Graduation Brings Increased Anxiety for Foster Youth

Graduation is a time when foster care youth experience increased anxiety. Foster care youth living in foster homes or residential treatment facilities, who have reached the age of 18 and have graduated from high school, must find another place to call home. For some of these youth, the foster families they have been living with are no longer in a position to take care of them. These youth are then asked to leave.


The daunting statistic remains: nearly forty percent of former foster youth end up homeless within 18 months of being discharged from foster care. As a leader in the foster care system in Los Angeles County, we did something about this to help these youth move on in a positive way. About five years ago, Hillsides established Youth Moving On, a transitional living and housing program that helps former foster youth transition successfully into adulthood.

We offer former foster youth quality, affordable housing, mentoring, financial literacy, mental health support, vocational and tuition assistance, among many more services. Hillsides Youth Moving On is a supportive community that works side by side with youth who want to achieve successes as they journey into an unknown future. With the help of mentors, these youth receive guidance, support, and an attentive ear. For anyone interested in mentoring these youth, learn more about the transitional living and housing program. Find out how to become a mentor at http://www.hillsides.org/site_info.php?siid=36&id=137 and help them transition through this period with relative ease.

Congratulations to Our High School Graduates

Today is a wonderful day at Hillsides, in particular for all the staff at Hillsides Education Center, who dedicate year after year to working with our students in providing them a quality education. Today is a day to acknowledge our students for the great work that they’ve done and one of the greatest accomplishments they have achieved—graduating from high school.

We had the opportunity to listen to six graduates share their stories and give thanks to those individuals that brought comfort, attention, and education. While some students might have been with us for one year or fifteen years, each graduate has become a young man or woman. They have matured to become heartfelt individuals with diverse talents and abilities. Though they have encountered many challenges, they have also achieved great things they can be proud of: the ability to express themselves, be a role model to younger students, bring laughter to someone’s life, and simply find their voice.

We couldn’t be prouder of them and are excited about their future. Hillsides will continue to care and be a supportive community for them and we are confident of their future success. A hearty congratulations goes out to the students and another one to the staff, parents, and community for dedicating their time, attention, and resources in meeting academic needs and providing enrichment opportunities for our students throughout the year.

AB 12: Allows California to Receive Matching funds for Children Placed with Relatives

Foster care children who establish long-term attachments to relatives or individuals fare much better than those who do not have permanent connections with someone in their lives. In 2008, the federal government enacted the Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act (Public Law 110-351), a new law that gives states the ability to establish relative guardianship programs with federal financial participation in the costs. PL 110-351 also makes federal funds available for foster care, kinship-guardianship, and adoption assistance benefits to youth who meet certain conditions (e.g., employment and education related requirements) until age 21. PL 110-351 provides California with an unprecedented opportunity to access federal funding to improve the lives of our state’s most vulnerable youth.

I am hopeful in reporting that AB 12 (Beall and Bass), a bill co-sponsored by the California Alliance of Child and Family Services, our state association, has passed out of its first Senate policy committee, Senate Human Services, on a 3-0 vote and now moves on to the Judiciary Committee. Senators Liu (D-Glendale), Yee (D-San Francisco) and Runner (R-Antelope Valley) voted for the bill; two committee members were absent.

This Assembly Bill would allow California to receive matching funds for children placed with relatives in KinGAP and would permit California to take advantage of recently enacted federal support for youth who wish to remain in foster care to age 21. Through the federal Fostering Connections to Success Act, which provides matching federal funds to states that place children in guardianship and extends federal support for foster care to age 21, AB 12 provides the vehicle to take advantage of both changes in federal law. The legislation would ensure that California opts into these essential federal funding opportunities. AB 12 would: 1) re-enact our existing Kin-GAP program to align it with new federal requirements and 2) provide transitional support to qualifying foster youth until age 21. This would benefit many of the children and youth we serve and may provide new opportunities to Hillsides to support parents and relative caregivers to address the challenges that their children confront.

These measures would assist California to utilize federal funds to meet costs currently borne by the state and counties, and would realize proven savings from declines in unemployment, homelessness, teen pregnancy, public assistance, and the other costly outcomes for young adults who “age out” of foster care. The benefit to transitional age youth means a successful transition into adulthood.

For those interested in following these efforts and receive more information contact the John Burton Foundation at www.johnburtonfoundation.org.

According to the California Alliance of Child and Family Services, after being heard in the Senate Judiciary Committee on June 22nd, AB 12 moves to the Appropriations Committee, then on to the Senate floor for final approval. Once out of the Senate, the bill moves back to the Assembly for concurrence on amendments taken in the Senate. It must be sent to the Governor for signature by August 31st and signed by September 30th. If signed, the law would take effect on January 1, 2012.

Oscar Award Winning Actress Marlee Matlin Visit Our Children in Pasadena

After attending our Second Annual Hillsides Foster Soles Kickoff Party, Oscar Award winning actress Marlee Matlin was interested in learning more about Hillsides from Steve Gleason, one of our board members. After meeting her, I invited her for a tour and fortunately for us, we have a wonderful librarian, Sherri Ginsberg, who follows up with local authors and encourages them persuasively to visit our children during their library time. Combining our efforts, I want to thank Marlee for accepting Sherri’s invitation and reading from the first chapter of her book, Deaf Child Crossing, which is about her childhood in Chicago.

After Marlee’s reading with the help of her interpreter, the children were inquisitive, asking about her deafness.  In particular, one Hillsides child, who is deaf, signed with Marlee . Marlee asked him if he thought everyone should learn how to sign and, with a smile, he said that would be a great idea. Marlee taught the children a few signs, like “love”, “play”, “sorry” and the children practiced along with her.

Interactions by individuals like Marlee make such a difference to our children. Authors read to them, explain the importance of literacy, and have a conversation about their careers and writing process. But more importantly, individuals with diverse backgrounds explain to our children that no matter what obstacles you have, you can overcome challenges and barriers that you face.  On behalf of our children at risk, we thank individuals and volunteers who take time to recognize the importance of spending an hour or two with our children. Not only do we create safe places for them, but with the help of individuals and volunteers, we create lasting memories for our children. You can too. Learn how you can volunteer or how your business, church or organization can make a lasting impact too, visit www.Hillsides.org.