Elsa Segovia Center
The Elsa Segovia Center (ESC) is a program of Clara-Mateo Alliance, Inc.
The center was named to honor Elsa Segovia, a woman who was killed in January 2000 by a hit and run driver in Menlo Park. Although described in the newspapers at the time simply as a "homeless woman," she was so much more.
At the time of her death, Elsa Segovia was the 62-year old mother of then 29-year old Robert Segovia. They had emigrated from Ecuador in 1977, and struggled with homelessness for many years. Ultimately, Robert was removed from his mother's care as her mental illness made it more and more difficult for her to care for him.
Elsa was an active parishioner at Holy Trinity Church in Menlo Park, where she was a bible class teacher. At the suggestion of Holy Trinity, The Elsa Segovia Center was named in her memory, because the center brings services to women, children, and families who find themselves in circumstances similar to those faced by Elsa and Robert.
Elsa Segovia Center (ESC) provides case management and basic services such as food, clothing, showers and laundry facilities. It offers case management, medical and dental care, benefit eligibility screening, counseling and therapy, parent/child education, a children's program and a parent-participation preschool. All services are offered on-site, so that moms don't have to spend all their time and precious resources, traveling from one service provider to the next. Clara-Mateo Alliance makes available the space for the services to be provided; however, the actual services are for the most part provided by other agencies, through collaboration with ESC.
Agencies currently collaborating with ESC include: Child Protective Services, El Centro de Libertad, Family and Children Services, Family Connections, Mayview Clinic, On-Site Dental, Project Hope and San Mateo Human Services Agency.
The Elsa Segovia Center is open 7 days per week. Weekday hours are 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Weekend hours are 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. There is no charge for its services, and there is no eligibility screening (except for the dental program).
For more information about ESC, call 650-326-9898
