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Hello *|FNAME|*!
This recent weather makes it clear: Winter has settled in over LA County. While our instincts tell us to curl up in bed and hide from the cold (and wet) until Spring, there’s no quiet season when working with unhoused people, so naturally, our team has been hard at work!
Our youth are working with equal zeal on building a stable future, with two new college graduates on the books, as well as many of our transition-age youth securing full-time employment through our employment programs and community partnerships. We’ve also had a significant number of youth graduate into long-term, independent living. We are so proud of all of our youth, and as always, YES will be here to cheer them on and provide ongoing support as part of our Staying Strong Program!
Right now, we’re celebrating Black History Month, with a celebration later today via our annual event where youth will listen to guest speakers, learn about the black experience, and eat lots of delicious soul food. We also have our Financial Literacy Workshop coming up, where youth will brush up on their interviewing skills and choose some career attire – helping them feel confident and ready to build a life of long-term stability.
Read on to learn more, and stay warm and dry out there,
Mark Supper
President/CEO
Youth Emerging Stronger
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The Holidays
Turkeys, pumpkins and presents, oh my! It's been quite the eventful holiday season! Thanksgiving and the holidays gave our YES youth plenty of fun, games, and delicious food, with pumpkin carving, pizza parties, decorating competitions and much, much more. A HUGE thank you to all of our donors who made these special celebrations possible for our youth -- we wouldn't have been able to pull it all off without you.
HHYP Engagement and the Youth Count
Over the past two months, YES has built upon our commitment to ending youth homelessness, not only through our regular work, but also via our ongoing collaboration with the Hollywood Homeless Youth Partnership (HHYP). As part of this work, various agencies and the youth we serve came together in early 2024 to show up for our community and participate in the Youth Count Rally. Thank you to all who participated!
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Career Exposure at LIBERTINE
Late last year, our youth and staff had the privilege of walking through the LIBERTINE design studio to expose our youth to career paths in the fashion industry. The youth learned about all the steps of the design-to-sale process, including manufacturing, sourcing, buying, marketing, and much, much more. They even got to screen print their own shirts! Thank you LIBERTINE for welcoming us!
Continued Staff Training and Fresh Facilities
Boundary setting, trauma-informed approaches, and a new roof for one of our youth residences. As always, the YES team is showing our commitment to providing wraparound support and guidance through continued staff training, as well as delivering on their commitment to providing safe, clean accommodations for the youth in our care. Thank you to our generous donors for making our Beachwood residence roof repairs possible!
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Moving Forward
We’ve managed to find successful, permanent, placements for five of our youth who have additional challenges. Permanent supportive housing is for individuals who have barriers associated with independent, long-term living. This type of housing is in short supply, so managing these placements is a HUGE win for our youth who will continue to need support after they’ve graduated from YES.
Many, Many Youth Find Employment!
The YES Employment program aims to provide the tools our youth need to gain and keep a job. This means practice interviews, resume building and hands-on guidance through the application and interview process. We also seek out community partners to increase the odds. As a result, we have managed to place nine (!) transition-age youth in permanent employment. We’ve also had an additional five youth recently attend a hiring event and are waiting to hear back on next steps. Join us in crossing your fingers for more positive career outcomes for our youth!
Moving On Up
Josue, one of our transition-age youth, has managed to turn a temporary seasonal position into long-term employment. Even better, he’s worked hard enough to earn a promotion to Supervisor. This is a fantastic achievement as Josue was previously work-avoidant due to negative past experiences and confidence challenges associated with trauma, but through working with his YES therapist, has overcome his barriers and is thriving. Great job, Josue!
Alisha, a transition-age youth in our Staying Strong program also has exciting news to share -- they have just graduated from UC Berkeley! Alisha is graduating with her BA in Psychology, and have informed their YES Case Manager they plan to go into social work to give back to the same system that supported them through this achievement. We’re so excited to see what Alisha does next. Join us in celebrating this youth!
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Thank you to our Wonderful Community of Donors!
Thank you to our community of donors and sponsors for your ongoing support. Together, in 2023, we changed the lives of more than 350 unhoused youth, and we couldn’t have done it without your help!
To support our work, click here, or to learn more about the Leadership Giving Circle, click here.
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