Strategy for independence

The New York Times recently had a great exposé on former foster youth and their challenges to get a college degree. The article featured numerous youth in Los Angeles and the Guardian Scholars program that supports former foster youth with tuition assistance, housing, and supportive services while pursuing their education.

The challenges are enormous, considering that only, “six percent of former foster youth…earn a two or four year degree by the age of 24” while “34 percent have been arrested by age 19.” The odds are in favor of incarceration over education. Failure at such an early stage in their efforts to achieve independence can negatively influence their ability to be successful. The amount of perseverance required is extraordinary. Is it any wonder that only six percent of the youth graduate from college?

The challenge is only made greater because often these young people have had a very inconsistent education. The movement from placement to placement let alone dealing with any specific learning challenges they may have is very daunting.

And what about the other 94 percent of former foster youth, what happens to them? If the education system is not the pathway to independence, then what will help them to succeed?

Our experience at Youth Moving On has taught us a number of lessons with regard to what are good strategies for achieving independence. In addition to encouraging and supporting youth to achieve a good education, we have also found that equally important is to prepare youth for employment. With the proper orientation and coaching many youth are able to experience the gratification that comes from employment. A good job validates skills that often have been underestimated and provides the financial rewards that are essential for true independence.

On any given year YMO graduates several youth who although they may not have attained a college degree have secured a good job that rewards them with a career path, medical benefits, and financial resources. In the process, these young people experience the kind of success that bolsters their self-esteem and strengthens them to address other challenges. Among our recent graduates we have youth now employed in teaching, counseling, and the medical field. In order to assure their permanent place in these fields, further education will be required. Knowing they have successfully been employed, they pursue that education with some confidence and may be better equipped to get a degree.

Like anything else, there is no one sure strategy to achieve independence. More often than not, what breeds success is success itself. If achievement on the job front opens the door to future education, then we just might have a chance at increasing the odds in favor of independence over incarceration.

Auspicious Date

Some have made much of the fact that the 12^th day of the 12^th month of the 12^th year of this century is auspicious and as a result reserved for special celebrations like weddings.  Others see it as just a precursor to yet another date later this month 12/21/12 when, according to Aztec legend, the world will end.  No matter what your predisposition, one thing is true and that is that we have no idea what tomorrow will bring and so it is best to make the most of today!

At Hillsides we hope that tomorrow will bring a brighter future for the children, youth, and families we serve, and in the meantime, we are committed to doing everything we can today to assure that brighter tomorrow. It’s not a bad way to conduct our work and our lives.

This advice given to those we serve could also apply to our legislators, paralyzed in a tortuous kabuki drama these days, who put off for tomorrow what can be accomplished today. The decisions made today may not be popular, but at least it will provide some clarity as we adjust to a new reality that hopefully will assure a brighter future for us all.

The medicine can be hard to swallow. Often in addressing the needs of children and youth, who have suffered much hardship and disappointment, it seems almost unconscionable to revisit a painful situation. But unless the demons are stared down, they run the risk of capturing our lives. The process is painful, but the rewards can be very gratifying. This is true not only for those we serve, but it is also true in our own lives, in our families, community, and nation.

For those we serve, we remind them that the challenges need not be taken on alone. We are here ready to serve as a resource for them. It is this sense of partnership that allows them to address hardships and become hopeful once again.

Recently, I met with a young man in our young adult transitional housing and services program. His infectious smile would lead you to believe that he is relatively carefree, but the truth is that he has earned that great smile by working hard to overcome challenges. We accompany him on this arduous journey and smile along with him for his accomplishments and the future that he is building for himself. 

At this time of year, no matter how challenging things get, we at Hillsides benefit from the generous support that we receive from the community as we labor against all odds to make this holiday season memorable for those we serve. Together challenges are confronted, obstacles are overcome, and a brighter future is assured.

I hope 12/21/12 will mark not an end, but rather a  beginning, one that is characterized by the triumph of good will to address challenges and the resolve to assure a brighter future for all.  

Inspirational Stories of Youth

One challenge of being Hillsides CEO is setting time aside for direct interaction with those we serve in spite of numerous commitments. The other day I had the opportunity to visit Youth Moving On (YMO) and met with a handful of residents. I was inspired by their efforts to move beyond the challenges they face to a path that leads them to success.

A young woman, who has been at YMO only a few months, talked about how YMO is the next step for her on a journey away from gang involvement to pursue education, employment, and permanent housing. Articulate, self-aware, and resolute, she inspired me not just by her accomplishments, but especially her dream to develop a way to protect children from sex trafficking.

As I sat there visiting, a young man, a long-time resident of YMO, came in excited about having successfully passed his EMT exam. This allows him to realize a long-held dream of entering the medical field. No one would have thought that possible just a few years ago, when he was released from the juvenile detention system and sought out the services offered at YMO. But his hard work and conviction has served him well and today he is on his way.

And finally, there was another young man who had just returned from purchasing his first suit to wear to our annual donor appreciation gathering this Thursday. There he will share his story of how hard work and sacrifice has helped him begin to build the financial foundation for his independence.

Each one of them is inspirational more so because the obstacles are so great in such a challenging economic environment. Their stories prove dreams, matched with hard work and supported by a dedicated community, can make what some would consider impossible achievable.

How appropriate that their success will be shared with our donor community. Were it not for the extraordinary generosity of our donors, little of what we accomplish would be possible.

Homeless Youth Step into Affordable Housing

More than 5,000 youth, when they turn 18, emancipate or “age out” of California’s foster care system, and nearly 1,000 youth exit care each year in Los Angeles. They lose access to all state-funded foster care services and, for the most part, also lose connections to adult support received while in the foster care system. Research has indicated that without housing, education or emotional support, 65 percent of foster youth will face homelessness, twenty percent will be arrested or incarcerated, 46 percent will complete high school and only one percent will graduate from college. For these reasons, Hillsides founded Hillsides Youth Moving On (YMO) in 2004. 

By providing comprehensive services such as transitional housing, education, employment, mental health and mentoring support, we help youth transition successfully into adulthood. YMO helps youth avoid negative circumstances and achieve long-term self-sufficiency. Former foster care and probation youth take their first steps to independence when they arrive at YMO. Today, YMO has increased its capacity to accommodate ten more youth in permanent housing. 

Over the summer, we began a collaborative effort with First Place for Youth to secure funding from the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA) to provide affordable housing and support services for a minimum of twenty youth over the next two years.  Permanent Housing, unlike transitional housing, has no pre-determined amount of time for youth to receive housing.  Youth can stay in their apartments and assume the lease as long as they pay their rent on time.  To ensure their success in this endeavor, YMO will continue to provide comprehensive case management, mental health, and career planning to all youth to guarantee a seamless transition to full self-sufficiency.

YMO also partnered with New Economics for Women (NEW), an organization that empowers disinvested communities, who willingly offered eight one and two bedroom units for our youth located at La Villa Mariposa apartments in Los Angeles. At our YMO complex, we have assigned two studio units for youth participating in this new collaborative.

This week we hosted a dedication and ribbon-cutting ceremony at La Villa Mariposa apartments. The Reverend Cecil L. Murray, board member of LAHSA, shared words of inspiration and encouragement to our youth. Youth present were overwhelmed with the thought of having their first place. They expressed how far they have come.

For these youth, reaching this milestone in their journey is incredibly significant. Having experienced systemic trauma, abuse, run-ins with the law, or bouts of homeless, they have prevailed from these situations. We have created conditions and placed a great deal of attention to offering a comprehensive program whose pathway leads to their successful transition into self-sufficiency and independence.

Our collaborative relationship with LAHSA, First Place for Youth and NEW is so important in trying to alter the daunting statistics for these youth. With the help of others, whose goal is also to support youth in their transition from foster care to successful adulthood, we can make significant impacts in the lives of these youth. I am privileged to be part of their journey into adulthood and thankful that others have joined along their path.

Reason to be proud…

Folks often ask me how we measure success for the children and youth we serve. Certainly we can point to any number of outcomes or achievements that demonstrate improvement whether it be in their emotional well-being, social skills or educational performance. But the true measure is ultimately expressed in the success of each and every individual we serve. The challenges that are addressed must never be underestimated and as a result their achievement is made only more remarkable.

Recently Thomas Lee, the director of Hillsides’ transitional housing and services, Youth Moving On, shared with all staff the remarkable story of one of our residents. What follows is Thomas’ presentation of Victor a young man who all of us are very proud.

Just over a year ago, Victor was an undocumented immigrant living at Optimist Homes, in need of housing and a path that wouldn’t jeopardize his probation and the attendant likelihood of deportation hanging over his head like the sword of Damocles.  He applied to Youth Moving On (YMO) for housing and services and was accepted because he only had six months more of probation which would then determine his ability to obtain residency.  All he had was a high school diploma and a fire in his eye that said: “All I want is a chance.”

Victor joined the YMO program and promptly began an internship at one of our best sites: A4 (a team sports and athletic apparel company).  While in the internship, he improved his English, business math, and job seeking skills.  He also enrolled full-time into Pasadena City College and started working toward his associate’s degree. 

Within six months, he gained his residency, helped co-found the Indigenous Peeple Clothing Company, and was hired and given full employment by A4. 

With all those accomplishments, Victor didn’t stand pat.  He travelled to Le Blanc, France with YMO’s internship abroad program, saved over $8000, and was honored by Optimist Homes, Michaela Pereira from KTLA Channel 5 Morning News, and given a commendation by Los Angeles County Supervisor Don Knabe. 

Through it all, Vic has remained humble and hungry for more.  He’s successfully completed his first year of college and is continually looking for more opportunities to make the most of his time at YMO. 

We measure success for Victor and all we serve when they can stand on their own, full of confidence and claim a hopeful future.