Projects and
Service Initiatives
The Hands and Hearts of Hope Foundation is dedicated to serving and lifting up members of society with the greatest need. These are people who have fallen through the cracks of society and life. We provide opportunities, resources, and skills to transform and enrich their lives, assisting them to become active, engaged members of our human family.
Those we serve include at-risk populations of the homeless; low-income single parents; fragile elderly; and newly emancipated foster youth. We have traditionally focused on serving these groups by matching individuals and groups with the people and resources that will make the most significant positive difference for them.
The last year – underscored by the global pandemic – it has become that underserved and vulnerable communities have grown. Hands and Hearts of Hope is expanding its activities and service initiatives to provide greater assistance to these most fragile groups during this unprecedented period in our nation’s history.
Challenge: Homeless college students.
As revealed by an article in the Los Angeles Times, a study published in 2019 showed that nearly 20% of California’s 40,000 community college students had been homeless during the previous year, and that 60% of these students were housing insecure. Half had been food insecure as well. Newly emancipated and former foster youth were particularly affected. Pushed out of foster care at age 18, with nowhere to turn for housing, food, or care, there is no system in place for these young people as they enter the world.
They can, and do, all too easily fall into homelessness.
The result is a wave of homeless college students in the state of California. Several colleges and universities in Southern California have created on-campus food pantries for these underserved youth, and many have designated sections of their parking lots to allow students to sleep safely overnight in their vehicles.
It’s just not enough.
This fragile population of young adults has the least support, the fewest health care options, the least healthy food available, and the fewest opportunities. All too often, these bright young adults give up hope of reaching their goals. Currently, only a tiny percentage of emancipated foster care college students in California end up graduating from college.
We knew we had to start here, by helping to create a solid foundation of support for these students, making it more possible to focus on completing their college studies, graduating, and positively altering their direction in life.
Our new Mentorship Board, assembled from dedicated people who have stepped up to provide relevant, focused counsel, support, guidance and positive mentorship to these amazing students.
Please stand with us, as we work to change the trajectory of these students from struggle to hope and success!