L.A County Board or Supervisors has passed a supplemental budget to its fiscal year 2021-2022, which includes an allocation of $3.6 million to provide direct services and support to LGBTQ foster youth under its care.
The Los Angeles LGBT Center has applauded this motion which was led by Supervisors Sheila Kuehl and Hilda L. Solis, and with the determined leadership of Department of Child and Family Services (DCFS) Director Bobby Cagle. This decision will begin to address the well-documented and unmet needs of young LGBTQ youth.
“The Los Angeles LGBT Center has seen far too many LGBTQ foster youth suffer due to the lack of support they need to thrive,” said Center CEO Lorri L. Jean. “By appropriating $3.6 million that will tailor services specific to these youth, the Supervisors and DCFS Director Cagle championed the county’s efforts to support and affirm these underserved youth in achieving independence. We thank them for making it known that ignoring the needs of LGBTQ foster youth can no longer be tolerated.”
To identify and address the inequities which LGBTQ youth experience within the County’s foster care system, the Los Angeles LGBT Center developed the groundbreaking RISE (Recognize Intervene Support Empower) Project in 2010. The federally-funded RISE Project is recognized today as one of the nation’s leading LGBTQ+ programs addressing the disproportionate outcomes for youth in systems of care. With a consistent connection between direct services as well as training and coaching, the Center’s RISE Project is committed to evolving continually into a more robust program and advocating to achieve broader systems of care at local, state, and federal levels.
