Our Purpose
a vision for our future
VISION STATEMENT: A Santa Clara River Valley where every young person has immediate access to a safe space, culturally responsive mental health support, and the tools to lead healthy, self-empowered lives.
MISSION STATEMENT: One Step A La Vez empowers youth ages 12–19 across the communities of Fillmore, Piru, and Santa Paula by providing a safe, welcoming space where trauma-informed care fosters resilience, belonging, and well-being. We equip teens with early mental health tools, leadership skills, and growth opportunities to become informed and empowered leaders who celebrate cultural diversity, address inequities, and advocate for healthy individuals, families, and thriving communities.
OUR HISTORY
The One Step A La Vez program began in 2007 with a group of teens and founder Lynn Edmonds who wanted to bring needed services to youth in Fillmore & Piru. They saw their community was plagued with issues such as poverty, drug and alcohol use, family violence, and mental health needs and they decided to create more access to services in their community.
These youth also articulated a need for a safe place for teens, a transitional place to get services, but also a place to get help with whatever problems they might be facing. The youth created the One Step A La Vez Program which includes the One Step Center to provide behavioral health outreach, engagement, prevention and intervention services to the communities of the Santa Clara Valley (Fillmore, Piru & Santa Paula).
They also saw a need for a safe place for teens to get services or help with whatever problems they might be facing. Soon the vision for the One Step Center became an after-school reality.
Our name “One Step A La Vez” was chosen by the youth to remind them to take “one step at a time” toward self and community improvement and also as a reflection of the dual heritage of the community.