CLC Announces New Housing Partnership With LA Mayor’s Fund
Thanks to CLC’s newly-announced partnership with LA Mayor Karen Bass, Mayor’s Fund for Los Angeles and the RightWay Foundation, the We Are LA Children and Youth Program will guarantee more of our clients get the housing support they desperately need!
CLC clients are at particularly high risk of facing housing instability as adults. The We are LA Children and Youth Program will provide benefit, employment and housing navigation to the roughly 100 young adults leaving foster care in LA County each month because they are turning 21, with plans to expand the program to serve formerly incarcerated and justice-involved youth as well.
The program will pair each young person with a trained caseworker who has lived experience with the foster care system to connect them to available resources and to help secure housing for them.
CLC4 Firm Director, Princess Ramey, stood beside Mayor Karen Bass as the announcement was made in July. Former CLC client, Esmeralda Barajas, joined the press conference to share how CLC’s housing team helped her and her family find a stable place to live.
Click HERE to watch ABC7’s full coverage of Esmeralda’s story and CLC’s exciting new partnership.
CLC Policy Team Helps Save Critical Resource For Youth In Care!
BIG NEWS: FURS has been protected!
CLC’s mighty policy team joined a coalition of advocates and children’s organizations led by Children Now to fight to save the Family Urgent Response System (FURS)! FURS provides 24/7 direct support to children and youth currently or formerly in foster care. Months of calls, letters, testimony, and social media campaigns highlighting the positive impact of FURS resulted in restoration of the full funding for FURS in the final CA budget. Thank you Luciana Svidler, Ann Quirk and Julie McCormick for your work!
Gratitude also to California Governor Gavin Newsom, Assemblymember Jesse Gabriel, California Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas, and Senator Scott Wiener for helping restore FURS!
The child welfare community is grateful to have continuing access to this critical core service and safety net program!
For more information about FURS, visit https://cal-furs.org.
Art of Advocacy Gala Just Months Away!
Mark your calendars!
Join CLC in just 3 months for our annual Art of Advocacy Gala in LA! This year’s event will include live music, delicious food, and an art display to highlight the importance of the arts in the lives of young people.
Stay tuned as we share details about the event and how you can support CLC and the children and youth we serve. To become an event sponsor or donate to this event, please contact Stephanie Talavera at talaveras@clccal.org or at (323) 980-1538.
CLC Collaborates With Local Organizations to Provide Gender-Affirming Items to Trans Clients!
We are proud to share a new collaboration with Queer Scouts United, trans-owned company For Them, and Planned Parenthood Pasadena and San Gabriel Valley (PPPSGV) to provide binders to queer youth in foster care.
Many of CLC’s clients include queer children and youth. Thanks to PPPSGV, we now have a fund solely used to purchase gender-affirming items for our queer clients.
For Them is assisting by offering binders at a lower cost and providing sample binders. Any youth can go to the CLC clothing store, find what binder style they prefer, and have their binder ordered with the PPPSGV grant funds. This important gender-affirming item will be available to them free of cost thanks to this collaboration.
The PPPSGV grant funds will be used to purchase other gender affirming items in addition to binders.
Clothing Donations Needed For Fresh Outfitters Closet
Do you have a connection with a hip clothing brand? Pajama company? Shoe manufacturer? CLC has our very own micro boutique in our office specifically for youth in foster care. Fresh Outfitters is a fun and safe way for our clients to shop for brand new, cool clothing at no cost to them. Like many in-person resources, our boutique was impacted when COVID hit, and we urgently need new clothing to fill our shelves!
As summer ends, we want to fill the boutique with back-to-school clothes so our clients feel confident heading into the classroom. We’re also looking for nicer clothing for interviews or important events. We want our clients to feel empowered!
Any clothing brands, community groups or organizations willing to contribute new clothes, shoes or accessories can schedule a drop-off or pick-up by contacting Senior Project Coordinator Pat Salcido at salcidop@clcla.org.
Thank you in advance for supporting our youth!
