Craig realized that the man, Adam, was young. One day, the man saw Craig purchasing the food and approached him to thank him. Craig began purchasing food for the man, asking the coffee shop staff to give it to him without revealing its source. At first, he couldn’t guess the man’s age, because he wore a hoodie and kept his head covered. He then started to see the man sleeping at a table on the outdoor patio of a local coffee shop. On his daily neighborhood walk, Santa Clarita resident Craig (not his real name) often noticed a man sleeping in the park in the middle of the day. Olsen said the story of a foster youth named Adam (not his real name) is just one example of FYI’s effort to provide housing for local foster youth, who would otherwise find themselves homeless and hopeless. “We also provide many vital resources to help these youth including a dedicated community of support, emergency financial assistance, academic support and tutoring and the guidance and encouragement they need to complete a college education or vocational training,” she said. Olsen said finding housing is just one of the ways FYI equips local foster youth for success in school and life. We’re proud that since our founding in 2017, FYI has been able to secure housing for 56 local foster youth.” “Without the stability of a place to live, these youth are at risk of not being able to break the cycle of hopelessness and reach their potential. “Foster youth need the safety and security of a home in order to take the next steps toward developing the skills they need to become independent adults,” said Carolyn Olsen, FYI’s executive director and co-founder. The largest foster support organization in the Santa Clarita Valley, FYI has supported these dozens of young adults who have aged out of the Los Angeles County foster system without being adopted or reunited with their birth families, with one of their most critical needs, housing. A total of 56 vulnerable foster youth have found housing with the help of Fostering Youth Independence since the local non-profit’s founding in 2017.
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