2. Policy Updates
LOCAL BUDGET
[From Coleman Advocates Family Budget Coalition]
This has been an incredible challenging budget year, for those both inside and outside City Hall; and while it isn’t over, we have come far in the process. The Board of Supervisor’s Budget and Finance Committee spent literally all of Thursday night in deliberations over addbacks and the police department budget, negotiating about which of the Mayor’s proposed cuts to save, & where to find the money to restore them. The Committee (McGoldrick-Chair, Chu, Mirkarimi, Daly, Elsbernd) adjourned around dinnertime on Thursday and finally reconvened at 3am on Friday morning to release their ‘addback list’. There were both wins and disappointments for SF children, youth and families that came out of the process; here are some of the highlights:
- Restoration of $335,000 for family rental subsidies
- Restoration of $485,000 for juvenile justice community programs
- Restoration of $200,000 for SRO family support services
- Restoration of at least $100,000 for API family support services
This is great news to the agencies whose services have been restored and to all of those children—congratulations to all the youth and parents who came out to participate in the advocacy efforts! Thank you to the Budget and Finance Committee for working hard to restore critical services to families—and to other vulnerable populations.
Agencies who received an addback this year from DCYF are still facing cuts—the Board allocated $200K instead of $487K to save these services. They proposed to use the growth in the Children’s Fund to fund that $200,000 even though new Children’s Fund money is not supposed to supplant or backfill existing services. The details of this proposal & the status of other cuts to children’s services are still coming out.
[From Human Services Network (HSN)]
In the city's worst budget ever in terms of health and human service cuts, the Budget Committee went beyond expectations, adding back over $30 million to the General Fund, combined with almost $7 million in matching non-general fund dollars.
The restorations include $21 million to service cuts in the Department of Public Health (mostly general fund), $6.5 million in Human Services ($4.9 million general fund), $450,000 in Aging and Adult Services, $1.3 million to Children, Youth and Families ($580,000 general fund), $277,000 to restore domestic violence programs, $486,000 to reinstate reductions to Juvenile Probation community-based contracts, and close to a half million for services in other departments such as the Mayor's Office. In other words, about $30 of the $37 million restored is for social services.
The restoration list is available from a link on the home page of HSN's website. In accordance with the Board's practices, it is not specific to organizations, but lists the categories of services for which funds are intended. City departments will determine specific allocations, but generally restore funds directly to those who have been cut.
It is not possible to tell from the list which services have not been restored. If you become aware of specific programs that have not been reinstated, please let us know. The Board may make additional changes as it goes through the final steps of the budget process.
There are still some "next steps" that everybody should take: A $200 million deficit is already projected for the following year's budget, much of it due to further increases in city labor MOUs. Some Supervisors have warned that the Mayor may make mid-year cuts if the fiscal outlook does not improve. Our best defense is a good offense, and we need to call on all of you this fall to fight for revenue measures on the November ballot. This will be the major discussion at our July member meeting.
The biggest reason for our success on the budget this year was that the sector spoke out loudly as a unified voice. More than ever, we need to continue that unity into our fall campaigns.
FEDERAL POLICY
Fostering Connections to Success Act
[from Amy Lemley, John Burton Foundation]
Many of you have heard about the recent success of Representative Jim McDermott's bill (D-WA), the Foster Connections to Success Act (H.R. 6307), which passed on suspense in the House of Representatives last Tuesday, June 24th. It addresses a range of important foster care issues, including extending federal funding for youth in foster care to age 21. Download an HR6307 FAQ,
The John Burton Foundation strongly support this policy and has worked with Senator Barbara Boxer to introduce legislation that would accomplish a similar goal (S. 1512, the Foster Care Continuing Opportunities Act). I have attached a one-page informational sheet about H.R. 6307 as it pertains to extending federal funding to age 21. Download a summary developed by the Alliance for Children and Families, which outlines the full bill.
For those who are familiar with Senator Boxer's bill, the main difference is that H.R. 6307 places a number of conditions on youth continuing to receive the support of the foster care system past age 18. There are a variety of perspectives on this issue, from both a political and practice orientation. However, we strongly believe that H.R. 6307 moves this issue in the right direction and hope that you will join us in building support for it in the Senate. Also, please share this information with others in your network.
For more information contact Amy Lemley, Policy Director, John Burton Foundation at 415-693-1322 or amy@johnburtonfoundation.org.
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3. Articles
COS program helps foster children
Vasalia Times-Delta • June 27, 2008
Grant helps connect youth to careers
Grunion Gazette • June 26, 2008
New complex welcomes foster youth home
Oakland Tribune • June 26, 2008
Schools are working to improve graduation rate for foster youths
Ventura County Star • June 25, 2008
RELATED NEWS
A network of programs serve our local foster youth, and as the city budget deficit looms, it’s good to recognize some of the deep impacts on those who serve the youth. Please read the below article for a great argument supporting our local non-profit workers.
San Francisco budget ignores nonprofit workers
Beyond Chron • June 24, 2008
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4. Reports & Useful Websites
Out of the Shadows: What Child Welfare Workers Can Do to Help Children and their Incarcerated Parents (Spring 2008)
This issue of the Reaching Out newsletter from the Northern California Training Academy is dedicated to providing information to help child welfare workers better understand and address the mandated responsibilities to families in which children are in foster care and a parent is incarcerated. Download the full report.
Presentation at the National Association of Counties Task Force on Youth Aging out of Foster Care (December 2007)
Click on the link below for an interesting presentation on funding recommendations to support youth who age out of foster care. Note: once you get past the first 10 or so slides with the usual foster care statistics, the presentation has some interesting points. Download the full presentation.
Foster Care Re-Entry: Evidence and Implications
This literature review from the University of California at Berkeley, School of Social Welfare examines the research topics related to foster care re-entry. The report begins with a brief discussion of the role of re-entry into foster care in the context of the goals of the child welfare system. The introduction is followed by a presentation of the major findings on risk and correlates of foster care re-entry, resilience and correlates of successful reunification, and the impact of child welfare interventions and service models on reducing re-entry. The report concludes with a discussion of the implications of the findings for child welfare practice and future research.Download the full report.
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5. Job Opportunities
Juma Ventures
Director of Programs
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6. Opportunities
Summer internship sites needed!
This summer, ILSP, Jobs For Youth, and the Mayor’s office are piloting a program for foster youth summer internships. The goal is to match teens in summer internships so they can learn about diverse industries and gain important work/career knowledge. They are looking for professionals who are willing to mentor youth a few hours a week from July 1 until August 31. The internships are subsidized, what is needed are placements! Each youth will be paid $10/hour to work at your site. If you are interested in hosting a current or former foster youth, contact Yuri Dew, Jobs For Youth 415-808-4313 or ydew@uwba.org
SPECIAL NOTE: Thank you to Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP—a long time HEY supporter—for hosting 6 youth at their law offices in downtown San Francisco this summer!
MHA-SF Young Adult Advisors training participants
We are currently recruiting for potential MH-YAA training participants. Just as the focus group, we are looking for young adults who are between 16-24 years old, have been involved with the foster care system, and/or have been homeless or runaway. It would be ideal that they have leadership and advocacy experience too. Trainings will Wednesdays July 23- August 13th, 5:30-8pm. Dinner will be provided at each meeting with a gift card provided for those who complete the workshops. Download more information.
There is also a short application that each young adult will have to complete out and turn in. It’s a way for us to get a sense of their interest and participation in the trainings. We will contact each participant once we receive the completed applications and will provide the address for the trainings at that time. The training will be located in the Civic Center/SOMA area of San Francisco.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Kathleen Casela, Young Adult Advocate, Mental Health Association of San Francisco, at 415-421-2926, Ext 312.
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7. Upcoming Events
Nonprofit Finance Conference
The California Association of Nonprofits presents its 7th annual nonprofit finance conference, Money Matters 2008: Resources, Reporting and Responsibility. Locally, the event will take place in Oakland on September 10. For more information, registration, and other cities and dates, see the conference website.
It's My Life Conference, October 31-November 2, 2008
"It's My Life" convenes over 700 participants --youth in foster care, alumni of care, caregivers, practitioners, and advocates --who share innovative practices designed to guide preparation for adulthood services for youth aging out of foster care. "It's My Life" takes place in Los Angeles October 31-November 2. More information online.
 About
Honoring Emancipated Youth
About Honoring Emancipated Youth
Honoring Emancipated Youth (HEY), a community project of United Way of the Bay Area, is a San Francisco-based intermediary providing leadership to the Bay Area foster care community by convening and informing stakeholders of trends and best practices in order to raise public awareness and promote successful policies that affect emancipated foster youth. HEY is committed to the inclusion of current and former foster youth, service providers, and community members in identifying and promoting strategies and best practices that ensure there are effective systems to serve Bay Area foster care youth in achieving a successful transition to adulthood.
This newsletter is solely for informational purposes; the legislative information and articles do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Honoring Emancipated Youth or United Way of the Bay Area.
Sara Razavi
Executive Director, Honoring Emancipated Youth (HEY)
United Way of the Bay Area
221 Main Street, Suite 300, San Francisco, CA 94105
(415) 808-4435 • Fax (415) 817-4615
srazavi@uwba.org
Visit us at www.heysf.org
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