CA/Disaster Assistance—
By Suzanne Potter, producer, California News Service, a bureau of Public News Service.
California is regularly beset with disasters, natural and otherwise, which can take an emotional toll.
This year alone, the Golden State has battled more than 4,000 wildfires, struggled through record heat waves and more.
Lisa Pion-Berlin, president and CEO of Parents Anonymous, which runs the California Parent and Youth Helpline, said support is available.
“We are here to help people address their worry; create strategies that they think might work. We’re about helping them figure out what they need and then supporting their resilience in making that known,” Pion-Berlin explained.
People can call the helpline to speak to a trained counselor at 855-427-2736 or live chat on the website CAParentYouthHelpline.org.
Parents Anonymous also runs a community and family resource center funded by the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health. The center sprang into action in June to help families affected by a huge fire at a cold storage warehouse in Boyle Heights, which left the smell of charred and rotting meat for weeks.
Adriana Recoy, a parent leader for Parents Anonymous in Boyle Heights, said the counselors helped her and her neighbors endure the chaos of the environmental and public health disaster.
“They’ve walked me through it and just made me realize some things that at the moment, because I’m in it, I can’t see it,” Recoy recounted. “I know the helpline will help you emotionally and help you navigate through these feelings so you can feel safe again in your city.”
Youth and adults are encouraged to reach out to the helpline whenever they’re coping with emotional turmoil, not just during community disasters. The free service is available 24/7 in 240 different languages.
