What We Do
Creating systemic change
One Can Help (OCH) was created by juvenile court attorneys and social workers who wanted to make sure that poverty did not prevent the vulnerable children and families they worked with from taking positive steps forward and achieving better outcomes.
By quickly providing urgently needed individualized resources, OCH tackles an enormous societal issue and helps level the playing field at the same time. Through our unique and innovative partnership with the juvenile court appointed attorneys, social workers and advocates who know exactly what their clients need to succeed right now, OCH is able to ensure that critical resources responsibly achieve their targeted goal.
We are unaware of any other organizations that focus on addressing the link between poverty, inequality and injustice as we do.
Some examples:
- Paying for a bed so that a child experiencing neglect at home, can move in with loving relatives rather than need to go into foster care.
- Buying a laptop so a struggling teen can succeed in school or access counseling.
- Paying for a bus or train pass so mom can visit her child in temporary foster care far away from home while working towards unification.
- Buying the special clothing or equipment a youth needs which is outside the ‘foster care allowance’ or family budget, so they can get to participate in sports or other activities.
- Paying a month’s heating bill or urgently needed food to help a vulnerable family escaping DV remain safe and stable during this crisis.
Many of these are relatively small things, yet by quickly providing exactly what is needed, we can make big changes possible.
how we work
Quickly. Impactfully. Responsibly.
- Only juvenile court attorneys, social workers, and other court professionals can apply.
- All applications are screened by seasoned attorneys and social workers who understand the system.
- All assistance provided must directly or indirectly benefit a child.
- Eligibility for OCH assistance is based on standardized criteria that is applied as uniformly as possible.
- No money is ever provided directly to the beneficiaries.
- OCH pays for all items or services directly or through responsible intermediaries.
Attorneys. Social workers. Child Advocates.
OCH’s innovative approach only works because of the collaborative partnerships OCH has established with the dedicated juvenile court appointed professionals (attorneys, social workers and advocates) charged with helping vulnerable children and families. They know the unique problems their underserved client faces, what specific resource is needed, and whether that assistance is available elsewhere. When the professional sees a need that cannot be met elsewhere, they apply to OCH.
