The LYNC program is part of a larger community initiative with Path of Life Ministries, in partnership with the Riverside’s Mayor’s office, to serve our neighbors without homes, and those at risk for losing their housing. The program places social work interns with local faith-based organizations that provide a variety of services to their neighbors in need. As a social work intern, Shantal engages and assesses clients, and provides resources for needs that are beyond food or clothing. She also collaborates with other interns placed throughout the city of Riverside as they seek to bring awareness, create new revenue streams to support our neighbors, and build bridges between churches partnering with the City to meet community needs.

NDR Therapeutic Riding Center is a non-profit agency providing adaptive riding services. As an intern, Josselin assists the agency on the micro, mezzo, and macro levels through activities including working as a case manager to organize the agency’s system for riders, families, and volunteers. She helps to set up secure and efficient rider goal/objectives, documentation, and reviews of progress. In addition, she assists in making connections with the local Alzheimer's Association, Arthritis Foundation, and other non-profit agencies whose members might benefit from NDR's services.

The Parent Involvement and Community Outreach (PICO) Department is heavily committed to providing families with resources to build positive parent-child relationships and aid in the child's academic success. The ParentChild+ Program trains Early Learning Specialist’s (ELS), such as Amy, to serve as Home Visitors in this home-based non-directive, didactic approach, where behaviors are modeled to parents. Children served are between the ages of 16 months to 4 years. Twice a week the ELS introduces a Verbal Interaction Stimulus Material (VISM) to the family. VISMs are meant to increase early child literacy, increase parent-child interactions, and prepare the child's school readiness. Utilizing the Ecological and Person-In-Environment approach, interns are able to develop relationships with the families in order to best aid in the parent-child interaction and connect the family to resources in their community.

The Behavioral Health Department serves a wide variety of clients whose lives are impacted by some form of mental illness. At this specific clinic, clients range from very young children through those approaching young adulthood. As a BSW intern, Aaron works with clients and their parents by co-facilitating psycho-educational groups with a licensed clinician. He also has the opportunity to learn about different strategies for individual and group therapy, sit in on assessments, actively participate in staff meetings and group planning, and prepare materials for groups. The goal of his service is to provide treatment and to assist clients in developing better communication/coping skills that can enhance their quality of life.

The Wylie Center provides autism interventions, mental health services, and various therapies for children and their families in the Inland Empire. Interns at the Wylie Center are involved in a variety of social work duties on the micro, mezzo, and macro levels. Ronaldine is currently working on macro level projects and assisting to support children with autism and their families. On the macro level, her time is focused on community outreach, event planning, and possible fundraising opportunities for the agency.

Riverside County Department of Public Social Services (DPSS), Children's Services Division (CSD) protects children and youth from abuse and neglect, and partners with families, young adults, and communities to build safety, permanency, and well-being. As interns, Stephanie and Allessandra shadow social workers in every aspect of the agency’s services to the community. They also support staff to help families mitigate their circumstances by offering services that meet the individual, unique needs of each family.

The International Liaison Unit’s (ILU) main purpose is to increase customer service by assisting Social Service Practitioners (SSPs) with administrative tasks that promote services to undocumented children and families, such as: locating parents and family members in other countries; providing notification to pertaining consulates; scheduling visits; and possibly obtaining important legal documents for eligible children/youth. As an intern, Belinda assists the ILU unit with administrative tasks in the hope to increase services to children, youth, and families. She has assisted with parent locator requests and notifications to consulates. Belinda also interns with Investigative Services (IS) and shadows SSPs regarding referrals of child abuse or neglect to enhance her assessment skills and family engagement. In addition, she assists IS with monitoring children in need of placement or placing children and following-up with families regarding their safety plan.

The RBEST team provides field-based services in the form of outreach, engagement, case management, family education, support, and therapy for the most challenging and diverse adult clients in the community who suffer from untreated mental illness in an effort to “activate” the individual into the mental health system to receive appropriate services. RBEST targets individuals who repeatedly access treatment at points in the mental health system that do not deliver effective care in meeting the psychiatric needs of that individual. As interns, Cindy and Sivanna work alongside social workers as part of a multi-disciplinary team, offering a holistic approach to the needs of their clients. They provide clients with support, resources, and knowledge on how to navigate the mental health system.

The primary populations served at the Family Justice Center (FJC) include victims of domestic violence, child abuse, elder or dependent abuse, sexual assault, and human trafficking. The FJC provides access to law enforcement to report crimes or conduct interviews, and District Attorney personnel assistance with victims’ rights information and advocacy. They have access to clinical therapy, educational groups, Kids Court curriculum, and youth mentorship/programming. BSW interns assist with restraining orders, moral support, emergency assistance, safety planning, crisis intervention, orienting victims to criminal justice system, and referring victims to needed resources. Amy will conduct victim intakes and needs assessments, provide community outreach presentations, attend court hearings of clients, and assist with various administrative duties within the FJC.

Path of Life Ministries is a non-profit organization (501c3) based in the City of Riverside. They are committed to serving the greater Riverside homeless and poor population with the goal to rescue, restore, and rebuild lives. Through community collaboration they contribute to holistic, community-based solutions that improve the local social, economic, and spiritual health of Riverside County. As an intern, Ezekiel works with the agency’s Behavioral Health Services, providing case management services, group facilitation, and support services to families and individuals accessing Path of Life Ministires.

The Behavioral Health Department serves a wide variety of clients whose lives are impacted by some form of mental illness. Preschool 0-5 Programs serves children from the ages of 0-7 who are dealing with social, emotional, and behavioral problems. Parent Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) is the primary treatment offered, which assists children and helps families promote positive parent-child relationships and interactions. As an intern, Jamie works with licensed and pre-licensed clinicians by assisting during sessions and helping clients and parents. While the therapists work with the parents, Jamie works with the children.

Children and Family Services (CFS) is a division of the Department of Social Services, whose main purpose is to provide family-centered child protective services to aid endangered children in San Bernardino County. CFS strives to reduce risk to children, improve parenting skills, and strengthen social support networks for families. As an intern, Ruben engages with families by shadowing social workers in every aspect of the agency’s services to the community. While his colleagues work to find placement for children, he tends to the children by providing them with games and activities. Ruben has been immersed in parallel training and will be leading investigations and case assessments.

The Student and Family Support Services Department supports families within the Corona Norco Unified School district in a variety of areas including community resources, mental health, counseling, and parent education. With limited resources to meet the needs of such a large school district, interns help families and link them to services. As an intern, Polly has the opportunity to provide resources to families in crises and link them to community agencies; assist with support groups for parents and/or children; become more acquainted with the needs of the community; and develop plans to help families in a variety of unique situations. Polly also works with families whose children are chronically absent and/or have engaged in delinquent behaviors, and links families to mental health resources and support groups.

Mount Rubidoux Manor is a 16-story apartment complex located in downtown Riverside. They offer affordable housing for seniors 55 and older. IEHP and Mount Rubidoux Manor have partnered to develop programs and activities to help bring residents together as part of a safe and uplifting community. As interns, Alexa and Mirna co-develop programs and activities that meet the needs of the residents. The interns do this by conducting program assessments, researching, tracking metrics, and collaborating with community health representatives and the residential service coordinator to ensure all required staff and materials are available.

Parkview Community Hospital is a local medical center in Riverside serving the needs of the Inland Empire. The Social Services program focuses primarily on providing patients and their families with support, resources, and miscellaneous medically-focused needs . As an intern, Gemma collaborates with a team of doctors, nurses, and social workers to ensure patients have a more comfortable and supported admittance at the hospital. She conducts bio-psycho-social assessments, participates in interdisciplinary meetings, and provides support for patients and/or their families.

Loma Linda University’s Community Based Adult Services (CBAS) is a licensed community-based day health program that provides services to adults with chronic medical, cognitive, or mental health conditions and/or disabilities that are at risk of needing institutional care. The primary objective of the program is to restore/maintain optimal capacity for self-care for frail elderly persons or adults with disabilities, and delay or prevent inappropriate or personally undesirable institutionalization. As an intern, Rosemarie helps to monitor and assess clients at the agency; engages with clientele through meaningful activities such as crafts, games, and music; and provides community resources to clients and their families.