San Diego County District Attorney Summer Stephan said today that monthly “Cafecito con la Comunidad” (Coffee with the Community) events are providing the Spanish-speaking community in North County easier access to vital resources, such as services for domestic violence survivors, education on preventing human trafficking, elder abuse, financial scams, and much more.

The Spanish only events are held every second Friday of the month at One Safe Place: The North County Family Justice Center in San Marcos. The topics at the gatherings are focused on public safety and are organized by District Attorney Community Partnership Prosecutor Monique Myers, Dra. Beatriz Villarreal from Mano a Mano Foundation, and One Safe Place Executive Director Claudia Grasso.

WATCH A VIDEO ABOUT CAFECITO CON LA COMUNIDAD, HERE.

The latest Cafecito con la Comunidad had over 50 attendees, including women, men and children, who feel more comfortable obtaining information in Spanish. Some attendees are trying to get out of an abusive relationship. In fact, one domestic violence survivor with her young child left her abuser after attending one of the Cafecitos and is currently receiving services at One Safe Place.

During another Cafecitos where a domestic violence survivor shared her story about seeing her little boy mimic the violent behavior of her abusive husband, another of the attendees was inspired to seek help and resources from One Safe Place.

“I’m so honored to connect with our Hispanic community in this unique and comfortable manner to better serve victims, survivors and community members at One Safe Place: The North County Family Justice Center,” said DA Stephan. “The interest in the Cafecito con la Comunidad events is a great example of empowering the community by providing information, education, and services. Seeing the larger crowds every meeting means there’s a feeling of trust and comfort which helps build safer families and safer neighborhoods.”

A recent Memorandum of Understanding signed between the DA’s Office and the Mexican Consulate now includes the Consulate’s participation in these free informative events every month. The Cafecitos con la Comunidad are completely in Spanish and they take place the second Friday of every month at 10 a.m., at One Safe Place: The North County Family Justice Center, which is located at 1050 Los Vallecitos Blvd., San Marcos, CA 92069. The next Cafecito con la Comunidad will be on September 8, at 10 a.m. and the topic is on “Drugs and Mental Health: What is their relationship? Myths and Resources.” There is no need to register in advance. You can see a flyer with the list of the upcoming meetings and topics, here: CAFECITO CON LA COMUNIDAD – FLYER.