From a folding table and chair to a fully-fledged community center; a village of services that is a trusted sanctuary for community members to access wrap-around programs and recreation. This is the story of how AccessCal, a non-profit community-based organization, became a one-of-a-kind community center to preserve dignity and enrich lives.
The journey to becoming a community center began in 2004 when the City of Anaheim Council sponsored a summit for AccessCal to explore the needs of our organization and community. The main goal that resulted from this summit was to build a community center that provides wrap-around health and human services.
Since that time, AccessCal’s Founder & Executive Director, Nahla Kayali, and her team spent close to two decades working hard to achieve this dream. Two decades of advocacy, research, relationship building and networking, community organizing, needs assessments, and community meetings were part of AccessCal’s daily activities with the hope to build a center that would be a historical landmark and serve vulnerable and underserved community members.
There were many challenges and uphill battles to conquer, but when there is hard work combined with passion, there is always light at the end of the tunnel. In 2022, through a City of Anaheim request for proposal (RFP) process, AccessCal was recommended by City of Anaheim staff to be awarded a stand-alone building at 300 W Carl Karcher Way to provide services to the community and expand the facility to achieve AccessCal’s future vision of a community center. Based on the recommendations of City staff, AccessCal was approved in a historic unanimous vote by the Anaheim City Council to receive its new home at 300 W Carl Karcher Way.
Since our move, and after intensive renovations, AccessCal is excited to have expanded the building to include multiple classrooms and case management offices, a mental health department, a computer lab, a transportation department, a playground for children and their families, two outdoor patios for the community to enjoy, including our older adult population, a basketball and pickleball court, and ample green space. We are hopeful for further expansion within the next five years to incorporate an adult daycare, health clinic, child enrichment center, and more.
This journey has been a dream come true, and we are honored to partner with the City of Anaheim to deliver vital services and programming to community members in need. Thank you to all our funders, donors, supporters, public officials, and community leaders who helped make this dream a reality.
My dream came to life when I received a marriage proposal at the age of 16. It was the ticket I needed to move to the United States so naturally I eagerly accepted. Without finishing high school and leaving school at 9th grade, I packed my bags, excited to begin a new life in my dream country.
Years down the line, unfortunately my marriage came to an end and I found myself a single mom to three children, living as an immigrant in a foreign country. It was overwhelming. I felt like I needed to speak to someone about the challenges and hardship I was enduring. Divorce continued to have a great deal of stigma in the community and I had no one to speak to. I sought comfort at a local mosque but I felt like I was not receiving the mental health support I needed. I decided to visit a mainstream therapist but she did not understand my culture or my background and I just could not connect. Receiving counseling became so hard and I gave up. I thought of my fellow community members within the Arab and Muslim populations who were also struggling. What if they too, were missing out on vital services, because of language and cultural barriers?
Our case managers support the community in 21 different languages. Those who receive AccessCal services come from various backgrounds:
- 44% Middle Eastern/North African
- 13% South Asian
- 12% African American
- 12% African American
- 10% White
- 3% oth
Close to 70% of our service recipients classify as those from low-and-extremely low income households according to the Federal Income Guidelines (FIG).
Established in 1998, Access California Services is a culturally sensitive community-based organization dedicated to empowering underserved populations, focusing on Arab-American and Muslim-American communities. We strive to enhance the quality of life and foster self-determination through direct health & human services.