Community Enhancement Services (CES) is a non-profit community based organization, which serves the residents of the Los Angeles County. The mission of the organization is: to enhance the communitys economic, social, cultural and educational standards through provision of community services for the economically disadvantaged persons, youth, seniors, disabled, refugees and immigrants and through implementation of community development projects.

Since 1980 CES staff has been involved in the provision of the human services to the residents of the Beverly Fairfax, West Hollywood and Hollywood areas as the Fairfax Division of the United Community and Housing Development Corporation (UCHDC).

Many meaningful and successful projects were implemented from its facility in the Farmers Market, the heart of the community activities in the area. These programs include such community development projects as Vitalize Fairfax, job training programs funded through JTPA, anthropological study of Fairfax (joint venture with the USC), Vocational English-As-A-Second Language (VESL) classes for the immigrants and educational services to the Foreign Medical Graduates (FMG).

In 1992 UCHDC made a decision to concentrate on housing development and asked the Fairfax Division (which later became CES) to administer most of its social services programs. Currently CES is an independent agency directly funded by various government funding sources.

CES provides services to the residents of 165 zip code areas and maintains offices in North Hills and Glendale as well as satelite offices in Pacoima, Van Nuys, Korea Town/Hollywood.

Currently CES consists of the following major divisions:

Energy Efficiency Division, which administers the following projects:

Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP), funded by the California Department of Community Services and Development. The program provides payment assistance to low-income households to enable residents to meet the high cost of heating and/or cooling their homes. CES HEAP database consists of more than forty thousand (40,000) records of the low-income households eligible for HEAP assistance.

Low Income Home Energy Efficiency (Weatherization) Programs, funded by the Federal Department of Energy, California Department of Community Services and Development and the Southern California Gas Company.

These programs provide energy conservation and weatherization services to eligible low-income households in order to improve the energy efficiency of their homes and thereby reduce the high cost of energy. On average, CES provides free insulation along with the energy education to over one thousand five hundred (1,500) low-income households annually.

Energy Crisis Intervention Program (ECIP), funded by the California Department of Community Services and Development. The program provides payment assistance to eligible applicants to meet their obligations to the utility companies when the low-income household is experiencing a weather-related or energy-related emergency.

Water Conservation Division which included the following projects:

Residential Ultra Low Flow Program was funded by the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power. The program provided free Ultra Low Flow (ULF) toilets to eligible residential customers. CES also installed Low-Flow Showerheads, Hot Water Faucet Restrictors, Water Heater Blankets, Water Heater Pipe Wraps, etc.

The project had been identified by the HDMC (program administrator for DWP) as one of the most successful and had the inspection pass rate of 100%. Mr. Zigmund Vays, CES President, served as a member of the Los Angeles Integrated Plan for the Wastewater Program Steering Group, which prepared recommendations regarding WW management, which included water conservation measures.

Commercial Ultra Low Flow Program provided for distribution of the ULFs to eligible commercial customers, such as restaurants, food stores (grocery markets and supermarkets), and wholesale establishments (distribution centers and warehouses).

Immigrant and Refugee Assistance Division:

Natarulization Assistance Program.

In accordance with its mission, immigrant services play a very important role in CES activities. CES continues to serve substantial and diverse immigrant population residing in its service area through naturalization assistance program, which includes assessment of client's eligibility for naturalization, application preparation, photographs, representation, translation and supportive services. The program recieved funding through the grant awarded by the Emma Lazarus Foundation and other public and private sources.

Refugee Employment Program provides training, job placement and supportive services to the refugees referred by DPSS. The refugees are assisted by highly-qualified bilingual case managers. Case management services included vocational and needs assessment; tracing and evaluating the participants attendance and progress in academic and work-related activities; identifying and referring participants to supportive services and community resources; follow though and follow-up; providing counseling services to the participants; referring the participant for work activities, and assisting in accessing community resources and resolving problems; maintaining required documentation and filing system; and other related activities.

CES COLLEGE (Adult Education Division):

The CES COLLEGE’s mission is "offer education opportunities to address the unique needs of individuals and communities served by CES by providing adults with the knowledge and skills necessary for employment, skill upgrades, career changes and/or advanced education.” CES COLLEGE strives to provide quality education through creating a learning environment, which facilitates measurable skills acquisition and attainment of individual goals.

CES COLLEGE offers the following educational programs:

Vocational Nursing (VN)

General Office and Bookkeeping (GOB)

Administrative Medical Assistant (AMA)

Plumbing (PB)

Vocational English as a Second Language (VESL)

Advanced Vocational English as a Second Language (AVESL)

English as a Foreign Language (EFL)

Said programs are funded through a variety of sources, including California Department of Education, Federal Pell Grant, etc. Programs are accredited by Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC).

CES is headed by Mr. Zigmund Vays who served as the Director of the UCHDCs Fairfax Division and then founded Community Enhancement Services (CES). Currently he serves as the agency's President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO). His service to the community has been recognized by many elected officials including Governors Pete Wilson and George Deukmejian, Congressman Matthew G. Martinez, California State Senate (Resolution #108 of 01/04/91), Speaker of the Assembly Willie L. Brown, Jr., State Senators David Roberti, Herschel Rosenthal, Art Torres, Richard Polanco, Assemblymembers Dario Frommer, Felipe Fuentes, County Supervisors Zev Yaroslavsky and Michael D. Antonovich, Los Angeles City Council members Richard Alarcon, Paul Koretz, Tony Cardenas, City Council of Los Angeles, City Council of West Hollywood, US Department of Energy, California Department of Community Services and Development, Open Society Institute, Southern California Forum for Energy Efficiency, Environmental & Human Service Programs and others. Zigmund Vays was the first Russian immigrant to serve in an appointed position as the Human Service Commissioner to the city of West Hollywood.

CES employs multi-ethnic, multi-lingual staff, which possesses cultural awareness and sensitivity required to efficiently assist the diverse population of its service region. The organization received recognition and support from the local residents and the elected officials, which represent the area.