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SDYS
3255 Wing Street
San Diego CA  92110
(619) 221-8600

The East County Communities Center provides personalized family-oriented support and home-based services for families with youth living throughout the vast East County region of San Diego. East County Communities Center opened in 1998 in partnership with San Diego County Juvenile Probation Department. It has since become an integral part of solutions to the problems that youth confront in the East County region. In an effort to offer comprehensive services, East County Communities Center hosts a collection of programs in collaboration with several other agencies.

For a FREE downloadable english brochure, click here
For a FREE downloadable spanish brochure, click here

The following programs are offered from our East County Communities Center:
Community Assessment Team (CAT)
Cool Bed (Respite Care) Program
Various Groups and Group Services
After School Activities/Critical Hours Programming
Diversion Services

Community Assessment Team (CAT)
CAT is designed to assist families with youth who may be dealing with behavioral, social, or juvenile justice issues. The CAT staff will respond to self-referrals from families, schools, law enforcement, Department of Health and Human Services, and community organizations. CAT is committed to investing in the youth and their families’ future by providing individualized supportive case management. The families are then linked with needed resources and services with staff ensuring that services are delivered efficiently and effectively.

Cool Bed (Respite Care) Program
Cool bed provides short term residential services for youth, ages 12 to 17, who need a break from their home during stressful times. Cool Bed is a voluntary short term placement in foster homes certified by SDYS. While in Cool Bed the youth will continue to attend their regular school on a daily basis. In the program the youth receive structured and nurturing foster care supervision, individual/group counseling, independent living skills training, and 24 hour emergency response.

Group Services
The Center provides lots of group services to support positive development. The following is a selection of these groups. For more detailed information about the various groups and the group services schedule, click here!

East County Communities Center provides free group services to at-risk youth including:

• Group 4 Guys (support group for guys 12-16 yrs old) 
• Group 4 Girls (support group for girls 12-16 yrs old)
• Anger Management Group
• Keeping It Real (for youth and parents facing substance abuse issues)
• Multi-Family Group (for mutual support and communication skills training)
• Creative Expressions (African Drumming)
• Boxing Group (For youth 8-16 interested in learning the basics of boxing
• Effective Parenting Group (for parental support and developing strategies)
• Art Therapy

Diversion Services
High risk youth from across East County are referred to East County Communities Center by law enforcement, school personnel, community-based organizations and families. The Diversion Services program employs cases management, education, community service and referral to assure that youth have no new or further contact with law enforcement. Program impact is measured by the Individual Protective Factors Index Survey. 

Juvenile Diversion Program
High risk youth from across the east region are referred to East County Communities Center by law enforcement, school personnel, community-based organizations and families. The Diversion program provides case management, psycho-educational school groups, and referrals to resources and support groups that ECCC provides. By building an individualized and supportive family service plan the goal is to help the youth stay on track and prevent further contact with law enforcement in the future.

Through the various programs at East County Communities Center, youth have the chance to meet and interact with others who can relate to their challenges. This helps in building social skills and self-confidence.

Contact Information
East County Communities Center
619-258-6877

A special thank you to the following supporters of East County Communities Center:
California Community Foundation
City of La Mesa
Community Action Partnership
County of San Diego
Jewish Community Foundation
San Diego Foundation After the Fire Fund
San Diego County Health and Human Services Agency
Sundt Foundation
The San Diego Probation Department
Web MD Foundation