Former out-of-home youth's journey to the Navy Ball reminds VC Residents of the need for more families to step up and help

Ventura County residents asked to help their youth in need. End Quote

Ventura, CA (1888PressRelease) June 01, 2023 - Approximately 20,000 youth age out of foster care every year and must be financially and emotionally self-sufficient by 18. Statistics show that within four years of aging out, 50% of these young adults will be unemployed, and experience homelessness. The transition to adulthood is a significant and challenging developmental phase of life for all young people, but for youth in out-of-home care it is particularly daunting. Government agencies can provide support and group homes, but a nurturing mentoring environment requires stable, loving families to open their homes and heart to local youth in out-of-home care.

"At Strengthening VC Families, we need compassionate help and homes for our youth and teens transitioning out of care. Older youths go through so much during their out-of-home care experience. Leaving out-of-home care without achieving permanence with families carries lifelong consequences. These youth are making their own decisions about whom they want to be and what they can do to thrive," said Jaci Johnson from Strengthening VC Families. "Older youth need a responsible adult to mentor them, guide their decisions, and provide a safe environment so they can become self-sufficient adults. We encourage families to please give back to the youth in our community. Mentoring and opening their homes to youth in out-of-home care brings many rewards to families, youth, and the community".

Johnny G., a 21-year-old who had been in out of home (foster care), has shared his experience and struggles in videos and interviews with SVCF for over five years. Throughout that time, he has talked about difficult situations that many youths face that can be helped by families who step up. "You can become a host home and support youth to have a place to lay your head at night…because not many youths have the support systems and family connections to be able to do that" said Johnny G. Strengthening VC Families (SVCF) works with several supportive programs for transitioning youth and teens. Their stories are often difficult but necessary to hear.

Support for youth doesn't need to end at 18, and in fact, Johnny was recently invited to the Navy Ball, a formal event requiring black-tie attire; he was thrilled. However, since he had never owned a suit, he worried about what to wear. Upon learning of his predicament, Stacy DeWitt from James Storehouse and Jaci Johnson from SVCF Children and Family Services immediately reached out to Jim, the owner of Stych, a local suit store that catered to celebrities. After hearing about Johnny's struggles, Jim felt compelled to help and offered to assist Johnny in finding the perfect suit for the occasion. Johnny looked dashing at the Navy Ball.

To learn more about James Storehouse, please visit https://www.jamesstorehouse.org/
To learn more about Jim and Stych, please visit https://stychinc.com/

[1] Child Welfare and Foster Care Statistics - The Annie E. Casey Foundation (cf.org)

[2] https://www.ifoster.org/

The County of Ventura Human Services Agency, Children and Family Services (CFS) vision is to offer support, hope and opportunity to families and children in need. It is through this vision we have developed Strengthening VC Families approach.

The goal of helping children and youth in Ventura County is to support the whole child, whole family, and whole community through integration and alignment of services. This goal is achieved by increasing preventative work to keep families together, aligning practices throughout the continuum of health and human services, and active engagement with diverse community partners to strengthen families together.

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