Member Spotlight: Community Resource Center
Creating Paths to Hope: Meet Community Resource Center, a Lifeline for North County Residents
For more than four decades, Community Resource Center (CRC) has been a beacon of support for vulnerable individuals and families across North County San Diego. With a mission to help neighbors access healthy food, stable housing, and safe relationships, CRC provides critical services that meet people where they are—especially in their most difficult moments. Now with a growing presence in San Marcos through One Safe Place and the long-standing Resale Store, CRC continues to expand its impact. We spoke with their leadership to learn more about CRC’s legacy, their connection to the San Marcos Chamber, and the real stories that keep their work grounded in compassion and purpose.
What services and/or specialty products do you provide? CRC provides emergency assistance, case management, counseling, shelter, food assistance and resources to low-income individuals and families who are economically vulnerable, experiencing homelessness or at imminent risk of homelessness, including domestic violence survivors. At CRC’s offices at One Safe Place, we provide case management for individuals who have experienced domestic violence, elder abuse or trauma. We also provide donated non-perishable food to the pantry at One Safe Place.
Our CRC Resale Stores, located in San Marcos and Encinitas, provide a welcoming space to shop and donate gently used items, while generating important funds to support CRC’s programs. By accepting donations and offering affordable quality items, we help reduce landfill waste and provide essential goods to those in need. Our San Marcos store also offers meaningful work opportunities for local students and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
How long have you been in business at your current location? Established in Encinitas in 1979, CRC has expanded its reach across North County. We now serve our community at our offices in Carlsbad and at San Marcos’ One Safe Place, which opened its doors in 2023. Additionally, our San Marcos Resale Store has proudly served the community for 21 years.
What sets you apart from others in your industry? CRC exists to provide care, compassion and expertise to help those in need create paths to a brighter future. We provide services in North County San Diego to vulnerable families and individuals who need food, shelter and resources. When someone chooses to come to Community Resource Center for help, they’re experiencing what could possibly be one of their worst days: a mother and child seeking shelter from an abusive household, a single father struggling to feed his children, a veteran experiencing homelessness.
What is your favorite business success story? One story that exemplifies CRC’s mission and the power of resilience is Laura’s. When she sought safety from domestic violence, she found not just shelter at CRC, but a network of care that included counseling, food and resources. With this empowering support, Laura rebuilt her life and proudly graduated from Cal State San Marcos. Stories like Laura’s are a powerful reminder of why we do what we do every day.
What motivated you to join The San Marcos Chamber? I believe in the strength of our local community and the positive change we can achieve together. Being a part of the Chamber provides opportunities for collaboration among other nonprofits and local businesses in San Marcos. I’m excited to leverage this network to further expand our reach and mission to help neighbors in need create paths to healthy food, stable homes and safe relationships.
What's your best piece of business advice? "In matters of style, swim with the current; in matters of principle, stand like a rock." - Thomas Jefferson
Business Website: https://www.crcncc.org
Business Instagram Handle: @SanDiegoCRC and @ShopCRC for our resale stores
Business Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/SanDiegoCRC/
