Shaping and Improving Communities

Penny Wise But Pound Foolish

One of the casualties of the fiscal crisis facing the state of California may be the cuts to programs that benefit or are related to the foster care system. A recent article in the Contra Costa times argues that these cuts may be short-sighted. The article focuses on the fact that the Transitional Housing Placement Plus (THP-Plus) program, which provides transitional housing and life-skills training for youths transitioning out of foster care, may be cut for the second year in a row.

Last year when similar cuts were pushed through, the consequences were grim:

Last May, $80 million in cuts resulted in 400 social workers being laid off, the elimination of stipends for transitioning youths, reduced the number of foster youths able to attend college and forced 1,400 THP-Plus participants and 200 of their children onto the streets.

Moreover, 65 percent of 18-year-olds coming out of California’s foster care system are homeless within a year and this shameful statistic could get much worse very soon.

For youth transitioning out of Foster Care at age 18, the THP-Plus funding is a crucial factor in determing their future success. United Way Partner First Place for Youth, located in Oakland receives such funding and has been hailed as a success story and is rapidly expanding throughout the Bay Area and into Los Angeles. The program assists foster youth through the transition into adulthood and helps these young adults transition into stable housing, and a remarkable 70% of their youths attend college.

Read the full article here on the Honoring Emancipated Youth website.

(photo via flickr user seeveeaar)

Shaping and Improving Communities

Leslie Brown is Program Coordinator with HEY

Volunteering is an excellent way to connect with community and is of course an excellent opportunity to give back. As part of our ongoing commitment to increasing volunteerism in the Bay Area we’ve been profiling our staff members and others in the community about their experiences with volunteering. Leslie Brown, MPA, is the Program Coordinator for Honoring Emancipated Youth (HEY), a community project of United Way of the Bay Area.

One of my earliest memories of volunteering occurred when I was a child and was able to work side by side with my grandmother and mother delivering holiday baskets to needy families. Through my experiences volunteering and helping others I began to understand the power and impact of individuals working together to achieve a common goal, which changed my life forever.

Recently I had the opportunity to volunteer for the Future Leader Program at UC Berkeley where I participated as a community panel judge for a group of students. The students in the program participate in a one year intensive program where they are charged with developing skills that empower them to become campus and community leaders. I was able to provide expert review and insight on how to work with and support nonprofit agencies. I found my experience at UC Berkeley and my many other volunteer experiences giving back to others to be one of the most rewarding and fulfilling opportunities to shape and improve communities.