News

With more than three decades of experience in community mental health, Tiffany Rodriguez, LMFT, joined Special service for Groups, Inc. in April 2026  as division director for SSG Weber Community Center in Los Angeles.  Established in 2007, the Weber Community Center provides various services focused on mental health and community support primarily catering for at-risk children, adolescents, and their families.    These include outpatient counseling, crisis intervention, and case management.  Tiffany has successfully developed and launched new programs, strengthened established services, and led program design initiatives focused on improving outcomes for clients and communities.  Throughout her career as therapist, clinical supervisor, manager, director, Tiffany has worked with a diverse range of populations and programs, including family reunification services, intensive mental health services, foster youth, families, individuals experiencing homelessness, residential treatment programs, and adult mental health services.  “As our system continues to navigate ongoing Department of Mental Health changes, my goal is to help guide the organization through these transitions in a way that best supports our staff while maintaining high-quality services,” she said.

This past May, SSG Weber Community Center relocated to 5603 S. Central, Los Angeles, CA 90011. 

The Integrated Behavioral Health Team (IBHT), a division of Special Service for Groups (SSG) since 2013, officially closed its doors on June 30, 2026.

The closure marks the end of a transformative 13-year chapter in community wellness. The shutdown stems directly from funding priority shifts under the Behavioral Health Services Act (BHSA). These systemic changes disrupted vital linkages between mental health providers and Federally Qualified Health Clinics (FQHCs). It ultimately ended IBHT’s capability to support mild-to-moderate clients and concluded its highly successful, mutually beneficial partnership with Los Angeles-based FQHC Eisner Health.

Since its inception, IBHT maintained a powerful, active presence across the greater Los Angeles area. The team focused heavily on expanding healthcare equity. Their integrated partnerships successfully overcame deep-seated cultural, economic, and language barriers that historically blocked vulnerable individuals from accessing counseling and treatment.

With the closure of the division, SSG bids a heartfelt farewell to longtime IBHT Division Director Carmen Chacon, LCSW.

Chacon leaves behind an indelible mark on the agency’s infrastructure. As an influential voice on SSG’s Quality Assurance Committee, her implementation of strict monitoring, evaluation, and high patient care standards was instrumental in securing the agency’s prestigious CARF certification.

On July 23, senior SSG division heads and colleagues gathered for a special luncheon to honor Chacon. The agency celebrated her fierce dedication to community wellness and her masterful leadership of a mostly bilingual Spanish-speaking staff. Through her guidance, this dedicated team delivered life-changing behavioral health services to limited English proficient (LEP) clients who otherwise might have fallen through the cracks of the healthcare system.

Special Service for Groups, Inc. has appointed Rex Hamano as Chief Financial Officer effective June 1, 2026. In this role, he will lead SSG’s financial strategy and operations within our large, diversified organization at the intersection of healthcare, social services, housing, and public financing. Responsibilities encompass financial stewardship, government reimbursement and contracting, risk management, capital allocation, and the financial infrastructure supporting organizational growth, governance, and scale. As a member of the Executive Management Team, Rex also contributes to enterprise-wide governance and regulatory matters and serves in an executive oversight and alignment capacity for HOPICS.  Rex joined SSG in 2024 as a member of the Board of Directors.

In 1976, a group of AAPI activists and advocates began to meet regularly as the “Asian Lunch Bunch,” becoming the nucleus of an organization with the mission of maximizing access to government services and resources for the Los Angeles AAPI community. They launched what would begin as the Asian Pacific Planning Council (APPCON), evolving five decades later to its present identity AAPI Equity Alliance (formerly A3PCON). The initial group numbered between 30-40 individuals and has grown presently to 50 member organizations. Its historic accomplishments included advocacy for increased funding addressing mental health needs for AAPI communities, amplifying AAPI participation in legislative processes, and the formation of APIAVote!, the Human Trafficking Task Force, and Stop AAPI Hate. On Thursday, May 21, 2026, AAPI Equity celebrated these and many other achievements at its 50th Anniversary Gala held at California Science Center, Los Angeles. A major highlight was recognition of founders and early community pioneers, including SSG Executive Director Dr. Herb Hatanaka and APAIT Director Jury Candelario, who served as AAPI Equity’s board president in 2004.

A division of Special Service for Groups, Inc., the Benefits Assistance Clients’ Urban Project (BACUP) celebrated 40 years of promoting and practicing person-centered, recovery-oriented approach to mental health wellness. Held at the Tropico De Nopal Gallery Art-Space in Los Angeles on Saturday, May 9, 2026, “Recovery in Motion” was the title of the 4th Annual Art on Canvas Client Art Exhibit hosted by BACUP and SSG Division Access to Prevention Advocacy, Intervention & Treatment (APAIT) in celebration of Mental Health Awareness Month in May. L.A. County’s LAvsHATE showcased its art-centric information in posters, yard signs, stickers and buttons in the gallery space with walls adorned by powerful original artwork created by individuals with lived experiences to highlight stories of resilience, growth, and self-expression.

On Wednesday, April 1, 2026, leaders of the City of Compton welcomed Hub City Heights, a new permanent supportive housing community, providing 40 units to the community of East Compton (also known as East Rancho Dominguez). Funded through California’s Project Homekey state program, the complex is operated by the Homeless Outreach Program Integrated Care System (HOPICS), a division of SSG. Residents will have access to critical supportive services, including case management, behavioral health support, wellness activities, and direct connections to essential resources that promote stability and independence.
View images of the facility’s grand opening

SSG is aware of allegations involving the misuse of funds by Abundant Blessings, a former contracted homeless services provider. Any misuse of funding is deeply concerning as it undermines public trust and the essential work being done to serve individuals experiencing homelessness. 

While SSG does not manage or oversee the internal financial operations of contracted providers, we take our role as a steward of public and private funds seriously and are cooperating fully with appropriate oversight authorities. 

SSG maintains strong fiscal protocols, compliance standards, and monitoring requirements for the funds we administer to serve individuals and families in need each and every day, and we remain committed to safeguarding those dollars, upholding accountability, and ensuring resources reach the people and communities they are intended to serve.

Press Contact:

Scott Mann

(323) 333-4850