Ribbon cutting ceremony for CBCI’s new Riviera Beach office slated for January 23 at 11:30 a.m.
January 5, 2025 – Community-Based Connections, Inc. (CBCI), a nonprofit organization dedicated to delivering youth development, family strengthening, and community empowerment services to hard to serve populations, has received a $6.25 million, five-year federal grant to expand its footprint into Palm Beach County. CBCI, together with the City of Riviera Beach, will celebrate the grand opening of its new office located at 3100 Broadway Avenue in Riviera Beach. CBCI’s new location will house eight staff members including case managers, facilitators and support specialists. A ribbon cutting, held in conjunction with the City of Riviera Beach, will take place on Friday, January 23, at 11:30 a.m.
The expansion of CBCI into Palm Beach County is made possible through this first-time grant that will allow it to continue its mission of providing services that preserve and sustain families. CBCI was one of 38 agencies nationwide selected to receive this prestigious grant.
“For more than 16 years, Community-Based Connections has been providing vital services in Broward that preserve and sustain families and now we are proud to be expanding our role into Palm Beach County,” said Mikelange Olbel, CEO of Community Based Connections, Inc. “Our proven models of care to strengthen families have a lasting impact on every member of the family which in turn helps builds a stronger community. We are making a difference one family at a time.”
CBCI presently employs a variety of successful initiatives centered around family.
A key initiative of the Riviera Beach expansion will be The H.E.A.R.T. (Helping Every Area of Relationships Thrive) Family Strengthening Program, a five-year program designed to help adults and couples strengthen relationships, improve parenting, and build family stability through workshops, personalized support, and services like childcare, transportation, and counseling. H.E.A.R.T is part of CBCI’s Awesome Dads Awesome Men (A.D.A.M.), a free fatherhood mentoring program, which takes an evidence-based approach, recognizing the needs of fathers and the significant impact they have on their children and families. The goal is to educate men about relationships, children, parenting, and more in a non-threatening environment to prevent mistreatment of children in the home and to improve and eliminate the number and severity of family crisis events. This is in addition to supporting men in workforce training and development.
“Riviera Beach takes great pride in building a strong community that values families that live, work and thrive here,” said Mayor Douglas Lawson, City of Riviera Beach. “We look forward to the work that CBCI will do to strengthen families with case management, mental health services, mentoring and specialized programming.”
CBCI has a solid history of success in Broward as evidenced by its Family Strengthening Program (FSP), funded through the Children’s Services Council of Broward County. The program empowers parents and strengthen family relationships by teaching practical parenting skills and providing individualized wraparound case management services, screenings, assessments, and community referrals. The free three-month, child-centered parenting skills course is for families of youth who are at risk of abuse, neglect, and/or juvenile delinquency. Since the program’s inception, FSP has served 267 families, of which over 95% have improved family functioning. 71% of these clients have been women, and over half (66.8%) are African American or Black.
Additionally, the organization offers The Beacon of HOPE-Intact Family Navigation Program, a coordinated network of services designed to provide families with emotional support, navigation, and resources to support services where needed and appropriate. Children enrolled in this program receive one year of STEM enrichment, character development, access to extracurricular activities, after-school, summer, and enhanced parent involvement activities, and more.
Meanwhile, it’s Kinship Program, serving 100 caregivers yearly throughout Broward County, receive financial assistance, help in navigating social services systems, safety plan monitoring, case management support, economic assistance, childcare, and housing and employment support.
For more information about CBCI, visit www.communitybasedconnections.com.
About Community-Based Connections, Inc.
Community-Based Connections, Inc. (CBCI) is a nonprofit human services organization with more than 16 years of expertise in delivering youth development advocacy and family resilience strengthening programs, plus health and community empowerment initiatives to underserved populations in Broward County. CBCI was founded upon the belief that service providers who have natural ties to the community are in the best position to help improve the odds of youth and family success. The CBCI mission is to expand the options available to children – from cradle to college – that promote their social and academic growth, equipping them with the skills they need to overcome challenges and thrive in adulthood. CBCI programs services that engage, encourage and motivate include the Young Believers Program, Family Strengthening Program, S.M.A.R.T. Team, New Day Diversion, and the Early Achievers Program. For more information, visit communitybasedconnections.com.
