[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 53 (Tuesday, April 14, 2015)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E491-E492]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  CONGRATULATING HUMAN SERVICES ASSOCIATION ON THEIR 75TH ANNIVERSARY

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. LUCILLE ROYBAL-ALLARD

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, April 14, 2015

  Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Human 
Services Association, a non-profit organization based in my 40th 
Congressional District, on the celebration of their 75th anniversary.
  Human Services Association (HSA) was founded as an outreach effort of 
the Presbyterian Church in 1940, when floods in Southeast Los Angeles 
County highlighted pre-existing poverty in Bell Gardens and surrounding 
cities. While HSA remains affiliated with the Presbyterian Church 
today, all of HSA's services have been administered on a non-sectarian 
basis since 1975.
  Over time, HSA's services have evolved to meet the needs of the 
community. In HSA's early years, it operated under the name Westminster 
Center, and focused on recreation programs and group work. It later 
changed its name to Bell Gardens Community Center, and became a 
multifunctional social service agency. Its staff and volunteers 
provided direct services, and it collaborated with other agencies to 
provide additional services on-site. In 1974-1975, the organization 
envisioned expanding its human services into the cities of Southeast 
Los Angeles by increasing its services and funding capacity. As a 
result, the organization incorporated, and it adopted the name Human 
Services Association. Today, HSA is the largest community-based 
nonprofit organization in Southeast Los Angeles, and

[[Page E492]]

provides clients throughout Los Angeles County with an array of 
comprehensive services to support individuals throughout their lives.
  HSA's programs and services for children and families include: Early 
Head Start; Head Start; State Preschool; Los Angeles Universal 
Preschool; Parenting Classes; Child Abuse Prevention & Intervention; 
Domestic Violence Support Services; Choose Health LA Kids, an early 
childhood obesity prevention initiative focusing on children ages 0-5 
and their families; and a Family Preservation Program designed to 
protect children by strengthening and preserving families whose 
children are at risk of abuse, neglect, and exploitation.
  HSA's services for seniors include: the Congregate Meals Program, 
which provides a hot, nutritionally balanced meal to seniors five days 
a week, as well as social activities at the meal sites; the Home 
Delivered Meals Program, which offers homebound seniors a daily hot 
meal and a friendly, reassuring visit; the Home Based Care & Registry 
Referral Program, which matches workers with senior citizens aged 60 
and over who need assistance in the home; and the Alzheimer's Day Care 
Resource Center (ADCRC), which allows memory-impaired and/or socially 
isolated senior citizens to spend their days in a caring, supportive 
environment, and provides English and Spanish support groups to the 
family members of the participating seniors.
  Mr. Speaker, it is with great pleasure and pride that I salute Human 
Services Association, its Board of Directors, and its supporters. They 
have played a vital role in providing critical services to Southeast 
Los Angeles families over the past seventy-five years. I wish HSA 
continued success as it continues its mission to provide families with 
compassionate and comprehensive care which promotes wellness and builds 
strong communities.

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