Bernadette Grosjean

Md Psychiatrist Consultant @Special Service for Groups

Special Service for Groups (SSG) is a non-profit organization dedicated to provide community-based solutions to the social and economic issues facing those in greatest need. SSG believes that the needs of groups and individuals cross traditional ethnic, racial and other cultural boundaries. SSG serves as a bridge between people with common needs to identify ways to pool resources for the greater good of all. History SSG began during World War II as a result of the Los Angeles “zoot suit riots.” American sailors had attacked Mexican American youth on the streets of Los Angeles causing a national outrage. To address the issue, the Community Chest (now known as the United Way) formed a ‘special services unit’ to attend to the youth’s recreational and social needs. In 1952, after eight years of operating programs for teenagers, Special Service for Groups incorporated. SSG’s first years offered outreach services to many minority gangs in Los Angeles, operating the most intensive gang counseling program in the United States at the time. Many of SSG’s current priorities and programs were first established in the 1970’s and 1980’s in response to the continued impact of poverty on LA communities, as well as to the multifaceted and growing needs of diverse racial and ethnic populations. This era also saw the mounting impact of homelessness on LA and the serious challenge of HIV/AIDS. SSG’s programs thus reflected an emphasis on cultural and linguistic competence with a number of projects targeting Latinos, African Americans and Asian Pacific immigrants and refugees. The period since has thankfully been one of continued growth for SSG, particularly in the area of behavioral health services. SSG programs continue to evolve to keep up with advancements in social service practice and to effectively address the growing and continually changing needs of LA’s at risk and disenfranchised communities.