welcome to
Firehouse Community Development Corporation
Firehouse is a multi-cultural mobile outreach team addressing the social determinants of health (SDOH) and wellness impacting low-income, troubled Latino, and Black. Firehouse provides transformational and lifestyle wellness approaches. We confront systemic barriers, inequities, inequalities, social injustices, justice, and employment biases. We focus on four categories of youth and young minority adults they include:
- High Risk
- At-Risk
- Impacted youth by neighborhood gangs and affiliations, and
- Intentional youth that is already in the justice system
Firehouse has a high success rate in transitioning youth, young adults, and their families into the mainstream as healthy, contributing members of society. The Firehouse team is committed to the health and wellness of Latino and Black young people in becoming self-reliant by equipping them with access to quality healthcare, education, economic stability, safer neighborhoods, social justice, and youth advocacy support.
Community Intervention
FCDC resolves gang conflicts and the prevention of violence in neighborhoods. We help to implement an immediate course of action and a safe redirection plan.
Economic Stability & Outreach
The FCDC team is committed to assisting young people to become responsible, self-reliant, and self-sufficient in all aspects of life and dependable contributors to their families and community.
Parenting & Healthcare
Many of our participants are young parents. Therefore, our services are not limited to youth but a holistic approach that serves them and their families.
Leadership Development
The objective of FCDC is to empower youth with the essential skills to make critical decisions that will shape their future.
Our Mission
We exist to create Success Pathways for marginalized youth by helping them discover their purpose, equipping them for achievement, teaching healthy mindsets, and providing caring direction and guidance that leads to restored hope, vision for their future, and transformative change that moves them from “trauma to triumph.
Founder
Executive Director Dr. Sonny Lara and Linda Lara are the Founders of the Firehouse Community Development Corporation.
Dr Sonny Lara is the Founder, Executive Director of the Firehouse Community Development Corporation. For the past 25 years he has been recognized as a Gang Expert by city and state officials, as well as receiving a host of awards, letters of support and has received media coverage for his endeavors in the community.
The Firehouse is a part of the City of San Jose, Mayor’s Gang Task Force. Providing gang intervention, crisis response and leadership to at risk youth. Firehouse provides many benefits to the community including decreased crime, homicide, graffiti and vandalism. Under the leadership of Dr Sonny Lara the Firehouse has succeeded in transitioning individuals and families into the mainstream as contributing members of society.
Dr Sonny Lara created the Rude Awakening Program that was featured on the Maury Povich Show.
Dr. Linda Lara the Co-Founder of the Firehouse Community Development Corporation. Dr. Lara is affectionately known for being masterful in mobilizing and inspiring the program's advancement to ensure youth and young adults achieve holistic health and wellness. She is certified in family wellness and has received an Honorary Doctorate in Humanitarian. She also holds a Doctorate in Theology. The partnership programs she spearheads as Executive Director and Founder of the accredited Future Elite Academy and the #doU Movement are excellent resources for Firehouse to support the youth and young adults in its program.
