North County Lifeline
Lifeline gives youth, adults, and families the tools they need to solve their own problems and become self-reliant.
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Programs and results
What we aim to solve
Lifeline Community Services was incorporated in 1973, having been formed in the late 1960s by a volunteer citizens group concerned about drug abuse among local youth. Lifeline has since expanded to offer programs focusing on youth development, behavioral health, child abuse and domestic violence prevention & intervention, housing & self-sufficiency, and human trafficking prevention & intervention. Over the years, Lifeline’s programs have evolved and expanded to meet the needs of the community. Lifeline continues to evaluate each program’s fit within our mission and philosophy - to ensure the greatest opportunity for success.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Youth Development
Lifeline’s Youth Development programs meet the needs of youth and their families on a continuum of services that keep at-risk youth on the right track and help delinquent youth break the cycle of poverty and violence. Lifeline provides prevention and intervention services that include mental and behavioral health programs and youth support groups that focus on healthy and safe lifestyles.
Lifeline's Youth Development programs include: Club Crown Heights Afterschool Programs, Community Assessment Team and Juvenile Diversion Program, Strive for Success Gang Prevention Program, IMPACT (Intensive Mentoring, Parent Advocacy, and Comprehensive Trauma-informed Services), Juvenile Forensic Assistance for Stabilization and Treatment (JFAST), Alternatives to Detention (ATD) & CHOICE, Families SHINE, and RESPECT Project.
Visit https://www.lifelinecs.org/youth-development to learn more!
Behavioral Health
Lifeline’s Behavioral Health programs work with youth and adults who are struggling with mental health issues, emotional trauma, substance abuse, and thoughts of suicide. Individuals who come to Lifeline for help are often diagnosed with anxiety, depression, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, oppositional disorder, eating disorders, and autism.
Lifeline’s Behavioral Health programs include: HERE Now - Teen Suicide Prevention program, TrueLife Recovery: North Coastal Teen Recovery Center, VIVA Counseling, Neighborhood Networks, and Connections Community Counseling.
Visit https://www.lifelinecs.org/behavioral-health to learn more!
Child Abuse and Domestic Violence Prevention & Intervention
Though it is hard to acknowledge, violence happens in families every day. Unacknowledged—and unaddressed—the cycle of violence will continue.
4 out of every 10 children who have experienced abuse and neglect came from a home with domestic violence (Health and Human Services).
To break the cycle of violence, Lifeline helps both the victim and the offender. Families can find a better way to manage anger and violent behavior, learn more effective parenting and improve relationship skills through intensive services. When it is best for all, the goal is for families to reunify.
Lifeline's Child Abuse and Domestic Violence Prevention and Intervention programs include: CSF (Community Services for Families), Parent Education, Domestic Violence Intervention, and Anger Management Group for Adults.
Visit https://www.lifelinecs.org/child-abuse-domestic-violence to learn more!
Housing & Self-Sufficiency
Lifeline builds solutions for youth and families in poverty by partnering with schools, foundations, coalitions, and businesses. Programs provide the support that youth and families need to overcome poverty, homelessness, and trauma. With support, clients develop the skills necessary to achieve self-reliance.
Lifeline's Housing & Self-Sufficiency programs include: Communities in Action, LifeSpring Transitional Youth Housing, The House Drop-In Center, Vista Rental Assistance, and CalAIM (California Advancing and Innovating Medi-Cal).
The Communities in Action program is designed to help individuals and families toward stability by providing them with essential tools to promote financial wellness and self-sufficiency. The LifeSpring program helps transition aged foster youth bridge the gap between foster care and independence so that they can become successful, independent adults.
Visit https://www.lifelinecs.org/housing-and-self-sufficiency to learn more!
Human Trafficking Prevention & Intervention
San Diego is one of the 13 highest sex trafficking areas in the United States, according to the FBI, and the number of trafficking victims in San Diego continues to increase every year.
Human trafficking is a modern form of slavery. It involves controlling a person through force, fraud, or coercion to exploit the victim for forced labor, commercial sex, or both. Trafficking victims can be male and female, youth and adults, citizens and non-citizens. More than 85% of Lifeline’s sex and labor trafficking victims are domestic clients.
The core mission of Lifeline’s human trafficking prevention and intervention program, Project LIFE (Living In Freedom from Exploitation) is to support human trafficking victims on their path to recovery and self-reliance.
Visit https://www.lifelinecs.org/human-trafficking to learn more!
Where we work
External reviews
Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Number of people reached through our programs
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Adults, Children and youth, Families
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Goals & Strategy
Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
Lifeline aspires to foster long-lasting personal growth and systemic change to the adverse social conditions impacting youth, adults and families. Lifeline seeks to build resiliency to those we serve so they can reach their highest potential.
Lifeline's programs have evolved and expanded to meet the needs of the community. Lifeline continues to evaluate each program's fit within our mission and philosophy. We were founded by community members in response to increase in youth gang and drug involvement. In 2022 we almost doubled our mental health services to youth due to the increase in demand. Lifeline listens and responds to community needs.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
Lifeline’s three-year strategic focus strengthens the organization’s capacity for continued growth in supporting its mission: self-reliance for youth, adults and families with six focus areas:
1) Creating a Regional Profile - Re-position Lifeline as a countywide, regional service leader and identify growth opportunities.
2) Developing Leadership - Update organizational infrastructure and leadership to prepare for executive transition and continued growth.
3) Building our People - Build upon existing organizational culture of quality service, dedication to mission, staff expertise. Continue to build diversity, equity and inclusion; eliminate barriers to hiring; and improve retention rates.
4) Integrating Philanthropy - Formalize a culture of philanthropy across the organization to support mission and growth priorities.
5) Growing Board Capacity - Review and strengthen Board development and governance. Increase the size of the Board and update Board goals to support strategic growth.
6) Telling our Story with Data - Strengthen programmatic data collection systems, evaluation and organization-wide reporting capabilities.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
Lifeline has been a community based organization since its founding in 1969 (incorporated in 1973), and we are a multi-service organization reaching at risk families affected by family dysfunction, mental health challenges, poverty, child abuse, homelessness, poor physical health and human trafficking. The communities know us and outreach happens very naturally in the North County communities. All of this make Lifeline well positioned to engage with families most in need and provide full-wraparound support to help them with both poverty and emergency assistance needs, and deeper clinical interventions and family-dynamic challenges.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
Lifeline has grown from a grassroots, volunteer-led organization to a large community-based organization working with thousands of families annually who have accomplished self-reliance. The organization's strategic direction focuses on how we can help future kids and families on their own unique path to self-reliance in a way that is effective and long-lasting.
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
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- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
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Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
North County Lifeline
Board of directorsas of 07/03/2023
Dr. Patricia Prado Olmos
California State University San Marcos
Dr. Darjené Graham-Perez
Director of People and Culture, Walden Family Services
Megan Provost
Assistant Vice President, Branch Manager US Bank
Jim Mickelson
Retired MSW Professional Social Worker
Rick Martinez
Senior Vice President, PNC Bank
Sam Brown
Vice President, Rancho Mesa Insurance Services
Conor Boyle
Senior Vice President, Colliers
Paul Cevolani
President/CEO, Novus Origo
Leilani DeLeon
Senior Director and Global Head of IoT Product Marketing , Qualcomm Technologies, Inc.
Paul Garza
Associate Director, Genentech, Inc.
Jaime Gonzales Vallejo
Upstream Manufacturing Supervisor, Genentech
Jim Hagar
Attorney at Law, Hagar & Cotton
Taylor Hindle
Wealth Manager, Aldrich Wealth LP
Barbara Levine
Math and Statistics Teacher Biomedical Engineer
Melissa Navarro
Professional Accounting Consultant
Judie Nocera
Business Manager, Clinical Laboratories, Program Director, San Diego CLS Training Consortium: UCSDH
Henry Pennerman
Production Support Specialist, AMN Healthcare
Luis Valdivia
Advanced Diabetes Supply with Bl3ndlabs, Assistant Controller
Yameeka Williams
Assistant Medical Center Administrator, Kaiser Permanente
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
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Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Yes -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? Yes
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
Gender identity
Transgender Identity
Sexual orientation
No data
Disability
No data
Equity strategies
Last updated: 11/16/2020GuideStar partnered with Equity in the Center - an organization that works to shift mindsets, practices, and systems to increase racial equity - to create this section. Learn more
- We review compensation data across the organization (and by staff levels) to identify disparities by race.
- We ask team members to identify racial disparities in their programs and / or portfolios.
- We analyze disaggregated data and root causes of race disparities that impact the organization's programs, portfolios, and the populations served.
- We disaggregate data to adjust programming goals to keep pace with changing needs of the communities we support.
- We employ non-traditional ways of gathering feedback on programs and trainings, which may include interviews, roundtables, and external reviews with/by community stakeholders.
- We disaggregate data by demographics, including race, in every policy and program measured.
- We have long-term strategic plans and measurable goals for creating a culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.
- We use a vetting process to identify vendors and partners that share our commitment to race equity.
- We have a promotion process that anticipates and mitigates implicit and explicit biases about people of color serving in leadership positions.
- We seek individuals from various race backgrounds for board and executive director/CEO positions within our organization.
- We have community representation at the board level, either on the board itself or through a community advisory board.
- We help senior leadership understand how to be inclusive leaders with learning approaches that emphasize reflection, iteration, and adaptability.
- We measure and then disaggregate job satisfaction and retention data by race, function, level, and/or team.
- We engage everyone, from the board to staff levels of the organization, in race equity work and ensure that individuals understand their roles in creating culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.