New center in Watsonville aims to provide youths with resources

WATSONVILLE, Calif. (KION) A new center in Watsonville, aimed to provide youths, ages 12 to 17 years old with a wide range of resources to help them succeed, officially opened its doors on Wednesday.

The courtyard outside of where Luna y Sol Familia Center held its grand opening was full of families, community members and partners, coming together for a common goal, provide a safe place for Watsonville youths. After a year and half, the ribbon was cut.

"Being born and raised here, in the City of Watsonville, I'm a resident. I've seen a lot (FLASH) I personally feel this is going to take off and its going to take off full speed," said Tony Figueroa, with Watsonville Police Department, during a short speech.

Getting to this point, has been a long time coming. The funding came through on July of 2020, but COVID led to many challenges such as hiring shortages and renters unwilling to lease to non-profits.

"We don't have a lot of our school programs available, especially with COVID, so this is going to be a space for youth to have a safe space for them to come and connect with people," mentioned Maria Rodriguez, Program Director with Luna y Sol Familia Center.

Now, Luna y Sol is established and is looking forward to embracing the community.

"If they need a ride to go to school, f they need a ride to go to a job interview, prep for a job interview, job coaching, mock interviews, we'll be here to support the youth," added Rodriguez.

Classrooms within the church that Luna y Sol is renting from, provides a one-stop shop for various resources, not just for youths but also for parents. The Community Action Board of Santa Cruz County (CAB) program will provide children and young adults with basic needs, health and education support, employment assistance, community engagement, and more.

"It's not everyday we have mentors that are available at any time, to seek help. Not only through academics but also professionally but also how can we assist them personally to improve the quality of life for youth in south county," said Brando Marin, case manager for at risk and probation youth.

So far the center has received 110 referrals and out of those, has enrolled 66 youths into the program.

"What I like about the center is that they don't leave people out. They help you with homework. They're very encouraging. And for the most part, the people are so kind," mentioned Camila Coraza, a youth attending Luna y Sol. 

"They helped me with counseling and finding a job. I feel like this is important because there's not many programs out there that actually care about the kids and I feel like this program would help them." Sayra Juarez, young adult attending at Luna y Sol.

The referral process is open entry, so youths can refer themselves, parents or guardians can refer their children as well as schools, probation officers, and the courts.