The Military and Family Readiness Center, or M&FRC, is the focal point to assist all service members and their families, to include Department of Defense civilians, in easing their adaptation to the military lifestyle and enrichment of their personal and work life. The Military and Family Readiness Center (M&FRC) is a network for programs that promote military family well-being by offering programs and services that enhance family readiness, build resiliency, and improve quality of life. Laughlin AFB M&FRC is no exception when it comes to standing up to the Team XL moniker. Small but mighty, you would be hard-pressed to find another team with the concentration of experience, education, and skills as your local M&FRC. As a small team of 6 permanent employees and two contract positions, their commitment to helping Airmen and their families is second to none. They boast amongst the staff 3 Licensed Professional Counselors, a Certified Financial Planner, and many years of experience within both public and private sector employment, hiring, interviewing, financial education and planning, crisis response, and perhaps most importantly, the life experiences to provide empathetic support. So what does the Military and Family Readiness Center do exactly? The M&FRC, located in the Losano Fitness Center, is your one-stop shop for support services.

The Emergency Family Assistance Center (EFAC):

The Emergency Family Assistance Center (EFAC), under the Military and Family Readiness Center, is the crisis response for families should a critical incident or evacuation arise. The EFAC is the centralized location for governmental and non-governmental support to our families during a crisis situation. This means that Base resources are centralized to one location to provide the fastest and most efficient support for our families. At Laughlin, the primary EFAC location is the M&FRC in the Losano Fitness Center with the secondary location at Hunt Housing Office.

Employment Support:

We support service members, civilians, and their family members with achieving short-term and long-term employment through classes or individual consultation on career development, resume writing, interview skills, and the job search process. We also provide guidance and referrals to skills training programs offered through various Base and community organizations.

Family Support:

At the heart of our M&FRC is our desire to support families and empower them with the knowledge and skills they need to succeed through life’s transitions, from cradle to the grave. Child and Youth Military and Family Life Counselors: Child and Youth Military and Family Life
Counselors provide free counseling to military children at their schools, the Youth Center, the CDC, or another public meeting area.

Adult Military and Family Life Counselor:

The Adult MFLC provides non-medical, confidential counseling to service members, spouses, and military couples to help navigate everyday
challenges and stresses related to deployment, moving, relationships, work, grief, and more. This counseling service is free of charge and is provided without record keeping to members service records.

New Family Support:

M&FRC provides skills workshops for new and growing families spanning relationship building and financial education. Commanders’ Key Support Program (Formerly Key Spouse Program): The U.S. Air and Space Force Commander’s Key Support Program (CKSP) is an official Unit Family Readiness Program designed to enhance readiness and establish a sense of community. This Commander’s Support Program promotes partnerships with the Unit, the Military & Family Readiness Center and community agencies.

Heartlink (Spouse 101):

The Heart Link Program, funded by the Air Force Aid Society, is an adaptation and networking forum for Air Force spouses of less than five years. It’s designed to strengthen military families and enhance mission readiness by orienting new Air Force spouses to active duty military life. While other services’ spouses are welcome, Heart Link is aimed at increasing awareness of the Air Force mission, customs and traditions, protocol and available resources, and information about accessing helping agencies.

Exceptional Family Member Program – Family Support (EFMP – FS):

The Exceptional Family Member Program (EFMP) is designed to support military family members with special needs. It is a mandatory enrollment program that works with other military and civilian agencies to provide comprehensive and coordinated community support, housing, education, medical, and personnel services to families with special needs. The EFMP – Family Support is essential to
helping families through non-clinical case management at Laughlin AFB. EFMP – Family Support helps families in navigating, advocating, and connecting through information and referrals.

Deployment:

M&FRC provides pre-deployment and post-deployment counseling for service members and their families. In addition, while service members are deployed, they provide family fellowship opportunities through Hearts Apart and much needed support through the Give Parents A Break Program.

Transition Assistance:

The Transition Assistance Program (TAP) is designed to provide separating or retiring service members with the tools and knowledge to succeed in their next chapter, whether it is pursuing additional education, a trade, moving into another role in the public or private sector, or starting a business. This mandatory program helps service members with financial considerations post active-duty service, resume writing and interview skills, veteran’s benefits, and resources to support transition.

Relocation Assistance:

The goal of the Relocation Assistance Program (RAP) is to ease the personal and family stressors military families experience associated with a Permanent Change of Station (PCS) by providing assistance via counseling, sponsorship training, and education throughout all phases of the relocation process. This includes the Pre-Arrival Briefing, Newcomer’s Orientation and PCS Financial Readiness.

Voting Assistance:

The local Military & Family Readiness Center serves as the Installation Voter Assistance (IVA) Office. The IVA Office provides Airmen, Guardians, their family members and all other voting age citizens with information and assistance on how to request an absentee ballot, vote absentee or change their address.

Financial Education:

The financial education component of the M&FRC is designed to support the financial literacy training requirement for service members, as well as provide financial education, counseling, and support for DOD ID holders across the spectrum of life’s journey. It also aims to equip families as they reach new milestones with the knowledge and skills to succeed financially.

Casualty Assistance:

The Casualty Assistance Representative (CAR) is tasked with providing dignified and humane communication to next of kin when there is a casualty. Additionally, the CAR provides efficient, thorough, and compassionate assistance to family members. If you are a family member of an AF retiree, you are also entitled to the support of the Casualty Assistance Representative. The continuum of life’s journey and the people who serve Laughlin AFB (whether military or DOD civilian) are our specialty. There is very little dealing with the human condition that M&FRC does not touch. Integration of family services promotes positive outcomes for members and their families across the domains of family readiness, including career, social, financial, health and community engagement. If you have not engaged with Military & Family Readiness Center we invite you to as you there is no better place than Laughlin to do it! Follow us on Facebook for up-to-date events and programming.

Laughlin AFB Military and Family Readiness Center.