Location MLK School Complex 1700 Mamora Ave. Atlantic City, NJ 08401 Telephone: (609)344-3111 Hours: Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday: 8:00 A.M. to 4:30 P.M. Thursday: 8:30 A.M. to 8:00 P.M.

Martin Luther King Family Center

The mission of the MLK Family Center is to respond to the needs identified in the Kids Count New Jersey report by establishing comprehensive, community-based human services delivery system to strengthen the local community, to insure healthy child development and healthy family functioning, and to reduce barriers to achievement and self-sufficiency.

Services

The Martin Luther King Family Center offers the following services:

• Employment services: Job readiness and job retention skills training, life-skills training, job fairs, job bank information, transportation, the Career Clothes Closet, referrals to appropriate employment programs and job training.
• Mental Health: Information and referral to mental health providers, psycho-educational instruction for individuals and groups, peer mediation training, mentoring programs, parenting skills and anger management training.
• Recreation: Recreational programs emphasize fun and allow clients to explore their talents through educational, self-esteem building, social, artistic, cultural and physical activities. Recreational activities include trips to educational, recreational and cultural organizations to provide opportunities to disadvantaged young people.
• Case Management: The Center provides information, referral and follow-up services to clients in order to assist in the coordination of care. Client services are coordinated and tracked using the One EaseE Link computer system.
• Housing Services: Information and referral, workshops on first-time home ownership, mediation with landlords, and financial management seminars.
• Substance Abuse Services: Information and referrals to appropriate providers, psycho-educational workshops focusing on prevention.
• Health and Dental Services: Information and referral, prenatal education through collocated Healthy Mothers/Healthy Babies program, transportation, psycho-educational workshops on relevant health and dental topics, pregnancy prevention.
• Economic Assistance: Information and referral, assistance with CEAS application process, home energy assistance, food baskets, advocacy with Atlantic City Housing Authority, assistance to new mothers.

Background

The initial Kids Count New Jersey Report that was funded by the Annie E. Casey Foundation, ranked Atlantic County 20th of 21 New Jersey counties in the overall assessment of children's and adolescent's well-being. The thirteen indicators used to measure well-being were: births to adolescents, infant mortality rate, Aid to Families with Dependent Children, Food Stamp recipients, reported cases of child abuse and neglect, out-of-home placement, juvenile commitment rate, child death rate, absence of prenatal care, and low birth rate. All indicators showed ranks for Atlantic County that were 6% to 193% below state averages. In addition, the Family Centers recently competed needs assessments for each community served.

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