite.

Programs Offered:
Access to local physicians with lab and x-ray services provided through working agreements with Cabrini and Rapides Hospitals. Also free medication.