--- title: "Heising-Simons Foundation: Family-Centered Storytelling" description: Learn about the challenges faced by California families accessing public services to support their young children in this qualitative systems evaluation. image: https://vivasocialimpact.com/hubfs/California%20Family%20Voices_video%20cover.png --- [Skip to the main content.](https://vivasocialimpact.com/ourwork/case-study-family-centered-storytelling#main-content) [![VIVA\_2023Logo-1](https://vivasocialimpact.com/hs-fs/hubfs/VIVA_2023Logo-1.png?width=600&height=233&name=VIVA_2023Logo-1.png "VIVA_2023Logo-1")](https://vivasocialimpact.com) [![VIVA\_2023Logo-1](https://vivasocialimpact.com/hs-fs/hubfs/VIVA_2023Logo-1.png?width=600&height=233&name=VIVA_2023Logo-1.png "VIVA_2023Logo-1")](https://vivasocialimpact.com) - [Our Team](https://vivasocialimpact.com/about) - [Services](https://vivasocialimpact.com/services) - [Our Work](https://vivasocialimpact.com/ourwork) - [Contact](https://vivasocialimpact.com/contact) Search *Search* Toggle Menu Search *Search* Toggle Menu - [Our Team](https://vivasocialimpact.com/about) - [Services](https://vivasocialimpact.com/services) - [Our Work](https://vivasocialimpact.com/ourwork) - [Contact](https://vivasocialimpact.com/contact) [*LinkedIn*](https://www.linkedin.com/company/vivasocialimpactpartners) 1 min read # Heising-Simons Foundation: Family-Centered Storytelling [![Picture of Noa Elliott](https://app.hubspot.com/settings/avatar/aa666795231ca175e7ae7c264fbf19c4) Noa Elliott](https://vivasocialimpact.com/ourwork/author/noa-elliott) April 13, 2023 [Case Study](https://vivasocialimpact.com/ourwork/tag/case-study) [Strategy and Systems Design](https://vivasocialimpact.com/ourwork/tag/strategy-and-systems-design) [Community Engagement and Facilitation](https://vivasocialimpact.com/ourwork/tag/community-engagement-and-facilitation) Case Study ![](https://vivasocialimpact.com/hubfs/California%20Family%20Voices_video%20cover.png) ### The Challenge Nearly a quarter of California’s young children live in poverty. Many families in California rely on public assistance programs to make ends meet and create better lives for their children. However, accessing and using these services can be difficult and burdensome, and barriers to receiving them are increasing for many families. What would happen if families designed the public systems to meet their needs?   ### The Approach With support from the Heising-Simons Foundation, VIVA Social Impact Partners conducted a qualitative case study with representation from three California counties, Fresno, Los Angeles, and San Mateo. During this work, VIVA gathered stories from families about their experiences navigating public services. The study aimed to learn how families understand the landscape of services available to them, access and use services, and engage with service providers. Through focus groups and a series of family interviews, families' stories were gathered and compiled online at [www.californiafamilyvoices.org](http://www.californiafamilyvoices.org). This study provides a powerful and insightful look into the challenges that families face when accessing public assistance programs and the impact of these programs on their lives. By capturing families' lived experiences in quotes and videos, the study serves as a resource for those in a position to shape how public services are administered to ensure that California’s systems truly work for the families who rely on them to help change the trajectory for their young children.   --- ##### [**californiafamilyvoices.org**](https://californiafamilyvoices.org/) - [Tweet](https://twitter.com/share) [![VIVALogoWhite](https://vivasocialimpact.com/hubfs/VIVALogoWhite.png)](https://vivasocialimpact.com) - [Contact Us](https://vivasocialimpact.com/contact) - [Services](https://vivasocialimpact.com/services) © 2026 VIVA Social Impact Partners [*Twitter*](https://twitter.com/viva_impact)[*LinkedIn*](https://www.linkedin.com/company/vivasocialimpactpartners) *Return to Top* ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "Noa Elliott", "url" : "https://vivasocialimpact.com/ourwork/author/noa-elliott" }, "dateModified" : "2026-06-22T22:10:49.237Z", "datePublished" : "2023-04-13T15:03:13.000Z", "headline" : "Heising-Simons Foundation: Family-Centered Storytelling", "image" : [ "https://vivasocialimpact.com/hubfs/California%20Family%20Voices_video%20cover.png" ], "mainEntityOfPage" : { "@id" : "https://vivasocialimpact.com/ourwork/case-study-family-centered-storytelling", "@type" : "WebPage" }, "publisher" : { "@type" : "Organization", "logo" : { "@type" : "ImageObject", "url" : "https://vivasocialimpact.com/hubfs/VIVA_Logo_FullColor@2x-1.png" }, "name" : "VIVA Social Impact Partners" } } ``` ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@type" : "VideoObject", "contentUrl" : "https://21795551.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na2.net/hubfs/21795551/Ideas%20for%20Change%20-%20Interconnectivity%20-%20Mary%20-%20One-Stop%20Shop%20for%20Services.mp4", "dateModified" : "2023-04-11T16:39:27.138Z", "description" : "Who better to propose ideas to make the public service system better than the families who depend on it for their well-being and who must interact with the myriad of agencies and organizations each day? Families’ ideas for redesigning the system for the better aligned with the most common negative experiences they expressed: lower or more flexible income thresholds, improved customer service, and improved service delivery through better use of technology and better coordination between services.", "duration" : "PT56S", "height" : 1080, "name" : "Ideas for Change: One-Stop Shop for Services", "thumbnailUrl" : "https://21795551.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na2.net/hubfs/21795551/Ideas%20for%20Change%20-%20Interconnectivity%20-%20Mary%20-%20One-Stop%20Shop%20for%20Services.mp4/medium.jpg", "uploadDate" : "2023-04-11T16:36:40.830Z", "width" : 1920 } ```