Crittenton Services for Children and Families, a nonprofit that provides services for families who have experienced trauma, abuse or neglect, laid off 144 workers at it Fullerton facilities.
The 60-year-old behavioral health and child welfare agency stated in an April 2 filing with the state’s Employment Development Department that the layoffs happened at the end of March at offices on East Valley View, North Harbor Boulevard, Brookdale Place and West Amerige Avenue.
“This action is expected to be permanent,” Laura Niculescu, vice president of human resources with Crittenton, wrote in a March 27 letter filed with the state. “This information is based on the best information currently available to us, but may change due to subsequent events beyond our control.”
Crittenton is joining a wave of hospitals, healthcare providers and others across the state that have collectively laid off thousands of employees over the past year because they’ve been stripped of billions of dollars in federal and state funding for health care and other federal assistance. The catalyst for the cuts comes from the passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, or HR 1, signed into law last summer by President Donald Trump.
The jobs listed in the EDD layoff notices include behavioral specialists, childcare workers, food service managers, instructional aides, medical assistants, program directors, recreation workers, a refugee resettlement worker and therapists.
The filings were made as part of the federal Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act — commonly referred to as WARN — which is required when an employer lays off more than 50 employees. All affected employees are notified at least 60 days before their terminations are scheduled to occur.
Niculescu and Douglas Yost, chief executive with Crittenton, were unavailable for comment on Tuesday, April 7.
The organization provides trauma-responsive services, including foster care, residential care, mental health counseling, transitional housing and family preservation programs.
Florence Crittenton Services of Orange County Inc. reported $45.6 million in revenue in 2025, according to a filing made with the IRS in 2025, according to Candid, which tracks IRS filings of nonprofits.