Family Support Services

We foster a safe, healthy, and thriving community by linking children, youth, and families with programs and services to address their unique needs.

Atascadero
Templeton
Creston
Carrizo Plains
Santa Margarita

Cayucos,
Cambria,
San Simeon

 

Morro Bay
Baywood
Los Osos

 

Paso Robles
San Miguel
Shandon

 

Arroyo Grande
Oceano, Nipomo
Grover Beach
Pismo Beach

Link Family Advocates provide services to families that include:

  • Support accessing food, housing, clothing, health care, and parent education
  • Assistance navigating the social services system for mental health services, disability benefits, drug and alcohol recovery, adoption and guardianship support and family reunification
  • Advocacy for students and their families by coordinating with teachers, school counselors, and principals to support academic success
  • Linkages to community partners for domestic violence services, homeless services, transportation, employment resources and much more.
  • Coordination of S.A.F.E. Team Meetings to support children and families when they’re most vulnerable. These meetings are a collaboration with the family, school staff, agency partners, a family advocate and community organizations to help families overcome barriers and access services, learn more here.

Download The Link Brochure in English and Spanish here.

 

North County Family Advocates

 

Bessy Hoffman

Bilingual Family Advocate

Contact: Cell phone (805) 712-5038
Primary Service Areas: Serving families with children ages 0-5 in Atascadero, Santa Margarita, Templeton, and Creston. Family Advocate for Atascadero High School and Paloma Creek (High School Continuation). Family Advocate for Santa Rosa, San Gabriel, Creston, San Benito, Santa Margarita, Carrisa Plains and Monterey Road Elementary Schools.

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Bessy Hoffman has worked in the education industry for over twenty-seven years. Starting in Los Angeles and later moving to Atascadero, she has specialized in bilingual and special education in both school districts. Bessy has received the Golden Oak award, which is the PTA’s highest honor for excellence in working with and providing for the welfare of children in our local community.

Bessy’s constant drive for the welfare and success of all the families that she works with also led to her being named Santa Rosa Academic Academy’s Employee of the Year in 2013. With her exceptional experience in community resources and social services, Bessy constantly strives to provide a secure future for all local and bilingual families. Bessy is also a Parent Educator and Coach and supports parents and caregivers across the Central Coast.

Magdalena Rodriquez-Madrigal

Bilingual PEI Family Advocate

Contact: Cell phone (805) 503-9724
Primary Service Areas: Templeton and Shandon Middle Schools.

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Magdalena was born and raised in the Central Valley. She holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology from California State University, Monterey Bay. During her time as an undergraduate student, Magdalena spent a total of 1.5 years in Spain studying psychology, law, & occupational therapy. She also spent time volunteering as a tutor in Elementary and Middle Schools. Previously she worked as a Family Service Advocate with the Community Action Partnership of San Luis Obispo and as a behavioral technician with Center for Autism and Related Disorders. She is passionate about helping those in need and is excited to be serving the SLO county community. Magdalena currently serves as a family advocate for Templeton and Lewis Middle Schools.

Mayra Velazquez

Bilingual First 5 Early Childhood Advocate

Contact: Cell phone (805) 712-6487
Primary Service Area: Serving families with children ages 0-5 in Paso Robles, San Miguel and Shandon.

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Mayra is a graduate of University of California Santa Cruz. She worked with the Community Action Partnership of San Luis Obispo as a Family Service Advocate and as a Home Base educator. Mayra is passionate about serving the community and is a wonderful addition to The Link team.

Sonia Greene

Bilingual PEI Family Advocate

Contact: Cell phone (805) 674-3827  
Primary Service Areas: Atascadero Middle School; San Benito, Monterey Road, San Gabriel Elementary Schools; Carrisa Plains and Santa Margarita.

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Sonia Greene has been at The Link Family Resource Center for over ten years and has had extensive experience working with sexual abuse and domestic violence victims. She is a certified First Aid mental health professional and utilizes her passion to help people in her duties as a family advocate. Sonia is fluent in both Spanish and English and has previously worked for the Atascadero Unified School District as a classroom translator. 

Carmen Del Real

Bilingual Family Advocate Services Coordinator Paso Robles/North County S.A.F.E Coordinator

Contact: Cell phone (805) 503-9638
Primary Service Areas: North SLO County.

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Carmen brings her passion for community services to families at Shandon and Lewis Middle Schools. She joined The Link in 2021 with a desire to provide support to the most vulnerable in our community. Carmen has worked in the Health Care sector as a social service director and brings a wealth of experience to The Link team. With the tools and support she provides, families will increase their opportunity for success and well being.

Carmen’s role with The Link has expanded to provide organizational leadership at the Paso Robles Family Resource Center site. She provides invaluable support to the staff and serves as a liaison with Link adminstrative staff. 

In summer 2022 Carmen began coordinating the North County S.A.F.E. intensive team meetings to help families in the community to overcome
barriers to accessing services.

Ana Vidaurri

Bilingual PEI Family Advocate

Contact: Cell phone (805) 503-9409
Primary Service Area: Lillian Larsen Middle School and Lewis Flamson Junior High School.

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Ana serves as a family advocate in the North County for Lillian Larsen and Flamson Middle School. Ana trained in Mental Health Interpretation with the Promotores Collaborative, and she has a certification in Mental Health First Aid. Ana is passionate about working with families and providing services to the community. Ana also has experience working with special needs children, youth, and young adults.

Coastal & SLO Family Advocates

 

Danilda Reyes

Bilingual PEI Family Advocate

Contact: Cell phone (805) 674-9505
Primary Service Areas: Santa Lucia Middle School, Coast Union High School, Cambria Elementary, Leffingwell High School Continuation.

 

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Danilda Reyes serves as a Family Advocate for The Coast Unified School District in Cambria. She has experience working with children and youth in behavioral programs and in one on one classroom settings. She was a Teacher at The Dominican Republic with experience in Kindergarten students, Elementary and Middle School Students. Danilda is bilingual in English and Spanish.

Ann Hixon

Bilingual PEI Family Advocate

Contact: Cell phone (805) 538-8408
Primary Service Areas: Los Osos Middle School, Morro Bay High School, Baywood Elementary, Monarch Elementary, and Del Mar Elementary.

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Ann Hixon grew up on the Central Coast and is a graduate of Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. She has previously enjoyed working at Community Action Partnership of San Luis Obispo for six years as a Family Service Advocate serving Morro Bay, Atascadero, and Cambria.

Roberto Valdovinos

Bilingual Family Advocate

Contact: Cell phone (805) 952-5403
Primary Service Areas: Laguna Middle School and San Luis Obispo High School.

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Roberto Rafael Valdovinos is a dedicated advocate for education and community support. Overcoming the challenges of growing up with limited resources, he became the first in his family to graduate from college and earn a bachelor’s degree from Chapman University.

Driven by a deep passion for helping others, Roberto has managed impactful tutoring programs like Advanza, supporting children from 1st to 6th grade in their academic journeys. His commitment to service includes six years of volunteering with Food Link, where he played a vital role in addressing food insecurity in his community. Roberto’s work also includes supporting individuals with mental and physical challenges, and he’s particularly passionate about assisting those facing language barriers. His life and career are marked by a relentless dedication to making a positive difference in the lives of others

South County Family Advocates

 

Fernando Alvarado

Bilingual PEI Family Advocate

Contact: Cell phone (805) 538-3535
Primary Service Areas: Paulding Middle School.

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Fernando Alvarado is a graduate of Arroyo Grande High School and attended the K-12 system locally. He brings an area of expertise on local resources related to housing navigation, LGBT youth safe spaces, and undocu related outreach and navigation. Fernando is the proud older brother of an individual with NBIA and brings lived experience of navigating local resources as a household with a disabled member who is on DACA, as well as the lived experience of navigating local resources as a DACA student and an LGBT member. Fernando is inspired by seeing how the community has changed for the better over time and by having the opportunity now as an adult to address any further change still needed. He’s excited to tend to the community that has made him who he is and proud to align with the 5 Cities Homeless Coalition, 5 Cities Hope, and GALA of the Central Coast. Fernando is pursuing a degree in Public Health at Cuesta College and is working towards an Addiction Studies certification. In everything he does he encourages growth and compassion.

Yuliana Molina

Bilingual PEI Family Advocate

Contact: Cell phone (805) 859-4982
Primary Service Areas: Mesa & Judkins Middle Schools.

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Yuliana Molina joined the Link Family Resource Center team in September 2023. She brings with her experience as an advocate with Lumina Alliance. Immigrating from Mexico to California with her family when she was 4 years old, she saw her Spanish speaking parents struggle to get the appropriate assistance. As she got older, she continued to see this not only with her family but many other families as well. This has been a driving factor that motivates her to help families in the community.

Family Services Support Team

 

Carrie Collins

Family Advocate Services Director

Contact:  (805) 794-0217 

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Carrie Collins serves as the Family Advocate Services Director for the Link Family Resource Center. For the past 8 years, Carrie was a Training and Consulting Specialist with Strategies 2.0 at Children’s Bureau. She provided training and consultation throughout the state to assist organizations and individuals in their work with family strengthening and prevention of child abuse and neglect. Carrie received her Masters Degree in Organizational Leadership from Ashford University, and a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Management from the University of Phoenix. Her background includes over 20 years in the Head Start and Migrant Head Start program in Parent Involvement and Leadership, and Staff Career Development and Training. She served two years in AmeriCorps providing pesticide safety training to farm workers throughout the state of Utah. Carrie and her husband share the joy of being parents to 4 grown children, and grandparents to 3 grandsons and 2 granddaughters!

Referral Forms

 

Link Staff Chart

Visit this chart to find the family advocate who serves your school/region of SLO County

Family Advocate Referral Form

Please fax or email Family Advocate referrals to: (805) 462-8901 or Carrie@linkslo.org

SAFE Referral Form

Please note that for SAFE referrals, the client must initial for each agency authorized to exchange information (page 3) and sign and date the last page (page 4). Please send all SAFE referrals to:
Email: behavioralhealth.safe@co.slo.ca.us Fax: 805-474-2025

Form 815 (English)

County of San Luis Obispo Multi-Agency Referral and Client Release of Information

Form 815 (Spanish)

County of San Luis Obispo Multi-Agency Referral and Client Release of Information

FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

 

How do I refer a family to The Link?

Please download and complete The Link Advocate Referral Form

Submit the completed form to Family Advocate Services Director Carrie Collins at Carrie@linkslo.org or fax to (805) 462-8901

    Where is The Link Family Resource Center located?

    Please visit us at one of our two North County Family Resource Centers.

    Atascadero Family Resource Center
    4507 Del Rio Ave. Building #1 Atascadero, CA 93422
    Monday – Friday, 9am – 4pm (805) 794-0217

    Paso Robles Family Resource Center
    1802 Chestnut Street Paso Robles, CA 93446 (805) 794-0217

    What is The Link Family Resource Center mission?

    Our Mission
    We foster a safe, healthy, and thriving community by linking children, youth, and families with programs and services to address their unique needs.
    Our Vision
    We envision a thriving community where children, youth, and families have the power and resources to live healthy, safe, and productive lives.
    Our Values
    The Link values strengths-based, empowerment-focused, community-driven collaboration, developed through mutual respect, compassion, and integrity.

    Is The Link a nonprofit organization?

    The Link received 501(c)(3) status in the spring of 2004. Since then, the organization has expanded from a small project of the Atascadero Youth Task Force into a thriving system of Family Resource Centers, family advocates, and community resource specialists upon which the community has come to deeply rely.

    The Link was created in 1998 as a project of the Atascadero Youth Task Force; developed in order to identify available services, assist youth and families to connect with needed services, and to create services to support families. Since then, The Link has expanded from its original office location in Atascadero to two Family Resource Centers with service outreach spanning across the North SLO County towns of Atascadero, Cambria, Shandon, San Miguel, Creston, Cayucos, Santa Margarita, San Simeon, Paso Robles, Los Osos, Morro Bay, and Templeton, encompassing a community of approximately 103,000 residents. We additionally serve the South San Luis Obispo towns of Pismo Beach and Arroyo Grande. Today, we are a community leader in child welfare and education services and aim to keep families united while engaging in child abuse prevention.

    Contact

     

    Please fill out the form below. We look forward to connecting with you!

    How did you hear about us?

    What best describes you?

    The family needs include (please check all that apply):

    What can we help with?

    What can we help with?

    Preferred contact method

    Location: Del Rio Continuation High School
    Address: 4507 Del Rio Ave Bldg. #1, Atascadero, CA 93422
    Hours: Open: 9:00AM to 5:00PM M-F
    Office Phone: (805) 466-5404
    Bilingual Family Advocate Services Director: (805) 794-0217

    Atascadero Family Resource Center The LINK

    North County S.A.F.E.

     

    Services Affirming Family Empowerment – S.A.F.E. team intensive meetings

    What is a SAFE team intensive meeting:
    A SAFE intensive team meeting is a strength-based, multi-agency, school-linked support collaboration team that works with families in the community to overcome barriers to accessing services. The family participates in the meeting and the meeting goals are guided by the families’ needs and priorities.

    Who we serve:
    North County SAFE team provides support to all families, including adoptive, resource families, kin care providers, transitional age youth, special needs youth, and the zero to five population. Family served by the North County SAFE team reside in communities from Santa Margarita to Paso Robles, and in San Miguel, Shandon and the Carissa Plains.

    SAFE services are available for all areas of SLO County. See the referral information below.

    Who is on the SAFE team:
    The meetings are coordinated by The Link Family Resource Center. Participating team members may include Department of Social Services, Child Welfare Services, County Mental Health, Transitions Mental Health, Public Health, CAPSLO, Youth Probation and school administration. Other agencies as needed include Creative Mediation at Wilshire, Link Education Champion, Grizzly Youth Academy, Seneca, and Lumina Alliance. The participating parent/caregiver may request additional professionals or supportive family members for extra support.

    What happens at a SAFE team meeting:
    The SAFE team collaboratively works with the strengths of the families with a solution focused approach to build a plan that focuses on the families strengths, concerns, supports and together build a plan to ensure health and safety of the family and children. The plan is put together and printed out for the family.

    What are the goals of a SAFE team meeting:
    The goal of a SAFE team meeting is to keep youth safe, healthy, at home, in school and out of trouble.

    When are SAFE team meetings held:
    All North County SAFE meetings are held on Tuesday.

    How is a family referred for a SAFE team meeting:
    If a family has a child aged 0 – 18 and working with multiple agencies and there is a need for service coordination, or the family is experiencing significant and immediate challenges. Families can be referred by community agencies, school, and a family advocate.

    To make a referral for a SAFE Team Meeting please complete a SAFE Meeting Referral Form. Click Here for Referral Forms

    Completed Referral Forms can be submitted by email or fax.
    Email: behavioralhealth.safe@co.slo.ca.us Fax: 805-474-2025