The Fleet & Family Support Center (FFSC) at Naval Base Ventura County has opened offices at Catalina Heights, the 315-unit military housing complex in Camarillo.
For now, counseling services are available on an appointment-only basis in the Child Youth Center at Catalina Heights. But this spring, officials plan to offer a full range of services and classes in a house on Calle la Roda, including a toddler group and courses in financial management, relocation and deployment support.
“For Catalina Heights residents, as well as our families who live in other parts of Camarillo, Thousand Oaks and Newbury Park, this site will be much more convenient than either Point Mugu or Hueneme,” said Pat White, the FFSC’s counseling advocacy program supervisor.
Catalina Heights families that have only one car will find it especially convenient, White said.
“Everything here is within walking distance,” she explained.
Because of that, FFSC is planning more evening classes and evening counseling sessions at its newest location.
“We have always accommodated those who need after-hours services, but demand has never been very high,” White said. “Here, with everything so close, we are expecting more of a need.”
Appointments at Catalina Heights are currently available during the morning shift from 7:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and during the afternoon shift from 2 to 7 p.m.
Child-care vouchers are available so that parents, with a few days’ notice, can take children to a provider at Catalina Heights, attend a counseling session or a class, then pick the kids up before heading home.
This service is also available at Hueneme and Mugu, but White expects more of a demand at Catalina Heights because everything is in such close proximity.
The offices opened in the Child Youth Center on Monday, Dec. 5, and several appointments took place that day, White said.
To make an appointment at the new Catalina Heights office, call 982-5037.
Scripps Interactive Newspapers Group
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