Compton Social Workers Rally for Space to Rebuild Families

Social workers rallied for relief from severe overcrowding in a Compton office, where 300 employees have been forced to share phones, computers, and desks for more than a year. The office serves a high need area--roughly one-quarter of the 35,000 children currently in L.A. County’s child-welfare system live in Compton and surrounding areas.

Despite the space crunch, social workers in the Compton area have cut the number of children removed from their families by more than half since 2002. "We have always done more with less," said social worker and steward Patricia Placencia. "We need the County's support."

"Our administration prides itself in the work we put out," said social worker Jose Izquierdo. He described broken printers and social workers roving the building in a constant search for workspace. "When families call it's always an emergency," he said.

Nearly 75 social workers held a 15-minute rally and heard their co-workers and community representatives from the Children’s Defense Fund and Community Coalition talk about the importance of keeping children with their families. See a photo gallery from the rally.

"We consistently hear about the great work that you do," said Aurea Montes-Rodriguez of the Community Coalition, a nonprofit in South L.A. Community Coalition runs a program called Kinship in Action to identify and support grandparents and other kin who can care for children and keep them in their families. "People in South L.A. know that what you are doing is really important to our community," she said.

Saudeka Shabazz of the Children's Defense Fund, a national nonprofit that supports social workers' efforts to place children with their families, said social workers are "right up there with police officers and the fire department" in keeping communities safe.

SEIU 721 social workers have put increasing pressure on administrators to give County employees the tools necessary to expand services to needy families. On April 10, Compton social workers met with state Sen. Mark Ridley-Thomas, who offered his support in lobbying the County to reduce overcrowding.

See more photos from the rally online.