OUT OF THE SYSTEM AND ON TO THE STREET

If Damian could have any superpower, it would be all the physical strength in the world. But it wouldn't be for him; the 19-year-old, formerly on probation for attempted kidnapping, wants that power to help others.

All last names of young people in this piece have been dropped because of privacy concerns.

Damian is going through Operation Emancipation at The RightWay Foundation. The foundation provides a variety of services for at-risk youth, defined as those in or emerging from foster care and those on or previously on probation. The young people attend job training and workshops dealing with trauma, and receive access to housing and education. The waterfront of services is designed to reintegrate them into society.

"As a young kid, I was always bullied...," said Damian. "I just hate bullies. So, if I could have any superpower it would be ultimate strength, so I could help all the kids being bullied around the world."

Multiple organizations in Los Angeles offer the tools to help youth like Damian. Some of these organizations, such as, The RightWay Foundation, Court Appointed Special Advocates for Children (CASA) and First Place for Youth all serve at-risk youth in the juvenile probation or foster care systems through a variety of services.

Not Enough Support

According to the Alliance for Children's Rights, an umbrella group for organizations working in this space, 28,000 youth are currently in the foster system in Los Angeles. Many suffer trauma from bouncing between foster homes. Almost half of all foster youth have learning disabilities, only 58 percent graduate from high school and three percent graduate from college, said the Alliance for Children's Rights.

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Life only gets harder for them once they exit the system. "About 40 percent of transition-age foster youth (ages 18-25) said they did not have enough people to turn to for emotional support. Nearly half said they did not have enough people for tangible support, and over 30 percent did not have enough people to turn to for advice/guidance," according to a study done by the University of Chicago.

Probation youth face similar problems. One in three Los Angeles County youth offenders is re-arrested within the year. Probation youth also lack stability; over half the families of those probation youth had a history of public assistance and one-fifth had been homeless, according to a 2015 Los Angeles County Juvenile Probation Outcomes study funded by the California Wellness Foundation and W.M. Keck Foundation.

While different, foster youth face the same problem: they are transitioning out of a system that doesn't have the resources it needs to to suport these young people.

"We do not have appropriate services for young people while they are in care and out of care...," said Wende Nichols-Julien, CEO of CASA. "They are in many ways set up for failure and in Los Angeles, that failure looks like homelessness."

At-risk youth - both foster and those on probation - have a high chance of falling into homelessness after exiting the system. They have no stability, no support and don't have the life skills to be able to find a job, a house or succeed on their own.

"Housing is probably one of the biggest challenges...," said Carolyn Olsen, a volunteer at CASA who has also started her own non-profit to help foster youth. "They have no safety net, no parents to fall back on, even though we have a law that allows kids to stay in foster care until 21, the housing options are too limited. They can participate in THP (Transitional Housing Placement from 18-21), but there are not enough beds in the county for [these kids]."

While some at-risk advocates complain these programs have limited reach, Daniel Heimpel, founder of Fostering Media Connections, thinks the programs in place are doing their job.

"I think in terms of housing, foster care was extended to age 21 and that was implemented in 2012 so there is a lot more transitional housing that's subsidized by the state and federal government," Heimpel said.

More housing might be available, but the organizations that provide housing don't have enough units, and sometimes many youth don't know they exist. Youth don't have access to them or don't know how to get access to them without help. Advocates of these types of programs will be among the first to acknowledge the shortcomings of programs because they're more familiar than most about the great need for them.

"The money is there," said Franco Vega, founder of The RightWay Foundation. "The system is not designed to work. It's designed to keep paying peoples' salaries... Ten years ago I couldn't say this. Now I can say this without losing sleep. 'Your (in reference to all) agency sucks. It's useless.'"

Addressing Basic Needs

Vega knows the system from firsthand experience. He is a former probation youth and started working in youth employment services 22 years ago. Throughout his career, he has worked at the Department of Children & Family Services, Midnight Mission and Youth Opportunity Movement, which provide services for at-risk youth. From his time at each, he learned what worked and what didn't, and created his own, The RightWay Foundation.

There is a direct pipeline between a youth exiting the foster system and becoming homeless. Agencies and programs are set up to combat this issue and help youth find housing.

Organizations like The RightWay Foundation, CASA, and First Place for Youth have to use housing programs if their youth need a place to live. However, the options for housing are scarce.

"I think rapid rehousing is not designed for this particular population," said Thalia Henderson, business development specialist at The RightWay Foundation, "but it's the only option because there are limited options for housing [and] for foster youth housing specifically."

Autumn, a former foster youth going through Operation Emancipation, needed housing after exiting the system. She grew up in Whittier, California, but now lives in Norwalk. When she applied for housing, she got lucky, because the housing company routed her application toward her area. But typically, that doesn't happen. These housing companies can place youth anywhere in the city, not taking into account whether they have a job or a life in a different location. They may not get placed at all.

Sometimes, specific individuals who volunteer at these programs step up when there are no other options. Carolyn Olsen became a volunteer at CASA in November 2016. The first case she served on was with a 17-year-old girl. When the girl turned 18, she had to leave her group home, but had no other place to go because her social worker couldn't find her placement. Olsen found her housing in North Hollywood.

Damian practices magic in his spare time

In addition to running Fostering Youth Independence, her own nonprofit, Olsen is currently working with another youth at CASA who is in a similar situation. Her group home is shutting down, and her social worker can't put in her Transitional Housing Placement (THP) application. The youth is scared she is going to end up homeless. "I told her, 'You are not gonna be homeless I am not gonna let that happen.'" These kids need organizations with people working at them who care about and fight for them.

Homelessness is a big problem for at-risk youth. Once emancipated, many experience homelessness or unemployment, which can lead to health issues and substance abuse.

"Our approach is pretty individualized," said Claudia Miller, vice president of advancement at First Place for Youth. "Young people come in with health issues, homeless issues, and the serivces they get are access to an apartment, case management, education counseling, which prevent them from falling back into homelessness."

As soon as they are admitted into the program, youth receive housing. In order to be eligible for the program, they must be part of the foster care or probation system, but there is no other criteria.

In addition to housing, First Place for Youth provides recipients with skills-based workshops. Katie, a former foster youth, benefited from these workshops. Her mom had a drug addiction problem, so she was raised by her aunt. Her junior year in high school, Katie was put into the foster care system because her aunt could no longer take care of her. Her senior year, she graduated high school and exited the foster care system.

Katie had no place to live and had to move from home to home, living on friends' couches. But she was determined to be successful and to pursue her dream of becoming a sheriff. She started at First Place for Youth a year ago, and the organization offers a program for people interested in law enforcement. Katie is currently studying at a community college, interning as a security guard in South Los Angeles and planning to join the National Guard.

Acquiring Job Skills

Youth face similar difficulties when it comes to employment because they were never taught the basic skills for finding and keeping a job. These programs provide workshops to deal with trauma and learn the necessary skills.

"One of the biggest things (at The RightWay Foundation) is that they provide more job opportunities," said Damian. "They help place you in more jobs that you would like to be in such as construction or automotive. Or for example if you want to learn how to code, they will help you go out there and find you an internship for those kinds of jobs."

Before Operation Emancipation, part of The RightWay Foundation, Damian was a youth at Homeboy Industries, another organization that provides support and job training to previously incarcerated men and women. However, Homeboy Industries doesn't provide the same workshops and individualized experience.

During the Operation Emancipation, participants like Damian learn valuable skills in a 32-hour intensive workshop to use in the workforce. They are also given access to information and help about housing and attending college, if needed. They graduate with tools for success.

The training program and these jobs are helping to keep at-risk youth off the streets after exiting the foster or probation system. "Thirty six percent of California foster youth become homeless within 18 months of emancipation, but only 14 percent of RightWay participants experienced homelessness after taking part in our program the past year," according to The RightWay Foundation. Vega believes this percentage is truly in the 20s, based on his experience.

Operation Emancipation guarantees, at minimum, a paid internship, a buffer until they can find a permanent job. They want to see them succeed in short and long term, which means a job with potential for growth.

"We don't get the traditional jobs, like Taco Bell, McDonald's, things like that - which, I'm not against them..." said Vega. "But, the only way I would put a kid in a McDonald's, is if he wants to own the McDonald's. But he has no ambition or dream of owning a McDonalds, I won't send him to McDonald's."

Vega finds the jobs that have room for growth. He looks for the jobs that his youth can work for long-term. He looks for chances to partner with companies, to build relationships, so he can continue to send his youth to work there.

He created a contract with USC Village to employ 34 of his youth.

"That would be cool," said Autumn, the former foster youth now enrolled in Operation Emancipation. "I could totally work at Trader Joe's."

First Place for Youth has also partnered with companies to provide their youth with jobs. When United Airlines was expanding to LAX and building houses at LAX, they were looking for a community partner in LA

"We are excited to introduce more related jobs to our clients who are interested in the airline industry," said Claudia Miller at First Place for Youth. "We are currently exploring more internship offers and ways to expose them to this industry. Last week after the announcement, we had a career fair with 30 UA staff and talked to young people about different types of jobs available in the industry."

Pursuing Further Education

And education is important. Last year in Los Angeles, 94 percent of the youth at First Place for Youth had their high school diplomas, and 89 percent enrolled in post-secondary education. The organization believes education is key, and a high school diploma is not enough. Almost all the young people from First Place For Youth are working on associate degrees and certificates in college

Alexsandra, 21, from Fostering Youth Independence, is currently attending College of the Canyons; she was referred by the organization and is studying aerospace engineering and sign language. She entered the foster care system at 13 and again at 16. She is now almost emancipated.

Only three percent of foster children in Los Angeles County graduate from college.

"I have an advocate so she helps me a lot with school," said Alexsandra. "When I was going through some troubles with my living situation she tried to find me a place to live, then helped me with school supplies that I did not have."

CASA also believes in the importance of education for the youth they work with. CASA pairs foster youth with trained volunteer advocates who work with the youth to help improve their lives, focusing on issues such as housing, and mental health issues, in addition to education.

But officials see the reality that this population cannot afford to go to school and have a place to live. That's a large problem that CASA seeks to combat along with the trauma at-risk youth have faced.

Gabi, a foster youth going through the job training program at The RightWay Foundation, hopes to go to college at USC. But Gabi, initially, was not so willing to use the resources being provided to her. She participated in Operation Emancipation for the first time a month and a half ago but failed out of the program. She eventually came back and gave it another chance. Once she dropped her guard, she could learn the tools she needed to go after her dreams.

"We can do all of that in house," said Paul Smith, a graduate intern getting his master's degree in social work from USC. "If somebody expresses an interest in going to school, the staff, the case managers, they know a lot of information in terms of funding. And then, just the technical, the filling out the applications and stuff. They can do all of that and work through that too."

Building A Better System

Despite these organizations trying to change the course for these at-risk youth, the problem comes from the source. Major reform needs to happen in the system itself. Vega believes that the organizations, like his, should be able to manage housing applications, leases and rent payments until the youth are able to take over and be independent. And, Vega believes shelters need to be developed, that can function as emergency housing to put a roof over the youth's heads when they have nowhere else to go.

While advances have been made for at-risk youth, youth need more support while in the system, from trauma counseling, support to complete school and assistance in finding a job and permanent housing. It could mean keeping them in the system longer, introducing more programs to teach them how to be successful on their own, or both. They need to be taught basic life skills, and discipline, to know how to make the correct decisions, like whether you save $20 or spend it on junk food.

"I know group homes that kids couldn't even hold $20 in their pocket," said Vega. "They would take them to the store once a week. It's Friday, 'oooh, it's time to go get our Hot Cheetos.' That's what they would be looking forward to. Now you expect these emancipated 21-year-olds, who couldn't even buy Cheetos three years ago, has to get his own apartment... It appears we're not really focusing on preparing these kids for emancipation or adulthood."

Los Angeles can no longer wait to provide support to these youth once they exit the system. They need the help earlier, advocates said, to learn how to lead a successful life once they are on their own.