Affordable virtual counseling sessions available with Counseling West! They can provide options for problem-solving and recovery. Your communication is private and confidential. Discounted Rates for ASOH recipients only, $10/Session.
Most wishes range from $10-$100 – though we do (at times) accept “Big Wishes” for items and experiences up to $425.
Friends of LA provides youth 4-6 with a long-term mentor from kindergarten through graduation. Each child gets a dedicated, one-on-one Friend who will spend a minimum of 16 intentional hours per month with them. They develop a road map for each child, design activities to build life skills, and create meaningful experiences to explore each child’s unique talents and interests.
Monthly Meetings to discuss and empower foster youth in social change! Meetings include food and activities such as: Self Love Poetry Bar, Paint to Release, etc.
Online access center for current and former foster youth.
Wishlist: onesimplewish.org/giving/asohwishes
CLC provides consistent, zealous, and effective legal representation for children ages 0-21 in the foster care systems in Los Angeles, Sacramento, and Placer counties in California in all aspects of their dependency court case.
WIN is a free web and mobile app designed to connect youth ages 12-25, families and adults to essential services – all accessible without a referral.
TIPP is gifting its program to every foster youth who receives a home creation form ASOH. The TIPP program helps you “reset” your mind by resolving past trauma and eliminating the baggage that trauma creates. Our partnership builds fresh emotional foundation, on top of a new physical structure for a new start on life. The TIPP Program helps you “reset ‘your mind by resolving past trauma and eliminating the baggage that trauma creates.
Project Destined trains scholars using a blended (live courses + e-learning) education model that is grounded in ownership, investing and financial health. They deliver programming through the model: TRAIN, COMPETE, GROW. Project Destined has partnerships with leading corporations and entrepreneurs, to help provide their scholars with access to the best class networks and mentors. They also help to provide scholars with opportunities, such as:
Have you been tested?
Los Angeles County has options available for COVID-19 testing! Even though all LA County residents who want a test should first call their Primary Care Provider or Healthcare Center to get a test, if you don’t have this care available or can’t access your provider there are testing options available!
Cities in Los Angeles and Ventura Counties have launched emergency rental assistance programs. Since 2007, this community resource has helped people list and locate housing in the County of Los Angeles, including affordable housing, special needs, emergency housing, and more listings and searches are free.
LA Food Bank distributes food and other essentials to children, seniors, families and other
individuals in need.
CalFresh is for people with low-income who meet federal income eligibility rules and want to add to their budget to put healthy and nutritious food on the table.
Imagine LA’s innovative Family Empowerment & Mentorship model combines intensive case management, individualized mentorship, and links to public and private resources.
For more than 35 years, South LA Health Projects has been fighting health disparities by educating and encouraging people to make healthy choices – such as eating nutritious foods, breastfeeding their babies, taking proper care of themselves before and during pregnancies, and vaccinating themselves and their children.
SHIELDS’ Welcome Baby Program offers pregnant women and new moms with information, support, and trusted partners to help participants through the journey of pregnancy and early parenthood. Services include: hospital visits, parent coaching, information and support with pre- and post-natal health care, and linkage and referrals to a wide range of supportive services.
For families and children ages 0-21 who are under the jurisdiction of the DCFS
Being a parent is a critically important job, 24 hours a day. It’s not always easy. Call the National Parent Helpline® to get emotional support from a trained advocate and become an empowered and stronger parent.
Children’s Institute provides early education, behavioral health and family strengthening services to 30,000 children and families each year. They also train professionals and caregivers in trauma-informed care, evidence-based clinical treatment, parenting, and fatherhood.
The Emporium is a storefront that offers transition-age foster youth and young adults basic essentials, career & casual clothing, accessories, toiletries, undergarments, school supplies, and books for free! Can go once every 4 months.
Empowering former foster youth aging out of the system. Stepping Forward meets every first Saturday of the month for lunch, networking, games, mentor matching, and resource referrals.
Echoes of Hope supports current former foster students. Resources include: textbook support, housing, meal assistance, transportation, graduation expenses and more!
Use this page to find all kinds of resources and assistance to not only get into college, but to find success while enrolled! As you plan and apply for college, organization and staying on track are key. There are a myriad of helpful guides, programs, websites and people, which in itself can be overwhelming. To help you get started, download the college planning guide (also available in Spanish).
Ready to Succeed empowers youth impacted by foster care to graduate college, launch successful careers, and reach their full potential.
The Law School Admission Council is a non-profit organization committed to promoting quality, access, and equity in law and education worldwide by supporting individuals’ enrollment journeys and providing preeminent assessment, data, and technology services. They have several resources to help anyone get into law school!
Beauty Changes Lives is a nonprofit driven to make the beauty profession a first-choice career. They empower next generation beauty professionals through scholarships, mentorship and advanced education.
At Learn How to Become, their mission is to help individuals find the best career, from the new graduates trying to land their first job to the seasoned professional climbing the company ladder. They are here to support you every step of the way with content on how to write the perfect resume, nail the interview, and more.
The LAFS Library’s goal is to provide direct support for the educational mission of the school, by selecting and organizing current and relevant books, media, and digital resources; to assist students and faculty in locating and retrieving information effectively, and to assist in the educational and professional development of students.
The website contains tutorials in film making, reviews of products commonly used, and a directory of how you might be able to get free items to help your filmmaking career!
The American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) Is a non-profit focused on building a community that advances the profession of physical therapy to improve the health of society. Their website encourages membership, but it is NOT necessary. There are free resources you can access WITHOUT having a paid membership.
The Institute of Culinary Education’s recreational division (New York campus) is known for more than 800 cooking, baking, beverage, and professional development classes a season, for 26,000 people a year. Now, they’ve added free online cooking classes to the menu for home cooks of all levels via Zoom Webinar. Classes that may have cost money in the past are now free and accessible! Their professional chefs will guide you through crafting plant-based comfort foods, baking the ultimate cookies, perfecting one-pot paella, hosting the ultimate Taco Tuesday, and tackling sous vide techniques.
This online resource center covers a broad range of subjects to ensure you’re comfortable handling anything financial that might come your way. These tips and tools are created by experts and have helped people in every kind of situation make smarter financial decisions which lead to financial confidence.
Serving people who are interested in college funding, listing a broad array of funding opportunities without asking for information from the applicant. There are no long forms to fill out in order to access their resources.
To receive these foster care college grants, you must submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form. This application takes your income into consideration to determine how much support you will need to pay for college in the form of grants and loans.
If you are or were in foster care for at least one day, between the ages of 16 and 18 as a dependent or ward of the court and have financial need, you may qualify for up to $5,000 a year for career and technical training or college. You don’t have to pay this money back. You may also be able to use your grant to help pay for childcare, transportation and rent while you’re in school. You can use your Chafee Grant at any eligible California college, university, career or technical school, as well as schools in other states.
This grant is a form of federal financial aid available to all students that are U.S. citizens (or eligible non-citizens) and meet certain income and education requirements. You can receive up to $6,095 per academic year plus $3,048 if enrolled during the summer. This grant can be used at public or private, two-or four-year universities or colleges in California or out of state.
The Cal Grant is a form of state aid for California residents who attend college in California. Students attending four-year colleges and universities will often receive this grant.
California Community College Promise Grant permits enrollment fees to be waived. Assistance for the purchase of books and supplies must be applied for separately.
Free Job Training for: Banking, Apartment Maintenance Technicians, Certified Nurse Assistants, and non-clinical positions in healthcare. JVS job training requires no more than 8 weeks of intensive training, connects graduates with employer-partners for rapid placement and provides career guidance and ongoing job retention support.
Unpaid job training program – Year Up is a one-year intensive training and internship program that prepares young adults for successful careers in information technology and business.
Learning to program computers and build websites – 16-week program. Unpaid.
Sustainable Life Project – Culinary internship program for young adults who’ve grown out of foster care and into new lives on their own. Six-month paid Internship for those interested in the culinary arts.
Creative Futures Collective is offering a fellowship that will help prepare participants for careers in the creative industries, including: Storytelling, Conflict Resolution, Mindfulness, Goal Setting, Financial Literacy, Brand Building, Networking, and more!
The RightWay Foundation partners with former foster youth to build healthy, stable lives. Programs address past trauma, support successful employment, and promote healing and self-sufficiency in adulthood.
The Peer Advocate will work closely with CLC’s transition age youth (TAY) clients, particularly those youth who are young adults in foster care (known as Non-Minor Dependents “NMD”) and their attorneys, helping to ensure youth have access to the necessary resources and services to prepare for life after foster care. In addition, the Peer Advocate will work directly with our teenage clients outside of the courtroom and in the community, collaborating with a cross sector of child welfare, workforce, educational, and other community and county agencies working with transitioning age youth.
The Peer Advocate will focus on “hard to reach youth” – those who face the most barriers and are at the greatest risk of teen pregnancy and early parenthood, involvement with the criminal justice system, have experienced challenges in reaching educational goals and who lack family support.
Former Foster Youth – FREE Health Care until 26 in CA
Individual therapy for children and adults – there is sometimes a waiting list.
Los Angeles Preventative health, mental health, and dental services.
Pacific Asian Counseling Services offers mental health counseling. They are culturally sensitive and has a large language capacity.
The agency provides mental health services for youth up to age 24 in Los Angeles County.
To help you weather this storm, Headspace and the LA County Department of Mental Health have partnered to provide support and resources during this challenging time. This is an amazing mediation app that promotes mindfulness. AND it is currently free for LA residents!
The Alliance for Children’s Rights provides a vital bridge for young adults as they strive for self-sufficiency. Young people exiting the foster care or delinquency systems in Los Angeles often face severe challenges in education, employment, and overall well-being. The Alliance works to remove barriers to self-sufficiency, promote self-advocacy, and build a foundation for the future for youth who lack other support systems.
The Alliance ensures that young adults who are or have been in foster care or on probation and are between 14 and 24 know their legal rights and entitlements. We provide free consultation and legal services.
Peace 4 Kids is a non-profit, volunteer supported organization promoting trust, equity, and stability for children in foster care. Former foster youth can volunteer in the program.
In-person volunteering is currently on hold, but you can still foster! Best Friends Animal Society is a leading national animal welfare organization dedicated to ending the killing of dogs and cats in America’s shelters.
The Real to REEL film festival was created by a former ASOH recipient and volunteer!
Are you Homeless now?
CES Access Center: www.lahsa.org/get-help?ref=ces
If you are you having trouble paying rent, the Eviction Prevention Program helps low income participants at imminent risk of becoming homeless to secure and/or retain housing. The program can provide up to 6 months of rental assistance and move-in.
Households must not exceed the following household size and annual median income (AMI) prior to COVID-19 to be eligible:
St. Anne’s works to build safe, nurturing and resilient families – from pregnancy to parenthood and childhood to adulthood – for generations to come. They offer various housing programs for everyone, including people with specific needs and in specific situations.
St. Anne’s THP+FC (Transitional Housing for young moms)
St. Anne’s Transitional Housing – (Transitional Housing for young moms)
My First Place Program provides transitional housing and support services for former foster youth and homeless. The program services are focused on helping our participants advance in education, employment and build life-skills to achieve a successful transition to self-sufficiency and responsible adulthood.
Homeless shelter with career center, employment specialist, school on site (GED/Diploma), clinic, mental health services, substance abuse counselors, etc.
The Los Angeles County Development Authority’s (LACDA) Homeless Incentive Program (HIP) offers monetary incentives to encourage landlords to rent their available units to LACDA’s homeless Section 8 voucher holders.
CHIRP/LA (Comprehensive Housing Information and Referrals for People Living with HIV/AIDS) is a program of PAWS/LA (Pets Are Wonderful Support, Los Angeles), with grant funding from HOPWA (Housing Opportunities for Persons With AIDS) that is administered by HCIDLA (Los Angeles Housing & Community Investment Department).
24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year, the National Domestic Violence Hotline provides essential tools and support to help survivors of domestic violence so they can live their lives free of abuse.
Anyone can call or visit their website
The Los Angeles County Department of Public Social Services is offering support over the phone and online to help you end the abuse in your life and the lives of your family.
Anyone can call or visit their website
211 is the most comprehensive source of locally curated social services information in the U.S. and most of Canada. Call, text or chat with your local 211 to speak with a community resource specialist in your area who will help you find services and resourcces that are available to you.
L.A. Opportunity Youth Collaborative Database of programs and services for transition age foster youth in the central LA.
Located in Pasadena, Youth Moving On provides youth who were formerly in foster care and probation affordable quality housing and numerous support services to help them transition successfully to adulthood. Youth learn skills for lasting independence and a lifetime of personal fulfillment through housing services and workforce development and linkages to other resources.
A Sense of Home does not endorse or recommend any of the provided resources and provides them for informational purposes only.
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